aur462 Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 (edited) Hi y'all, just want to discuss stimulants and OCD. I'm somewhat perplexed by my positive response to Adderall, Vyvanse, etc. I have OCD, but have been prescribed amphetamines for last 2 years for what's believed to be ADHD (the "inattentive" flavor - based on symptoms from my childhood to present). Stimulants aren't a complete solution for my OCD by any means, but they do help. The generality I've read and heard is that stimulants promote OC/anxiety in those with OCD but may actually be calming in those with ADHD. I'm an enigma pretty much anyway so my being the exception would be no surprise. I've had OCD since 17. There is considerable crossover in symptoms of the two - ruminative, distracted, etc. Conversely, studies seem to indicate the part of the brain implicated in OCD is the same for ADHD - the difference is overstimulation with OCD and understimulation in ADHD. Ostensibly this has given rise to the idea they cannot be comorbid conditions. Regardless, it seems they can coexist. I've not had therapeutic response from OCD using SSRI's or SNRI's after taking them over a 15 year period. FWIW, I had a genome performed which indicated SSRI's are contraindicated for me. Additionally, I've found cannabis (sativa dominant) in light/moderate amounts to be helpful. Incidentally, weed for OCD is a wild card I'm sure. Any experience/anecdotes/other? Edited December 13, 2017 by aur462 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 I'm bipolar and they calm me down...it's weird 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aur462 Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 Hey, that's cool. My wife is actually BP2 and responds very well to amphetamines; almost literally, "Instant human. Just add amphetamines" From my understanding (ignorance?), I would have guessed for BP1 they could trigger mania in many cases. Perhaps different neurological dynamics depending on the pathology, but amphetamines seem to "light up" what's attenuated and "dim" the overactive offender in "responders". Thus calm and order are ushered in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceberg Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Nothing triggers mania when my clozaril/lithium are at high levels. If I start to go that way we stop the stims til it settles down 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianOCD Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 What was your dosage on SNRI? Effexor? I found Effexor and Seroquel together very effective in treating OCD/anxiety, but it was at like 300mg.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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