Concern re: STIMULANT drugs for my ADHD (are my fears valid?)?
Question:
I want to try non-stimulant Strattera; I'm afraid the stimulant drugs (Concerta, Adderall, Ritalin) will have a bad effect, due to my extreme SENSITIVITY to stimulants. Is this is valid reasoning? Here's what I mean...
-- If I have more than 1 cup of coffee or 1 Excedrin, I get quivery & shaky INSIDE & out, and get anxious. I also get heart palpitations at times.
-- If I take more than 1 or 2 puffs of Albuterol (asthma bronchodilator), I'm even WORSE shaky & jittery, and also sometimes get palpitations.
-- If I take even 1 Sudafed (pseudophedrine) anywhere near bedtime, it keeps me up almost all night. And it often makes me anxious.
-- I can't even drink Chai tea; it makes me hot and hyper!
Does all this prove I should avoid stimulant-based ADHD meds? Or am I making correlations that aren't valid? Thanks! :)
Answers:
My mom was diagnosed with ADD and Ritilin did nothing for her ADD, but did exactly what you said--made her feel way too strung out, like she'd drank an entire pot of coffee (she can't tolerate stimulants either).
Other than that, I know nothing about the disorder except that it runs heavily in my family. But one thing I have learned is that *I* know my body and I trust that gut instinct that tells me something's wrong. If your gut says a stimulant is a no-no for you, trust it. I tend to rub my doctors the wrong way, because I'm not one, so therefore how would I know, but you know your body better than they do. Trust your gut, honey.
Other Answers:
ADHD is a misdiagnosis. There are 50 other conditions that mimic ADHD symptoms. ADHD is too broadly defined, to be an actual condition, so please check this site out and get some second opinions, and rule out these other issues. Good Luck.
http://adhdparentssupportgroup.homestead.com/50conditionsmimicingADHD.html
A great forum for you to present this question and any others you may have is addforums.com. ADD is a real diagnosis; I have it and have used Ritalin in the past and found it helpful, but everyone is different. On that website there are a lot of great, helpful people with different opinions about medications that can give you thoughtful input.
Some people have trouble with stimulants. That is the art of prescribing the right treatment for the patient. They can start wit ha smaller dose if there is a reason to switch from what you are on. There are other medicines than what you mentioned and the right one could make the difference for you.
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