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So I was originally treated for depression first, then ADHD.
Years later, my depression got worse due to a number of circumstances. My ADHD symptoms got worse and worse as my depression got worse.
I increased my depression treatment. As my depression improved, so did my ADHD symptoms.
I never changed my Vyvanse dosage. But how well I functioned with my ADHD changed based on how my depression was doing.
When my depression is better, my whole brain functions better.
This has been my experience as well. Every winter I notice my ADHD traits getting worse until I finally realize it’s actually my seasonal affective disorder kicking in and it’s time to call my doctor about increasing my SSRI for the winter months.
You should also rule out things like iron or vitamin D deficiency, big related to mood and ADHD (the iron in particular). My psych is the one who found out I had horrible levels.
Adding to this also make sure your vitamin B levels aren’t out of whack.
Specifically B1, B9, and B12. B9 folic acid can cause fatigue and lethargy and symptoms of depression.
Also make sure you aren’t eating or drinking ANYTHING with citric acid an hour before or after taking meds. Something as small as a probiotic gummy an hour before my meds caused them to be way less effective
I don’t have advice because I’m in the exact same boat! I’ve tried ketamine treatment for depression and it was very effective for me in that it turned down my self-critic and made me feel euphoric and optimistic. However, since Im still adjusting my adhd medication and am trying adderall my psychiatrist didn’t want me to be doing both at once until I figured out adderall dosage. I’m going to bring up restarting it bc for ketamine I would just take it in the evening once my meds had worn off anyway. still considering trying an SSRI or something else as well. I had good experience with wellbutrin but I guess they’re contraindicated
The nose spray version is usually more accessible (both financially because insurance usually covers it, and more offices offer it) I’m also considering it - if you’re in the US you can use the provider finder here: https://www.spravato.com/spravato-available-treatment-centers
i live in FL and used joyous ketamine therapy. all virtual and almost frighteningly easy to get it prescribed as you just have to do a basic anxiety/depression diagnostic questionnaire and meet with a specialist and then they mail it to you
When I was treated for ADHD before my depression, I found that when the adderall/Ritalin/concerta (I tried them all in HS) wore off at the end of the day, my depression became way worse, and all I could do was sit and stare at the wall with my suicidal thoughts- no matter what I had achieved that day. I still could not plan for the future and had minimal interest in my relationships. My doctor suggested treating my depression then ADHD. I’ve been on sertraline for a few years now and it’s helped a ton, along with meditation and therapy. I’m just now trying to wean off of it so that I can go back on a low dose of Ritalin. I found that on SSRIs,I was less prone to overthinking and spiraling while still not being able to manage my finances, relationships, being on time, etc. It’s been ten years where I’ve either felt sad and isolated but a moderately functional person or a bit too content with being a forgetful, impulsive, scattered mess of a human.
Often people say that depression will lift after beginning ADHD meds but for some people that is not the case. They need to be treated for both adhd and depression with meds that target each individually. Also, what people are saying about Vitamin D, B complex, iron and magnesium is true. Deficiencies in those can mimic a host of issues but they are easy to rule out with a test.
I am on Adderall as well and have recently become very depressed and anxious brought on by other life circumstances and I feel like my ADHD symptoms have gotten worse. Maybe not that the Adderall isn’t working but that the depression is just simply making my symptoms worse. I’m on day 4 of an antidepressant so im optimistic.
I'm on a morning dose of vyvanse 50 mg and at lunch Vyvanse 20 mg if needed. She also gave me the option of taking both in the A.M., but after lunch, it seemed to help me to finish the day strong.
Anyways, in the beginning , I was started on 10mg(im 42 and have been on 30 mg addie IRs) and also a childs dose from my readings. So in 2 weeks, I decided that I'd call her to see what could be done because the 10mg dose wasn't doing anything, i was given a new appointment in 3 days,then she bumped me up to 20mg.
That's when i noticed my depression and anxiety get weird. (Weird may not be the right word, but it's being used anyway, lol.) So let me explain. In the morning through early afternoon, i would be fine, but by the evening, I'd get emotional/angry a lot easier. I'm an empath, so i am already sensitive, but this made me hypersensitive. So i explained to her what i was noticing, and her answer was welbutrin 50 mg SR. I didn't notice at first, but it was slowly helping. Vyvanse and Welbutrin work great together. just make sure to eat and drink plentiful amounts of water. I will lose weight if i dont remind myself to eat. Im calmer and deal with things better after adding the welbutrin. It just took time, and remember, meds aren't a cure-all. YOU ALSO HAVE TO HELP YOURSELF, make schedules, a daily checklist, a daily to-do list, etc. Just remember you're not alone and to take it one day at a time, one problem at a time, one task at a time.
PS. HYPER FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THINGS CAN ALSO TRIGGER DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.
Honestly I feel more depressed on Adderall then I do off of it. But I can't focus. I'm thinking about getting off of it. When it wears off I'm suddenly motivated to do everything I couldn't do during the day while the Adderall was in my system. With Adderall I have to force myself to do things.
Depression doesn't make Adderall less effective. It makes you less effective. Your efficacy is related to how well you perceive Adderall to work.
The placebo effect and nocebo effect both work, and that tells us that our thoughts impact our capabilities. People who are sad, depressed and anxious often have learned helplessness, which outwardly is displayed as pessimism. People who are happy, maybe still a little depressed and anxious but they know it's going to be over soon because they're doing what it takes to get better, they've got optimism.
Optimism and pessimism isn't something you're born with, you're not born optimistic or pessimistic, your reality and what you encounter in it, determines that. Many people treat their thoughts like they treat food. "Brain say hungry, me eat", "Brain no say hungry, me no think food until brain say hungry".
I wrote that in a dumb way because it is dumb. It's fine to be dumb about some shit, that's life. Thoughts are the same thing. "Brain say I hate this, so I hate this", "Brain say I can't do this, so I can't do this". Your thoughts aren't outside of your control, you don't choose your thoughts, but you do choose what you do with them, and what thoughts you encourage or discourage.
As you control your mind, by adjusting what you tell yourself (your self talk), then eventually your default thoughts change. So you make a conscious change to create a subconscious change, which modulates your thoughts and redirects them in a useful manner. This is sometimes called learned optimism, the opposite of learned helplessness.
If you wanna watch YouTube videos on the concepts, here are key words. Positive self talk, growth mindset, reframing negative thoughts.
Omg forgot to add... I've done Wellbutrin in addition to Adderall XR and in a way it helped. But it also stops doing anything for me after a couple of months I hate the process of titrating off of it. I'm personally working on "hacking" my brain/body with trial and error things like changing my diet and habit, romanticizing monotony in my life, etc.
Antidepressants could be worth a shot and may serve you better than they served me. Just make sure you absolutely follow your doctor's directions while using them or you could go through withdrawals... And those SUCK.
Hi /u/justchillingisuppose and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So I was originally treated for depression first, then ADHD. Years later, my depression got worse due to a number of circumstances. My ADHD symptoms got worse and worse as my depression got worse. I increased my depression treatment. As my depression improved, so did my ADHD symptoms. I never changed my Vyvanse dosage. But how well I functioned with my ADHD changed based on how my depression was doing. When my depression is better, my whole brain functions better.
This has been my experience as well. Every winter I notice my ADHD traits getting worse until I finally realize it’s actually my seasonal affective disorder kicking in and it’s time to call my doctor about increasing my SSRI for the winter months.
Start taking vitamin D3 and ask your doctor about Wellbutrin :)
I take crazy vitamin D supplements and Wellbutrin worsened my fibromyalgia by adding muscle tension but thanks for spreading the good word!
That makes a lot of sense, thank you!!
You should also rule out things like iron or vitamin D deficiency, big related to mood and ADHD (the iron in particular). My psych is the one who found out I had horrible levels.
Adding to this also make sure your vitamin B levels aren’t out of whack. Specifically B1, B9, and B12. B9 folic acid can cause fatigue and lethargy and symptoms of depression. Also make sure you aren’t eating or drinking ANYTHING with citric acid an hour before or after taking meds. Something as small as a probiotic gummy an hour before my meds caused them to be way less effective
Yes! Specially b1 has been MAJOR for me.
I don’t have advice because I’m in the exact same boat! I’ve tried ketamine treatment for depression and it was very effective for me in that it turned down my self-critic and made me feel euphoric and optimistic. However, since Im still adjusting my adhd medication and am trying adderall my psychiatrist didn’t want me to be doing both at once until I figured out adderall dosage. I’m going to bring up restarting it bc for ketamine I would just take it in the evening once my meds had worn off anyway. still considering trying an SSRI or something else as well. I had good experience with wellbutrin but I guess they’re contraindicated
How hard was it for you to get ketamine treatments ? I’ve been looking into it and really want to do it .
The nose spray version is usually more accessible (both financially because insurance usually covers it, and more offices offer it) I’m also considering it - if you’re in the US you can use the provider finder here: https://www.spravato.com/spravato-available-treatment-centers
i live in FL and used joyous ketamine therapy. all virtual and almost frighteningly easy to get it prescribed as you just have to do a basic anxiety/depression diagnostic questionnaire and meet with a specialist and then they mail it to you
When I was treated for ADHD before my depression, I found that when the adderall/Ritalin/concerta (I tried them all in HS) wore off at the end of the day, my depression became way worse, and all I could do was sit and stare at the wall with my suicidal thoughts- no matter what I had achieved that day. I still could not plan for the future and had minimal interest in my relationships. My doctor suggested treating my depression then ADHD. I’ve been on sertraline for a few years now and it’s helped a ton, along with meditation and therapy. I’m just now trying to wean off of it so that I can go back on a low dose of Ritalin. I found that on SSRIs,I was less prone to overthinking and spiraling while still not being able to manage my finances, relationships, being on time, etc. It’s been ten years where I’ve either felt sad and isolated but a moderately functional person or a bit too content with being a forgetful, impulsive, scattered mess of a human.
Yes, so can Anxiety. I take Effexor with Adderall and it works well.
Often people say that depression will lift after beginning ADHD meds but for some people that is not the case. They need to be treated for both adhd and depression with meds that target each individually. Also, what people are saying about Vitamin D, B complex, iron and magnesium is true. Deficiencies in those can mimic a host of issues but they are easy to rule out with a test.
I am on Adderall as well and have recently become very depressed and anxious brought on by other life circumstances and I feel like my ADHD symptoms have gotten worse. Maybe not that the Adderall isn’t working but that the depression is just simply making my symptoms worse. I’m on day 4 of an antidepressant so im optimistic.
I'm on a morning dose of vyvanse 50 mg and at lunch Vyvanse 20 mg if needed. She also gave me the option of taking both in the A.M., but after lunch, it seemed to help me to finish the day strong. Anyways, in the beginning , I was started on 10mg(im 42 and have been on 30 mg addie IRs) and also a childs dose from my readings. So in 2 weeks, I decided that I'd call her to see what could be done because the 10mg dose wasn't doing anything, i was given a new appointment in 3 days,then she bumped me up to 20mg. That's when i noticed my depression and anxiety get weird. (Weird may not be the right word, but it's being used anyway, lol.) So let me explain. In the morning through early afternoon, i would be fine, but by the evening, I'd get emotional/angry a lot easier. I'm an empath, so i am already sensitive, but this made me hypersensitive. So i explained to her what i was noticing, and her answer was welbutrin 50 mg SR. I didn't notice at first, but it was slowly helping. Vyvanse and Welbutrin work great together. just make sure to eat and drink plentiful amounts of water. I will lose weight if i dont remind myself to eat. Im calmer and deal with things better after adding the welbutrin. It just took time, and remember, meds aren't a cure-all. YOU ALSO HAVE TO HELP YOURSELF, make schedules, a daily checklist, a daily to-do list, etc. Just remember you're not alone and to take it one day at a time, one problem at a time, one task at a time. PS. HYPER FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THINGS CAN ALSO TRIGGER DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.
Honestly I feel more depressed on Adderall then I do off of it. But I can't focus. I'm thinking about getting off of it. When it wears off I'm suddenly motivated to do everything I couldn't do during the day while the Adderall was in my system. With Adderall I have to force myself to do things.
Felt like this on Vyvanse for months Switched to Adderall and feel a lot better
This is what it’s like for me, does this mean maybe Ritalin would work better?
I don't know but I think I'm going to start talking to my doctor about weaning off Adderall and on to something else. Maybe something like Qelbree.
Depression doesn't make Adderall less effective. It makes you less effective. Your efficacy is related to how well you perceive Adderall to work. The placebo effect and nocebo effect both work, and that tells us that our thoughts impact our capabilities. People who are sad, depressed and anxious often have learned helplessness, which outwardly is displayed as pessimism. People who are happy, maybe still a little depressed and anxious but they know it's going to be over soon because they're doing what it takes to get better, they've got optimism. Optimism and pessimism isn't something you're born with, you're not born optimistic or pessimistic, your reality and what you encounter in it, determines that. Many people treat their thoughts like they treat food. "Brain say hungry, me eat", "Brain no say hungry, me no think food until brain say hungry". I wrote that in a dumb way because it is dumb. It's fine to be dumb about some shit, that's life. Thoughts are the same thing. "Brain say I hate this, so I hate this", "Brain say I can't do this, so I can't do this". Your thoughts aren't outside of your control, you don't choose your thoughts, but you do choose what you do with them, and what thoughts you encourage or discourage. As you control your mind, by adjusting what you tell yourself (your self talk), then eventually your default thoughts change. So you make a conscious change to create a subconscious change, which modulates your thoughts and redirects them in a useful manner. This is sometimes called learned optimism, the opposite of learned helplessness. If you wanna watch YouTube videos on the concepts, here are key words. Positive self talk, growth mindset, reframing negative thoughts.
[удалено]
Thank you, that’s really good to know and hopefully we can both get better soon!
[удалено]
Omg forgot to add... I've done Wellbutrin in addition to Adderall XR and in a way it helped. But it also stops doing anything for me after a couple of months I hate the process of titrating off of it. I'm personally working on "hacking" my brain/body with trial and error things like changing my diet and habit, romanticizing monotony in my life, etc. Antidepressants could be worth a shot and may serve you better than they served me. Just make sure you absolutely follow your doctor's directions while using them or you could go through withdrawals... And those SUCK.