Adderall Miracle Drug for Anxiety, Depression

I agree with you...and I also think we have similar brain chemistry! Adderall is good medicine and so is methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin). It can really improve the quality of life for people like us.

I suffer from bipolar disorder , generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. the anxiety and depression leaves me not able to concentrate on what i need to be doing because all i can think about is the anxiety when it happens. now i am on traditional benzodiazapine treatment for the anxiety and prozac (ssri) for the depression and zyprexa for the mood stabelizer. however friends of mine have said they think im add and have given me several of thier pills of adderall xr to try out... so i took them, if you've had mental health problems you know how it is and your willing to give anything a try to see if it works. so i took one, one day and it completely alleviated my anxiety. i didnt need a single ativan that day. not one. it also helped my depression. it did not get me "high". it just made me feel very level and stable. i could do things....i could study without having to read the paragraph over again twice to pull a meaning out of what i was reading. i didnt have that feeling of constant dread and impending doom that i have from my anxiety disorder that the benzos only partially mask. so i was wondering...have there been any studies for this drug being used to treat anxiety and depression? how would i approach my doctor about this? i really think this is a miricle medication and i keep a few that they gave me on hand for really hard days. i know your not supposed to share medication. but at the point i was at i was willing to try anything to get some relief. i just dont know how to approach my doctor about it. any ideas or comments would be extremely appreciated. also is anyone else in my same boat? does it help you with anxiety? how did you talk to your doctors about it? please let me know. thanks.
xoox.eryknv

eryknv, I am in a similar boat. I am in school and my job and classes teach me a good deal about psych issues and medications. I felt I was anxious and had some depression (confirmed by a psych). He wanted to give me SSRIs or anxiolytics. I have no interest in the side effects of SSRIs and I've tried a couple anxiolytics from friends who were on them and it made me feel dull and dumber. I tried Adderall, both XR and just regular and it alleviated all of my anxiety. I was not stressing myself over what was coming up down the road and consequently finished many of my tasks with greater ease. I don't want to go into my doc looking like a crackhead, but it made a world of difference. I also feel in a pinch.

-J.

I'm seeing a psych for anxiety as well... She has suggested medications many times but I'm downright afraid of antidepressants. I took an adderal from a friend one day and my symptoms were completely alleviated. The constant dread and feeling of imminent panic, which I've unfortunately grown used to, was completely gone. I was clear-headed, focused of course, but most importantly comfortable. I want to talk to my psychiatrist about this, but I realize she's probably going to think I'm trying to use her to get high. I really just want relief. Does anyone here have any suggestions for how to approach a doctor with a convincing, level-headed appeal for a perscripion?

Hey I am suffering from the same problems as you all on here. I have had anxiety problems ever since i have been 17. I just turned 24 in February.. I have been to counseling/therapy , been on many drugs, ativan(lorazepam), celexa(citolopram), diazepam, hydroxyzine. I am so sick of the anti depressants. And everytime I try to talk to my doctors... Yes i have more than one. I always get something along the lines of the same answer. Here is a script for a crappy medication that will probably make you feel worse but we wont tell you that... I have been on the internet, reading books, talking to friends who suffer a bit of the same, and I have found that Xanax is all that has truly helped me. I have had no side effects, no with drawals, But till i came across this site I thought that i may just have to deal with it and continue to try to deal on my own with anti depressants and doctors continuously telling me that this will help, and it doesnt. that "lets see how this works", and it doesnt work at all if anything it makes things worse. I have been diagnosed with OCD, social anxiety disorder, Severe panic attacks. i am claustrophobic as well. i get cold chills, hot flashes, i cant breathe at times, sometimes feel as if i will faint. i worry all the time when i drive, when i walk out the door of my home, i hate being in crowded closed in places. I have had to go to the hospital many times of anxiety attacks... sometimes i just think i am going insane b/c i can't seem to get any doctors to listen to me, and at least try to meet me half way with medication that i know doesnt work... How can i go about talking to my doctors to convince them.. I never knew anything about adderall..Maybe this is my one and final last hope.. My stress and anxiety will eventually lead me to depression i know, and I can't handle that... Sometimes i think that acting like a lunatic would help by getting me put in a hospital, at least i would get some sort of medical help. If any thinks this is "getting High plea" I have been to many Doctors in KY which i can supply reports prescriptions and names for them all, and i have also been to many Doctors in FL, which i can supply all the same. I will try almost anything. I am at my wits end. I dont know what more i can do. Can someone please give me some advice.

Hi!! I just joined this group today! I agree 100% about using Adderall for resistant depression, i freaking NO better than to even ASK about using Adderall, i know how they are! They worry about there own BUTTS and YES people NEEDLESSLY SUFFER! I have suffered my entire life with anxiety, depression and have tried tons of ssri's, they are a waste of money!! I resorted to having to depend on benzo's, this started about 25 years ago! Currently (at this very moment) i am going through withdrawl from klonopin! It is a living hell! I've been on that one for 7 years and i have been through the withdraw time and time again because of crappy clinic i go to! The last time was 2 years ago! It was because they completely ignored my plea for refills! I live to far from the clinic as well, and i couldnt just jump in my car and GO there! So, i spent 2 weeks of making phone calls over and over to the point where i simply GAVE UP and went through a 3 month withdraw syndrome, ALL BY MYsELF! Cold Turkey! I will NEVER EVER forget what i went through! And here i SIT going through the very same thing AGAIN! The clinic assigned me a new primary care doctor (This is something done all the time) only this primary care is a resident at the clinic, he is the dude to blame in this for he didnt give me any refills, they would refill at my request until last week! Things have gone totally crazy! I have been calling and calling leaving messages about how i am OUT of my meds and going through withdraw syndrome. Calling the damn pharmacy over and over to see if they refilled only to be let down! Now, i will try and explain this! Ok, years ago i had a wonderful lady doctor at same clinic, at the time i had gotten SUPER sick from running out of xanax, took 2-4 mg a day and went through the same problem only XANAX damn near killed me! My spouse let me freak out for 3 solid days instead of taking me to THE HOSPITAL! Ok, long story cut short: He finally drove me 50 miles to the clinic, i was SPACED OUT!! I told my lady doctor all that happened to me, she told me i was having seizures!! And, she told me i could have easily DIED! So, she put me on klonopin to replace the xanax! Things went GOOD as long as lady doctor was there, then 1 day she graduated in her residency and got her private practice, so, i didnt get to see her, but, when she would ALWAYS give me refills! Then, this new primary care never ever puts refills and this has caused me HORRIBLE time! I resorted to calling her private practice office today and found that she was going to be at the CLINIC this after noon!! OMG! So, i call over to the clinic and leave messages to please tell i am going through severe withdraw and needed her to renew my script! I am praying that they DONT ignore my plea! I cant take another night of this torture! What keeps me on top of this is the reminder of 2 years ago what i went through and how badly they treated me!! They let me go it alone and i was SO disgusted with the entire ordeal of trying to chase pills! I went to hell and back! This time i AINT giving UP! they HAVE to help me! They are messing with MY LIFE!! I am 53 years old and do not NEED this c**p from them! Dont they EVEN get it? I could SUE them for pain/suffering couldn't I?

If doctors would LISTEN to people and REALLY hear what they are telling them about adderall versus those stupid anti-depressants, i think maybe people who are PRONE to street drug use, may NOT do that IF they where given a CHANCE with this MEdiCation! Thats WHY people like crank!!! Because they feel focused and motivated only thing is that crank c**p is DANGEROUS to mess with! I over the years have heard COUNTLESS stories on why they loved meth! What a crappy road to go down when its VERY possible that all THEY NEEDED was the damn Adderall! NOT to get hi, to GET FIXED in the HEAD! I know this for myself, not proud of it but, ,many many years ago i was caught up in that life style! I remember the stuff making me "instantly" focused!! BUT, what a price one pays in that you stay up for freakin 3 or 4 nights in a row with no sleep and then you start freaking out! OMG, i am SO glad i even got through the ordeal! I had NO problems i just STOPPED, PERIOD! I have "always" known about myself that i was ADD type, i remember i high school, i could NEVER focus, my mind would drift off in class! And as i grew older, this never went away!! To this VERY day i feel i am ADD at 53 yrs old! It is sad to me that there is so much paranoia about prescribing a drug that works like a miracle!! Why would they do this? Wouldnt they rather see functioning happy human beings? The way society/fda/doctors think needs to be adjusted!! Shoot! I know people who got there medicinal marahauna CARD! They claim its the ONLY thing that stops there migraine headaches and other ailments! I mean come on now! NOT everybody likes WEED inlcuding ME, on the other hand a lot of people think it is there miracle drug! To me it would be poison in that it causes me severe paranoia! I learned back in my early 20's that weed was not for me! Strange isnt it? Everybody is different! Im sure there are tons of people who couldnt handle taking adderall!!!

HI, I am a 17 year old boy and i relate to many things said on this discussion.
I was always a terrible student, i could never concentrate on work, my work that was turned in usually resulted in a poor grade(certain subjects more less) The worst of it all was my lack of motivation. After bad grades even after trying my best i got so frusturated and in a sense kind of just gave up...after a while i was only doing enough work to just barley get by and not get kicked out. I could not get my self motivated to catch up on my classes once so ever and started to care less and less about it. One day my friend who had owed me money for a pack of cigarettes and did not have it offered me two 30 mg adderall pills to pay me back. I told him that i wasnt into "pill popping" at all and didnt really want them at all, but i ended up accepting them because i knew that would be the only way i would be reimbursed by her for weeks. After she explained the effects to me i took one of them while i was at school. When the effects kicked in in my next class it was like a miracle! It seemed like magically my lazyness and lack of motivation was cured. I was doing my class work and was saying to myself, wow i never knew this class was so easy, and same with all of my following classes even ones i was struggling in. a couple days later i had a talk with my dad and was up front and honest with him. I told him that I took the pill and i explained and showed him the incredible improvements. I told him i really thought i should be evaluated for ADD and sure enough i was diagnosed with it my junior year of high school. I probably could have told you i had add long before i ever tried adderall, but quite frankly at the time i couldn't have cared less. I was prescribed adderall shortly after. I was doing great! usually i would go to class and guess half of the questions on the assignment and turn it in if i hadnt already been sent down to the principals that day. On my new medication, i was knocking out at least 3 assignments per class period, eventually i was making goals every class on how far i wanted to finish. For the first time in my life i was taking tests and getting impressive scores, i never even studied for them i didnt need to anymore. For the first time, i was reading directions and other material to myself one time and fully understood. Before the meds i would read things over and over trying to understand until the point of total frustration. I was getting ahead and finishing classes twice as fast as they were supposed to be finished. I did this in oreder to get new classes every time i completed one so i could catch up on the credits i once missed out on. I had never been more proud of myself in my life, the feeling of going ahead and finishing classes earlier than everyone else was amazing. My family and all of the staff at my school was very proud of me as well. My freshman and sophmore year i probably flunked more than half of my classes. By the end of my senior year I ended up finishing 5 more classes than students are expected to, insted of 7.5 credits i ended up with 10 that year. I totaly done with my "lazy, no ambition, skip school every other day phase". I was determined to catch up on as many credits as i could in the last 6 weeks, so that the following year i would only have a few classes to knock out and Id be graduated early on in the year instead of going all year. I wanted to be finished with high school and looking forward to college so badly just like the majority of my friends had. THIS IS WHERE THE BAD PART COMES INTO EFFECT. i began buying adderall pills from different people i knew and was taking them on top of what i was prescribed. I thought this would turn me into superman or something and id still be able to start and finish a whole bunch of classes in the last six weeks. I was cramming in work to the point where my brain felt fried and i felt dumbfounded after school. Dont get me wrong, i did enjoy the hyper feeling you get from adderall as well as the talkitive/humorous mood it would put me in. I was always quiet and sleepy most of my life and i loved my new personality i had on the medication. I did very much enjoy the how i behaved socially on it as well as the "wake-up" feeling it gave me. but catching up in school credits, finding a job, and getting my life on track so i could begin true adulthood was definatly my reasoning for ever abusing adderall. In those last six weeks of school was talking about, its unfortunate to say, but i had been taking 4 times more than the dose i was prescribed to... every single day. I thaught it would boost my school performance even more and some how magically help me finish classes within the matter of a week or less, but i was very wrong. It wasnt helping me do more work at all it was only making me more hyper and more addicted each day. I was no longer sociallizing with friends next to me durring class i was simply cramming in work each class from bell to bell withouth setting my pen down. I began developing very strange "nervous-like" symptoms i had never felt before in my life, for the most part they took place durring class time. the cramming in classwork probably contributed to this somewhat but it was the adderall that caused me to have social anxiety. Everytime i would lookup and see groups of students quietly conversating, and whenever i would hear a laugh or gigle i would lookup and for some reason i thaught they were making fun of me even tho they wernt at all. if people were sitting behind me and whispering so the teacher couldnt hear them for some reason i would always think they were whispering about me so i couldnt hear, i would make sure i didnt have body odor or anything(sweating was a bad symptom i developed as well but usually always covered up any potential odor with cologne and deodorant.)...im sure one particular time i had hat hair or something like that and some kids gigled about it acrossed the room at me, but for no reason at all i was very self contious about my self and continuously thaught people were talking or laughing about me if ever i wasnt able to hear a conversation. I dressed nice, i wasnt unatractive at all, i had popular friends for the most part, there wasnt much reason people would have at all to be joking about me (atleast not to the extent that i believed they were) but for some reason i always felt like i was being joked about or stared at even though it wasnt the case at all. However, i was no longer the funny joke cracking, slacker, stonner type who was always with his group of friends being silly. I was the quiet kid sitting in the corner who was attacking his homework almost as if i was a nerd with no friends who was having fun solving chemistry formulas. I wasnt a nerd i was just doing my best to catch up, mindin my own bussiness. but i kind of thaught it was the reason people were talking about me(even though they wernt at all) i felt like since latley i had been a quiet kid who didnt take his eyes off his homework sheets and didnt let go of his pen all class period, that people were making jokes about me. Following after theese feelings i began catching my hands shaking uncontrollably i especially noticed it when my pen was in the air but i was paused from writing, or when i was turning in a piece of homework especially if i felt like others were staring at me. This made me very self contious because a shakey twitchy kid whos concentration is completley on his desk at all times would be a definate reason to be gossiped and joked about, but like i said no one was really just watching me continuously like i had thaught they were. i kept developing more symptoms some of which affected me all of the time on adderall or not. such as continuous teeth grinding, i ended up damaging some teeth and my jaw because of this and need to get it checked out and possibly have some procedures to get fixed. I was eating once every other day, sleeping a few hours per night. when school ended i was fed up with the person i had become, the lifestyle i had, and i was worried about my health. I quit taking adderall cold turkey. i know, discontinuing a medication like that is not good for you either, belive me it was the hardest thing ive ever had to do in my life due to how addicted i had become. i went through withdrawls for 3 weeks where i would cry because lall of my energy and motivation had been completley drained.

its an abusive drug amphetamines cause the body to abnormally function in ways almost superhuman. Chemically it regulates the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain creating an environment subtle for those affected with ADHD, Narcolepsy,ADD, Restlessnes, ect. Its comparative to a radio frequency that is staticky and has been tuned into crystal clear enhancement. It affects everyone differenty especially those who are legitametly diagnosed with disorders but even adversly moreso those who are not. The effects are unparalled.

anonymous wrote:

After being prescribed some 6-8 popular anti-depressants in the last 18 months, I realized I cannot take anti-depressants, period. Unfortunately, it took months of anguish and sheer determination to convince my doctor of this; that anti-depressants make me feel awful, depression/anxiety become dramatically severe, not to mention many of the listed side effects. So, remember that it is true....some people just cannot tolerate anti-depressants.

Consequently, since I was suffering with severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD, manyof my symptoms matched ADD/ADHD symptoms. Only after begging and pleading for help to my doctor, I was prescribed 30 mg of Aderall XR once a day. This medication completely turned me around with no side effects. I immediately returned to being a woman who ould concentrate. I became highly-focused and hard-working.

Sadly, the doctors freak out over prescribing this medication. Too many fear that FDA investigators will snatch away their licenses when doctors prescribe multi-effective meds, like Adderall, because the drug's manufacturer is not marketing Adderall for the treatent of anxiety, depression, PTSS. As a result, prescribing doctors put themselves in a precarious position and we patients suffer needlessly.

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I am with you 100% Yes there is something with the FDA and especially new young DRS. THIS IS A MIRACLE DRUG for at least my body chemistry. There needs to be new diagnoses and a new way to dispense it so the people with our conditions besides ADHD can obtain it.... Fears and Anxiety kept at bay in the morning. I am up out the door , with a hopeful positive outlook on the day and just in general , grounded. Focused, driven and productive. And Socially its helped me out.. I am completely at ease with others. No buzz or high nervousness or anything. Just feel like I guess I should feel. I sure hope its regularly avaialble soon because it is a headache to get. Meanwhile everybody I know is getting doped up on Klonopin which I take too. But I prefer this there is no comparison...

Well, I have been doing some research on this, I am just not sure which direction I want to go. I had the feeling my entire life that I have ADD, it seems that I am coming closer and closer to this conclusion. I am now 36 years old and I have been on Wellbutrin and Celexa. Wellbutrin helped alot but have been off it for about four years now. I recently started wellbutrin again because i am grasping at straws trying to figure out what this is. It seem so me that i have tons of anxiety but only while I am at work. I am extremely anti social until i start drinking coffee and doo much causes too much anxiety. I am willing to try adderall for the mere fact that it may actually reduce my anxiety related to social anxiety. I have not motivation , i am tired all the time, my health has declined and not one doctor can help me because we are constantly looking at this from a different perspective. I have been in and out of doctors complaining about my health

Any thoughts will help me - I just don't want to make my mood or anxiety worse.

Hi,
My name is nate and i have been diagnosed recently by both a general practitioner as well as a psychiatrist as having unipolar depression, social anxiety,insomnia, and OCD. I have taken Nardil, Fluxotine, and Citalopram in the past, none of which worked. I started out this time by taking 40mg of Peroxetine(Paxil) for 6 weeks. This SSRI caused my OCD to completely vanish, however, my depression and anxiety increased ten fold. I was then switched over to 75mg of EffexorXR and 25mg of Trazadone for my insomnia. The EffexorXR was working decently, however, I started to hear and see things that weren't there.My motivation was nonexistent and my anxiety was still out of control. My psychiatrist then doubled my EffexorXR to 150mg a day for my depression. He prescribed me 20mg in the morning and 10mg at noon of Adderall(instant realease) for motivation, depression, and my social anxiety. He also switched me over to 2mg Risperidone at night to help me sleep, dampen my anxiety as well as my OCD, and counteract the auditory and visual hallucinations i was having from the EffexorXR. The adderall has actually worked wonders so far. It allows me to actually focus more on my schooling as well as help to motivate me somewhat to do things i normally wouldn't do. I recently started teaching myself how to play piano. I have always wanted to learn, but never felt it was worth it or i was worthy of learning it. The adderall has also helped me to get out a bit more and be a bit more social with people. However, none of these medications cured my fear of being touched (I actually get physically and mentally ill when people, regardless of how well i know them, touch me). Needless to say the adderall has helped to motivate me and uplift my mood while i wait for the EffexorXR to do its work. Eventually I will be weaned off of them and the rest of my medication, so says the doctors. As for right now though, i am extremely happy that i was given IR adderall because it has helped me in so many ways that other drugs have not.

I've been perscribed adderall twice now. i have some information on it. first, its labeled use is adhd. its hard to get it for anything other then that. i hear if u ahve treatment-resistent depression that adderall can be found very effective. There are a few problems with adderall which makes it hard to get. First, you can become dependant on them. There is a black label on adderal where i am about that. The other thing is that the people in charge of making this medication will only make a certain amount of it. That why some of why its hard to get on. a lot of you worry about what the doctor will think of you trying to get adderall. Unless you have a history of addiction, it shouldnt be too much of a problem. I have a history of addiction and i still got it. My doctor trusts that i will tell him if i start wanting them more then i need them. If you have adhd and have been on ritalin and dexidrene or w/e that one is called, and they havent helped or there are bad side effects, adderall in my eyes is the next choice. Itrs basically anphetamines. Druggies can get high off it and you could too if u take enough. But when you have adhd in particular, it really does help you focus and calm down. all i can say is adderall is a life saver for me and if you've tried other options and nothin is helping, talk to your doctor about adderall. it helps adhd AND depression in my eyes. It can also help your anxiety. so to anyone who really wants to try it for medical reasons, talk to your doctor.

Etiquette for discussing controlled substance prescriptions with your doctor
I am 21, about 120lbs and 5'7'', I have no history of addiction and I do not smoke, and I have not taken any medication for a prolonged period of time (prescribed or otherwise), besides birth control and adderall. I was prescribed Adderall by my doctor about a year ago for my anxiety and I have been taking it ever since, as needed. I have a prescription for 25XR and my anxiety has decreased substantially. I take it on Mon, Wed and Fridays (the days I have school, I work the rest of the week and I do not take it). When I first sought help for my anxiety I tried a variety of life-changes like diet change, more exercise, I even went as far as to attempt to reduce/eliminate my exposure to unnatural lighting. I have always been a procrastinator and I find I do my best work when under pressure. I have always been anxious, I am a naturally high-stress and high-energy person but I typically can channel that anxiety into something productive until about a year ago when it was so frequent and overwhelming I was unable to channel it the way I used to, making me more frustrated and anxious and left me with a feeling of exhaustion, lack of motivation and hopelessness, I spent time physically crying and rocking on my floor with my hands in my hair. So, when I went to see my doctor about this unbearable anxiety I told her I did not want anything that would result in apathy, or any anti-depressant because I know myself and I wouldn't get anything done. So that is when she gave me adderall. Now my doctor has left the practice (with no warning) and her replacement (within minutes of meeting me for a routine pap and prescription refill) has decided that I need to have a psychological evaluation to see if I need adderall and wants to "ween" me off the medication. I am fully aware that adderall is the most abused drug in colleges these days and I fit the demographic however, the paranoia and negative mentality surrounding the issue of prescription drug abuse has made it seem that not asking for a higher dosage is in my best interest. This leads me to my problem, I now (as of recently) take 2 adderall on the days I have school and none the other days (due to an increase in my tolerance), and my doctor thinks I am taking it daily and I am assuming that it why she wants me to be "weened". Adderall is very helpful and it really has helped substantially improve my quality of life, but I recently went a month (or so) without it (winter break) and did not suffer any withdrawal symptoms, much less even think about it. I would really appreciate any advice on how to approach this topic with my doctor, she seems prone to assume I am a part of a demographic (college student abusing prescriptions) instead of taking my personal case into account.