SSRI and ADHD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a similar experience with DC with OCD/ADHD - Zoloft helped with OCD but then impulsivity and emotional dysregulation became more pronounced. We added guanfacine which has helped with ADHD symptoms, along with all the other things — ERP therapy, CBT therapy, healthy diet, sleep, exercise.

Can I ask for the dosing that was used for both meds?

100 mg Zoloft, 1 mg Guanfacine

[Anonymous]

Could it be that because the anxiety is better controlled the ADHD symptoms rise to the fore? That's how it was with my DS. His anxiety was, seemingly, far more impactful than his ADHD so that's what we treated first (Prozac). After a few weeks, his ADHD was far more apparent. Our psychiatrist says that's not uncommon.

[Anonymous]

Also anecdotal, but as a teen SSRIs didn’t help my anxiety or (undiagnosed at the time) ADHD. Buspirone for anxiety and generic adderall are what worked for me.

[Anonymous]

Frequently Stimulants increase anxiety as a side effect and you need meds to address that. I know it sucks to do meds 2x but the stimulant was life changing for our kid so it's worth the SSRI. All meds have side effects. This is something you have to come to terms with so it's whether the total benefit of the meds is worth it. Often for ADHD meds really help so much though.

[Anonymous]

I tried SSRIs (Zoloft) for a few years and could never really decide how much they were helping my anxiety. I switched to Concerta when I was diagnosed with ADHD and getting my ADHD under better control resolved a LOT of my anxiety. Just food for thought…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also anecdotal, but as a teen SSRIs didn’t help my anxiety or (undiagnosed at the time) ADHD. Buspirone for anxiety and generic adderall are what worked for me.

Same for DH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Any other adhd patients have better luck with Prozac? I do think Zoloft winds up my adhd child.

Is there a reason why a psychiatrist would prefer Zoloft over Prozac? Are there symptoms that one med treats better than others? DD has OCD/Anxiety and I am pretty sure also has ADHD (inattentive). We are about to embark on meds but wanted to line up a psychologist first and it's been hard to find a good one (everyone seems to have a waiting list).

Zoloft is the most studied in kids. Prozac is the next.

[Anonymous]

We are figuring out meds. The ADHD meds are amplifying the depression and high sensitivity. His ADHD is passable. We sought an evaluation, the school felt his impulsivity was notable but normal behavior for his gender and age. I don't have any answer but wanted to add that I am seeing the depression first, ADHD second approach to make sense. I'll also add, the nueropysch said depression/anxiety is a result of ADHD being a neurological disorder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Any other adhd patients have better luck with Prozac? I do think Zoloft winds up my adhd child.

Is there a reason why a psychiatrist would prefer Zoloft over Prozac? Are there symptoms that one med treats better than others? DD has OCD/Anxiety and I am pretty sure also has ADHD (inattentive). We are about to embark on meds but wanted to line up a psychologist first and it's been hard to find a good one (everyone seems to have a waiting list).

Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore has great psychiatrists that understand these meds, they suggest which ones to try first plus explain clearly how and why they are selecting the medications. They even explain why other previous drugs failed or were not a great fit. I found this to be so much more beneficial than a specialist prescribing a drug they didn't truly understand. Just because you can write a prescription, does not mean you should. At KKI the doc took several hours over two appointments to figure out our child and determine which medication would be the best fit. Took us only a few weeks to be seen. Would absolutely recommend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are figuring out meds. The ADHD meds are amplifying the depression and high sensitivity. His ADHD is passable. We sought an evaluation, the school felt his impulsivity was notable but normal behavior for his gender and age. I don't have any answer but wanted to add that I am seeing the depression first, ADHD second approach to make sense. I'll also add, the nueropysch said depression/anxiety is a result of ADHD being a neurological disorder.

We are figuring out meds too. I hope your child finds the right mix. A neurologist pressured our teen to start ADHD meds, after years of other doctors insisting not needed. It was such a mistake to trial those for about a week, it kicked off depression and anxiety, never had that prior. Now working hard to fix that and the doc says it will take 6-months to a year. I find if ADHD is mild, lots of behavioral things can help and can be better for the long run anyway because these are skills that need to be learned and developed. Even eliminating dyes and processed foods have reduced ADHD symptoms. ADHD is a neurological difference... meaning a brain that operates differently than 90% of the general population is simply different. I wish people would be more tolerant of these differences rather than tamping down the creativity that comes along with these different minds.

[Anonymous]

For my child, methylphenidate has been really great for him because he can focus and calm down enough to be present and bring his best self to school and activities. Even before starting them stimulant, he tended to be very worried about things, moody and easily frustrated, sometimes even depressed. It was hard for him to live that way, and a low-dose of an SSRI has really helped.

[Anonymous]

My daughter has anxiety and ADHD. She takes 125 mg of Zoloft and 18 mg of Concerta we found we had to increase the Zoloft once she started the Concerta.