sorry i have no idea....

I would suggest he let his pdoc know that he is tinkering with his meds. How long has he been on these psych meds?. The tiredness can go away with time. He has got to let his body adapt to them.

It is also unwise to take an upper if you have bipolar disorder. He needs to work with his pdoc to come up with the best combination for him and understand that it takes time.

I have schizophrenia and my pdoc gave me 40mg's of adderall over a year ago to help me focus and stay a little more alert. I haven't had any problem.

I agree with bee if it hasn't been prescribed it could do more harm then good. Worth mentioning to his doctor.

Thanks for your input. He sent an email to his pdoc, and his pdoc says no way, but his pdoc will not suggest anything else to help him cope with his extreme fatigue, to the point where he sleeps 12 hours a day and cannot function at work.....

psych505, are you taking 40 mgs of adderall each day? What other drugs are you taking? Did your doctor warn you about any possible problems or hazards???

The pdoc said no because he is bipolar as well as psychotic. How long has he been on these meds? This process takes time. .

Technically I probably shouldn't be taking it and my pdoc worries about me sometimes especially because I take klonopin and they contraindicate with each other. They supposedely cancel each other out. It just seems to work with me. I am on a boat load of meds...Clozaril, Wellbutrin, Cymbalta, Topamax,Neurontin, Klonopin, adderrall, all at high doses. But he really shouldn't be taking it without the observation of his pdoc. It could be deadly causing heart attack, stroke, seizure, etc.

Adderall is a stimulant. Perhaps Strattera would be more appropriate? I really don't know but don't let him take anymore adderall until the doc gives the ok.

Could be bad if he went into a manic phase or psychosis brought on my the stimulant.

Let us know how it goes.

Beezlebub and All,

It is not clear that my son is bipolar....his initial diagnosis was prodromal schizophrenia.....but he has some bipolar features....he came to live with us feb 2010 after suffering pretty bad psychotic episode....he went on abilify, but stopped after 6 months, suffered a psychotic meltdown and was hospitalized in Oct, 2010. Since then he is on abilify and lexapro. I have been telling him be patient, your body might adjust to the meds. But he can barely get out of bed and is so fatigued, almost like a zombie....it definitely interferes with his work performance and his job.....

He started taking adderall a few weeks ago and there is much more emotion in his voice, he talks more rationally and is more positive and productive about work and life....he is only taking it on weekdays....he is very aware of the risk. He recently moved out of state and will be getting a new pdoc as soon as his work insurance kicks in.....

I will tell him that you recommend that he stop taking it until he can see the pdoc....I am also going to ask him to visit this site....

Thanks for all of your ideas and recommendations. :-)

We are on some heavy duty chemicals and it takes time to get levels right and the combinations. Each brain chemistry is different. What works for me may not work for someone else despite having the same symptoms. Self medicating is an uneducated risk and on such a heavy drug may likely cause problems (if not seriously irreversible problems) in the future.

One thing to do would be to try and encourage him to look at dealing with past issues even to just get support from a counsellor or therapist with the psychosis troubles. Goes hand and hand with med treatments. Goes hand in hand with recovery and can and will reduce needing med levels or even get off them. unfortunately you can't force someone to do it so just suggest it. May take a long time before he does even look into it. But support he needs.

problem is .....that it is working for him ....so he wont want to go off it on his own... cant blame him either really... he's young and now i take it on his own?

Caz,

You are right! He is young and on his own! He is very independent and self reliant.....he suffered for many years without telling us or anyone else he was having a problem.....and the bottom line is that adderall is working for him right now.....he feels that at least it is giving him a life and the opportunity to work and be somewhat happy and prodcutive as opposed to sitting around like a zombie......

This post is from 2012 so I'll close it.... xo