I was on Wellbutrin as part of my treatment for depression. What's interesting is that Wellburtrin is dopamine reuptake inhibitor while Ritalin and Adderall stimulate (or mimic; I can't find a decent reference right now) the production of dopamine.
I'm one of those people who rather meditates and works out regularly than to take any drugs - I don't like to mess with my brain
Something to consider is that your brain is already messed with, so the use of drugs might be needed to un-mess it. But it's kind of a black art. You need to try things and see what works for you.
I had been on assorted antidepressants and stimulants for a number of years and it really helped to a) read up on neuropharmacology and b) have doctors who would listen to my suggestions about what drugs to try and why I wanted to try them. For example, it's handy to know if you respond better to drugs that focus more on dopamine than, say, serotonin.
(The reality is that no mind-altering drug is so cut-and-dry and completely understood, so you end up being a lab rat in your own life experiment.)
>Something to consider is that your brain is already messed with, so the use of drugs might be needed to un-mess it
Absolutely. I came to this conclusion after a few months of therapy and reading several books about ADHD (Driven to Distraction was the first of a rather deep rabbit hole). I was terrified that I'd lose that creative spark I always held unique, because that's what previous psychiatric medicine had done to me.
Bupropion (Wellbutrin) isn't just a dopamine reuptake inhibitor: it's also a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist (which is why it's also prescribed for smoking cessation). It didn't work with me. I was calmer, less hyperactive: but I had a flat affect. I could concentrate on busywork, but I couldn't think. It also wasn't prescribed for ADHD: it was the second attempt to treat a (non-existent) bipolar disorder when I was 15. I'm pretty sure (at this point) my neurochemistry is such that my reuptake rate is fine, but my release/synthesis rate is much too low. Which is why a reuptake inhibitor seemed to only work part way.
The first tried, however was Depakote. In extreme cases it's prescribed to stabilize mood and impulse control with ADHD. It's usually prescribed to quell manic episodes and control seizures. I only dully remember my time on it. I do remember being in a constant fog, a miasma - while I couldn't really think straight beforehand, I could barely think /at all/ on that medication. I was on 900mg/day. Given my bodyweight at the time, my plasma concentrations were probably well above the typical controlled therapy concentrations of 100mg/L. It was probably closer to 200mg/L, which explains the stupor and slight tremors I had.
Given its pharmacology, I can't see how it is, in good conscience, prescribed to those with ADHD unless a manic skewed bipolar disorder is also present.
But the story of why they were absolutely convinced I was manic/bipolar is another thing entirely.
> What's interesting is that Wellburtrin is dopamine reuptake inhibitor while Ritalin and Adderall stimulate (or mimic; I can't find a decent reference right now) the production of dopamine.
Both Ritalin and Adderall are dopamine reuptake inhibitors. I believe that Adderall also stimulates the production of dopamine, in addition to the reuptake inhibition.
> Both Ritalin and Adderall are dopamine reuptake inhibitors.
Methylphendiate (Ritalin) is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, to be certain: it binds to and blocks both dopamine and norepinephrine reputake inhibitors. It's thought to increase neuron firing rate, but that mechanism of action is unknown.
Adderal, however, is a mixture of dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine salts. They stop reuptake of the two monoamines not by blocking the transports, but by reversing their action. Instead of taking up dopamine and norepinephrine, they pump it out. It also stimulates the release of the monoamines from the synaptic vesicles into the intracellular membrane.
Ritalin causes dopamine and norepinephrine to stick around longer, making their action last longer. It's like closing a drain half way with the faucet on medium: the water level rises more than typical, but no higher.
Adderal causes them to flood the intracellular fluid. It's like turning the faucet on while flood waters are coming up the drain pipe.
I'm one of those people who rather meditates and works out regularly than to take any drugs - I don't like to mess with my brain
Something to consider is that your brain is already messed with, so the use of drugs might be needed to un-mess it. But it's kind of a black art. You need to try things and see what works for you.
I had been on assorted antidepressants and stimulants for a number of years and it really helped to a) read up on neuropharmacology and b) have doctors who would listen to my suggestions about what drugs to try and why I wanted to try them. For example, it's handy to know if you respond better to drugs that focus more on dopamine than, say, serotonin.
(The reality is that no mind-altering drug is so cut-and-dry and completely understood, so you end up being a lab rat in your own life experiment.)