When I was in high school once every week or two I would go see the nurse, and tell her I couldn't face my next class or gym period, I was tired, I just wanted to lie down.

Sometimes she would find something wrong. I used to get strep throat all the time, probably exacerbated by all the pot smoking and other things boarding prep school kids did, at least in the 70s.

Usually she would let me rest for a while, and send me back on my way with two things: Sudafed and Lidocaine lozenges (I usually complained of sore throat too).

A few years ago I started suffering more from seasonal allergies, and a lot of the allergy meds seemed a little dangerous, so I pulled out my ID and tried pseudoepehdrine. It works well for my occasional congestion and sinus pressure. and, it improved my mood.

Then I started thinking back, did my nurse know I was depressed, and that was what she could give to me? And the Lido-CAINE lozenges?

I had my first severe depression the summer before 9th grade. I refused to get out of bed for a week. Now I know what caused it, but I did not get diagnosed with any mood disorder until my late 20s, after losing a few jobs for "not showing up."

I remember being on an assignment in the mid 2000s and feeling stuffy, I took out my pseudoephedrine. My colleague asked me, is that pseudoephedrine? Can you give me some? I need some energy. I only had one dose with me, but a few days later I gave him a whole package :)

I take a mood stabilizer now, which works pretty well. But I always get a little "kick" from some pseudoepehedrine - when I take it for what it's indicated for.

Has anybody else experienced a slight boost in mood from pseudoephedrine?

Certainly it's not recommended for continuous use, and its effects would probably diminish when over-used. Plus it can be habit-forming, etc.