ADD and chronic anxiety

[Anonymous]

I have generalized anxiety and am always wired! I run five days a week but can’t seem to relax.

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[Anonymous]

I know what you mean dude. I take meds for anxiety. I used to take meds for adhd but it gave me anxiety in the first place. So I understand

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[Anonymous]

I got diagnosed with severe anxiety with my ADD. But the neurologist (not the same who diagnosed me, whom cost way too much money for more than the diagnostic) doesn’t seem to think it’s really severe. He treats me for my ADD and seems concerned about my migraines (why? I can deal with those!). I try meditation to relax but I don’t think that works for ADDers! I mean, we’ve got to much on our mind lol! The best ways I’ve found to help was; 1- video games, that helps me focus on the game I play and not much else. 2- music, while listening to my favorite album, I play myself a scenario in my head and see it from beginning to end. My favorite is ‘Star Trek vs Alien’. It helps to. At least at home. At the office where my anxiety is more problematic… well I’m working on ways to deal with it.

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[Anonymous]

I would like to get some feedback on what anti-anxieties work best for members.

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[Anonymous]

I was diagnosed with ADD and moderate depression (I did have some tough beginnings as a kid) – a package deal….Anyway, I had Migraines also with that package. Prior to being diagnosed, I took Imitrix which was the only thing that sorta worked to save an otherwise lost day of work. Still made me feel goofy. Well, when diagnosed with depression some years ago, I was prescribed Wellbutrin. I was told it worked somewhat for ADD because it treated on a Dopamine level rather than Serotonin approach. No sexual side effects (which if there were, that marshmallow to the parking meter coin slot factor alone would be depressing!) Anyway, outside of a funny initial taste in the mouth, it worked well in helping the deflated balloon feeling. What’s more, I noticed I stopped getting Migraines and Canker sores (which usually would happen after heavy stress). Any time I missed for a couple days of Wellbutrin, , I definitely felt the deflated balloon sensation and really scattered focus return. So, it still did help some things and I certainly do not miss Migraines or that squashed douche-bag serotonin sucked sensation.

I did try Adderall and Concerta. It made me feel really weird and couldn’t pee worth a damn + grumpy, so I stuck with Wellbutrin because it did help and the other did not. Sure, there are good and bad days. Now, where did I put my keys……

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[Anonymous]

Does anybody have chronic problems with ADHD, anxiety and Erectile Dysfunction?

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[Anonymous]

I was diagnosed with both ADD and generalized anxiety (though, admittedly, not by the same person) and I found out I couldn’t take the ADD meds, because they kind of turn me into MORE of a basket case than I usually am.

My therapist seems to think my inattentiveness is due to my anxiety, while my psychiatrist (who diagnosed the ADD) seems to think the opposite.

So ya…word of warning to people with anxiety…do NOT take stimulant medications.

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[Anonymous]

It really depends on the medication. I’ve found that some stimulants would calm me down and help me focus (sometimes it even made me drowsy) while others made me very irritable. I believe that stress can certainly hamper the effectiveness of stimulant medication and getting proper treatment for anxiety along with treatment for add can help a lot.

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[Anonymous]

I wish your advice were that simple Megatron… Yes, if you have ADD and GAD (like I do), stimulants usually serve to increase your anxiety. However, no other drugs work!

I’ve tried pretty much everything else over the past 3 years since I was diagnosed, and now I’ve come to the safe conclusion that the only solution is stimulants and that I’ll have to find a way to cope with the side effects until they diminish after a while. I’m in the trial and error process right now, and it really sucks, but there’s no other way.

The key is to find the least of the evils among stimulants (for me it seems to be one of the ritalin drugs), and just SLOWLY increase the dose till you get it to the “ideal” level. The body does adjust to the side effects and the anxiety will eventually diminish, perhaps even disappear.

Afterall, ADD is likely the root cause of an adult’s GAD, because they’ve gone their whole life untreated and are at a point where they are anxious about the slightest challenges because their brain can’t adequately cope and has never been able to, so as one get’s older they see no hope in this changing ever and therefore the anxiety only gets worse as they age if the ADD is untreated, because being alive is increasingly miserable.

Studies have almost unanimously proven that anxiety is an effect rather than a cause…

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[Lindstr7]

Funny, I have found that Ritalin actually DEcreases my anxiety. Although, I think my anxiety was due to the ADD, not the other way around, so Ritalin basically wiped out nearly all my anxiety. Chezbomb, I agree that finding the right dosage is the key. Too much and I’m jittery….too little and there is no effect. There is a narrow sweet spot and finding it takes a little experimentation. Sooooo happy I found mine.

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[Anonymous]

It seems to me that the higher the dosage of Concerta, the more anxious I get. I hope your right about the right dosage working to control both because my neurologist don’t believe in my anxiety and is not aware (read won’t ear lol) of anything else than Ritalin or Concerta.

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[Lindstr7]

Moka, if the higher dosage is making you anxious, you might need to cut down on the dosage. Is it making you physically jittery, or anxious (worried)? I’d been taking Citalopram for my anxiety which, now, along with the ritalin, may be helping to ease the anxiety. For me, my anxiety was mostly in social situations and general worry. I didn’t have panic attacks or anything serious, just avoided all social situations and focused too much on negative stuff.

After I started taking the Ritalin, the social anxiety seemed to disappear and it may be due to the combination of the citalopram and the ritalin or just the ritalin (my doctor suggested I try and go off the Citalopram at some point, but its working well right now so I don’t see the need to change). But with just the citalopram alone, I still had the anxiety. Also, I have found that with the right dosage of Ritalin, I am more active during the day, without the nervousness (probably because I’m more active physically). Getting out and walking or exercising can ease anxiety and makes me tired at night so I sleep better.

I’m not on the extended release of ritalin because I thought it would be easier for me to find the right dosage through adjusting the smaller dosages instead of taking the XR and not knowing how much to adjust.

Everyone is different and not all combinations work in similar ways for everyone. If you’re feeling a lot of anxiety, I might suggest to your doctor that you try an anti-anxiety along with the ritalin.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck and do research before you go in to see your doctor again so you are prepared. The more prepared you are with information, the better you can present your case to your dr.

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[Anonymous]

Lindstr7 – Thanks for the info! I’ve taken note of it and will try to talk about it to my neurologist when I see him in a few days. Though, as I said, he doesn’t believe in my anxiety problem and doesn’t know much about ADD. His specialty is migraines 🙄 And as for your question, its making me physically jittery. I’ve always been jittery but with every new dosage of Concerta it’s a little worst. I feel like I’m a volcano about to blow sometimes when I’m at work. Also sometimes anxiety attacks but I think I got that pretty much under control… I think. As for exercice, I walk about half an hour every weekday. That’s about it for me for exercices. I’m a couch potato. Maybe at least, I could switch to Ritalin? He offered me that option a few months ago when I expressed doubts about Concerta. But I tought that Ritalin is a step down from Concerta so if the latter doesn’t work…

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[Lindstr7]

Moka….I initially thought I wanted to try for Adderall or Concerta because they were the newer drugs. My thinking was well, if they’re newer they must be better. My health provider always starts with ritalin (probably to save $$) which I am now happy about because Ritalin has been around the longest (since the 30s according to the videos I watched here,,,,which are very interesting you should watch if you haven’t already). With the 10 milligram tabs I can break them in half and adjust if I’m feeling too jittery. I now know what dosage is just right (like goldilocks!), and am able to take dosages that might not be available in the extended release form.

Its now working fine and I feel no needd to try concerta or adderall. If, however, it were NOT working for me, I would of course try something different.

If you were tested by another physician, bring your results to your neurologist or have him speak to the dr. who diagnosed you with your anxiety. I’ve never heard of a doctor dismissing a patients concerns so readily when they have test results to back it up. Sometimes you have to be assertive and not allow your concerns to be dismissed. If you are seeing a neurologist, then perhaps your insurance will cover for a psychiatrist as well. If your migraines are under control perhaps its time you switched to a dr. who has some knowledge of ADD and anxiety.

Just my 2 cents. Again prepare yourself, even practice what you’re going to say, imagine their response and prepare an answer. Write it down on a piece of paper if you have to. Don’t give up! If you go in prepared, they’ll probably give more weight to your concerns and not be so dismissive.

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[Lindstr7]

P.s. I’m not suggesting you switch to ritalin, but that you may need to adjust your meds down if its making you too jittery. The most important thing is to find a doctor who will listen or convince your current doctor to listen to your concerns. Communication is key.

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