Posted by DSCH on August 12, 2003, at 12:54:15
In reply to what helps for adhd ? , posted by Francesco on August 12, 2003, at 8:01:58
In my non-medical-degreed-opinion I would say you are perfectly justified in stopping the Wellbutrin based upon what you have written. Patience to achieve the delayed action efficacy is one thing. Dangerous side effects in the here-and-now are another.
Before talking about ADs, it would perhaps be worth taking a closer look at what your symptom profile was before you started taking medication and then going forward and seeing if any changes have happened as you have discontinued various medications (i.e. like what seems to be happening to linkadge coming off lithium and Celexa) as well as noting what the good/bad side of each treatment scheme was. Find some time and write up a personal history, it doesn't have to be great writing, but the more detailed it is regarding your feelings and sensations the more helpful it will be, because it gives clues as what to is going on in YOUR case relative to all other cases of ADHD out there.
You might want to give this questionairre a try, inputing what you were like *before* taking Anafranil.
http://www.brainplace.com/bp/checklist/checklist_page1.asp
Having gone from Anafranil to Prozac to Paxil to Celexa to Wellbutrin, it might be good to have an extended drug holiday and let your brain achieve some kind of homeostasis before starting on another med. It's the brain's achievement of a new stable operating condition in response to the input of an AD that causes the time delay in actual improvement. (I believe "poop-out" is the result of this new operating condition being too stressful on the brain to maintain over the long haul.) Conversely, you won't have an accurate picture of what the real problem is until brain functions have fully adjusted to the withdrawl. Since non-linear systems like the brain are path dependent, the problem might be somewhat different from what it was before you began these different treatments.
To switch from my, perhaps, overly-didactic side to some empathy, I *know* what you are going through. I struggled through stress, relationships, ineffective medications, and ADD symptoms in graduate school too. It was too much for me as I didn't seek help soon enough and didn't bring as much as I might have been able to in the way of intelligence and dedication to seek effective help as I could have. With my treatment finally going somewhere now I am amazed at the difference in energy and clarity over what I had before. And writing this is taking way too long due to the sugary breakfast I had this morning. LOL That's another thing that will have to go! :-)
poster:DSCH
thread:250201
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/250256.html