Adderall Miracle Drug for Anxiety, Depression

I'm 52 year old female. I have had life long depression(clinical) and insomnia. I have taken most of the antidepressants on the market with nominal results. My doctor recently prescribed vivance it helped but it was too expensive.(unemployed-no insurance) Went back tohim (psychaitrist) and asked for a cheaper version. He prescibed Adderall. !It's amazing to feel so good! No depression, understanding what I need to do to get myself out of the mess my last bout(2 years) of depression has gotten me into AND knowing that I CAN do what I need to do!
Take it from someone who has battled the beast forever - Adderall (amphetamine salts) can make a huge difference for clinically depressed people.
It's not for anyone prone to addiction/abuse. Never take more than prescribed. Make sure you see a psychiatrist. They are the doctors that can determine your particular problem and what chemical (IF ANY) is needed to bring your brain to balance. Don't trust your mental health to anyone that is not a psychiatrist.
I was always of the opinion that people like me needed amphetamine to function properly - but it just wasn't an approved method back then.
Thank the powers that be for research and the people (doctors) that wanted to help us live normal, happy lives.

I think doctors are stupid for not prescribing this drug in combination with their first antidepressant and worsening their depression by putting them on medication that essentially ruins their lives due to the known side effects.  Had a smart psychiatrist pescribed me adderall and an antidepressant when I first saw him for depression, I wouldn't be $50 K in credit card debt, 200 K of defaulted student loans, and a tarnished academic record after 3 years of trying different medications that crippled my life and rendered me unable to work or function.  80% of antidepressants are  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** inappropriate posting*** Please read our Terms of Use and I wish the FDA would pull the majority of them off of the market. 

hi,, i basically told my doctor i felt that i had adhd symptoms or in my case add because i was not hyper at all and she had me do a test on paper yes/no questions and it all tested positive for add, so she suggested the adderal.

It's so obvious I have ADHD. My problem has always been my anxiety keeping me from seeing psychs to get a proper diagnosis. Like most, had it since childhood, (self-diagnosed). Always told I was lazy, unmotivated but very smart when I applied myself. I also grew up in a house of nervous parents with anxiety disorders on both sides. I'm diagnosed with GAD, panic disorder, agraphobia and social phobia. There isn't an AD med I haven't been put on. Most make me more depressed, (I don't suffer depression, YET), or the side-effects are awful. Been on the full gammut of benzos. Currently take 6 mg's of Xanax/day and Dalmane for sleep. Years of Xanax use is finally not working as it should. I do not want to raise my dose. Like someone else mentioned, when you have a mental disorder you'll try anything. One day a friend gave me a 10mg Adderall pill. I could not believe how calm I was with a total lack of anxiety. Usually I take Xanax every 4 hrs. I was able to go 8+ hrs w/out one, and the only reason I even took it was I am aware of the w/drawals, and didn't feel like having a seizure. I always work with my psych on dealing with my anxiety and never mention ADHD because of the type of med it takes to "fix" it. Seems to me, helping my anxiety/ ADHD/ insomnia would be like taking a pharmacudical speedball. If someone is on a benzo and an amphetimine for similar problems, how did your psych react when you mentioned Adderall for anxiety, (seems like an oxymoron). My psych knows I'm a recovering opiate addict, but also knows I hate benzos, never take more than prescribed, never run our early and would prefer to get off them completely. I'm an "addict" who just wants to get his head straight, not high. If bz meds,(Xanax in particular), are so addicting, why haven't I abused them in the many yrs of being on them? I feel I'd be the same way with Adderall, Ritalin, etc. Curious as how to go about bringing up Adderall for anxiety during my next meeting. I just know I could at least cut my dose of Xanax in half, if not more. I just get nervous about the insomnia part of things. Although my friends' daughter says Adderall makes her tired, (go figure).

Just wait until you want to come off of them. You feel like a million lbs. and won't be able to function for 30 days until you get your nutrition back in order!

can they make me find work as i sufferer depression and anxiety attacks for 17 years

i have suffered depression and anxiety attacks for 17 years can the job center make me go back to work

Gail, this is exactly what I've experienced.. I found this topic because I was curious if others have experienced reduced anxiety on adderall. 

I had some GAD, but it was mostly situational with center of attention type things. I had a very serious injury resulting in partial full-body paralysis, so this has played a role in the development of my anxiety/depression.  Tried xanax then klonopin and back to xanax. the xanax is great for situational type things, but I'm well aware of addiction potential so I try to only fill 30-60 0.5mg tabs per year.  A few months after I got the xanax for PRN anxiety, I decided to talk to my doc about some mild depression that was mostly manifested in fatigue.  I refused any SSRI treatments for their side-effects, and went on wellbutrin xl.  300 made me feel high as a kite, almost in a different state at times, so I dropped down to 150. Even at that, I found i was very shaky and jumpy.  One day I tried adderall XR 30mg for studying... and it was a miracle. I was calm, awake and focused, felt great and had none of the side fx wellbutrin gave me.  I told my doc this and she actually switched me.  I've been on 20mg XR for about 6 months now and it has improved my quality of life exponentially. 

hi i was told from my consalor i had bypoler ptsd ect!all of them and i been a lab rat since for 11 years now.well guess what i went right to my doctor and told her i want to be screened for adhd or add .i never took anyone ealse meds for adhd but i been hereing about how more focose you are and you can do more in your life .so im waiting on her phone call to put me on the meds for it im afraid to take it but im going to try it just to see if it makes me feel alot better you see i dont even remember how to spell some of the words here as i type .this is how its been all my life im 46 years old and i believe i might have had adhd or add all my life!

My anxiety manifested in muscle tension. With an increase in dose of Adderall from 10mg XL to 15 mg XL, the muscle tension decreased and attitude increased. It seemed that life was easier because I was not burdened with the side effects of scattered focus with which I had become accustomed.



Increase to 20 mg XL helped more and this I will discuss with medical provider.



A diagnosis of ADHD is sufficient for dispensing Adderall especially if follow up physician notes include the subjective reporting of the patient.



Congratulations

In my opinion, Adderall is a miracle drug for anxiety and depression. I was first diagnosed with depression when I was 20 years old. And over the next 10-15 years, I tried every medication for depression that existed at the time. Eventually I realized that my real problem was anxiety. Because I would get extremely depressed after having an anxiety attack. My anxiety was so bad, I wouldn't even leave the house, or drive my car. I felt like a prisoner in my own body. Then I started taking Clonazepam/Klonopin along with the antidepressant medication. The Clonazepam actually helped, but only slightly, but the panic attacks still ruled my life. I switched doctors a few times over that 15 years. One doctor moved to another state, and one died. Then when I was about 35 years old I found a new doctor. At first he tried putting me back on some of the same antidepressants I had taken before, but nothing worked. Then he gave me the test for ADHD, and he said that I had many of the symptoms. So he tried me on 10 mg of Adderall, 3 times a day. It was amazing...my anxiety and panic attacks stopped a few days later. My depression eventually disappeared. I finally got my life back. I was able to go outside, socialize with others, and drive my car without fear of panic attacks. It's just wonderful... I've been taking the same exact dosage of Adderall for over 10 years now. And I don't feel the need to take a larger dose. I've since gotten married 7 years ago, have been pretty successful, and I feel very happy in my life. I am 47 today. My only regret is the 15 years I lost, trying to find a cure for my condition. I can only hope that some doctors read my post, and help others with this drug. It is truly a miracle drug for me.

I Think adderal has made me a better person, i do so much all the time, i am never never lazy and the urge to constantly learn things gives me so much knowledge. I can solve really complex tasks and well, i don't stop until i finish and then on to the next task. Its a life saver. I do more and i know more. A miracle. 

I was suffering from PTSD, depression, Constant anxiety and fear, insomnia and luckily ADHD. I say luckily because the ADHD was fairly minor compared the constant fear. I had tried anti anxiety, depression, and sleep meds, and they did little to treat the symptoms I was having. one 10mg dose of Addarall and every one of those issues were gone. It was like putting on glasses for the first time, and wondering if this was how people around me could live.

You told my story . Nice to know we are not alone with this insanity. IM going to start my Adderall this week and actually looking forward to it.

Adderall actually CAUSES panic attacks and anxiety in countless users. Especially after prolonged use. Be very careful when reading blogs and finding something that appeals to you and your situation.