Posted by Peter on November 6, 2001, at 14:09:47
In reply to Re: Adderall help » Peter, posted by Mitch on November 6, 2001, at 13:29:29
> > Hey Mitch. I'm completely with you on all you've said. Now that I'm getting more used to the adderall, I'm realizing that it really does calm me down and help me to hyperfocus on important things without being as easily distracted. The music thing is interesting. I'm a musician - a jazz pianist - even off of medication I can get very involved in creating music because I love it. But now that I think of it, I always had trouble following lyrics and the spoken meaning of certain compositions. Since I was very young, it always seemed like my friends would be able to recite lyrics and I'd just be in the dark. I'll see as the days go by how adderall helps me with that. As far as the SP, you really hit the nail right on the head; I'm more willing to go out, be with groups, less nervous and chronically worrisome about engaging in new activities, and less restless and agitated when I do engage in them. But I gotta say there is something wierd that accompanies the benefits - maybe a subtle paranoia or oversensitivity to people around me, like you touched on. Also, I gotta get used to the "crash" element of the adderall - when it wears off, I sort of feel crappy. Oh well, I guess finding the right doses of the combined adderall, depakote, and kolonopin can smoothen the problems out. BTW, did you take 5mg 2x each day or 5mg total? Starting tomorrow I'm going from 2.5mgx2 to 5mg+2.5mg, and eventually up to 5mgx2 by the end of the week. Just curious. Anyway, thanks alot for your input; it's been really helpful and encouraging.
Peter
> I have been dx'ed in the past two years with BPII, SP, Panic, and ADD. The Adderall worked for me quite well and it actually had an anti-cycling effect and improved my sleep/wake architecture. I was taking Neurontin instead of Depakote with it however. I have trouble with SSRI's too, but if I don't take a serotonergic med, I tend to get panicky. I had to stop it because of panic that developed-although I wasn't taking a Benzo or antidepressant with it at the time.
>
> The best way you can tell if it is really making a difference is at work and when you are listening to music (just my opinion). I found that I could be busy on the computer doing something very complex and there could be a group of people standing nearby busily talking and if they wanted to talk to me or ask a question about something they had to *get my attention*. Whereas before I got so distracted by their conversation I had to STOP what I was doing and wait for them to go away so I could concentrate on my work! As far as the music goes-there are scores of CD's I own that I have only faint clues what the lyrics are in the songs or even what the CD (as a whole) is about. When I was taking Adderall I could actually hear the words in the song and more importantly *understand contextually* what the song was about! Otherwise lyrics just seem like a lot of sounds with no meaning to them.
>
> I also had some mild euphoria and insomnia the first couple of days I took it as well, and then that disappeared and I just felt focused. Another thing: Ordinary mundane tasks didn't seem so dreadfuly *boring*. They just became tasks with lots of little discrete steps to them that you do one after the other. Another thing: Games. I NEVER could follow the rules on how to play most card games. Someone would tell me a bunch of stuff that I would half-ass understand, the game would start, and then I would be asking everybody what I was supposed to do. I couldn't keep track of who had what, what cards they just discarded, etc. It was just another big blur. On the Adderall (5mg/day), it was like another world. When someone wanted to do something that I previously considered boring, my attitude was just "sure-why not?", and I would go through the motions and not feel bored/agitated/restless/need to escape!
>
> As far as the effects on SP went it was kind of mixed. I felt more interested in being around people and doing more ordinary things, but I really picked up any negativity from people a lot easier than before, and that would make me more anxious and edgy. But on the other hand, I didn't feel the pressure to talk as much, and I generally was a lot more quieter.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Mitch
poster:Peter
thread:83085
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011104/msgs/83353.html