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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Goldengirl on December 13, 2013, at 15:40:36
Currently I am waiting to get in to the doc, but I have over the past 7 years been treated for add and depression. I tried adderal xr 20 mg with st. johns wort, 600 mg and it worked like a dream.. focus, no anxiety, no depression. Better than any other combo I've ever had. The problem is that its a dangerous combo and it gave me a killer headache. I was wondering if Prozac is a safer combo and if it would have a similar effect, without cancelling out the stimulant effect of the Adderall or on the opposite spectrum, giving me anxiety.
Posted by Christ_empowered on December 13, 2013, at 22:05:51
In reply to An alternative to st. johns plus adderal xr??, posted by Goldengirl on December 13, 2013, at 15:40:36
Combining AD drugs with stimulants is fairly common. Some people with depression need a stimulant, and some people with attention issues (or narcolepsy) need an AD.So...yeah, it can be done. It does increase the risk of serotonin syndrome a bit. What kind of symptoms are you having?
Prozac is working beautifully for me, but I'm not an amphetamine, so my risk of Serotonin syndrome is lower than yours. My concern with using Prozac is that Prozac has a really, really long half life, so if problems did pop up, you could have issues even after discontinuing the AD.
Maybe celexa or Lexapro, preferably at a low dose? If you need something to help you sleep, maybe Remeron (not an SRI, but still helpful) ?
There's more to depression and anxiety than serotonin, too. I have an acquaintance who take a low-ish dose of Seroquel (maybe Seroquel xr...I forget) at night with Adderall in the morning. Works beautifully! The Seroquel works on anxiety and helps depression, while the Adderall provides energy, focus, and mood elevation. Just mentioning this so you know you have your options.
Good luck!
Posted by bleauberry on December 17, 2013, at 6:03:15
In reply to An alternative to st. johns plus adderal xr??, posted by Goldengirl on December 13, 2013, at 15:40:36
I do not know why you said the combo is dangerous. Doesn't appear any more dangerous to me than any other combo out there. SJW will speed up cyp3a4 metabolism, but I'm not sure if that impacts adderall dosage adjustments or not. SJW commonly gives headaches as a side effect.
For anyone who has had any sort of positive experience with either sjw or adderall, I would highly recommend they consider rhodiola as either an add-on or a replacement.
Posted by Goldengirl on December 17, 2013, at 12:02:47
In reply to Re: An alternative to st. johns plus adderal xr??, posted by bleauberry on December 17, 2013, at 6:03:15
Sorry about that, as it turned out the headache was actually a horrid caffeine headache that went away after a chocolate bar. Silly, right? But I have a new question: I was having insomnia before I added the Adderall xr and oddly enough, I sleep way better on it, but it makes me drowsy during the day? Seems Adderall should have the opposite effect?
Posted by bleauberry on December 21, 2013, at 14:25:22
In reply to Re: An alternative, st. johns+adderall=sleepy???, posted by Goldengirl on December 17, 2013, at 12:02:47
Yeah, that is curious. But if you think about it, the whole idea of using a stimulant to calm down an over active child requires a paradoxical reaction for it to work that way. I read the science behind it, didn't completely understand it, but had to do with the sensitivity of the person's dopamine receptors.
Ritalin can wire me up during the day and I can get a lot done. Then I go to bed thinking about insomnia, only to discover I slept better than in a long time! Go figure.
> Sorry about that, as it turned out the headache was actually a horrid caffeine headache that went away after a chocolate bar. Silly, right? But I have a new question: I was having insomnia before I added the Adderall xr and oddly enough, I sleep way better on it, but it makes me drowsy during the day? Seems Adderall should have the opposite effect?
Posted by phidippus on December 30, 2013, at 15:03:50
In reply to An alternative to st. johns plus adderal xr??, posted by Goldengirl on December 13, 2013, at 15:40:36
Yes, Prozac is a safer drug than St. John's Wort. It should have the same exact effect, won't cancel out the adderall and should treat any anxiety.
Eric
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