Adderall XR and depression

Hi,

To the first poster: bbk I had the same problem. I've been on Adderall-the regular kind, not XR-since my ADD diagnosis in June.

Whenever I start an SSRI: Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro, my Adderall stops working. I get exhausted, brain fog, and I also get an insane appetite.

I've done some research and the explanations I've found are that SSRIs tend to increase your insulin and lower dopamine. Adderall is supposed to increase dopamine. Basically, the SSRI interferes with the Adderall.

In one appointment with my doctor (while I was on Prozac) he actually admitted that most SSRIs raise insulin, Prozac being worse than others. Guess that explains why my blood sugar was always in the 60s and I felt horrible no matter what I ate or did.

If you're already overweight and insulin resistant it will screw you up more than other people.

I'm currently trying to find an anti-depressant that works well with Adderall.

I've been taking Adderall XR 30mg per day for two years. I've gained 20 pounds and feel terrible. My doctor keeps telling me he doesn't know why I'm gaining weight. That is making me feel even worse!!! Can anyone tell me what's going on??? I also take Wellburtin & Lexapro. Before I took any of these medications, I asked the doctor if I could gain weight from them. He told me that these particular drugs do not cause weight gain. The thing that's so frustrating is, I was put on these drugs for anxiety and depression (results of an abusive marriage). How can I begin to feel better about myself if I'm gaining lots of weight? That just kills it for me. Can anyone out there offer some advice? My doctor won't even let me take an appetite suppressant. I take Adderall in the A.M. If I want, I can go right back to bed and sleep again. I also get hunger pains about 2 hours later!!! Help!!

My beautiful 11 year old daughter was on Adderall XR 20 mg per day for 4 years. After about 2 years she started to develop some minor facial tics. After 3 years the facial tics were worse along with severe head shaking and she also started to develop trichotillomania (obsessive compulsive hair pulling). The hair pulling continued until she was almost bald. Her grades began to drop and she withdrew herself from her friends and family. Finally, we took her off the medication in October 2007 at age 12 and she immediately stopped the tics and hair pulling. We have found 3 other families whose daughters have developed these same symptoms after being on this medication for at least 2 years. We have filed a report with the FDA as our own doctor had no idea that this medication was causing the hair pulling. Now 5 months later her hair is growing and the tics are approximately 97% gone. We have taken her to a homeopathic doctor and she is doing absolutely great now. Marks have gone up and she is smiling and socializing. I am so happy we have our daughter back. The side effects of this drug was definitely not work it.

I take Adderall NON xr 20mg with Lexapro 20 mg. I have general anxiety disorder so sometimes I get that chest tightness or the lump in throat feeling and it being hard to breathe but it usually went away when I took an Ativan. The Lexapro just seemed to stop working for me and my depression was bad and so we decided to add Adderall in because it made me more clear minded, hopeful, happy, and balanced. the only problem is, after about 4 or 5 hours I feel a "comedown" from this and it's completely horrible. I start to get very edgy and irritated, I lose my focus and feel kind of light headed and headache, I get tired but cannot sleep, my chest tightness and anxiety comes back pretty bad, and I get goosebumps and my back and neck tense up. I love how it makes me feel during the first 4 or 5 hours but once it starts wearing off the come down is just so awful I'm not sure what to do. i do take 1 Ativan before bed and that helps me sleep. I heard that I may need to take another 10mg of Adderall around 1 or 2 to give me a boost and sustain my balance and focus and all the good things about this medication. Does this actually work? Or do I just need to up my dosage? I understand that Adderall enhances anxiety in general so it makes sense but I wonder why I don't get anxiety when I first take it, but it seems to come on after the medication is starting to wear off.

just started taking Adderall, though i am not prescribed. I went to my doctor and asked for it but she said no. I explained that I am often overwhelmed at work, I am a case manager and keeping on task with all of the work is hard. My doctor said when she was in med school, med students used to take it for that purpose.So anyway i bought 5 pills from a coworker. I seem to have super human energy, get all types of work done and stay focused all day. On the down side, in 5 days I have lost 3lbs., I want to lose weight, but not that fast. I have what I consider to be Adderall hangovers the next day, where I am extremely tired. I also have noticed severe headaches, every day that I have taken it, I crash by the end of the day at work and cant wait to get home, because I am so tired. My neck aches, and I had to change to a firmer chair at work, because all of a sudden my back is killing me, I also get insomnia and have to counteract the Aderall with Tylenol pm just to get to sleep. These side effects freak me out, and I don't know if I want to again ask my doctor for a script, but I get so much done at work, and I am heading back for grad school, I just don't know what to do? oh yeah, the pills that I bought were Adderall XR 30 mg.

numbness in hands, sometimes sooo bad it hurts and wakes me up in the middle of the night. Anyone else have this expierence?