Hi all....my 19 year old daughter who has had problems since she was 14 was recently diagnose with ADD Type 6 "Ring OF Fire"/Mood Disorder by one of Dr. AMEN's clinics using SPECT Imaging as well as a thorough psychiatric evaluation and testing. We had lost over 4 years not knowing what was going on and our daughter refusing to accept that something was wrong, that is, until she saw a visual scan of her brain all lit up with hot spots all over the place!!! If anything was going to convince her this was it!!

The treatment plan recommended to us was that she be started on an anticonvulsant (Lamictal) since the mood centers of her brain were involved which would stabilize the ups and downs and irritability that she was experiencing. After she was up to a therapeutic dose of Lamictal and she was still "stuck in having things her own way" or experiencing impulsiveness it was suggested that an antidepressant should be added. And after that if needed an ADD med such as Daytrana be tried.

Our daughter is away at college in her second year. She started the Lamictal at the end of August and has been following up with a psychiatric Nurse Practioner at college. She brought a copy of her SPECT findings as well as her diagnosis using testing, history and a thorough intake as well as the suggested treatment plan for the NP to look over.

She went to see the NP for the second time who had decided to increase the Lamictal the first time they met to 150mgs before adding anything else. I was really happy with this plan.

Meanwhile we have noticed some improvements as has our daughter. When she calls her conversations are not as flighty with her jumping from one subject to another or her talking about something going on in the room at the same time. It was actually pleasant talking to her and we didn't end up in an argument with her hanging up like we had going on last year. She also said that she was not as upset as usual by things people said or did and was able to sleep better too. The biggest thing was that she didn't feel as if she had to be doing something every minute of the day and was able to relax more.

Today the NP decided to start her on Wellbutrin saying that it would help her ADD and wasn't a stimulant. I thought that she was perhaps convincing my daughter that this was an ADD med since I always throught of it as an antidepressant but when I looked into it I did find out that it is used for ADD when I read that it is also sometimes used to treat episodes of depression in patients with bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods) and to treat attention deficit disorder (ADHD; more difficulty focusing, controlling actions, and remaining still or quiet than other people who are the same age). This definitely describes my daughter and I was actually not only surprised but impressed that the NP picked this particular med and was relieved especially since I was concerned about my daughter's drinking habit and use of recreational drugs including Adderall that was not prescribed to her. At this time I am convinced that alot of her alcohol and use of other substances had more to do with self-medicating than anything else.

So.....I was wondering if anybody else was ever on Wellbutrin for their ADD and how it worked and what to expect.

Any insight and advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks ~ Goody:angel: :wave:

Thanks everybody for your posts!!! :)

Bob...once again your experience and knowledge is much appreciated. You are right in regard to the AMEN Clinic's recommendations, however, I had failed to mention that in the treatment plan it was suggested that we start with an anticonvulsant and once it was at a therapeutic level if still experiencing the "getting stuck" (stubborn hardheaded behaviors) that adding an antidepressant may be beneficial. Our daughter was started on Lamictal which is also a mood stabilizer. The treatment plan also mentioned that the pdoc would be interested so see if she would also benefit from one of the classic ADD meds suggesting the Daytrana patch.

I guess that with our daughter's history (she provided the NP a copy of the diagnosis and suggested treatment plan from the AMEN clinic) the NP felt that trying the Wellbutrin SR might be worth a try in the sense that it would serve as both an antidepressant as well as an ADD med and not a stimulant that could be abused (although the patch probably has a low chance of being abused). I thought that it might be worth a try and with the mood stabilizer on board the chances of it inducing a mania are signifcantly less. If our daughter could significantly improve with one med such as Wellbutrin rather than two I figured it was worth a try.

One thing that I found while looking into a site that had personal accounts of people's experiences with Wellbutrin SR in treating their ADD was that...

1) It was quite effective and surprisingly so in treating their ADD

2) It took away the urge to use drug and alcohol that they had bee using to
treat the symptoms of ADD that they were having. One person actually
mentioned how she smoked alot of marijuana and after starting Wellbutrin
she had no need to. Wellbutrin also was successful in allowing some of the
people to quit smoking (which is something our daughter has been trying
to do especially since having bronchitis multiple times in the past year.

3) Some had even said that it worked even better than the other ADD meds
that they had tried such as Adderall and Ritalin.

4) It is also a great med used to treat SAD (seasonal affective depression)
which our daughter feels that she has. She hates the winter and states
that her mood is definitely down during the winter months.

Kjrunner & Fine&Dandy ~ thanks for sharing your positive experience with Wellbutrin and for you genuine concern about the possibility of it triggering mania. Fine&Dandy....were you on a mood stabilizer when that happened with you??? I know that was my first concern but when I looked at the info the Wellbutrin is not a SSRI but rather is a NDRI (Norepinephrine Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor) and less likely to trigger mania....but still there is a chance that it will in somebody who is truly BP. With the Lamictal as a mood stabilizer I feel as if we have an extra safety net in place.

I have spoken to my daughter about the things to look out for and am confident that she will call me if she has any problems.

Thanks again for your wonderful posts and I will try to keep you updated with how things go. I am glad to have heard that others have heard that Wellbutrin can be used for ADD since I wasn't aware of that.

((((HUGS)))) and thanks ~ Goody:angel: :wave:

Well when they say it's too good to be true it probably is....right???:confused: I noticed the past few times by phone that my daughter was back to her jumping from subject to subject. One day she had admitted (as I had guessed;) ) that she had forgotten to take her Lamictal.

Well the other day when we spoke and was only on the Wellbutrin for less than a week she started telling me that her roommate told her that she was on it and it made her all emotional. I told her that everybody is different and that it was too soon to tell what the med could do. Well today when we were talking she said that she had already tried increasing the Wellbutrin (which is before the NP told her too) and that it wasn't working like the Adderall did. I told her that she should give it a chance and even the NP would agree that it was too soon to consider another med before giving this one a fighting chance. She went on to say that she knows what she is doing and that she should be able to do what she wants to do regarding meds and that she went to get her own doctor because she didn't want me interfering with her. I was hearing all the same argumentiveness and the "getting stuck hardheadedness" all over again that seemed to be better when she wasn't on the Wellbutrin. It is difficult to tell how things are going while she is away but I couldn't help but be concerned about her playing with the meds and not taking them as prescribed and thinking that she knows what is best for her. Everything I told her she cut down and she said that she new that the Adderall worked and that nothing else would...I told her that by Dr. Amen's treatment plan that it was decided to do the anticonvulsant (Lamictal) and then try to add an antidepressant and then the Daytrana. She said that she knew that Adderall was the #1 ADD med and that was what she should be on....I told her that I had my concerns because it was addictive and that with her use of alcohol and drugs that I had my concerns about that and that there were just as effective meds such as the recommended Daytrana patch. She said that she needed the Adderall and I told her that since she was 14 she used caffeine and any stimulant that she could get her hands on such as Ephedra(diet pills).....she said that was what worked for her and that she needed it. I told her to talk to her NP and that she probably would agree with me, that she knew more than her roommate and wouldn't be pleased that she was not following her prescribed instructions. She said that she didn't care, that she knew what was best for her and that she wasn't going to tell me anything anymore and didn't have to. This was a complete turn around than before she started the Wellbutrin and it is almost as if it is making her worse in terms of behavior. I could tell by how argumentative she was being on the phone.

Any advice...she is 19 now and pointed that out.....I was about to schedule an appointment with the doctor from the AMEN clinic to conference in with the NP, my daughter and myself as a followup and was discussing this with my daughter when she brought this all up.

I am open to any suggestions.....

Thanks for listening ~ Goody:angel: :wave:

Bob ~ Any suggestions on how to go about keeping my 19 year old daughter from obtaining a script for Adderall besides praying and tying her down???;)

I am laying low (for now:cool: )....my instinct tells me that the Wellbutrin isn't doing what it is suppose to do and has worsened things and if I lay low my daughter may call me and share this with me. I am confident that the NP will not do anything rash because ....1) My daughter handed over a copy of DR. AMEN's report and treatment plan to the NP(she may have removed some pages but they are numbered and it would be noticeable if she did, and, 2) The NP had my daughter sign a release to get records from Dr. AMEN at her last visit (so if anything IS missing she will get a good picture because in the history it is CLEARLY stated how we {her parents} are concerned about her abuse of alcohol and drugs including those not prescribed to her.)

I was thinking that my daughter probably does need the stimulant but as you suggested, I would definitely feel better if it were the Daytrana patch. But how do I make sure of that when/if my daughter will not allow me to talk with the NP????? I suggested that she call me at her last appointment so we could conference but she didn't so how am I to do anything??? I was thinking that perhaps I can research where my daughter is going for counselling by calling the college (she did say it was through the counselling services at the college) and then sending an email sharing my concerns. I know that the NP is not allowed to disclose information but I don't see a problem with my voicing my concerns as a mother. I may have a problem with getting through the red tape but it may be worth a try.

When I looked back at AMEN's plan it said that use of an serotonin-type agent such as Lexapro could be used if the "getting stuck" (stubborn hardheaded) behaviors were not reduced. I could possibly email the pdoc at AMEN clinic and discuss my concerns with him and set up that conference call but if my daughter decides she doesn't want me included in that there is nothing I really can do since she is 19. But yet, even if I weren't included my email could definitely play a role in how the overall followup goes when the AMEN doc could share his reasons about using Daytrana rather than the Adderall. So I will keep my fingers crossed that my daughter will allow for this conference call so we can have a smooth transition of her being followed up by the NP at school.

Also, Bob, IF my daughter wants to get Adderall she can make an appointment with any doctor until she gets it but I am doing my darndest to make sure that doesn't happen. But there is only so much I can do since she is away at college and also 19 where legally I have no right to intervene in her overall health care.

So....I must hope that she comes to her senses...she has been cooperative and showed significant improvement when on the Lamictal. There was even a day on the phone that I noticed that she didn't take her Lamictal by the way she was jumping from one thought to another.

I first noticed a change in our conversing by phone this past week which is when she started the Wellbutrin. I notice that the Wellbutrin is a NDRI (Norepinephrine an Dopamine reupdake inhibitor) and not a serotonin-type med as suggested by AMEN so that may be the culprit and perhaps my daughter is right.

I am torn between trusting my daughter (who has yet to earn that trust but seems to feel that she needs the help) or continuing to see how she does on the Wellbutrin since it has only been a week.

This really stinks....how I wish that I had known what I know now 3 years ago when I could have helped her. Now I have to hope that she wants to help herself. Oh and I hear that tomorrow is a full moon and that the few days before and up to a full moon may worsen ADD/BP behaviors....is that true??? Perhaps that has a little bit to do with how things went over the phone last night.

Later...and thanks for the input ~ Goody:angel: