Herbal Supplements

On Tue, May 6, 2008 at 11:58 AM, Mary K wrote:

I did some more research, and considered my options as a potentially uninsured person and decided to try the herbal supplements again instead of going back on Wellbutrin.

But reading led to some interesting ideas--apparently, Wellbutrin has been studied as a treatment for ADD, though results are inconclusive. I think it does help with my anxiety/obsessive thing, that seems similar to your experience of ADD. I really think you're right, the Adderall could help me even more, without treating what doesn't need to be treated right now, as I don't feel depressed.

Knowing that going on another medication right now would make it hard for me to get insured, I researched some alternatives. There isn't anything that says "this is like Adderall" except for some combination medications that make me a little worried because they seem like snake oil and you wonder what in the world you are taking. However, SAM-e is touted in some locations as helpful for ADD, and it has both a calming and an energizing effect, which sounds like Kava and like Adderall.

So, in the interests of overkill, I ordered more Kava (yay! It's available again!), SAM-e, and St Johns Wort. Kava is recommended only as an occasional supplement, so I got that for those days when I am really stressed out; I used to use St Johns Wort and had a good experience with it, though it wasn't enough at the time; and I want to try the SAM-e because it is ok for long-term use.

These are the sites I found useful:
http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/sam-e-3.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava