This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

petakitty wrote:Kids with ADD amphetamines calm them down. They don't know why.

Actually they do know why it works for people with ADD. Two books in which you can read about this are "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" and "Magnificent Mind at Any Age" both by Dr. Daniel Amen. He's a psychologist who has performed extensive brain imaging scans using SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). This type of scanning measures blood flow to the brain and is an indicator of brain activity. In people with ADD the SPECT scans show that their brains actually shut down somewhat when they try to concentrate. In effect, when they try to concentrate, there's less blood flow to certain regions of the brain which indicates lower activity. Drugs like ritalin and adderall counteract this effect of ADD and help the brain to maintain the activity levels needed to make concentration easier.

NHE

Cat Freak, How long have you been on the Rebif?? and the provigil? Did you start taking them at the same time?

I had a really bad time handling the interferons..and the provigil just made me feel weird, hard to describe, but increased concentration certainly wasn't a result.

Are you off all immune modulaters?

Lotsa questions huh?

I'm sorry about your missing cat, there's a stressor I'm sure you don't need....

Vit D & L-Carnitine, of course, then lots of water and espresso, but when the brain fog's bad, provigil works for me. It gives me a headache. It isn't for every day use, in my experience. what's most important, to me, is that it makes oral contraceptive's ineffective; something I found out on my own, thank god, before anything happened.
i find amantidine gentle and also clears up the fog.
i was given phentermine but haven't tried it yet. yes it's a weight loss drug! but it's been around since 1959 so there shouldn't be any surprises. and i won't end up pregnant which is more important than adding another habit forming drug to my arsenal.

what ever it takes to get through the day, without hurting yourself or others, is a-ok with me.

so tt, how are things, how are you doing with the fatigue problem?

my neuro is a pharm D too so i'm confident he prescribes based on patient need and science. it's a beautiful thing.

MSThing,

I started Rebif June 08 and Provigil maybe October 08. It took me a couple of months to get my Ins to approve the Provigil.

I tried to believe it was helping but it did not. I am much more clear headed with the Adderall. Yes I am off all Immune Modulators and taking lots of supplements.

You know, in today's world I think everything is a stressor......

K6ristin,

Good thing you found about the Provigil and oral contraceptives.

Petakitty,

What difference does it make if the drug is used for weight loss or ADD anyway? I mean we do what we do to survive the crappy effects of this disease. I like Kristen, believe my neuro would give it if he felt it was needed and the other drugs did not work - on a case by case basis.

CF

I have MS, and was on Provigil for about a year for my extreme fatigue and weakness, but asked to be taken off because it gave me severe headaches and made me really jittery.

I am on Adderall now for about a year, and it has been much better. No headaches and jitters, and it gives me some energy. I don't take it every day, only when I need it. (And no, I don't need to lose weight; I'm 5'4" and 115 lbs).

Each person needs to figure out what works best for them; I think you can't assume your experience on a drug will be the same as everyone else's.

So very true Lainie!

The only problem I get with Adderall is that I can't go to sleep at 10pm like I need to. It ends up being more like midnight and that is just not enough sleep for me.

But it works so much better for me that Provigil.

CF

Petakitty!!!!

Look at it this way, with that much Adderall you can be on This is MS 24/7 and a post reply to every single topic!! You can even reply to your own replies!

CF

seriously? 30mg in AM and 30mg PM ? prescribed that way? i'm out of practice in hospital nursing but that doesn't sound right. you're joking right ?
of course don't take stimulants after 3pm unless you're planning on an all nighter, like me, tonight, a wedding, where i might have to break open my new prescription of phentermine ~ to make it through the day and then to the actual ceremony (4pm) and the reception which promises to last all night.

but then i won't be able to toast w/ champagne...(who can have just 1 drink? not me ;)

the cascade of all these drugs......remember i just did campath so i'm still taking lots of PRN meds to fight that unpleasantness.

i just tell myself 'remember heath ledger '
i'm sure he meant to wake back up after popping all those pills. i know; i'm off topic....but after having MS for 3 years it seems my medicine cabinet has 1 for this and 1 for that and then 1 for when that has a side effect and so on and so forth......