ADD / ADHD Community

It often takes several weeks to find the most effective dose and schedule for the medications used to treat ADHD symptoms. With the newer long-acting medication it is often difficult to notice when they begin working or wear off because the person doesn't "feel" anythng. That is why you should target a few symptoms and make a daily rating of whether they are better, worse, or the same. In addition, you might ask someone else to see what they notice. If you find one medication is not working after an adequate trial than your doctor may switch you to another or add an additional (non-stimulant medication) that has recently been approved for this purpose. It takes patience and systematic follow-up to get optimum response from your medication. Hang in there and work closely with your prescribing physician and you'll get there.

Dr.Quinn

Thanks you Dr. Quinn! I have an appointment in a few weeks.

Hi,
I'm a Giants fan, too.

Do you mean that you started Adderall AND Prozac together?

In my opinion, that can make it much harder to know which is working for you -- and which might be creating unnecessary side effects.

A more cautious approach might be trying one at a time.

Also, some physicians do not realize that SSRIs such as Prozac can intensify ADHD symptoms in some people. They also do not realize that "depression" can be the result of untreated ADHD.

ADHD treatment is like any other psychiatric treatment: It must be approached with care and a careful method.

Good luck,
Gina

Hey, Gina that's awesome!

I did start them together this isn't my fist time on Prozac have been on it for 2 year on and off. I will say that when I tired Dex another stimulant and I was on Prozac for awhile it worked wonders. The thing is that Dex is not going to be back for a few months where I live.

Before I was diagnosed with ADD, I experienced a few deep depressions and tried and failed horribly with many different anti-depressants. Since being diagnosed with ADD I have started Adderall and feel really good. The bouncing balls of thoughts in my head are gone and so are any signs of depression and self destructive thoughts. After much research I am reasonably certain that the anti-depressants increased the inner turmoil in my brain.
Working in the mental heath field, I see everyday that meds have different effects in individuals. Sometimes things work...sometimes they don't. In the end, I would take Gina's advice and try one at a time.

SFGiantsgirl:

Well, then you have some "data" that a stimulant works well for you with the Prozac.

I have heard conjecture that Adderall and Prozac, however, work against each other. There is no published literature on this, just anecdotal. Still, you might want to keep that in mind.

Perhaps you could try another stimulant; Vyvanse is closer to Dex than Adderall is, so maybe that would be a better option for you.

BTW -- I assume you are also an Andres Torres fan? He's now with the Mets, but he was part of the World Series Giants team. AND, he is featured in a documentary tentatively called "Gigante," in which he talks about his lifelong struggles with undiagnosed ADHD -- and how diagnosis and treatment helped him turn the corner.

It's an extremely inspiring story, and I think all Giants fans but especially those with ADHD, will love it.

The producers will be screening portions of it and talking about their motivation in making the documentary at the CHADD conference in San Francisco this fall, Nov. 8-10, 2012. So, I encourage you to consider going to the conference, where you can learn a tremendous amount about ADHD at all levels.

http://www.CHADD.org

Gina Pera:

I have an appointment next week its a med check up. Both my husband and I are big Andres Torres fans we are aware of his ADHD both my husband and I have ADHD. We were sad that the Giants let him go. Thank you for the info on the CHADD conference it sounds very interesting.

Hello Dr. Pera,

My 11-year old son was diagnosed with CAPD when he was 5/6 years old. Following his Kindergarten teacher's suggestion, I had him tested/evaluated by a child psychologist. He was not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, but there was something that she saw from some of his tests, so she recommended he start speech and therapy sessions to help pin-point it. We signed him up and after being evaluated and following several sessions, they diagnosed him with CAPD. He was in therapy for about a year; however, when the center re-evaluated him, they said he did not have CAPD, but they could not pin-point what he did have. We stopped the sessions b/c he seemed to be doing well in school academically and socially, but I always noticed he had a hard time concentrating in that he was easily distracted. He just started middle school and is being challenged that much more academically. He's been having a difficult time with some subjects in staying focused, not comprehending simple sentences, etc. And he gets very frustrated at times. I emailed one of his teacher's becasue he had recieved two failing grades on tests (his HW and CW are all good grades, but he's testing poorly) and she replied that "he is very well behaved, but at times daydreams and asks questions that have nothing to do with the topic she's covering in class." I turned to the Web and did some reading on CAPD again and when I read through all the signs, he matches each one! I feel like a terrible parent having stopped the sesions four years ago, but he seemed fine and the center could not tell me what was wrong, if anything. I recognize that there is something there, but I'm unsure how to handle it and I really need some guidance. Should I have my son re-evaluated by a child psychologist, or have him re-tested by an audiologist? What can I do to help my son?

I greatly appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Thank you,
Marilyn

hi my name is lisa i am drowinding in a complete mess ive tried reading organization books and going to the dr but i never finish the book cuz i forget what i read and reread and ive been diagnosed bipolar and fwel the medicine is all wrong and dont want to take it i cnt get the dr to understand me ive turned to flylady.com but that gets me further off track because i google 1/20 of the stuff popping up in my head and spend hours on the cxomputer but i need to figure out how to get my dr on the same page as me and they dont seem to have enough time to listen tow what i need them to know about me., i read on the internat that taking stimulants helps you focus and i need help fast