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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by wishingstar on August 27, 2008, at 21:23:39
Can anyone tell me anything about adderall causing depression? I've seen the connection made many times but dont really understand much about it. Is this typically a withdrawal effect that occurs after quitting/lowering the dose? Or is this an effect that people sometimes notice while taking it?
I've dealt with recurrent treatment resistant depression for many years. I currently take adderall once per day, usually around 9am. I'm not currently on any other medications, although I've done a million trials in the past. I've been on the adderall apx 4 months now and in the last 1-2 months, my depression seems to be kicking back in with a vengeance. I havent changed the dosage (except to increase it once apx 2mos ago). Since my depression tends to be recurrent, it could easily be just a natural cycle happening for me npw, but if it's related to anything else in my life, I want to figure that out.
Posted by med_empowered on August 27, 2008, at 22:00:07
In reply to adderall causing depression, posted by wishingstar on August 27, 2008, at 21:23:39
it really depends...on the one hand, amphetamines like adderall are pretty old school treatment for depression..they can work when other things fail and/or make other meds work better. Are you taking other meds?
I think it could be a problem with keeping the adderall @ a steady-state in your system. In my experience, stimulants work a lot better if you take them at least 2x daily. So if you're on an xr, add an IR tab later in the day..that sort of thing. It prevents a crash, and crashes can be devastasting if you're already depressed.
On the other hand..some people really don't respond well to amphetamines. They do make depression worse for some people, and they can definitely induce and/or worsen agitation, anxiety, and psychosis.
The easiest solution I can think of is a "drug holiday" from Adderall to see how you feel: if you feel better off of it than on it, you might want to ditch it. The only downside to a drug holiday is that tapering/discontinuing amphetamines can cause temporary dysphoria (this is more common at higher doses), so you might mistake that for a worsening of depression. If your dose is pretty low, though, you might be able to do a quickie taper or just flat out stop the drug w/o any major problems.Hope this helps...if it gets really bad, you should probably give your prescriber a ring and see what he can do for you.
Posted by Racer on August 28, 2008, at 15:03:55
In reply to adderall causing depression, posted by wishingstar on August 27, 2008, at 21:23:39
Yep, that is apparently a known side effect for some people. I've taken Adderall, Ritalin, and Dexedrine -- and the Adderall is the only one that increased my depression. The others were just fine, worked effectively, minimal effects outside the ones I was looking for. Adderall, on the other hand, had me into that cocoon of misery that comes with depression.
So, I'd call your doctor and ask about swapping to something else. Just because the Adderall didn't work out does NOT mean that other stimulants won't be more friendly.
Good luck, and I hope that helps.
This is the end of the thread.
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