Is this doctor a PCP or a psychiatrist?
hop off wellbutrin....it made me feel more crappy tbh.
lexapro and adderal is all ya need
I take it all. I tried to get off of Wellbutrin, and I was zapped of energy and stayed in bed. I take Adderall IR 15 3X/ day lexapro 20mg wellbutrinxl 150mg
So I know you posted this more than a year ago, but I came across it this morning as I was reading some studies, articles, and forums. I could not believe it when I saw your combo of meds, almost identical to mine! I have battled severe depression and anxiety, and at one point in my life, just a year ago, I was an abuser of some other prescription meds. I was first diagnosed in the days where almost no one talked about it because it was a taboo, it was all in peoples heads. Well, it is, literally. The nay-sayers were right, just in a different context if you get my drift. So this was 20 years ago. Long story short, I managed for 6 years on meds and counseling. When I got married, I "self treated," and made a non-physician decision...I stopped taking my Zoloft. Before that, I had tried numerous "mental meds" with no real improvement. Anyhow, after ditching the drug, I got along just ok for several years, but as anyone with depression knows, it's like chicken pox, you have it, and it technically never goes away. It can however, remain dormant for periods of time. Fast forward to end of 2015, after 2 years of major life altering depression with no meds or shrinks...my wife convinced me to get help. I acknowledged it was time to agree with that. I was already on some pain meds for a chronic illness right about this same time. I had just barely started to misuse those pain meds. They were not full-blown narcotics, just to be clear. I did not know about the dangers of withdrawal, nor the risks associated with these two drugs, especially when you go without for more than 8 hours. Well, I found out the hard way about withdrawal, ended up in the shock trauma unit and was hospitalized for 5 days. After that, I wish I could say I stopped abusing, but I didn't. BUT, I did reluctantly re-enroll in a regular counseling program and started antidepressants again. It didn't take long for my doc to narrow in. He felt bad that he hadn't thought about this combo when he was treating me 17 years earlier. We started with Lexapro, and that helped to start pulling me out of the fog. Then he added Wellbutrin. Once again, a pretty good improvement because the combination evened me out instead of suffering sporadic dips in mood. Much like you, I was out of the fog, but I was lacking big time in the motivation department. A light bulb went one day for the both of us while talking about my son's meds with him. We were talking about ADHD and treatment. We both got it at the same time, "I was most certainly ADHD as a child but never diagnosed". He gave me some Adderral to try and.... it was like I had emerged from a life long stay in a dungeon where I was taught about the outside world but had never seen or experienced it. This was the magic combination! My wife made the comment to my counselor, "I finally have the husband back that I married 14 years ago." We had to adjust meds a bit, but my combo that I have been on for about 6 months, is 20mg Lexapro, 150mg Wellbutrin, and 90mg Adderall (due to my tolerance from precious drug abuse). I take all of them in the morning, and it has worked great for me. Everyone gets tolerant to the level of a drug they start at, there is no avoiding that. Yes, you may have to increase, but I am living proof that you CAN find a balance where you don't need to increase again. Everyone's chemical make up is different, and we respond differently to the same things. I would be interested to hear from you about how things are going now and what you are currently on. My life has really turned around. If you want another great resource and tool in the shed, google "Gene Drug Testing."
I enjoyed reading this man. I have been on lexapro and adderal on and off for about 9 years now. I am 29 and am currently taking 15 mg Lex, 150 Wellbutrin, And 20 mg Adderal 2x a day. Very interesting history you've had. It is extremely similar to mine as well. I really do think this is a decent combo. Wellbutrin lifts the fog and counteracts lethargy and libido side effect of Lex. Lexapro helps with my mood and helps also with the edginess that can come with Wellbutrin. And the adderal well you know the deal. It's great. Definately difficult to not misuse though. Like you said to the 21 yr old gentlemen it is all about your genetic makeup. I had a doctor tell me years ago "Medication does not fix life problems." It made me realize how important it is to put effort into creating positive situations in life, and acknowledge and deal with things productively when I can. I couldn't just sit back and expect meds to make everything easier. Cognitive therapy is just as effective as medication to me now. Anyways thanks for sharing.
Peace
Last night I had taken my Wellbutrin late after not tapering off of my Lexapro last week. It resulted in the horribly annoying "brain zaps" followed by sleep paralysis for hours. I got 2 hours of sleep and feel like garbage.
I was waiting to hear from my doctor but after reading this I'm just going to take a half dose of Lexapro in the hopes that it will help with the zaps/sleep paralysis.