Bipolar and ADD medications/stims

[Persevering]

Need info. for someone who is bipolar and wants to try college (again...has been having trouble). She has trouble concentrating, etc. She is bipolar. Doctor says wants to possibly try an ADD medication/stimulant. Anyone here successfully take an ADD medication?
She currently takes Trileptal and Abilify. Also Seroquel for sleep.
Need help asap!
Thanks.

[timspot]

Need info. for someone who is bipolar and wants to try college (again...has been having trouble). She has trouble concentrating, etc. She is bipolar. Doctor says wants to possibly try an ADD medication/stimulant. Anyone here successfully take an ADD medication?
She currently takes Trileptal and Abilify. Also Seroquel for sleep.
Need help asap!
Thanks.

I would have a hard time concentrating if I was taking all 3 of those meds at the same time. I have taken the abiliy, Trileptal, and seroquel. Not all at the same time but I can't figure out how she functions with a med cocktail like that. Anyways, everyone is different so what wouldnt work for me might work for her. I am bipolar type 1 and at one point during my life I was taking adderall. Let me share with you my awesome adderall experince (was being sarcastic)

When I first started taking it I felt happier, more alert, and overall I had more energy. The high feeling eventually wore off and I convinced my doctor to increase the adderall. The higher I increased the dose the more messed up I became. Around 20 mg was the limit for me, after I bumped it past that I went freaking nuts. I was taking around 60 mg of adderall XR per day. I went into one of the biggest manic episodes of my life. I started having VIVID hallucinations that were both visual and audible. I remember one time I was walking, turned around, and some dude was just standing there smiling at me. He was like 3 feet away from me... I was like WTF? So I waved to him and he mimicked my wave perfectly. I found this interesting so I started doing more complex manevuers with my arms and fingers, he mimicked them perfectly as well, doing it at the same time as me... it was almost inhuman how well he was copying me. I then realized this was a hallucination because no one could do what this guy was doing. So I started having these insane hallucinations and just went nuts. WOund up homeless and would probably still be on the streets had it not been for some government sponsered organization that came to my rescue, got me a place to live, and got me on some medication that has REALLY helped me.

I will say this, when I was taking the adderall like I was supposed to, it did wonders for me. I strongly suggest you reconsider letting her get on adderall if she has had drug problems in the past because this stuff is highly addictive. I was taking to much and only cared about that high feeling. If taken responsibly she might become a completely different person and I mean that in a good way. However, since she is bipolar, it is possible it could send her into a mania. Then again, she is on 3 medications that do a pretty damn good job of zappin mania. I see two possible outcomes...

1. SHe will not feel as lethargic or sedated and will also be able to concentrate better.

2. She will go bipolar crazy or even possibly abuse the adderall which would certainly send her into a mania.

I want to say one last thing, I would really like to try the adderall again not because I want to get high but because for the first time in my life I was able to think clearly and logically when I was taking the adderall. I blew my golden opportunity for mental clarity. I will most likely forever be damned to feeling lethargic and sedated because it is now in my medical record that I was abusing adderall (a stimulant).

I am assuming it is up to you whether or not she can take it. If you were looking for someone to tell you that she should or should not take it, I wont be that person. I really don't know what to tell you but I have shared my opinion. Take from it what you will and remember everyone is different when it comes to tolerating medication or what a medication can do for that particular person or even what that person would do with the medication.

Good luck and I hope everything works out for you and her.

P.S.

I forgot to mention one thing, the adderall did make me a lot more frustrated than normal. Even when I was taking it as I should have been in the first place, it did spike my temper. If she starts getting really angry, that would be one STRONG indicator that she is not tolerating the medication well. It's a sign of things to come... LOL!

[houghchrst]

HI Perserving, I would like to start out by saying that medications affect everyone differently and there are many different kinds out there. I am hoping that the Seroquel is taken in the evening before bed since it is for sleep. Sounds like maybe the right combo for her Bipolar with the Trileptal and Abilify. My 16 yr old son takes Abilify now, he is also Bipolar with a diagnosis of ADD. He took Concerta and that seemed to work really well for him. Recently he did go off of it because of his anxiety levels and a med reworkup, his diagnosis was old, and I began giving him Omega 3 Fish Oil and he has shown no signs of the ADD. Omega 3 is also good to add to a diet for Bipolar symptoms. I take it and I am bipolar type II. Vyvanse is also a new one on the market that is supposed to be good.

Here is a site and some meds for info, http://adhd.emedtv.com/adhd/adhd-medications.html

[houghchrst]

Krikey I just realized this thread is ancient LOL. I hope she got some help since she never got a response, shame on us.