Adhd Meds And Panic

[jaybird]

My doctor started me on Adderall due to attention issues and impulsivity. On one hand my thoughts are much more linear and I'm able to work more effectively in my classroom but the anxiety and panic are overwhelming. I've talked to people who say I may not have ADHD and it's another PTSD symptom and I'm curious if anyone else struggles with this.

 

[Friday]

Adderall has a super well known side effect nicknamed 'Adderage' that effects a large percentage of ADHD peeps. While it's nearly always rage-storms? (Hence the nickname), those violent emotional swings can also easily be anxiety, fear, despair, etc. If you're getting emotion storms on Adderall? I'd switch meds. Correction. First I would adjust my dose up & down a bit to see if there's a better dose, and then I'd switch meds.

Most ADHD meds have a well known side effect that's particular to that individual med (Ritalin/Methylphenidate family can stomp on personality for a large %, desoxyn tends to kill creativity for a large %, etc.)... But only a % of people are going to get that side effect. For many? Adderall is their perfect med. No rage storms, period. For others? 1 or more of the meds in it their system just really, really, really doesn't like.

There are over 80 commonly Rx'd ADHD meds... So finding the "right" one? Is very much -in my experience- a matter of choosing your side effects. All of them will improve ADHD symptoms, it's what else they do, in your own unique brain chemistry, that really determines which med -at what dose- is right for you. Side effects aren't all bad. Some side effects (like the ability to fall asleep quickly, deeply, and dreamlessly? Or positive body image?) Would be worth it in and of themselves. Other side effects (dry mouth, for example) can be easily fixed and are no bother. But other side effects? Like rage, anxiety, loss of creativity, etc.? Are intolerable. And that's okay. Because you don't have to put up with intolerable side effects. Ever.

The way to know an ADHD med is "right" for you? You feel like yourself. Shiningly, gorgeously, yourself. Not high. Not flat affect. Not crushed by anxiety. Just you. :)

All that said?

PTSD is often misdiagnosed as ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, GAD, or MDD.

So, yep. It may not be ADHD symptoms, but PTSD symptoms, that you're dealing with.

Or, you could be like myself (and several others on this site) who are both ADHD + PTSD.

So if you're questioning your ADHD diagnosis? That's totally valid, and very worth exploring.

 

[EveHarrington]

Can you clarify which type of doctor diagnosed you with ADHD and placed you on that medication?

It really can take the right kind of specialist to parcel out what is a PTSD symptom vs what is a separate disorder on it's own. (Not all psychiatrists can do this---it really does take one who knows the ins and outs of trauma.)

 

[Adrian2016]

Adhd meds are almost all stimulants. With Ptsd our cns is already overly stimulated. Adderall or the like always made me freak out in my days of pill popping. Now that im diagnosed I know why. My cns simply cannot tolerate any extra stimulation when my body and brain is already coursing with an overabundance of adrenaline at almost all times. I would think that you will have the same issues. Maybe try to get off them if you can still meet your responsibilities without..just my two cents I hope you get it worked out