ADD drugs

[Bluesbrkr]

One more question I'd like to post here. Does anyone else take ADD drugs along with the epilepsy meds? I take Lamictal (350mg am/pm) and Trileptal (600mg am/pm). I also take Adderall, though only 30mg/day.

I've only been on the seizure meds for about a year and a half. I've taken Adderall for about 4 years. I found that the Adderall tends to make me jumpier / more tense since I've been on the epilepsy meds. I find that when I skip the Adderall, things tend to go really well seizure wise, but I'm exhausted all day, and don't focus very well. (my boss has even commented on that, though he is VERY supportive of me and works with me really well since this all started. Lucky I guess).

When I take the Adderall, I'm much better... I get things done and focus WAY better, but then I tend to have several (like 6-8) small breakthrough seizures a day. My neuro and I have tried a few different dosages which seem to work for a while and then become less effective.

I'm not sure the best way to handle this. Has anyone else had similar experiences? How did you / do you deal with it. Did you make other changes? Did you try different meds that worked better?

Thanks!

 

[Nakamova]

It must be tricky to combine ADD drugs (which can have stimulant effects) with epilepsy drugs (which are intended to have sedating effects). I would think that there must be a fair amount of trial and error to get the balance right. If you can keep your overall health as stable as possible and moderate as possible that will help.

Another suggestion (I think I've mentioned this before) is neurofeedback. It's actually being used quite a bit to treat ADD as well as epilepsy.

 

[s10sleeper]

I have been on Vyvanse for the last 2 months, about 3 weeks ago my psychiatrist upped me to a rather high dosage of 60 mg morning 60 mg at 1 pm. I was concerned about taking it at first, but I consulted my epileptologist and they said that many seem to handle stimulants well.

I have not had any increase in my seizures at all while being on it, feel more motivated and am able to stay on task, I also am less sloppy with my work and my errors on the job decreased. Another interesting thing is that the epilepsy center noticed a major change, they noticed that I seemed to have alot more self esteem than I used to. I still get depressed once in awhile but I have been working hard to fix that too.

There are also non stimulant adhd meds out there, though some such as Wellbutrin cannot be taken by epileptics.

 

[Bluesbrkr]

I will ask about Vyvanse. I've never heard of it. Someone else recommended straterra. Nice to hear the the Vyvanse didn't increase your seizures. The ones I've been having with the Adderall are just mini breathrough seizures. More of an adrenaline surge / tic. So, although I don't enjoy them, I can live with them if I can get to the point that I'm only having a few a day if it means I can not be exhausted all day from the seizure meds and can focus better.

but thanks again everyone. I really appreciate the feed back. I'll talk to my doctor about alternate ADD drugs.

 

[s10sleeper]

Basically Vyvanse is what they call a pro-drug, it has less potential for abuse because it is only effective in pill form and has no effect until digested. This way shooting it or snorting it does not do anything.

Vyvanse becomes dextroamphetamine in your body, while Adderall is a combination of Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine. I have heard of alot of people that cannot tolerate Adderall for this reason as amphetamine may increase norepinephrine levels more than dextroamphetamine. It is also a time release medication that is supposed to last 14 hours, although it wears off for me much faster and same with my psychiatrist who also has ADHD.

I have a tendency to research my medications alot as the human brain has always been one of the things that I am really interested in and can keep my attention for long periods of time.

I do know that I have never really had any seizure problems with stimulants though, Caffeine does not bother me and neither does pseudoephedrine, but that can differ between different people.

Best of luck finding what works best for you