looking for answers Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 WIth all the sedating meds im on im tired, i think that contributes to my depression. the fatigue. i feel better, not where i wanna be , but better. IM on lithium 1200 latuda 40 klonopin 1mg 2x day buspar30 seroquel 400 IR I drink a ton of coffee, it helps, but doesnt do the trick, i dont wanna give up my coffee, so would a non-stim stim work? or just a stim? any rec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful.Cheese Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) @looking for answers I took provigil but moved on to Nuvigil because it works so much better for me. I was taking over the recommended dose of provigil and taking it twice a day. No good. Now with Nuvigil I don't nap hardly at all anymore. It's quite rare actually. Like 99% of the time I don't nap. Sometimes I get a little drowsy in the afternoon but then I have some caffeine and I'm fine. I take 200 mg nuvigil. It really works wonders and I highly recommend it. Something to ask your Dr about if you want to. I used to sleep 18 hours a day now down to 10 (11 - 12 on a bad night if I take a PRN that really knocks me out). But normally 10 hours which is a huge improvement!!!!! Plus no napping!! I've been on this dose and med for years now and it has not pooped out on me. That's another plus. I've been on Ritalin and that made me manic. So that was a no go. I couldn't handle more than a week I think on that one! I escaped from the psych ward I thought I had special plans from the universe and it was imperative that I get out and get back to my apartment. So I got back and had a beer and listened to some profound music and was just out of my mind. The cops found me and back I went to psych ward. Then the state hospital. I lost that lovely downtown apartment. Luckily my parents packed my stuff into storage or I would have lost all possessions too. Sorry rambling. But yeah, Nuvigil is good stuff IME. Doesn't make me manic. Here is a list of my meds in case you can't see them Abilify 35 mg, Klonopin 3 mg, Invega 12 mg, Lamictal 300 mg, Seroquel XR 800 mg, Yaz, Nuvigil 200 mg, Synthroid 25 mcg, Metformin 2000 mg, Topamax 200 mg, Wellbutrin XL 150 mg, Lunesta 3 mg PRN, Vistaril 150 mg PRN (dosages are total daily mg's) Edited January 25, 2018 by Wonderful.Cheese 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Thank you. What’s the diff bw provigil and nuvugil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeremonyNewOrder Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Clozapine makes me highly sedated as well. I tried Provigil and Ritalin and they didn't work but adderall does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Do u drink coffee on the stim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, looking for answers said: Thank you. What’s the diff bw provigil and nuvugil Provigil (modafinil) and Nuvigil (armodafinil) differ in that modafinil is racemic (the whole molecule) and Nuvigil is only the (R)-(-)-enantiomer of the racemic modafinil. What exactly that means I cannot tell you, but basically it's part of the molecule and is "purer" and theoretically stronger in its action. Provigil comes in 100 mg and 200 mg tablets and can be dosed up to 400 mg (usually the max dose), and Nuvigil comes in 50 mg, 150 mg, and 250 mg tablets, and 250 mg is usually the max dose. I was told by my pdoc that 200 mg Provigil = 150 mg Nuvigil. It's also hard as hell to get approved by your insurance if you don't have a sleep disorder like narcolepsy or sleep apnea unless you have a very persistent pdoc (mine told me to fill out my own PAs which is illegal... but I still love her lol). 2 hours ago, looking for answers said: Do u drink coffee on the stim You can but it might overstimulate you and your heart so watch out at first. (Depending on what kind of stimulant you take.) Edited January 25, 2018 by mikl_pls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 So what would be a good med to take with my cocktail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 My conservative pdoc would only start me on ritalin as an add-on for treatment resistant depression (I don't have narcolepsy or official ADD diagnosis). At first it gave me noticeable/immediate energy boost, now the main benefit is extreme focus, concentration, and a motivation boost, I never get tired during the day (nor wired like I've heard Adderall can often do)... I regularly drink 3 cups of coffee every morning with my meds and no problems, except increased heart rate. The extended release is more smooth/mellow (effects are less pronounced compared to Immediate release) however, sometimes with the IR it would wear off after 3 hours and I'd suddenly crash into an irritable (sort of argumentative) mess. Switching to extended release stopped that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Ive take both adderall and ritalin Er , up to 40 mg but withouy coffee - and without coffee it seemed worthless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful.Cheese Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) @looking for answers I drink caffeine in the morning for sure and occasionally in the afternoon on nuvigil. That keeps me alert and awake. I don't drink tons of caffeine but I do drink some. I'm not sure if you are supposed to or not. I do see a sleep specialty Dr and had a night and day time sleep study and have a sleep apnea and probable narcolepsy diagnosis as well. So it was easy for me to get first ritalin and then provigil and then nuvigil prescribed and covered by my insurance. I feel bad because these meds could help a lot of people but are not accessible to many because of insurance reasons and restrictions. Edited January 25, 2018 by Wonderful.Cheese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 I guzzle coffee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldo Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I found coffee wasn't useful after a few weeks. I'd end up feeling about the same as I did before using it, except that I HAD to have it and I didn't sleep as well. Then, when I went cold turkey, I had a headache and was extremely irritable for 3 days. I can't say what stimulant would help you stay awake. Since you're feeling sleepy, I imagine it's too hard to exercise much. After I've been exercising for a while, I have more energy. If you can do it, I suspect it will help. Work up the duration and intensity slowly, though, or you'll be more tired at first. I may be wrong, but I think that I still get some help from Dexedrine, even after taking it for a long time. Also, if I forget to take it, I don't get a headache, I just get sleepy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 I excercises intensely 6-7 days a week, I’m very into bodybuilding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 How do u get it doc to give dexadrine or adder all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldo Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I found that, after a few months, a combination of lifting and aerobic stuff like the Stairmaster gave me a lot of energy. But at first I was tired all the time. But I wasn't quite a bodybuilder, so your results may be different. Or they could be different just for the heck of it. As far as getting a stimulant, I'd say go to your psychiatrist and tell them about your problem with fatigue. It doesn't look good if you go in asking first for drugs that are commonly abused. Or at least that's what I expect, not having tried it. And maybe he can do something with your other meds to cut back on the sedation. There's no harm in asking about stimulants here, though, and perhaps they're what you need. Wonderful Cheese mentioned sleep apnea. If you sleep alone, you could make an audio recording, though I'm guessing it might need to be a fairly long one to give you time to fall into it. Better if you can have someone look in on you when you're sleeping from time to time. I'd been trying to get my regular doc to consider the possibility of sleep apnea, but it wasn't until my wife noticed that I stopped breathing for a few seconds at a time when I slept that I was able to convince the doc that I needed a sleep study. When I started using a CPAP, all of a sudden the 4 yellow stripes on the road became only two, and I could actually fuse the images from my eyes rather than getting two of them at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 I had a sleep study done, shows that “I don’t slee wel” i wouldnt ask for a stim id ask for something to keep me awake o activating. but now that im on latuda and seroquel they both make me sleepu maybe less seroquel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 I have idiopathic hypersonic, which is a brain disease somewhat like narcolepsy. But more of a heavy fog feeling than an abrupt sleep attack. Weirdly, Nuvigil made me manic (??) and Adderall made me a bit manic but Ritalin and Dexedrine have not. OTOH, I am only on 5 mg of Dex twice a day. I like Dexedrine. It's strong but the comedown feels smooth. Again, I'm on quite a low dose and it's still been affecting me for hours and hours so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted February 6, 2018 Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 5 hours ago, saoirse said: I have idiopathic hypersonic, which is a brain disease somewhat like narcolepsy. But more of a heavy fog feeling than an abrupt sleep attack. Weirdly, Nuvigil made me manic (??) and Adderall made me a bit manic but Ritalin and Dexedrine have not. OTOH, I am only on 5 mg of Dex twice a day. I like Dexedrine. It's strong but the comedown feels smooth. Again, I'm on quite a low dose and it's still been affecting me for hours and hours so who knows. Good to know thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, looking for answers said: Good to know thanks No problem. I would suggest Dexedrine. I think it feels stronger than Adderall but the comedown is smoother. OTOH, lots of docs won't prescribe Dex for some reason... I read somewhere that it's because it's more likely to be abused than Adderall or Ritalin for euphoric effects? I'm not quite sure. I'm not an expert in this field. edit:// and I wouldn't drink coffee on it, personally. I doubt you'd need coffee depending on your dose, but I suppose it depends on your level of fatigue. It's just that for me, coffee causes me to crash and feel like crap after the caffeine wears off whereas the Dexedrine is more a smooth glide. I don't know how else to describe it. Edited February 6, 2018 by saoirse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted February 6, 2018 Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 5 minutes ago, saoirse said: No problem. I would suggest Dexedrine. I think it feels stronger than Adderall but the comedown is smoother. OTOH, lots of docs won't prescribe Dex for some reason... I read somewhere that it's because it's more likely to be abused than Adderall or Ritalin for euphoric effects? I'm not quite sure. I'm not an expert in this field. edit:// and I wouldn't drink coffee on it, personally. I doubt you'd need coffee depending on your dose, but I suppose it depends on your level of fatigue. It's just that for me, coffee causes me to crash and feel like crap after the caffeine wears off whereas the Dexedrine is more a smooth glide. I don't know how else to describe it. I love cofeee! Lol I doubt we go a stim route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saoirse Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Just now, looking for answers said: I love cofeee! Lol I doubt we go a stim route I used to love coffee too, but then I tried a stimulant for the first time. At the risk of sounding like an addict, it's so much better, lol. So much smoother and more powerful. And it really wakes me up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looking for answers Posted February 6, 2018 Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 I’ve been on adderall n ritalin I prefer caffeine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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