# remeron, adderall, dopamine



## nabber (Feb 13, 2009)

So I take lamictal, celexa, and klonopin. I've been taking adderall the past few months and it really helps in the day. I was taking ambien 20mg a night to sleep, then about a month ago I switched to remeron, it's been ok, but lately I sleep waay to much. I can take 20mg of adderall and fall asleep an within an hour, mid day. Last week, I think I slept 22 hours one day, then 18 hours a couple days later. It seems like I'm just sleeping waiting to die. So, i'm going to stop taking the remeron.. probably should of done it earlier..

I was looking through old posts about dopamine, getting all excited, then found out adderall is a dopamine agonist.
Mabye I should try adderall cr at a higher dose? I read about the adderall 'crash', then I guess adding remeron which is filled with histimine's is just destroying me.

Have any of you found a nice balance between all of these drugs? I can't seem to find one. I've known for a long time now there will be no cure for depersonalization.

I do have a job, but it's just three days a week so the other 4 i'm just not in touch with reality at all.


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## janier (Apr 11, 2010)

nabber said:


> So I take lamictal, celexa, and klonopin. I've been taking adderall the past few months and it really helps in the day. I was taking ambien 20mg a night to sleep, then about a month ago I switched to remeron, it's been ok, but lately I sleep waay to much. I can take 20mg of adderall and fall asleep an within an hour, mid day. Last week, I think I slept 22 hours one day, then 18 hours a couple days later. It seems like I'm just sleeping waiting to die. So, i'm going to stop taking the remeron.. probably should of done it earlier..
> 
> I was looking through old posts about dopamine, getting all excited, then found out adderall is a dopamine agonist.
> Mabye I should try adderall cr at a higher dose? I read about the adderall 'crash', then I guess adding remeron which is filled with histimine's is just destroying me.
> ...


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## janier (Apr 11, 2010)

Nabber, I can relate, to the sleeping bit, etc. That is all I wanted to do, and felt the drowsiness, so it wasn't just an desire to escape want but a physical want. That is pretty much a thing of the past now. At first I was taking the generic for Ritalin, but it lasted only 3 or so hours, so I took 2 a day at intervals. It made me feel more together and cohesive and maybe brought me up to normal speed as I was very slow and lethargic feeling. I suppose it lost its magic. I had wanted the adderall, by my Dr., and MD, said it wasn't for depression, only the attention deficit stuff. He had continued the ritalin for me because that had previously been prescribed by a psychiatrist, and too, that I feel asleep while driving... until it's effectiveness wore off. I told him the psychiatrist was in favor of the adderall, but the psych.didn't think my insurance would cover and that is why he didn't prescribe it. But the MD was a stickler with guidelines. The psych. went on a sabbatical or whatever, so was no longer available to prescribe it for me. Anyway, I looked up anahedonia (can't feel pleasure) and found the dopamine connection as a remedy. I also got a book for prescriptions for mental illnesses and the Ensam patch, a maoi-B, was a recommendation. I had to show the MD the book, so he prescribed it for me, and too that it was for depression. The patch (Emsam) proved very expensive, but my insurance (new company by now, as my husband changed jobs) covered it. So I tried that. Boy, can that keep you awake!! It also altered my reality and brought the world back, my perception of it, to closer, more defined, more 3-D, more solid. I felt like I was on the right track at last. The only thing was that one is supposed to wear it 24 hours a day, and then change for a new one (and another 24 hrs.,etc). At night I couldn't sleep and I felt like ripping it off. I felt strung out the next day for awhile, but got over it. In the end though, due to the expense, too much with the wakefulness, I switched to the pill version of it, which is really not an on-label use for depression. My MD was okay with the pill form as I guess it was close enough to the patch ( which is the seleg. too) which was recommended for depression. Also too, I reported a dramatic change with it. The patch dosage was for the smallest dose of 6 mg. and there was no dietary restrictions with that dosage. I take the pill form now, once a day, (twice a day proved too much, again with the nighttime sleep problem), at a 5mg. dose.( It is not as expensive as the patch form by a long shot!) The pill keeps the world realer to me, as the patch did, but I can sleep better at night. Though, I think now, with too much of the realer world back, sometimes still I have that wakefulness at night too, but not as severe as on the patch, and too, I feel it is more of a natural occurrence due to the reality being stronger for me, it brings back maybe what I was (unwillingly) numbing out with the derealization of the world symptom. Anyway, it hasn't solved all my symptoms. I still have, what I call impersonalization symptoms (depersonalization?), whereby the world is now realer but still nothing feels like anything anyway. ( It's good not to have that distance from things though "feeling" that I had without the seleg.)The selegiline, took care of most of the derealization (if that is the official term) and that was a big part of the problem. It hasn't given me the pleasure to anything though, but I think it helped me feel things a little more, though they aren't the pleasantness of feelings. At least now, I feel a feeling on me, vs. the previous feeling of not being able to reach anything and feeling something is wrong, like the scenery around me was far and I couldn't reach or feel it. The feeling on me feels more direct and though unpleasant, it gets to me, and I am able to cry more deeply with it and thereby end up feeling more alive and maybe with time an accumulated action is taking place, and then I think things around me will start to feel like something. Before crying felt shallow too ( with the world further out from me). I think, supposedly. the selegiline (maoi-B) affects the dopamine,(giving one more of it) and the dopamine is supposed to enable one to feel pleasure. I know I am closer now than before, so will continue taking it, and along with my journal writing, and now (new) reaching out on-line will continue to get me somewhere. I am not the clearest of writers, and hope maybe that this might be of help to you, and that you can get the jist of all. The low-dose seleg.(maoi-B) isn't supposed to have any dietary restrictions, but I do avoid aged stuff, flavor enhancers, etc., just in case. I used to take my blood pressure everyday, but it was always low. My MD wanted me to do that, just in case. The maoi-A's are supposed to cause the problem with blood pressure and dietary stuff causing it. The selegiline, "B" definitely solved the sleepiness (can still nap if I want to), and made the world realer to me and feels natural to take, in that I am not aware that I am on anything, though I am.


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## nabber (Feb 13, 2009)

Janier,

I appreciate the response. Selegiline looks interesting. I will definitly ask my psych. about it my next visit. I've been looking at the parkinson's disease meds, and they all have some sort of amphetamine in them. Anyone else try any of these?

"When applied transdermally the drug (Selegiline) does not enter the gastro-intestinal system as it does when taken orally, thereby decreasing the dangers of dietary interactions associated with MAOI pills"

Nab


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## janier (Apr 11, 2010)

nabber said:


> Janier,
> 
> I appreciate the response. Selegiline looks interesting. I will definitly ask my psych. about it my next visit. I've been looking at the parkinson's disease meds, and they all have some sort of amphetamine in them. Anyone else try any of these?
> 
> ...


Nab, not sure how to use this site, and how to reply, so will add on here and also hit the Add Reply box below. The Maoi-B, that I spoke about, in low dose pill form doesn't have dietary restrictions. Higher doses may, but from what I have read, and my MD is a super worrier, so he had me checking the blood pressure at first with the patch, though the instructions on the prescription says there is no danger at a 6mg. dose. The oral dose too at 5 mg., according to research I have done, also has no dietary restrictions. Research I have done too, say higher doses are not needed. I have more of an awake problem taking 2 a day, so stopped that and am doing fine on the once a day at 5 mg. At higher doses the B's can have the A's effects, and the A's are the ones which cause the food interactions if the guidelines of food restrictions are not followed. Wearing the 6 mg. patch 24 hours a day caused insomnia for me. Anyway lately he added a thyroid pill as I was always borderline with that, so he added a low dose of that. I seem to be improving still. Not knowing if the thyroid med. helped. It certainly didn't hurt. I try to be mindful of certain thoughts triggering a change in how I feel. Journalling to keep abreast of changes, what is bothering me, etc. I think though that nothing I did really "took" before, they were all flighty thoughts with no weight to them. I feel the selegiline (the maoi-







gave more weight to everything so I could feel things a little more and that is what helped alot. It is still a constant struggle, but I do feel I am starting to gain more control, a little, over it. New stuff! Will try the Add Reply button now, as I don't know if you will ever see this response here, but will try and paste this there, as I can't stand retyping it. Janier


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## janier (Apr 11, 2010)

janier said:


> Nab, not sure how to use this site, and how to reply, so will add on here and also hit the Add Reply box below. The Maoi-B, that I spoke about, in low dose pill form doesn't have dietary restrictions. Higher doses may, but from what I have read, and my MD is a super worrier, so he had me checking the blood pressure at first with the patch, though the instructions on the prescription says there is no danger at a 6mg. dose. The oral dose too at 5 mg., according to research I have done, also has no dietary restrictions. Research I have done too, say higher doses are not needed. I have more of an awake problem taking 2 a day, so stopped that and am doing fine on the once a day at 5 mg. At higher doses the B's can have the A's effects, and the A's are the ones which cause the food interactions if the guidelines of food restrictions are not followed. Wearing the 6 mg. patch 24 hours a day caused insomnia for me. Anyway lately he added a thyroid pill as I was always borderline with that, so he added a low dose of that. I seem to be improving still. Not knowing if the thyroid med. helped. It certainly didn't hurt. I try to be mindful of certain thoughts triggering a change in how I feel. Journalling to keep abreast of changes, what is bothering me, etc. I think though that nothing I did really "took" before, they were all flighty thoughts with no weight to them. I feel the selegiline (the maoi-B) gave more weight to everything so I could feel things a little more and that is what helped alot. It is still a constant struggle, but I do feel I am starting to gain more control, a little, over it. New stuff! Will try the Add Reply button now, as I don't know if you will ever see this response here, but will try and paste this there, as I can't stand retyping it. Janier


 PS: I guess I did it right, as it shows up in the Post part. I am very lame when using these type of sites. Too, would have responded sooner, but thought I would get an automatic e-mail that someone or you responded to my response to you. Too it took me awhile to find that you did respond when I went to the site today. I wish there was just a button that said Post. The options again are Add Reply or Preview Post or Cancel. Seems like Add Reply is my only option again. Afraid to cancel, did the preview thing that I am typing on now, but see my previous posting I just did below this (up to my signature part), so feel Add Reply now will repeat the response again, but with this add on.


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