Bipolar Type II Support Group

my doc says these illness's can overlap each other and he thinks i have ADHD. but how do i know my problems are just side effects of the meds (daytime fatigue, forgetfullness, agitation, nothing holds my interest, multi tasking but getting nothing done, etc)'

i really dont want to deal with another mental issue, but if i dont admit i'm ADHD he's taking me off the adderall and i've never felt more normal since i've been on it. HELP!!

Hi DaddiesGirl. I know exactly how you feel. Well, I claim I do but in all actuality there is no way for that to happen. My pdoc says the same as yours, that some of the symptoms of bipolar and the adhd overlap so that it is very hard to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. I did not want another 'condition' either, but I was so tired of being 'crazy' that I was willing to try anything. Now that I have used the adderall, I don't know how willing I will be to come off of it either. It does seem to help me focus a little more but I won't evaluate it's effectiveness until I am on the full dose. I believe that 60mg a day is about standard. Right now I am at 20. He is very cautious with it because of the chance of mania from the stimulant. I have actually been advised on this sight to try something else besides that adderall. You do have that option if he takes you off of it. Hopefully someone else here can give you some better suggestions, but I just wanted you to know that your situation is one that has been dealt with before...so there is bound to be a solution.

I was orginally dignosed with major depression and ADHD. My new pdoc took me off of Vyvanse (the new Adderall, great stuff) and put me on Provigil which is an antinarcoleptic med. I don't know if he thinks that I have ADHD or not.

I am a Narcoleptic and the Provigil works like crap for me. I want to try the Adderall.

I was diagnosed as having ADD as well. One of my past pdoc's prescribed Adderall and Concerta (seperately). Those meds made me VERY manic. I didn't realize it until after the fact. My current pdoc won't prescribe those type of meds b/c they are bad for folks with BP disorder. Since being off of those meds, I've retrained my brain to be able to function without medication. Per example, since I tend to be forgetful, I write stuff down when I need to.

yeah but i was orignally put on it for the daytime sleepiness, the focus and productivity is a side effect. i've tried going off of it and continue to dose at work. he first gave me nuvigil (the new provigil) and it worked great, but i had an allergic reaction to it so....that suck'd. i dont have mania problems with the adderall. expecially because i dont take any after noon and i tend to start crashing at around 5. i just makes me feel normal and gives the extra energy boost i need to go to the gym and stay active. the extra activity also helps me sleep better.

Sounds like a stimulant benefits you DG. I was just speaking from my experience. I also wanted to spread the word as a word of caution that there is a possibility that stimulants may cause mania or hypomania. I do so whenever the ADD topic pops up.

yeah - my doc said the same thing except it doesnt create mania if you are really adhd, only if you arent. that's why you have to be careful and monitor. i really think i do have adhd now cuz it only makes me feel normal. it just sux having another "mental" issue. doc says now that i've been stable on my bp meds, other issues will start to come to the surface...great!! must what i need to hear, except i am doing really good now

It's interesting that pdocs have different opinions at times. The medication made me focused no doubt, but the manic part I could do w/o. I kinda miss the being more focused part, but I'll have to find a way to deal with that naturally. Try not to sweat having ADHD and BP disorder (I know, easier said than done). If it makes you feel any better, I have BP disorder plus physical issues.