Do doctors prescribe attention enhancing meds to folk on the sz spectrum?

It’s just I heard stuff like adderall can cause psychosis.

My attention is dog crap so was wondering if anyone has experience with this stuff?

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I don’t think it takes much for us to lose our balance when it comes to the effects of major tranquillisers…

My only suggestion would be to start off slow, and build yourself back up to where you want to be

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My psychosis is manageable. As is my anxiety (finally). Maybe I just should thank my lucky stars that this is the case and learn to live with a ten minute attention span

I mean not every sz/a gets lucky like me in terms of finding the right psychosis meds

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Attention can be helped by anti depression meds. My doctor told me they’d help with focus and motivation. I think it’s pretty common for people with schizophrenia to have a lack of focus.

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I took a supplement similar to stimulant meds, it increases dopamine. It improved my negative and cognitive symptoms including attention span but made my positive symptoms at high doses worse and I required high doses to see an effect. My guess is that those with sz and on stimulants like Ritalin are either on a low dose or that their AP is counteracting the stimulant. APs block dopamine while stimulants/ADHD meds boost dopamine. Ritalin, Adderal, etc

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Yeah I figured they might increase dopamine. Aside from psychosis can dopamine meds increase anxiety?

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I have no idea as I never get anxiety even from too much caffeine but no the dopamine supplement I took didn’t cause anxiety for me. I am not diagnosed with anxiety though so idk if it worsens anxiety if you are diagnosed with anxiety.

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Just looked it up. One article was saying it might cause anxiety via increased norepinephrine

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Also many Drs will refuse prescribing stimulants for sz patients, I asked mine and he refused saying I might end up in mental hospital. He told me to stay away from anything that increases dopamine.

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Maybe try fish oil, I read it may increase cognitive function and attention span a bit. Its also good for the cardiovascular system.

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I’m on an AP and Adderall and they don’t counteract each other. There are many dopamine pathways in different parts of the brain so it’s not as simple as one “increases dopamine” and one “decreases” it. That being said, in some people stimulants can exacerbate positive symptoms at high enough doses so definitely talk to your pdoc about it. In my case the benefits outweighed the risks since my positive symptoms are well-managed but my negative/cognitive symptoms are severe. As for anxiety I find it to be for the most part unaffected.

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Did Adderal help these? I have them severe I stay in bed 24/7 still my Drs refused to prescribe me stimulants.

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Thanks for your post @stratocaster - you have knowledge on the subject

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@lekkerhondje relapsed on Adderal or Ritalin can’t remember.

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Adderall does help but it doesn’t resolve them entirely. I also have to stay organized and plan things out or it doesn’t really do much for my productivity. It’s more so that Adderall makes it possible for me to get important work done but I have to be at least somewhat motivated to meet it halfway, if that makes any sense. My issues that adderall helps most with is focusing on tasks and miscellaneous executive functions. It sadly doesn’t help all that much with avolition. I definitely still struggle with that one.

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I wish my Drs would prescribe me stimulants. I asked more than one and they refused.

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I am on adderall with no problems.

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I understand that. It took years before my pdoc would prescribe them for me and it was only because my positive symptoms were essentially in remission and I was about to fail out of college. They’re not for everyone though. The risk for psychotic relapse is definitely there and could be really bad for some people.

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Took the words out of my mouth.

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I still have that dopamine supplement, LDopa, but I am afraid of taking it, last time I took 7 pills, started hearing voices.