Need Advice on prescription drugs information

[flashdance9]

Hey everyone,

I have been seeing a psychiatrist for half a year now and she has diagnosed me with ADHD. I explained to I've tried Prozac in the past to help with compulsive eating problems that i've struggled with and it helped a tad bit but also made me feel apathetic and a little dull along with decreased libido, and after a few years of being on it I was tired of those side effects and decided to wean off. I explained how helpful the amphetamine Dexedrine has been compared to my trials with Vyvanse, Adderall, and Concerta. Dexedrine seemed to be the one that I could tolerate the best, it has helped with compulsive eating and has helped tremendously with feeling like "myself" which is something I have missed for a long time ever since I have had problems with compulsive eating. I don't feel high, I just feel normal, and optimistic and happy. However, I grow a tolerance to it pretty quickly and often use up my monthly script faster than I should. I suppose you could sa that I am chasing a high, but it isn't quite that, it's more that i just don't feel the dexedrine at all so I take another one. I seem to metabolize the medication quite rapidly. Anywho, after doing a bit of research I've discovered that Namenda (memantine generic name) which his prescribed for Alzheimer's disease could help with tolerance and neurotoxicity caused from daily Amphetamine usage. I brought this topic up to my doctor and she had coupons for Namenda and I tried the 7mg and 14mg. At first I couldn't tell a difference but after a few weeks of being on the Namenda I can now tell that it does increase the effect of dexedrine to the point where I don't feel as if I need a large amount per day to function. I am happy with the results of the combination however it is disappointing that my health insurance doesn't cover Namenda. My parents and I are working on a way to get my insurance to pay for it.

Anyway, long story short.... after my doctor saw that I was using my dexedrine script way faster than she prescribed it she is now very hesitant to prescribe stimulants to me at all. She recommended stratterra and wellbutrin. Both of which I have tried in the past, and I did not see any remarkable results from stratterra (I only got up to 18mg and it made me very sleepy) and Wellbutrin is out of the picture it caused extreme hair loss and rapid weight gain. My doctor then suggested some random drugs to me that I was completely unfamiliar with but she said after hearing my story and rants about how I must have some sort of dopamine deficiency or something along the lines of dopamine she suggested Lamictal to be taken at night time after dexedrine (before she decided she didnt want me on amphetamines at all) and I don't think I gave it enough time but I think it made me extremely irritable. It's hard to say. After the Lamictal fail she wanted me to try Mirapex by itself, and after day 2 I decided it wasn't working fast enough, it made me so tired and lethargic and slowed down and I cut it off immediately. I grew very impatient with this doctor. I knew that Dexedrine helps a lot, the only side effect is that I don't sleep on it and that of course causes irritability and rapid tolerance. The Namenda and Dexedrine seem to be a good combination but the sleep thing is something I have not conquered and ultimately if I can find the right combination of drugs that will help this dopamine craving/deficiency/whatever it may be, I'm all for it even if amphetamine isn't in the picture. So, I have the following drugs prescribed to me just sitting in my fridge.

Mirapex - a dopamine agonist
Dexedrine - amphetamine
Prozac 10mg - SSRI
Namenda XR 7mg and 14mg - NMDA Receptor Antagonist
Lamictal - mood stabilizer

I am wondering which out of all of these scripts will work well together and which to take out.

Currently I am taking Namenda XR 14mg which I only have a few pills left of from my trial coupon, and I put myself back on Prozac for only 3 days after a bad reaction to Lamictal which caused so much anger and rage I couldn't stand myself, but that could have just been a bad combo with the Namenda, or it could have been because I ran out of dexedrine and that is what happens when you take too much amphetamines and run out. I am so confused, but it seems that my psychiatrist prescribed me all the right drugs to help with dopamine related issues, I'm just unsure what to use and what not to use in-conjunction with one another.

This story might not provide enough information but if anyone could be of any help with these psychopharmacology questions that I have I would greatly appreciate any advice, and also, if more information is needed to provide adequate help I'm all for filling in any blanks.


Thank You

 

[sekio]

it's more that i just don't feel the dexedrine at all so I take another one. I seem to metabolize the medication quite rapidly.

This is tolerance... amphetamine has a ~12 hour half life in most humans so unless you're on dialysis or literally alternating between drinking Gatorade & pissing nonstop, it's still all there in your blood.

If you are escalating your dose then it's probably not something that's sustainable in the long term. People who take street amphetamines can go from taking ~10mg to feel fine to doing multiple grams a day and still wanting more if their usage is left unchecked.

If you could stabilize your dosage on dexedrine + a NMDA antagonist without any of the other drugs that would be the simplest and probably ost effective combination. However your physician is probably going to be very reticent to give you dexedrine if you're eating the whole Rx in a few days!

 

[flashdance9]

Thanks for the response Sekio,
What are your opinions and/or experiences with Mirapex and Lamictal combined with an SSRI or or SNRI etc? Mirapex is popular to help with the sexual dysfunction caused by SSRI's like Prozac. Prozac is great, but like I wrote, the apathay, and low libido eventually gets too annoying to bare especially at my age of 27. I have trouble getting things done classic adhd symptoms, and am doing the whole NMDA antagonist combined with DEX trial hoping it will work like people claim it will work and will just have to see if it really does. I haven't been on Namenda long enough to see, but I think I'm starting to feel the effects and benefits in combination with dexedrine. I have not tried Focalin. But I know vyvanse and adderall caused nothing but irritability. Prozac helps me feel a little more content on dexedrine but it does take away from the positive things that dexedrine brings. I can tell that prozac only lets me feel straight, not too high or low, as an artist, I do miss that. I never had an issue with depression, only when abusing stimulants and withdrawal from stimulants which would obviously cause the worst depression. I'm trying to find the right combo to recallibrate myself in the safest way possible. I intend to bring any of you or whomenever elses smartest suggestions into consideration and speak with my psychiatrist about them. There was a reason my doctor thought lamictal and mirapex might work for me, and I literally gave them 3 days before dismissing them, perhaps I was wrong. I just need some reassurance from actual people who have been through it or know what its like to have this unwanted DEXEDRINE tolerance, yet still reap the benefits of the motivation and energy it gives to me. Clearaly i'm a mess without it. Open to look in to other medications, but cold turkeying everything at this point of my life doesnt seem to be an option.

Also, Dex would be fine if i COULD get some sleep! Any recommendations for that to ask my doctor? Developed tolerance to benzos, I know they aren't good for you anyway... OTC medicines and melatonin/valerion root route doesn't work.

Much appreciation for your response. It's 5:40am and I got like 2 hours sleep. This isn't going to last very long. I wish I could find a way I could find the right medication long term that would provide everything I need. UGH.

thanks once again for your quick response