Stimulants Adderall Prescription for Non-ADD Depression and Concentration Issues

[geoffreychaucer]

Hello,
I am a long-time suffer of depression and bipolar NOS. I have used drugs, and still do moderately, but my usage has been pretty limited in comparison to most. Generally, the only drugs I would be consider myself having gotten addicted to have been weed and kratom but both addictions were in themselves mild. Anyway, my question doesn't directly relate to drug abuse so I'll move on.

My dear doctor, of whom I am currently prescribed lithium, was quite receptive to my recent request for something to help with concentration and focus. Of course, I was asking for some kind of amphetamine but the symptoms I descried were, and continue to often be, quite real. Since starting on lithium I have noticed a drop in concentration and focus. However, my lithium levels show that I am probably not even feeling much effect so its really the depression which has contributed to this along with the lithium.

So I was prescribed Adderall. He discussed the options, Vyvanse, Dexedrine, etc, and I said I wanted instant release something since I only wanted to take this as needed. We only decided on Adderall over Dexedrine since I had previously been prescribed Adderall and it reacted fine. He gave me a prescription for 15mg tablets 3x a day.

The first week I had it, I took two of these tablets at once, got very speedy, took more, felt good and of course took more. The side effects were there, the crash was there, overall I felt no need to repeat that experience. So now I have been taking one tablet at a time, with an antacid of course, waiting another 3-4 hours when the effects began to diminish, before taking another. If needed I would take a third 3-4 hours after that.

After my initial experience, I knew that this drug was not something I wanted to abuse in the least. 15mg at a time gives me the concentration and focus I need to feel positive about life. One of my biggest triggers for depression is feeling unproductive so its very important to me that I am working hard and that I have the energy to do that.

So, I intend to be on Adderall, or possibly Vyvanse, for a while. At this point it seems to be a drug which directly addresses my depression with very few side effects when taking in small increments. I have no desire to abuse it as I stated earlier since I don't feel depressed when I take it and my drug seeking behavior is directly related to feeling depression. Overall I am feeling very positive about this prescription.

Thus, I need you guys to bring me back to reality. Is taking Adderall as prescried to address non-ADD depression related focus and concentration issues, in your opinion, problematic? If not, what should I be concerned about? I do plan on taking breaks when little is required of me in terms of focus and concentration, i.e. vacations and maybe weekends. I'm not looking to be affirmed here! I honestly don't know if this is a healthy idea but I am doing everything my doctor says, and I trust him (he wouldn't prescribe me benzos for panic, gave me beta-blockers instead, i.e. he seems legit and does not dole drugs out at random).

Sorry for the long post and thank you all for your constructive input.

TL;DR Got Adderall prescription, its going well, not abusing, but am concerned about possible long-term effects.

 

[Moredopamine]

If you have depression and the ADD meds happen to also help with that, then there is no issue there. However, I do see a bit of an issue with you taking doses larger than prescribed when you started to use it, along with taking an antacid to presumably increase the effects. This behavior may predict future issues with abusing your medication. Also, 45 mg amphetamine a day is quite a high dose to start off with - but maybe you can handle it just fine.

The biggest issue, imo, is that you shouldn't rely on amphetamine for depression alone. The mood-elavating effects are going to go away very quickly. You need a more thorough strategy to tackle the depressive part of your issues.

 

[88dood88]

Vyvanse was prescribed to me and it helped put me in the right mindset to start beating depression. I don't see it as a bad thing if it helps

 

[sekio]

Amphetamine is a poor choice for a long-term antidepressant, and in the long term will probably make your depression worse. Especially if you escalate your dose.

at this point it seems to be a drug which directly addresses my depression with very few side effects

it won't stay that way.

 

[BlueHues]

^Doctors occasionally use stimulants for depression short-term but it's pretty much unheard of these days....I think it was more common years ago, when every neurotic housewife could get valium and dexies at the drop of a hat and the the vics inhalers had actual amphetamine in them....oh the fun we could have had...

 

[geoffreychaucer]

Okay got what you all are saying. I'm going to talk to my doctor about making this short term, but ideally I'll be switching to Vyvanse instead for the time being. I'm very aware that these drugs are problematic. But in all my reading, low-dose amphetamine for therapeutic usage is not associated with any negative side-effects. Tolerance is not seen rising and few negative effects were associated. I'm basing this on research on people who take these for ADD obviously. But whether I'm taking them for focus and concentration or depression, if its the same dose, I'm confused how its different. Obviously euphoria is always unsustainable. But the positive effects I'm getting don't involve feeling like that. I don't know, I do appreciate the feedback but I guess I'll just bring these concerns up with the doctor. He says he has many patients using them for long term without a rise in tolerance or decrease in benefit. I guess its all about differentiating between sustainable and unsustainable use which is dependent on dosage and other factors.

 

[littlepenguin]

Adderall is generally not used for depression alone for the 'obvious' reasons: people rapidly develop tolerance (need increasing amounts for the same positive effect) to it, and because it causes a clear sense of increased well-being, people are prone to want to take increasing amounts, which are then followed by lows. In other words, there is a high addictive potential. Rather than reversing depression, one experiences more of a "high". Due to the development of tolerance, it can be difficult for a doctor to prescribe a modest, steady amount with a lasting, positive effect. People will often want, or even crave, increasing amounts.

Sometimes, early in the course of treatment of a severe depression in which there is a lot of fatigue and apathy, a psychiatrist will temporarily prescribe some Adderall for a few weeks while waiting for the primary anti-depressant to begin to work, and then withdraw the Adderall.

In addition, its use at a low dose is sometimes maintained as a 'helper drug' to the primary anti-depressant with patients who do not show results with the primary medication. There is also a role for treating depression with apathy and low energy with small amounts of Adderall (or similar "stimulants") in the elderly population.

Stimulant depression treatment is becoming more common, especially for treatment-resistant depression and is also showing success in patients with Bipolar Disorder.

Another benefit to trying a stimulant approach to depression treatment is that the patient will know almost right away if the medication is suitable/likable for him/her, whereas typical anti-depression/anti-psychotic drugs take weeks to climb to appropriate levels in the blood.

source

In my opinion, I think stimulant treatment for depression or other mental health issues can be a great thing. However, I think there is an incredibly fine line between using and abusing the drug. For me, it broke me out of a terrible cycle and has kept me from shutting myself off to the world entirely, as I routinely do a few times a year.

I think if one takes the medication as prescribed, and is closely monitored by their doctor, this drug could have a lot of success in relieving treatment-resistant depression.