Depression and Adderall XR

Adderall was the first medication i ever took, like 6 years ago. it was prescribed to me for ADD but what it actually wound up doing is help with my anxiety and depression. While it definetly helped with my depression, i dont think it is good to use adderall as a first line of attack against depression. While it can give you more energy and positive thinking, it really doesnt effect the brain chemicals that are the root cause of feelings of sadness and lack of well-being. For example, I had alot more confidence and less apathy (on adderall), but I still would think waaaay too much about things and be way too sensitive to things and therefore was still overtaxing my brain with those kinds of thoughts; my point being: the general-well-being "area" of my brain (which is the root cause of depression) was not being balanced by adderall and therefore alot of the less obvious symptoms of depression were not being helped. Theres also the fact that there is actually a downer period at the end of the medicines metabolism cycle. However, if you are fully functional on it than more power to you. Those are just my impressions for having been on it for 6 years.

I was accused by the first psych I saw of being addicted to adderall, and thats why he said i really didnt want to stop taking it. In fact, the reason I didnt want to stop taking it was because it helped massively with my depression and I was suicidal and amidst a severe panic attack basically every second of everyday before I started on it. I was terrified of going back to that state of mind.
Thankfully, I was further evaluated and realized I had pretty severe depression and anxiety, even though I never would have known it. I just thought I wasnt handling things correctly in my head or something like that. I later found much, much more helpfull and understanding doctors who I continued to try trials of meds under.

I have tried nearly every anti-depressant, anti-psychotic, anti-anxiety medicine made and I cant stand the psychological effects of most all ive tried. However of all the meds ive tried outside of adderall, ive had the most tolerance with lexapro. I actually just stopped the lexapro and started taking cymbalta recently. It actually is going pretty well, not as helpfull with my anxiety as lexapro, but more helpfull with my depression. Oh, the one other medicine that I tolerated well for a couple years was imipramine, however, it made me extremely drowsy all day. Yet it was very hard for me to goto sleep.
Anyway, hope some of this was the kind of thing you were looking to hear from someone.