Posted by vms on July 25, 1999, at 22:35:59
In reply to Re: good points..., posted by andrewb on July 25, 1999, at 18:13:06
> > Roman, what is your experience with stimulants? As far as mainstream drugs, they are much milder than AD's and the like. And they have a mild AD effect. If you're the kind of person that metabolizes meds quickly, or hates rebounds, try a longer acting stim like Dexedrine Spansules. The other thing here is that if you don't like them, they are in and out of your system within a day.
Don't blame you about the Serzone. I felt like my head was stuffed with cotton candy on the stuff. Felt calmer, but friends said I was turning into a spacey idiot. Wellbutrin is sometimes used in both the stimulant and AD category for ADHD, but I've heard mixed things about it.
Have you ever thought about the Mood Stabilizers? Since there's a lot of commonality between ADHD and bipolar, it's a thought. I don't know you so I may be barking up the wrong tree, but I am seeing info that Lamactil is good for unipolar and bipolar. Then maybe you could add the St. John's wort or the like for added AD effect..
Anyway, just some thoughts.... I'm married to an adult ADHD/Mood disorder kinda guy, so I know how frustrating it is. (Expecially for someone who has problems with frustration tolerance!!)
Wish I knew more about the natural stuff. We are putting in a mix of tyrosine, lysine and OPC-3, based on an internist that does alternative medicine here. He also wants to try the Omega 3 angle. That would be good. I hate to see my husband on multiple meds, especially since we havent hit on the right combo either....
> > Your further input is very welcome.
>
> > Thanks to both jamie and andrewb for some insight.
> > The point about difficulties in creating a cocktail
> > are very valid I guess. At the moment I am finding
> > that the doctors I am seeing dont have knowledge
> > in both mainstream and "natural" pharmaceuticals,
> > and I am feeling rather frustrated.
> >
> > In your opinion, what "mainstream" drugs could you
> > recommend? My experience with Piracetam & Choline
> > alone has always been very good for concentration
> > and verbal capabilities (w.r.t. ADD), but I found
> > that it sometimes winds me up too much. Same goes
> > for previous experiments with 20mg Prozac, it made
> > me very happy, but on edge and a little too forthcoming.
> > Kava Kava did seem to help.
> >
> > Serzone knocked me out in doses over 200mg per day.
> >
> > What is problematic is that the depression exists
> > as a result of the ADD, diagnosed only now at age
> > 27. As you can imagine, mood swings prevail in me,
> > depending on external stimuli and circumstances.
> > Because it takes me a while to get going, a stimulating
> > substance is definitely of importance. I used to
> > love Pircacetam&Choline for breakfast. An
> > anti-depressant is in order to keep me going between
> > my weekly therapy... until I am strong enough
> > to ween myself of it.
> >
> > I was also considering mabe taking 10mg fluoxetine (Prozac)
> > with a small dose of Wellbutrin, and take
> > Kava Kava for the resulting anxiety. Apparently
> > in some cases the Wellbutrin "counteracts" some
> > of the sexual dysfunction side effects of fluoxetine.
> >
> > By the way, the amino acids glutamine and
> > phenylalanine I am taking are part of a generic
> > "restores" (restores.com). L-tyrosine is separate.
> > restores has been labelled as a natural alternative
> > to ritalin.
> >
> > I really wish I was capable of putting it in a box. ;)
> >
> > Your further input is very welcome.
>
> Roman,
>
> I don’t have any ideas concerning your ADD.
> I have a friend though who had the hardest time clearing her head in the mourning until she started taking lecithin which, as you probably know, is high in choline. It's interesting what supplementation with that choline can do. Choline is a precursor for the nuerotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is involved in memory and thought. If you benefit from choline you may also benefit from DMAE supplementation. DMAE (not the same as DMEA!) is a metabolic precursor to choline and is able to increase acetylcholine levels more than choline is.
> Note though that choline,DMAE nor lecithin are recommmended for manic depressives becuase it can deepen depressive phases. Also, DMAE can be unpleasently stimulating. Perhaps the most effective way to increase acetylcholine levels though is through the use of agent like Huperzine-A that prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine. Huperzine-A is available in health food stores, relativley free of side effects and is generally used for memory problems such as alzheimers.
> Good luck with your ADD and thank you for sharing your experiences.
poster:vms
thread:9187
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990814/msgs/9209.html