my doctor gave me adderall for depression?

mike:

You asked:

"im not sure. is adderall used to treat depression?"

drugs.com said:

"Adderall contains a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are central nervous system stimulants that affect chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control.
Adderall is used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"Adderall may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide."

I don't have any medical training, I have bi-polar, and for that I take Lithium and an anti-depressant, Mirtazapine.

At one point in the description of Adderall, it was saying that medicine for someone who does not have "attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder" or "attention deficit disorder" etc. the medicine can get them in a high state.

You said, "i have explained to my doctor that ive beeing very depressed and unmotivated and having toruble concentrating."

Mayoclinic.org says those are signs of depression, as you say.

Also, mayclinic.org says:

"Many types of antidepressants are available, including those below. Be sure to discuss possible major side effects with your doctor or pharmacist.

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Doctors often start by prescribing an SSRI. These drugs are considered safer and generally cause fewer bothersome side effects than other types of antidepressants. SSRIs include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), sertraline (Zoloft) and vilazodone (Viibryd)."

I don't see your "Adderall" in that list of "often prescribed anti-depressants."

1. Having you been to this doctor before?

2. If so, do you believe he is a good doctor?

3. Is he a psychiatrist or a general practionier?

4. In my view, he could be right or wrong. What do you think, from the data up above and your own beliefs and findings?

If you feel this medicine is not helping you, or that you may be in trouble, you could go to the emergency room.

You could also call a 24-hour pharmacy, and ask the pharmacist about this.

If the medicine is causing you problems, you might not want to take any more doses. That is your decision.

Can you get a second opinion about your depression from a 2nd doctor, preferably a psychiatrist?

How are you feeling right now?

How about writing us back about how this s going.

These are all my opinions as a person who is not trained in medicine, but has bipolar.

Post Edited (Tim Tam) : 6/17/2017 10:24:15 PM (GMT-6)

Mike:

Glad you wrote back.

Two or three of your sentences said it all:"

i have noticed that ive been smiling more often. i seem happy after taking the pill. im laughing while im writing. but i dont know the full effects yet."

Everydayhealth.com said:

"Adderall is a combination of two stimulant drugs, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine."

Amphetamines are street drug level. They are very habit forming, and are not given for depression, in my view, and in the views of these websites I've been reading.

You said in your 2nd post, " im gonna try it for a few more days and see what it does. if i dont like it i will probably stop taking it which ive done with other meds."

You also said in your 2nd post,

"i have already take one tablet today. but i also have the flu. since i got sick i went to the doctor and got antibiotics and i told him that i was a little depressed and so he gave me this (the adderall). its only a temporary 30 day and no refills."

You expressed concern for your doctor in your first post, saying:

"i was expecting to get antidepressants. i told him i was depressed and he gave me adderall or amphetamine-Dextroamphetamine 10mg. after doing some research i found out adderall is used to treat adhd, add, and narcolepsy. i have explained to my doctor that ive beeing very depressed and unmotivated and having toruble concentrating.

"im not sure. is adderall used to treat depression?
is adderall stronger then regular antidperessants?
could the doctor have made a mistake?"

OK, you went into your general practionier for the flu. Then you told the doctor you were also depressed, and he gave you something that you later realized was for Attention Deficit Disorder.

Then you asked:

"im not sure. is adderall used to treat depression? (No, in my view)
is adderall stronger then regular antidperessants? (It's not an anti-depressant.)
could the doctor have made a mistake?" (Yeah, in my view. Could he be a quack? Yeah, in my view.)

How did you pick this doctor?

He's handing out Speed as a cure-all for everything.

For you to take it for only a few more days, instead of the 30 that he's recommending, you've got more problems than you think.

You could be hooked in a few more days. You need to stop taking it now. That's a street drug. Don't believe it? Look what they're saying about it on these established websites:

drugs.com

1. To make sure Adderall is safe for you, tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has ever had:

• depression, mental illness, bipolar disorder, psychosis, or suicidal thoughts or actions;

(Mike, they're actually warning you, if you've got depression, this is the drug you don't want to take, and he gave it to you FOR depression.

You should turn this guy in, look up on the net "how to turn in a quack?" and write down the phone number. They'll send an undercover over, and arrest him. I hope. That is just a suggestion, if you feel save doing that.

also from drugs.com:

2. Adderall may be habit-forming. Never share this medicine with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Selling or giving away this medicine is against the law.

everydayhealth.com says the below:

3-10. However, doctors also prescribe the drug to children and adults who do not have ADHD.

This increased availability of Adderall has led to widespread abuse of the medication.

Because Adderall increases dopamine levels, it can trigger a feeling of euphoria among people who don't have a medical reason to take it.

As a result, it has become a drug of choice among people trying to get "high," who often crush and snort the pills or mix them water and inject them.
Because stimulants like Adderall increase alertness and attention, a growing number of people who do not have an ADHD diagnosis are using the drug to enhance their ability to think and focus.
This off-label use of Adderall is a growing trend, particularly among high school and college students who are trying to study for exams or boost their academic performance.
Stimulants like Adderall, sometimes called “smart pills,” are currently the second most common form of drug use on college campuses.
Despite the widespread belief that Adderall can improve a person's ability to learn, the drug does not enhance thinking ability in people who do not have ADHD.
Young people who do not have ADHD but are taking Adderall to get better grades in school or gain an academic advantage are at risk for potentially deadly side effects.

----------------------------

Mike, you're not worrying about it now, because the first pill has put you into a state of mind, and because it was prescribed by a doctor who you think is concerned about your welfare.

In my mind, you need to avoid taking that second pill. If you don't, you'll be back on this board complaining, "You know what that doctor did? He gave me Speed!!!!! Can you believe that?"

I can't believe you're thinking about taking that 2nd pill.

It's a good thing you wrote in.

Again, how did you find this doctor? If he's handing it out to you, he's handing it out to 1,000 other people.

Try the Adderall for a few days anyway. I take it. It is a good motivator. You may be adhd and not know it. It gives you energy and inspiration.

Hugs, Karen...

Maybe the doctor felt he was depressed because he didn't have motivation. I wouldn't stop any medication without talking to the doctor first. So before condemning something before you see if it will work, Adderall is a good medication for people who need it like me. It is very possible that Mike just feels better because he has some energy now. Not because he is high.

Mike,

Glad you wrote back.

Again, as a bipolar, these are all my opinions.

You asked: “what do you mean i would be complaining about speed? im confused?”

Amphetamines are speed.

Drughealth.gov. says:

“Speed is part of the amphetamine family of drugs, which also includes ice. Ice is the purest form of the drug followed by base and then speed, however the potential for dependence (addiction) plus physical and mental problems associated with speed is still high.

“Speed is also known by a variety of other names, including: whizz, go-ee, snow, zip, point, eve, gogo, pure, and gas.”

You say: “well the smiling thing is fading away know. know you got me scared about taking the second pill?”

Well, if I have scared you about taking the second pill, I have succeeded.

OK, to get another opinion, call a pharmacist, any pharmacist, and asked them about Adderall for mild depression (if that) for possible depression in a 19-year-old. Write down his or her response. He or she will have never heard of it.

Ask him or her if Adderall for someone who doesn’t need it (it’s usually for only ADD), is dangerous.

Ask him or her if being prescribed Adderall by a general practioneer, who you had gone to for the flu, sounds unusual.

If he asks you which GP is was, tell him or her.

I know at 19, you’re not going to get an appointment with a psychiatrist, especially when you don’t sound really depressed, or you would have gone in for depression, not the flu.

So call your pharmacist, or any such druggist, before you take the second pill.

And please let us know what the pharmacist said.

Do you have family? Can you ask your mom or dad about this?

I have heard of doctors who gave out speed, and were arrested. Of course, it took 10 years, and they ruined 100’s of lives, but some of them are finally arrested and their licenses were revoked and hopefully they spent some time in jail.

My next door neighbor said she had to take sleeping pills to get to sleep at night, and speed to get up out of the bed in the morning. And the speed was from the above doctor who everybody knew was a quack, except for the police, who finally caught him.

You said, “i mean i think he is a fairly good doctor. i think when i said that i was unmotivated and had trouble concentrating his computer must have showed it as adhd. everything was done on the computer.”

Mike, he saw you for 5 minutes. All the psychiastrists I’ve ever seen, see you for 50 minutes for evaluation, and they are psychiatrists to begin with, not a GP.

You said, “but after the smiling and laughing thing i was actually thinking about just hiding the medication and forgetting about it. i know im depressed. but i survived like 4 years know with no treatment. i kinda learned to deal with it. my parents never believed me i was depressed. but i know im depressed because i already dropped out of college because i was unmotivated. and i think the anxiety and shyness may have had something to do with it too. i asked the doctor for antidepressants because you know maybe i can try to turn my life around again go back to college. but i dont know.”

You said, “but i know im depressed because i already dropped out of college because i was unmotivated.”

OK, you mentioned your parents, good. OK, can you show them his dialogue on the web here at this Helpline?

Let them read the material and opinions. And let them give you’re their opinion.

Can you seek their help about getting an appointment with a psychiatrist? Just to get an evaluation.

This uncertainty is throwing you into the offices of general practioniers who you are going to for flu, and they are giving you speed.

Can you and your parents get together on your seeing a psychiatrist for his or her evaluation? For 2 reasons, this speed issue, and your possible depression?

If so, look one up in the telephone yellow pages, pick one, man or woman as you choose, call, get an appointment, get the evaluation.

And also ask the psychiatrist if they've ever heard of speed being prescribed by a general practioneer who was seeing the patient for flu?

You need to throw those pills away, is my view.

And I would not go back to the GP and ask him about anything. He’s just waiting for you to come back and ask him some more questions. I've had many a bad, crooked doctor. You just don't go back. Look up another one in the computer yellow pages, is my suggestion.

Let us know what is going on.

Adderall is a good medication as long as it isn't abused. Mike I agree with F27, there is nothing wrong with feeling better and the Adderall seems to be helping you.

We all have different opinions, I just want to say if you decide not to take it, please talk to your doctor before stopping.

Hugs, Karen...

well it doesnt seem im addicted to it. although today i am feeling better for some reason. i haven't taken the pill today. i am actually thinking i might have narcolepsy because today i feel so energetic. i always wondered why i would always get tired and weak sometimes even after 8 hours of sleep. today im so energetic. i dont know. i think it might be working. but ill see.

Mike, Is your doctor informed with what you are doing?

It kind of sounds like he is adhd or add. Read his first post. It talks about not being able to concentrate and being unmotivated. Maybe his doctor is seeing something that some of us aren't.

Stimulants have been used to fight depression for dozens of years. Initially they were used as a first line medication, and recently as an adjunct to SSRIs for tough to treat depression. Mike899, your brevity in describing your doctor visit leaves us to fill in a lot of blanks on our own, which is probably why you're receiving such diverse feedback.

The only advice I can give you is that all the advice you've received on this thread, including mine, is worth exactly what you paid for it. This is about YOUR brain, YOUR body, and YOUR health; if you don't trust your doctor to help you manage that stuff, you need a new doctor. Additionally, don't be afraid to ask your doctor to justify his prescription decision. Participating in your own treatment is key to getting better. Don't mess around with your prescribed dosage and frequency. If you have decided to trust your doctor, follow his instructions to the letter and be consultative on any changes you want to make.

On the other hand, the tricky thing about depression is that you're unlikely to actually do any of the stuff that you should be doing. Try to take control of this process so you can get better. My personal opinion is that you should use the Adderall, and the next 30 days, to help you formulate a real plan to tackle your depression.

alright ive been taking the medication for two days know. i will say this that i do feel a little better. the biggest thing i noticed is having more energy and less sleepy. i do feel a little calmer know. the smiling and laughing thing has actually calmed down, it probably took a while for my brain to get used to the medication. but i still feel depressed and feel sad. it alos does a little make me feel like im in my world and i care more about myself then other people. but the medication is working a little. i might consider going to the doctor and just asking for an anti-depressant. but i will keep taking this for a little while. i will see how i feel.

getting by I am hearing and understand stimulants can be used for depression. However I am struggling with the concept of stimulants as a first line of defense in this day and age given all of the different antidepressants available.

My years of experience with stimulants is many. My daughter was diagnosed with ADD when she was in 3rd grade, she is now 25, and she also struggled with depression. Although she was on stimulants for ADD those stimulants never helped the depression. By the time she was 17 years old she choose to stop using stimulants.

I had dealt with depression, on and off, for quite some years. Then in 2004 my depression took on a life of it's own beyond anything I had ever experienced before, the S word was part of it. Stimulants were never offered as an option for my depression. Thankfully those years are behind me as is the depression.

I deal with what is know as "MS fatigue" the most common treatment for this is stimulants. I also have ADD, diagnosed through testing and years of working with those in the Mental Health field. I have been on several different ADD (stimulants and non stimulant) medications as well as a medication used for Narcolepsy and I have the same reaction to all of them...more fatigue, more tired.

As an FYI about stimulants: they can cause depression and S thoughts regardless of how many years a person has been on them. Ritalin is well known for this but any stimulant has this potential.