ADHD and was prescribed Strattera and Zoloft - Developed Severe Side Effects!?

Okay I didn't know how to word this ';question';.. Basically let me explain to you my situation. Maybe there are some more out there who have had similar experiences.



I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age but did not require medication during school. I didn't get great grades.. mostly low B's, occasional A's and C's. I was a kid who did whatever was needed to get by and nothing more.



I got to college and took 12 hours my first semester. I did fairly well and got a 3.6 GPA. I was happy and became confident that ADHD wouldn't effect me academically. In the spring, I carried 16 hours of very heavy classes. I also held a job - that I loved - and put a lot into while playing a varsity sport. I am used to being busy but something changed that spring. I became extremely emotional. I was extremely uncomfortable talking to people and became choked up very easily. I experienced depression for no reason. I began to miss class and avoid social situations. I procrastinated more than I have ever done. I was irritable. I began to forget how to cope with ADHD and school.. or maybe I never learned in the first place? I quit playing my sport. All the while, I excelled at my job and it became my distraction.



If you know about ADHD or you have it, then you know that it doesn't mean you can't be good at something. Normally, we become obsessed with one thing like a perfectionist. But we can't handle anything else. I ended my spring semester failing two classes, passing one with a B (luckily this professor knew me well), and receiving a C in a class that I did as little as possible to get by.



I was never like that before. I knew I had attention problems but I was able to deal with them and they didn't affect my life. ADHD was now ruining my life. I am not a lazy person and I am very passionate about going to school and getting my degree.



I sought help to treat my ADHD and decided to start medication at the start of the fall semester. I was prescribed Stratterra 40 mg and Zoloft 100mg. The first two to three weeks are a fog. I was very lethargic and yawned constantly. I slept every chance I got. Then once I became used to the medication. I then began to see a lot of changes in my mood. Somedays I would wake up and be almost ';slap-happy'; and not have a care in the world. Other days I would wake up extremely stressed to the point where I would experience panic attacks and would think I was going to die or needed to be taken to the hospital. I became obsessed with suicide. Luckily, I was always level minded about this subject and have a strong faith in God - I didn't get to the point where I actually tried to commit suicide. I knew I didn't want to die but each day my thoughts would turn to the ways I could kill myself. I never made a formal plan but still my mind wandered to my death. It was extremely scary. I turned into an almost manic person. I would experience days of extreme energy where I thought I could do anything. I felt ';stronger'; and needed to release this. I couldn't even carry a conversation in these state because my mind was running extremely fast. I also experienced extreme dizziness and nausea. I couldn't ride in cars because I became so motion sick. I began to complain of lots of ';ailments'; - normal things or common illnesses just seemed to be magnified. I started to hear voices and see figures out of the corners of my eyes. I would fear I was being followed or someone was standing behind me. And my ADHD was still there. I had no concentration, I couldn't think clearly enough to organize or plan effectively, I had bad mood swings, I fidgeted constantly..



I became so frustrated with my state that I just didn't want to do it anymore. It was so tiring. The only thing I enjoyed was sleep because in my dreams I could feel at ease. I made a horrible MISTAKE in 1.) Never developing the right coping mechanisms for my ADHD 2.) Not allowing myself to take a break and adjust medication - treatment for ADHD is trial-and-error. I was stupid to think that I could take a pill and it would solve my problem. ADHD will always be there and hopefully some medication will help me ';manage'; my issues in planning, organizing, etc. But it will not solve everything. 3.) This medication put me into a worse state than I sought help for in the first place. I need to allow myself time to find the medication that works and make sure it doesn't give side effects that turn me into a obsessed with suicide, crying, slap-happy, apathetic, and delusional manic.



So my question.. Does anyone have similar stories to mine? Or can you just give me some advice on how I can manage? I never took the time to learn what ADHD was meant. But now that I have started to learn - many things that I was uncomfortable about or confused about in childhood make sense to me. I'm going to embrace my ADHD and realize that medication can only do so much..ADHD and was prescribed Strattera and Zoloft - Developed Severe Side Effects!?
Uh, I think you need to see this:



Generation RX http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xehHwkPpe



I have ADHD and have never been on a med in my entire life. We are over achievers who don't need straight A's to become great. Our attention wanders because everything seems too slow for us in an institution of learning unless it is by our pace (FAST) as our brains absorb information differently and in social ways much faster.



I am mad that people are not told that its OK to be diagnosed with ADHD and still not have to be told you need a drug to finish something in life. It is not a disease. It is a different mind that accomplishes things where the profession applies once we find it.



For example, there are many famous ADD/ADHD people who never did drugs. People who were voted least likely to succeed in class are very famous performers who have won Academy awards and had they been medicated I truly do not believe they would have ever ended up creating their life to a very joyous experience and to make it joyous for others.



You need enzymes and B long vitamins and phytosterols which are naturally in plant foods but are deficient and it does help you get an emotional floor to recover from the side affects you are experiencing. Also, those drugs are not benign, over long term use, it has been proven to cause neurological permanent brain damage to hormonal nerve receptors in the brain.



Also see http://www.breggin.com he has a book, its not your fault its the drug. He is a phsychiatrist.



What I see is a young woman who is focusing more on her job and realizing she may not need to finish her degree if she is more interested in a different path in life and if you did make it a C to get by... Oh tuff titties for mom and dad. You did it, OK?



Your good enough, OK? Tell them to stick their drug where the sun don't shine and when you hit a wall in life don't resort to one, either. There is no drug that is going to be the miracle or your going to wind up chasing your tail like all the others out there who can't even go on vacation without taking all 5 medications with them.



One for nasea, one for anxiety, one for sleep, one for mania and one for who knows what all...



Stress does suck the B12 right out of the body and it can cause lethargy, so start with understanding that something as simple as that can help, too.



See http://www.naturesfoodpatch.com and look up meds in the reference libary and the nutritional deficiencies they cause. You need to be in charge of your body and mind.ADHD and was prescribed Strattera and Zoloft - Developed Severe Side Effects!?
Do not assume you have ADHD. People are misdiagnosed all the time. If you are concerned and want to deal with psychiatrists/psychologists, go get re-evaluated.
All psy meds have side effects, or one sort or another , some worse than others....let your Dr. know what your feeling, and keep trying till you get the right med. Keep trying never give up.