My boyfriend of 5 years has been on medication since he was 14. He started out on Ritalin, because his school said he had ADHD. I have also had alot of experience with medication in my own life, and always lived with and known people with OCD, Manic Depression, MPD, etc... Currently he is on Zyprexa, Paxil and Adderal. Paxil, as we all know is for SAD, which I also have, but am on a different medication for. I have had a lot of time to, well, self diagnose him, and I believe he is Manic Depressive with some OCD tendencies. I feel his ADHD was imporperly diagnosed, because schools say everyone has it. His ups and downs are consitent with MD, like one minute he will be up and excited, and the next, staring off into space, and become depressed. I have never thought he was on the right combo of meds, but of course his doctors disagree, and I think its just because he has been on those meds for so long and they are afraid to change them. Any opinions on ADHD vs. MD?
2007-02-01 04:08:23 · 8 answers · asked by Alley 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Also, he is 24 now. His Zyprexa makes him lazy and moody, while the Adderall is sposed to bring him up. Now the Adderall is a form of speed, in prescription form. I hate the way it makes him, because once he needs more, he becomes rude and beligerant. I know all about with drawls, I myself have battled with drugs, and overcome. Anyhow, the Zyprexa he is on, sposedly for blood pressure to control his temper. However, once he takes it, he gets extremely lathargic. I know drowsiness is a side effect, but I dont feel he needs to be on this medication. I think the combo of all the meds hes on are contradicting eachother completely. I am looking for a professional opinion, and someone to maybe explain things to a little further to get the best answer.
2007-02-01 04:12:56 · update #1
Also, he is 24 now. His Zyprexa makes him lazy and moody, while the Adderall is sposed to bring him up. Now the Adderall is a form of speed, in prescription form. I hate the way it makes him, because once he needs more, he becomes rude and beligerant. I know all about with drawls, I myself have battled with drugs, and overcome. Anyhow, the Zyprexa he is on, sposedly for blood pressure to control his temper. However, once he takes it, he gets extremely lathargic. I know drowsiness is a side effect, but I dont feel he needs to be on this medication. I think the combo of all the meds hes on are contradicting eachother completely. I am looking for a professional opinion, and someone to maybe explain things to a little further to get the best answer. I know that ADHD causes moods to go from one to another, but like I mentioned, its not like hell be all jumping around and then crash, its the same as my mom gets, and she is also a MD.
2007-02-01 04:15:25 · update #2
I was misdiagnosed at about the same age he was with ADHD. I am currently 24 years old, and wasn't correctly diagnosed as a bi-polar manic depressive until I was 18. It is a definite possibility that he has been misidagnosed, and my doctor says that it happens frequently in teenagers because most parents think the mood swings are just part of normal teenage angst. My parents refused to let doctors put me on meds while I was a kid, so I was a hell raiser, that's for sure. I was always in trouble at school, and I think just about all of my teachers were ready to kill me by the time summer came around. When I hit 18 and finally got a doctor that diagnosed me with bi-polar instead of ADHD, he started trying me on different meds until he found a good combination for me at that time. After a while they didn't work anymore, and they made me feel like a zombie so I quit taking them. It could be that that's what's going on with his current meds. They just aren't working for him the right way anymore, and he may need to ask his doc for a change. Either way, he really needs to talk to his doc about all of this and see what he/she has to say about it. If you don't think he would be upset, ask him if you could go to the doctor with him so that you can express your concerns as well. An extra opinion from someone who spends so much time with him could never hurt. Good luck.
2007-02-01 05:30:06 · answer #1 · answered by stacijo531 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This doesn't look like a one vs. the other type of diagnosis. ADHD often runs comorbidly with other Axis I disorders. That means many people don't just have one disorder, but sometimes several.
The "manic depression" you're talking about is called Bipolar Disorder. It requires at least one manic episode, which includes periods of sustained grandiosity (he thinks he's king of the world or something), often decreased need for sleep, and coming up with elaborate but unrealistic plans to do or create something amazing and make millions of dollars, for example. Just having ups and downs doesn't necessarily imply Bipolar Disorder, and you haven't really given much evidence that he truly does suffer from this.
ADHD has been overdiagnosed, but it's also very common. He may have problems that extend beyond this diagnosis, but it doesn't mean he's struggling with something else entirely.
2007-02-01 06:06:56 · answer #2 · answered by Buying is Voting 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A school's diagnosis for ADHD is not at all reliable, take him to a REAL doctor who can properly diagnose & treat him.
Try taking him to a new doctor he has not yet seen, and go with him. An outside opinion can be more helpful than just what one person sees of himself.
2007-02-01 13:12:28 · answer #3 · answered by Ashley 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
check out the DSM IV and see if his symptoms qualify. hard to see how they can bill zyprexa and paxil against a dx of adhd alone. Rapid cycling cyclothymic is hard to distinguish from florid adhd.
2007-02-01 04:14:43 · answer #4 · answered by David B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get your b/f off those drugs. Those drugs have side effects, this is what you are probably seeing. Depression is a huge side effects to those offal drugs they push on people with this. This is not a life threatening condition therefore one does not need to be on those offal side effected drugs.
I have it and sense I stopped the drugs I have never felt better....
2007-02-01 04:14:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i know that having ADHD can sometimes cause depression or you could be bipolar i don't really know just go talk to your doctor.
2016-03-28 23:50:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you a Dr? if not then leave the diagnostics to the medical field comparing you to him is not a good idea is that people have different traits
2007-02-01 04:13:37 · answer #7 · answered by Mary O 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes you seem like your are right. because if you take meds for so long then you become.....like if you get off them its bad because you completly change for a while. just because it is a dramatic change
2007-02-01 04:12:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋