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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by meowmix on December 11, 2005, at 9:24:32
I've taken some sort of anti-depressant since I was about 17 years old; wellbutrin, prozac, paxil (all the 'popular' ones). They never helped a thing. I lost a good amount of weight when I was about 19 due to stress & started self-medicating w/ phentermine 37.5 1x per day to keep the weight from coming back.
I took phentermine 37.5 for almost 3 years almost everyday, I never ever abused it. When I didn't/couldn't take it I was almost completely impaired, I wouldn't do anything, ate all the time, & felt horrible all-around. The effects were great at first, no rush, but decreased appetite (as promised), crystal clear focus, & the determination to get tasks done/be organized,etc. As time went on all side effects wore off & just took it to hoard off w/drawal symptoms. After a bit of research I started pairing it w/ paxil, which was alright but a bit much for me. I stopped doing that & then phentermine became unavailable to me.
Withdrawal, you can say from the phentermine was hell & I never was the same. I believe it permanently altered the way my brain works. Two years without phentermine were hell for me. I never had problems before phentermine w/ concentration, focus, remebering things etc. I began to exhibit classic symptoms of ADHD.
I began talking to my doctor about ADHD (I did not mention my previous phentermine history). I was prescribed strattera 1st which I had a horrible allergic reaction to, then provigil (just could not tolerate), concerta (which was like placebo), then finally Adderall XR which I take presently.
I began w/ 5mg of XR(did nothing) & 5 months later I'm taking 20mg x2 per day. The inital effects from the adderall were similar to phentermine but slightly different/mild. I can probably say this is due to the fact that they are chemically similar, yet not the same composition. XR is longer acting & I don't feel 'low' after a few hours.
My problem now is that I'm building tolerace to the Adderall XR, it's just not working like it should anymore. Better said, it's not working really at all anymore. I don't see a pdoc, just a general practioner, they are rushed physicians but are careful all at the same time. I would like to talk to my dr. about getting a higher dose, but I don't want to max out, seem like a drug-seeker, or get yanked off the drug. By all means I will not abuse this drug, it's not healthy & I don't want to find myself in the same situation I did when phentermine became unavailable to me. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to seem overknowlegable about meds & I'd prefer not to mention 'tolerance' to him because I'm so scared he will take me off the XR or send me to a psychiatrist for evaluation (I don't have time & can't afford out of pocket $$). I wish there was a way I could cycle the phen & XR, to avoid tolerance but then I will sound like I've been around the block. I've also tried off-days & they do not work for me, the most I can tolerate taking off is 2 days max which does nothing to replenish the intended effects. I don't want the adderall to stop working since it helped me so much in the beginning.
I just don't know what to do. Any advice or helpful comments will be wholeheartedly appreciated.
Posted by med_empowered on December 11, 2005, at 13:37:10
In reply to Phentermine, Adderall XR Tolerance, posted by meowmix on December 11, 2005, at 9:24:32
you could try partial days off; 1xr cap instead of 2, maybe for a week or so...this is easier to do if you can get the adderall generic IR tabs (which are also **much** cheaper, btw). I dont know if you doc would go for that, but there's really no reason not to--it will save you lots of money, especially if you don't have insurance.
Posted by meowmix on December 11, 2005, at 17:09:27
In reply to Re: Phentermine, Adderall XR Tolerance, posted by med_empowered on December 11, 2005, at 13:37:10
Thanks for your response! I really appreciate it. I take the brand name Adderall XR, I'm blessed to have super health insurance & get all my meds at no cost to me. I could possibly take just 1 20mg per day & see how that works. As you can see I have a high tolerance for stimulants & I'm not sure if it would do much good when I increased again but it's worth a shot. I'm just hoping I can function on the smaller dose.
This is the end of the thread.
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