Re: Stimulants and Anti-Depressants

[turbo]

From what I’ve read, one anti-depressant which has been prescribed “off label” for ADD issues with some success is “wellbutrin”, which is also known as Buproprion.

I’ve read that the Effexor, which is an SSRI, has also been used although I reacted VERY badly to it.

Strattera is a current front line med for ADD treatment, which started out being developed as an anti-depressant. Apparently in clinical trials it didn’t perform as well as the current crop of anti-depressants, but research continued on the ADD front and it eventually came to market as a non-stimulant ADD/ADHD treatment.

I myself have benefitted from it’s anti-depressant qualities – in fact it helped with my mood far more than Wellbutrin or Effexor which I also tried.

In your specific situation, have you been diagnosed as “ADD” or “ADHD” by a medical doctor? I’ve heard many times that getting the “correct” diagnosis is key. If your doctor isn’t a specialist, you may be able to track down one in your area and have a referral made for a full diagnosis.

In the lecture series I attended last year Dr Jain (from U of T) mentioned that ADDers have a VERY high incidence of comorbidity (co-occurence) with other issues like depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Anxiety issues, and even disorders like Tourette’s syndrome.

He stressed that adults who have ADD/ADHD frequently present a “chicken and the egg” scenario when being diagnosed ie has a lifetime of anxiety or depression issues caused the ADD-like behaviours or is it the other way around? It gets very complex. The goal is to deal with and treat the underlying problem, not just medicate one of it’s effects, hence the importance of a thorough diagnosis.

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