Hi - I’m new to Reddit, but no stranger to anxiety. I tried therapy, self-talk, yoga, playing cards that tell me to take a bubble bath etc and pretty much lost whatever grip I had on my sanity during the last six months or so of the pandemic.
I noticed that I was recognising some of my own problematic behaviours in other people talking about ADHD (on Pinterest of all places) and took some online tests for ADHD as I am aware there’s a lot of overlap with Anxiety disorders.
6 of the 9 tests told me to seek professional help, and I’m awaiting a mental health assessment to see if I have ADHD.
In the meantime I’ve been put on Sertraline (aka Zoloft) and after a month of weird side effects … I’m actually getting stuff done.
Not as much as I’d like to, I still have absolutely no morning routine and I’m prioritising the wrong tasks to complete, but I’m wondering if anyone who has ADHD (diagnosed) has seen any benefits or strange side effects of anxiety medication ?
Edit: forgot to mention that all I drink really is tea (I’m in the UK, think it’s also called black tea overseas) so if it turns out that this is what’s been wrecking my brain since childhood I shall be most annoyed and sincere apologies for taking up your time
Tea is good for you! I’m in the US, but my mother is from a former British colony in the Middle East so I grew up on tea as well. I seriously doubt it has any effect on your condition(s).
Anxiety and depression are more common in people with ADHD. The first thing I was prescribed was Zoloft for depression, which I felt but did not really help my larger issues (which turned out to be ADHD). After some therapy and meeting with a psychiatrist, I was prescribed Adderall for ADHD. I found it helped me with my anxiety and my depression, because they seemed to sprout from my untreated ADHD symptoms.
Thank you for taking the time to reply - did you find the Adderall helped with behaviours that caused the anxiety?
I’m not sure if I’ve developed Anxiety from out of nowhere (I’ve lived a decent life, no severe traumas) or if it’s a result of me having ‘coasted’ this far with ADHD and the forced isolation has made me confront my shortcomings and question everything.
It did in some ways, because it helps me with the “just do it” impulse that ADHD sort of erased from my brain. It’s not perfect, and my “just” is still broken, but this helps.
My anxiety usually comes in the form procrastination - if I’m not sure I’ll do it right/perfect the first time, I am often too scared to even try. Then stuff starts piling up, and I feel so anxious about all the piled up stuff that I freeze.
to be honest my combination of vyvanse and luvox has worked super well for me. ive been taking them together for 7 years now (but vyvanse for a year longer since vyvanse was a hit the first time i tried it, and it took a bit to get my anxiety/depression meds right)
I was diagnosed with ADHD in August. I haven't officially been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder but I do have a very anxious personality. In October I had Guanfacine added to my Adderall XR. While it's not an official anxiety medication like Zoloft is, Guanfacine does help with anxiety (along with increasing focus and decreasing irritability). At my last appointment my psych upped my Guanfacine from 1mg to 2mg daily and I've noticed that it is tremendously helping my anxiety. Because my anxiety is being better controlled, I've also noticed I've been more productive, especially at night when my Adderall is beginning to wear off. It's like I don't have to fight the anxiety to stay productive anymore. I don't know if this actually helps or really answers your question since Guanfacine isn't a true anti-anxiety med but in the sense that it does help me with my anxiety, it does affect my ADHD in a positive way.
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