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"I'm the one who knocks." Let's talk Amphetamines!
I've had LC for about a year, in my case (fortunately) pretty much confined to chronic fatigue, although that's pretty disabling in itself. I'm strongly considering asking my PCP to prescribe some kind of stimulant, in lieu of drinking several espressos a day, which is my current, only partially successful, approach.
There are scattered comments here and there on this board where people mention using assorted stimulants, but could we please have a more in-depth, on-topic discussion of what people's experiences have been with them and to what extent they're helpful? I know that this is, in effect, just treating the symptom instead of the disease, but as far as I can tell the symptom pretty much IS the disease in my case (and besides, the disease doesn't yet seem to be particularly "treatable", IMHO)
I'm talking here such things as Adderall, Ritalin, Dexmethylphenidate,
Guanfacine, Dextroamphetamine, Vyvanse, and heck, I dunno, Bennies, Dexies, whatever the cool kids are calling them these days...
I mean heck, I'm tempted to just go down to the SE side here where I could easily score some crystal meth and a pipe, but, being so near to Tijuana, it would likely be cut with Fentanyl, which is definitely not my drug of choice.
(I'm sorry, don't mean to be silly which is my tendency...)
My PCP is pretty sympathetic and didn't hesitat to prescribe low dose naltraxone (which didn't do NADA), so maybe I can persuade her.
So seriously, what have people found to be helpful in this drug category, please?
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I tried Adderall and found that it was not as effective as Vyvanse. I was told by my shrink that Vyvanse is "cleaner" and I know that it is used more in children due to that. There is a genericc now, thank goodness, however it is still expensive, but I have to function. It helps with my brain fog, racing thoughts and helps me do daily activities. It lasts about 10-12 hours. The Adderall is cheaper, and as a person in recovery, I also did not want to take the chance of relapse. Those are just my experiences with these drugs. There is also a medication called Modafinil (Provigil) that I found helpful as well, but the Vyvanse has certainly helped not only with the ADHD, but also with the fatigue and malaise. I take it in the morning and I feel better within about an hour or so. Keep me posted. Hang in there.
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1 ReactionVyvanse helped me right away. I suffered with LC for two years or more, then went to a therapist for HDHD symptoms and she prescribed Vyvanse. Before that I felt like my cells/systems weren't communicating correctly. I'd exercise and my cardiovascular system wouldn't deliver. The very first day I took Vyvanse I could exercise again and my life has really turned around.
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1 ReactionI would not say my life has turned around, but Vyvanse has definitely helped with brain fog, fatige and malaise at least enough to function during the day. I always feel worse in the mornings and then also in the evening, Glad to hear it has helped you as well.
Wow, so a couple votes here for Vyvanse, that's noteworthy!
I am waiting for an in-person appt. with my PCP in about a month, which is necessary since these are all Schedule-1 drugs, apparently.
So in the meantime I will continue my research, and look forward to hearing from more of you about your experiences with this approach.
Thanks so much!
Thanks for that input.
My ferritin levels are on the low side, but still withing normal bounds.
My RBC is just BARELY within normal.
My thyroid levels seem to be well-controlled with synthetic thyroxine, and I doubt that T3/4 tests would reveal anything further.
I do not have any additional (to fatigue). symptoms that tend to crop up with either iron deficiency or hypothyroidism.