Adhd+depression +anxiety, advices please!

[Hopefullymoon]

Hello everyone, I'm new here. I've been struggling with depression and anxiety for 4 and half years now. On different meds,ssri, snri, wellbutrin, Lamictal. No desired response. I was looking for answers and I found out that I might have ADHD also. So I told my psychiatrist but she said no! You have personality disorder, I know my body so I said I don't have it and refused to take Depakote. Then she basically said okay "here is adderall xr 10mg" I didn't even ask for it. But I started taking it with 100mgs of zoloft. It makes me sleepy at about 2.30-3.0pm.

I was planning to go back to school (take courses) , I don't have that locked in focus, motivation or concentration. I'm so worried, I feel like I'm not getting anything from my treatments. Any treatment experiences of Adhd and co-morbidities would help. And I'm a 30yr mom of a 5 year old girl 😥😥

[Gettingittogether]

So you think you have ADHD? Do you think you have a personality disorder? My initial advice would be to first connect with yourself and what you think would be helpful. Are you in therapy? Have you ever had a good experience in therapy?

[Snow_Bunting]

I'm not an expert on all the medications you mentioned but I have learned by listening to other people's experiences and reading about ADHD that finding the right ADHD medication can be complicated. Some people find the right medication right away and some people have to try different ones. If you really think you have ADHD it might help to make a list of reasons why the diagnosis resonates with you. I know that if your gut is telling you that something is missing in your original diagnosis you should definitely listen to it. If your psychiatrist still just doesn't get it you might want to try getting a second opinion from someone who is an expert in ADHD, either a psychologist or psychiatrist. If you can get someone to formally evaluate you it's very helpful because there's different types of ADHD. Depending on what type of ADHD you have and how it affects you personally, some medications might be better than others. An expert can help you find that out. But I understand that's not practical for everyone because therapy can be expensive, time consuming and ADHD experts can be hard to find. So I long story short I think your first step is to to try and get the psychiatrist you have on board to least have you evaluated for ADHD. If that doesn't work try looking for someone else.

[Hopefullymoon in reply to Snow_Bunting]

To be honest, I'm so confused but you gave me a good insight, thank you 😊 🙏

[Flutterbybye]

Hi Moonab, just saw your message. Sorry if there has been some delay.

I have ADHD plus depression and anxiety. I take Zoloft for the depression/anxiety and it also helps with mood disorders. I take it in the morning but I am sure you could take it in the evening if you get sleepy with it.

I take Dexamphetamine for my ADHD and by end of day after I've been taking that I feel sleepy but I often work through it. I think it takes a long time to get on the medication and level that you feel comfortable with. It's a little bit of trial and error and I've read some people have tried a large variety of medication before landing on the right one. It doesn't help that your doctor isn't sure about your diagnosis. Would give you a lot more confidence about what you are taking if she was on your side.

[Hopefullymoon in reply to Flutterbybye]

Hi Flutterbybye! So my doctor added lexapro 5mg a week ago and upped my adderal xr to 20mgs a day. I'm kinda jittery, irritable and cry baby, and today was one of those days. It hurts bad. I called my doctor's (psychiatrist) office with longer wait to speak to someone, that's is kaiser by the way. It sucks!! ! Anyway I get to speak to this sweet nurse who calmed me down and explained the possibilities of increase serotonin sensitivity due to lexapro. She said some people are sensitive to lexapro even though it has less side effects than others. And consulted the psychiatrist and decided to lower it to 2.5mg. Hope it works.

Adderal xr is okay but It doesn't give me that locked in focus to do my paperwork or intense dedicated study (trying to take courses). Which I have been wanting to accomplish for some time now . And everyone around me telling me " just do it!" "Why you procrastinate? Needs a discipline and will power bla..bla..." 😪😢

I'm glad I joined this community. The support is just amazing. Thanks everyone. Any experiences, stories advice you might have, please do share🙏

[Flutterbybye]

Hi Moonab, I hope that lowering the dose of lexapro has helped with your jitters, irritability and crying. It's quite possible you were over medicated. I sometimes feel very jittery and put it down to being over medicated although I always take the same dose at the same time, just seems to me that some days you need it more than others. I have never tried Adderal, have always been on Dexamphetamine which has suited me well right from the beginning. I don't believe there is a fix for every single problem we have but it's got to help some of the issues. My memory for details suddenly became amazing, but I am totally distracted now if the TV is on, whatever is showing I just gawk at it like an idiot. Before medication it would never distract me. I still can not focus on people talking to me, my mind wanders to all sorts of things and I realise I have no idea what they have been talking about. I can read a book and not be distracted most of the time, takes a lot of noise going on around me to distract me if the book is good. My moods are a whole lot better and I am in more control of them. If I wasn't on medication I am totally paranoid at times, I can get so depressed I can't even fake being happy or interested. I do procrastinate, am hopeless making decisions. Motivation to get things done is one of my worst problems but I have a great partner who undertstands, is a very organised person and has helped me with schedules that I can stick to. I was diagnosed 15 years ago, as an adult and just have to accept that I still have some issues and probably always will have. I have my own way of doing things, or learning things, but being in control of my moods now is probably my biggest win. I don't know if this helps you at all, just remember that everyone is different, and some people will never understand it. Just accept how you are, and what makes you feel better. Good luck and stay safe.

[Hopefullymoon in reply to Flutterbybye]

🙏🙏🙏 appreciate it!!!

[Add2021]

Hello moonab, sorry for your depression

[Hazel248]

Hey there. I have a diagnosis of ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I am on 20mg instant release adderall 3x per day. The 10mg might not be enough for you. I know 10mg is not enough for me. Maybe try talking to your provider about how to safely increase the dosage? Wishing you the best of luck!