Just Started Ritalin. Scant info on best adjunct antidepressant.

[Stephielove77]

Hello, amigos. It’s day 3 on Ritalin SR 20 once a day,  finally prescribed after « doctor shopping » and faulty antidepressant tryouts. It kicked in right away however I did  take a nap today shortly after taking it but that’s probably my body’s usual reaction to fighting off anything new to the system. It worked right away which is a miracle!!!!!!  I have the worst job in the world which is dishwashing in my family’s restaurant, basically waiting to die. Well! Let me tell you, the soul crushing agony of a wasted 41 year old woman’s life were momentarily alleviated by focus, order, and execution. I just got on with it. S’ppose it coulda been a Placebo  (great band) effect but I’ll take it.                                Having run the gamut of, oh, every antidepressant to no avail, the last being Trintellix, which after a month left me exhausted, though I’M SURE it would’ve worked after six weeks ?                                          So experienced créatives,my questions to you are:  Has adding an antidepressant to your current stimulant (preferably Ritalin) made you exhausted/fried and if so for how long? Is Prozac a lost cause, especially according to Dr Charles Parker ? Ixnay on Celexa, Citalopram, Abilify, Viibryd, Trintellix, Cymbalta, Effexor...those last three were great for a 2 or so months then I slept all day, modalert didnt make a dent..Zoloft I would say I’ve had the most success with but maybe I should do the Ritalin for a couple months before reintroducing? And finally, Wellbutrin was great until the Cicadas in my head....I.E Tinnitus made me want to inpatient myself. Thank you!!               tl;dr dx’ed  MDD, no bipolar traits and other failed depression treatments include Valdoxan (Agomelatine), Doxepin, Celexa was a goddamn disaster. I aint doin’ no MAOI’s, thanks. Also I live in France and Ritalin was extremely difficult to get prescribed.                                         Thanks, Steph 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Stephielove77
Adding information to post.

[Blahblah]

Same boat here. Effexor worked the best I suppose, but half-life was so short, I had brain zap sensations that never really went away. I always felt dazed and spacey on it, I guess I just got used to that side effect after awhile. Currently on Prozac which also helps with depression, but yes as you say, every SSRI tends to makes me lazy, sleepy, apathetic or totally numb at higher doses. Some much worse than others. Great if you are looking to blunt or flatten your emotions, or stop caring about things, but they never brighten my mood by any means. :-(

Funny, I had the exact same experience with Wellbutrin - had high hopes with that one, it did absolutely nothing, except give me increased sweating and Tinnitus from hell.

[Stephielove77]

I thought Wellbutrin was going to be the ☝️, I could actually feel it working relatively quickly but the ringing turned into a fullfledged Cicada performance in my head. I’m also aware that the job I have contributes greatly to the depression but that is the price one pays for failure and missed chances in life. Day 4 on Ritalin, took another nap today (?- I’m so tired of sleeping Goddamn it) but it kicked in 2 hours later? ??‍♀️ I’m cautious but I also know my doc isn’t going to prescribe me a different stimulant. I have a script for Prozac it’s the only popular one I haven’t tried but am wondering if I should let the Ritalin build up in the system...but does it even do that? Off to google..:?    Thanks for replying Blah Blah I follow you and Mike Pls posts a lot 

[Stephielove77]

So.... Prozac and Ritalin, yay or nay?

[Stephielove77]

Ah, I see. It’s like cocaine. Perfect! Good to know.

[jt07]

There is no best adjunct AD. Find an AD that works or partially works and add the Ritalin.

[Stephielove77]

Understood. I have seen some good posts on here regarding the combination of the two so I’m hopeful. 

[Iceberg]

21 hours ago, Stephielove77 said:

Understood. I have seen some good posts on here regarding the combination of the two so I’m hopeful. 

Remeron? Yes I kno people consider it really sedating at dies but If you work up to a more AD dose 30+ For many the sedation lessens. Also the Ritalin could counter the (possible) initial sluggishness. 

[Iceberg]

Also ever tried a TCA? Some are not totally sedating 

[Stephielove77]

Doxepin. It was tiring. Thank you!

[Iceberg]

My doc says he has good luck with nortryptaline as a TCA that doesn't make everyone sleepy. HOWEVER, apparently that and Ritalin have a significant reaction, so only ur doc could decide if that's safe 

Edited November 13, 2018 by Iceberg

[dbbs]

Desipramine is hardly sedating (it sedated me the first time I took it and then never after that) and relatively easy to dose. Protryptiline is also not sedating but it's somewhat harder to dose. I've taken them both and they are both relatively decent antidepressants and also help with ADHD (in my opinion) probably due to their primary neurotransmitter being targeted being norepinephrine. I've taken both with Adderall and they worked well synergistically. Since you're in France you also have the chance to try Tianeptine (an atypical tricyclic) which I've heard good things about or possibly Reboxetine, an antidepressant that also targets norepinephrine. Just food for thought.