Posted by laima on January 8, 2007, at 9:53:05
In reply to Re: How Do Stimulates Differ in Mechanism?, posted by cgd092 on January 8, 2007, at 0:54:36
I get the impression precription stimulants could either help or worsen anxiety, depending on dose, a person's physiology, and what the nature of the anxiety is. And they raise heart rate- a person who already has high heart rate and high blood pressure probably won't feel better by raising up even further. Mine tends to be so low that doctors have often double-checked themselves when they test it during check-ups. A lot of my own anxiety has to do with feeling incompetent plus overwhelmed and worrying about it, as well as feeling like a hopeless classic wallflower type- the prescription stimulants, especially the amphetamine ones, really address that. I am able to focus in on something, engage an activity without my mind flitting all over the place worrying about everything else I'm not doing. All of the stimulants also encourage me to be much more outgoing and lively, which is a humungous help in social situations. When I used the word "warmer", I guess in this usage I meant to describe "friendly and more assured" as opposed to cranky, crabby, harried, and worried. So a greater well-being. In any case, I am pretty positive that a too-high dose would get agitating and feel quite unnatural. But I've read that stimulants may work on a bell-shaped curve- too little doesn't do much, and way too much also doesn't do much that is helpful. As if the brain just gets overwhelmed and exhausted when doses are too high. (I wish I could remember where I saw that.)> You wrote, "In fact, oddly, they help my anxiety and tend to make me feel "warmer""
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> I've never taken any prescription simulants (just coffee.) I wonder what they would do with my anxiety? Make it worse, or have a paradoxical effect you describe above. The word "warmer" is interesting because when my depression/anxiety abates, I have used that word to describe the feeling. Warm and fuzzy. More at peace, and a 'I'm okay, you're okay' kind of feeling. Sense of well-being. Which of course vanishes in depression/anxiety. Where it goes I don't know. It was just there a while ago!
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> -Katy
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poster:laima
thread:720208
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070107/msgs/720395.html