Mental Health Anxiety, Fibromyalgia, Dyslexic and possible ADHD- meds combination?

[Munabern]

This is my first time posting on here, though I have read lots of the threads before I joined. I've scoured the threads and haven't found one with the same combination of problems / meds query so apologies if there is and I missed it. Also I hope this is the right area for this discussion.. :/

So this is my story: about 8 years ago I began having severe panic attacks which basically turned into a year of hell- I split up with my girlfriend (she was my first relationship), had to leave University and also leave my job because I just couldn't function for the debilitating anxiety I had. I lost a lot of weight and was so tense I couldn't eat- I moved back in with my parents who were incredibly supportive and the panic lessened to a milder generalised anxiety. I was started on citalopram which I stayed on for years until I felt it wasn't doing anything so I tried other SSRI's and stuck with fluoxetine, and recently went back to citalopram again. I've tried SNRI's twice and developed serotonin syndrome both times so I avoid those! My anxiety has been up and down over the years but I have managed to stay employed- my anxiety is controlled to a point where I no longer get panic attacks but I still become anxious quite easily.

This year I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and hypermobility which causes fatigue, muscle and joint pain, migraine, IBS and several other symptoms- my GP prescribed me 600mg gabapentin (3 x 200mg) and 30mg codeine phosphate as and when needed. Shortly after that I started university and was then diagnosed as dyslexic, to my huge surprise. My dyslexia affects my working memory and processing speed rather than spelling and grammar. My University is incredible at supporting students and I have been given loads of help, advice and equipment. I moved GP surgeries when I moved house recently and went to discuss my brain as I was still anxious but constantly on the go, can't sit still, racing thoughts etc. He gave me a questionnaire about adult ADHD and referred me because I scored quite highly. My assessment is next week so I should hopefully get some advice and /or a diagnosis, although I don't really know what will happen- I've never been to a psychiatrist before.

In the last month or so I did some reading about ADHD and decided to buy Modafinil as a tester- I also had loads of work to do, and with an attention span of a gnat on speed I didn't think there was much to lose. After a couple of weeks of taking daily 200mg modafinil I had managed to get stuff done, concentrate, I felt good and happy, though still a bit hyper, which the codeine helped with. As this worked so well I went back to the website and bought a few months supply, but I also discovered Piracetam. What the hey- i'll try that too. I also bought just a few Buproprion tablets too as I have read that this helps to combat the sexual dysfunction (lack of libido) caused by the SSRI which bothers me immensely- again I just thought why not. (Might sound like I don't give a toss about my health but I do- im just extremely impulsive and like to try new things constantly...even if its slightly risky.. though I don't have any interest in illicit drugs whatsoever).

So basically, I currently have: Citalopram, Codeine Phosphate, Gabapentin, Modafinil, Piracetam, and Buproprion to hand.

What I would like to find out is whether anyone can comment on this combination and tell me whether its likely to be safe (obviously I know this will only be your opinions and I won't take it as medical advice), whether its likely to help with anxiety, concentration, mood or anything else. Do any of them interact negatively (I have read as much as a can find but still not entirely clear on this), do any of them enhance any of the others?, or if you have any suggestions for combinations to help different activities / scenarios. Obviously I welcome helpful criticism too.

The only ones I pretty much need to take every day are citalopram and usually codeine too depending on pain and whether I am tapering it down before stopping to avoid feeling rough! The rest can be considered more recreational, though if I am diagnosed as having ADHD I would probably end up taking concerta daily or something similar.


Thanks guys, hope to hear from you soon.

 

[neversickanymore]

Hi Muna and welcome to BL

Sorry you are struggling with this as I know how awful it is

Im very glad to see this posted in MH as it is the right place for it.

I was very sick for over five years with very similar issues. I was finally able to heal myself. I did this by stopping looking at many of these symptoms as separate problems. I instead began looking at them as symptoms of a pan hypothalamic deregulation. If you research everything the hypothalamus controls you will see it controls energy levels and fatigue, emotional response including anxiety, the level of pain response and the neural pain of the fibro, sex drive and many other aspects.

As I said I was sick for years. I was diagnosed with fibro, chronic fatigue, sarcoidosis , and had very significant gastro issues like irritable bowel as well. I tried many many medications. When i realized what the disease actually is I requested to be put on lamictal as it has been shown to stabilize this area of the brain.

I combined the lamictal with methylphenidate to help combat the fatigue. I then dropped all the other medications. Finally I engaged in regular exercise, promoted perfect sleep hygiene and non medicated sleep.

I realize that the fatigue is completely overwhelming and who ever made the treatment of fatigue exercise should be beheaded, but its certainly a very strong piece of the puzzle of curing this. I would start out with really easy but prolonged sessions. Like very easy walking for decent distances. The purpose of this is to stimulate production of neurotransmitters with out causing the release of them. If we work out to hard in the beginning then we cause a release (runners high) and this will make us feel good for a little while, but then when the neurotransmitters that were released leave the system we feel even worse. So I would start out doing exercises that stimulate the production of the chemicals you need. Once you have built these up then you can ease into more strenuous exercise.

Exercise and Brain Neurotransmission
Neurobiology of Exercise
Aerobic Exercise
exercise and sleep

Exercise 4 Health, Mental Health, and Addiction vs. The Endorphin Factory
Exercise 4 Health, Mental Health, and Addiction vs. I worked all that out

Diet & Neurogenesis

Tyrosine,
Phenylalanine,

NSFW:

​

Sleep is essential for proper brain function and the time we go to bed and rise should be set and adhered to. The sleep area should be clean and all forms of distraction such as tvs, computers, work stuff etc should be removed. If you have an unusual circadian rhythm then I would explore the use of a blue light to help trick your brain into healthier sleep. When I first considered the light I thought it would turn out to be junk. I was totally wrong.
phillips go light blue

I would get your vitamin D levels checked immediately even if you are taking a vitamin D supplement.

I would get your testosterone levels checked if you are male.

I slowly added all these treatments over time so I can't really give you an accurate time table of how long healing will take. I added in the sleep and exercise first. Then once I added in the medications and vitamin D I finally felt noticeably better in three days and was like 90% better in 3.5 weeks and fully better in under a year.

As far as the dyslexia, thats kinda interesting that you have that as well as i do too. Its a separate thing as far as I know but here is some interesting reading about it.

Dyslexic spies: GCHQ’s secret strategy to tackle terrorism and espionage


I hope this helps you out and you find the relief your searching for. I am now going on three years symptom free. I have not taken any medications to treat this in over two years. I still practice good sleep habits and exercise regularly. Don't give up.. I almost did and that would have been a huge mistake.

I know the title does not indicate its about your topic but if you read a little bit into this thread is around this topic.

An article I wrote on help with withdrawal, inspired by the Thomas Recipe

If I fully recovered others can as well.

 

[SixBuckets]

You should be aware that modafinil and codeine are metabolised by the same enzyme - modafinil is "better" at it, so it tends to negate codeine's effects. I've found that this basically means codeine doesn't work for my fibro pain at all. It's not a "dangerous" mix, though - just a waste of medication.

 

[Deanners]

Fibro, ADD, depression and anxiety here. My psychologist has mentioned the possibility of me having a learning disorder, but I've never had a formal assessment. I'm going back to school soon and probably will before then so I can work with the school's disability services to make sure I don't fail miserably at everything.

Fortunately, I've found that my ADD meds help with the exhaustion from fibro (obviously. Stimulates), most days, anyway. I'm not currently taking any antidepressants, but one of the things I do remember from the various ones that's I have been on is that I'm in less pain. They just always end up having too many side effects/I have to stop from some reason.

Some days, Adderall really gets my panic disorder going, and other days it's a complete life-changer.

I take gabapentin for pain, but I'm not sure that it really works. I've tried CBD capsules and medicinal marijuana, but I hate the high from weed and CBD products are expensive.

I have no idea what the solution is, and it's frustrating to have to keep searching for it. Some days I'm fine with taking all the meds forever if they help, and other days, I just want to be able to function without having to pop all these pills.

/frustration.