Adult add...which medication is best?

I am 21 years old, and have been on adderall (10 mg) for two years now. It has always worked great for me, but within the last 5-6 months it has made me develop a very high level of anxiety, nervousness and mental and physcial tension. It is now affecting my everyday life and relationships. I still however need it to manage my add while in school. Therefore, I want to look into switching add medications. Does anybody have any experiences with any adult add medications that has successfully worked for them? Has anyone experienced the same anxiety issues that I have with adderall of any other add/adhd medicene? Is there any other ways to cope with it? Thanks in advance!

I have been on a variety of stimulant medications - Ritalin, Concerta, Strattera, Adderal (which had a real bad effect on me), and Cylert. None of them really did much for me. I am now taking Dexedrine, which has helped alot. I have found it to be a gentler med, and less apt to raise my blood pressure. Welbutron is an anti-depressant that has been cleared for tx of ADHD as well.

Sometimes it takes a while to find the optimum kind and dosage. It is common to for one to work for a while and then lose its effectiveness. Ritalin for instance may work well for the early teens, but as they mature, many have to switch to Cylert.

I did not have a pleasant experiance with Adderal. I became more depressed, and when I stopped taking it, my depression lessoned. I think that you should report your symptoms to your doctor, and perhaps try something else. There are plenty of options out there now.

There are some good books out there that talk about adult ADHD - on of them is "Driven to Distraction" by Ratey. He and his coauthor are 2 psychiatrists with ADHD. They talk alot about the different meds.

Take care and I wish you well.

Adderall is probably the best bet for you, but these new symptoms should be brought to your doctor's attention. A sudden resistance to the medication may suddenly trigger these symptoms, and a new dosage or another medicine to control those symptoms only may benefit you a lot more than a new ADD medication would.

This reason is exactly why I disapprove of any and all use of ADD medication.. especially keeping an individual on it for 2 years! The anxiety/depression and all the other interferences with your daily life are completely normal and I'm so sorry you're experiencing them. My suggestion would to be ridding yourself entirely of any ADD medications. If you find yourself having a difficulty with paying attention, try to find natural ways to focus yourself. Do mental exercizes, make yourself read a book for a certain amount of time without being distracted. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE MEDICATED! None of us need to have this reliance on drugs, and in the end they will ALL have very negative side effects. I hope you decide to drop the use of these meds alltogether and find solutions to these problems through support from your friends and family.

Take care of yourself.

Craig

Yes there is another way.... it is to give up thinking for the most part.... and be present in this moment here and now.

It's helpful to say yes instead of no to what is happening now. By that I mean allow this moment to be.

My fiance takes Ritalin. He doesn't like the sustained release versions of the drugs because it gives him insomnia. Are you taking the medication everyday or just some days? He has has a pretty severe case of ADHD, but only takes the Ritalin on days when he needs to really study or attend class, the rest of the time he's able to cope without it. He's told me that taking it everyday does cause anxiety and depression issues and it's best just to take it as needed. Stimulant drugs don't need to build up in the system to work. His father is in his 60s, has ADHD and takes Ritalin as needed as well.

I know that there is another ADHD medication, I forget what's it's called, but it's a non-stimulant medication. It's in the same class as some of the newer antidepressant medications. You can ask your doctor about that, it may help, but it could just make you feel worse, that's something your doctor won't tell you.

Have you considered natural remedies? There are some herbal treatments, of course you have to watch out for side effects with those too. Then there is certain types of therapy and such. If your attention problem is relatively minor, you probably could get away without medication. Of course, if it's severe like my fiances, then that's just insulting to suggest it.

At any rate, talk to your doctor about your feelings lately. It's possible that your anxiety is related to something other than your medication too. Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, especially students, so you might want to rule that out before screwing with the medications.

Do not listen to anyone who gives you advice on medication. Believe me it takes a doctor to know what the medication can do, side effects, doses, etc. People on this site may have taken (and are still taking) medication but this doesn't make them a doctor. I was a medical detailer who detailed drugs to MDs and I can tell you that after 25 years in the field I have learned that many of the medications prescribed can be very dangerous if not monitored carefully. What may work for one person may not be effective at all for another. Always consult a physician about medication not fellow sufferers.

dont use stimulants because they will just cause anxiety/stress that leads to depression like you have described. I was on Strattera for about a year and it worked like magic. Its not addictive or a stimulant but works amazing. check out the site or ask your doctor about it