Treatibg ADD with OCD??

[Sara_A]

Well, I'm 22 years old. I've had both OCD and ADD since ever. I started treating my OCD a year ago, taking citalopram, and now it's pretty much under control.

I Want to start treating my ADD because it really affects my grades and studying, I'm a medical student by the way.

The question is, if I combine a norepinephrin reuptake inhibitor with my SSRI, would it be okay, or it would cause problems?

Another question, are NSRIs indicated for OCD with ADD, or they're just for depression, panic disorders and fibromyalgia??

Thanks in advance.

[Sara_A]

Thanks! :D

[Rebecca Resnik, PsyD]

Hello Sara,
I've always heard that physicians have to have OCD and ADHD to survive your training!  As a non-prescriber, I can provide some education about medications but not specific treatment advice. Given that you are more complex than is probably a good fit for your PCP, I would recommend you consult a psychiatrist. I know a lot of individuals who take multiple medications, and of course, the trick is to find a prescriber who has a lot of experience with drug interactions. I've never heard anything specific about an interaction between those two drugs, but there may be contraindications for you that only your physician can determine.

Through my collaborations with talented psychiatrists, I have learned that there is also a lot of creativity in using psychotropics, including some off label use that can be to your benefit. Prescribing is a real art in the mental health field. Saying a psychotropic is 'only' for one thing is not so common anymore. Recall that the antipsychotics are being used to treat depression, and the anticonvulsants used to manage bipolar symptoms. I would never assume that things are as good as they can get and you have to let your ADHD sx go untreated.


Best wishes to you in your studies
Rebecca
Disclaimer: This post was written for educational purposes only. It is never intended to replace face to face psychological or medical care.