Specially for Streetwise and EMS, but also hope it helps others.
I started taking prozac one month ago, and Ritalin just two days ago.
Depression.
Reasons for choosing meds.
I've suffered from depression or at least been prone to it pretty much all my life. I had my genes tested and they showed a defect that may be causing a slowness in breaking down serotonin.
I took supplements, herbs and St John's Wort which helped a lot for the background depression, but when the pit really opened up of a deep depression it did not seem to help.
My mum died this year and I found myself plagued with suicidal fantasies. There was zero chance of my acting them out. I have God like Stubbornness and the slight possibility that this may all be test removes all possibility of giving up
But I did decide to try SSRIs.
The day after I took prozac all depression was gone. A big relief obviously.
I also suffer a lot from anxiety which seems to cause shutdown when it gets bad, which is daily for me. This has been debilitating and often stops me working by midday.
The prozac has not removed it all, but has decreased it enough so I can manage it as long as I can jump on it immediately and take chill out breaks. I'm still not 9 to 5 functional at 100% but far better than before.
The only troubling side effect so far is that it seems to stop me sleeping as deeply, when taken by itself.
Now on to ADHD.
Reasons for taking meds.
I've always had trouble concentrating at times, and the prozac either made it worse, or revealed it more by helping the depression and anxiety. Maybe both.
I'd read a bit about ADHD and accounts of people taking meds were generally very positive, and life changing for some.
I got prescribed Ritalin 10mg twice per day. I'm not meant to take after 2pm as it can impact your sleep, as it's a psychostimulant, but I couldn't resist a tiny nibble of a pill when I picked them up at 3pm.
The effect surprised me. I expected to feel a bit like I'd taken a stimulant, but all I felt was a bit of calm and my rushing, swirling thoughts slowed down a lot.
The next day was the same. For once I could easily sit with a quiet mind, or concentrate on a boring task. I could monologue in a more structured way as my thoughts were not rushing of at tangents.
There is no druggy feeling at all, just a very natural feeling calmness. A bit lit a cup of tea, but without the caffeine.
The biggest surprise was that it's helped me sleep deeper. I'm waking up refreshed for the first time for ages.
My thinking is that if I have good serotonin stores, but weak break down, I probably have low dopamine due to ADHD. Serotonin and dopamine can work in a balance I believe. High in one can mean low in the other.
Taking prozac fixed the serotonin problem, but also boosted reserve levels, causing dopamine to drop even more and affecting my attention even more and stopping deep sleep.
Ritalin has stimulated dopamine, balancing my Neurotransmitters for the first time ever.
Very unprofessional and I could be wrong of course.
The future...
I think it's important to be on the lowest dosage possible. I'm going to continue both and intend to reduce prozac over time to the lowest dose possible, which will hopefully be zero.
The Ritalin, or alternatives may and being low dosage but longer term. ADHD is part of my brain like ASD. I still want to be on the lowest dose possible, and I'll continue trying to find none drugs that work.
Hope that's helpful.
I started taking prozac one month ago, and Ritalin just two days ago.
Depression.
Reasons for choosing meds.
I've suffered from depression or at least been prone to it pretty much all my life. I had my genes tested and they showed a defect that may be causing a slowness in breaking down serotonin.
I took supplements, herbs and St John's Wort which helped a lot for the background depression, but when the pit really opened up of a deep depression it did not seem to help.
My mum died this year and I found myself plagued with suicidal fantasies. There was zero chance of my acting them out. I have God like Stubbornness and the slight possibility that this may all be test removes all possibility of giving up
But I did decide to try SSRIs.
The day after I took prozac all depression was gone. A big relief obviously.
I also suffer a lot from anxiety which seems to cause shutdown when it gets bad, which is daily for me. This has been debilitating and often stops me working by midday.
The prozac has not removed it all, but has decreased it enough so I can manage it as long as I can jump on it immediately and take chill out breaks. I'm still not 9 to 5 functional at 100% but far better than before.
The only troubling side effect so far is that it seems to stop me sleeping as deeply, when taken by itself.
Now on to ADHD.
Reasons for taking meds.
I've always had trouble concentrating at times, and the prozac either made it worse, or revealed it more by helping the depression and anxiety. Maybe both.
I'd read a bit about ADHD and accounts of people taking meds were generally very positive, and life changing for some.
I got prescribed Ritalin 10mg twice per day. I'm not meant to take after 2pm as it can impact your sleep, as it's a psychostimulant, but I couldn't resist a tiny nibble of a pill when I picked them up at 3pm.
The effect surprised me. I expected to feel a bit like I'd taken a stimulant, but all I felt was a bit of calm and my rushing, swirling thoughts slowed down a lot.
The next day was the same. For once I could easily sit with a quiet mind, or concentrate on a boring task. I could monologue in a more structured way as my thoughts were not rushing of at tangents.
There is no druggy feeling at all, just a very natural feeling calmness. A bit lit a cup of tea, but without the caffeine.
The biggest surprise was that it's helped me sleep deeper. I'm waking up refreshed for the first time for ages.
My thinking is that if I have good serotonin stores, but weak break down, I probably have low dopamine due to ADHD. Serotonin and dopamine can work in a balance I believe. High in one can mean low in the other.
Taking prozac fixed the serotonin problem, but also boosted reserve levels, causing dopamine to drop even more and affecting my attention even more and stopping deep sleep.
Ritalin has stimulated dopamine, balancing my Neurotransmitters for the first time ever.
Very unprofessional and I could be wrong of course.
The future...
I think it's important to be on the lowest dosage possible. I'm going to continue both and intend to reduce prozac over time to the lowest dose possible, which will hopefully be zero.
The Ritalin, or alternatives may and being low dosage but longer term. ADHD is part of my brain like ASD. I still want to be on the lowest dose possible, and I'll continue trying to find none drugs that work.
Hope that's helpful.
