How to Treat ADHD in Bipolar Disorder

Topics: ADHD | Alpha Agonists | Amphetamines | ArModafinil | Atomoxetine | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Bipolar Disorder | Bipolar II | Comorbidity | Guanfacine | methylphenidate | Modafinil | Nuvigil | Pharmacology | Provigil | Psychopharmacology | Psychopharmacology Tips | stimulant | Stimulants

Patients with bipolar disorder often present with cognitive complaints. Our October 2021 issue laid out a diagnostic plan for these symptoms, and in this article, I’ll cover some treatment approaches for patients with a DSM-based ADHD-bipolar comorbidity (ie, the ADHD symptoms began in childhood and persist after the mood episodes have stabilized).

Stimulants and Creativity

Topics: ADHD | Amphetamines | ArModafinil | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Creativity | methylphenidate | Modafinil | Provigil | Side Effects | stimulant | Stimulants

Your patient is a 25-year-old music teacher with ADHD. Though her organizational skills have improved with methylphenidate, she complains that it impairs her performance as a jazz musician: “I feel self-conscious, like a robot.” Popular lore holds that creative people have ADHD traits and that ADHD bestows advantages in creative thinking. Stock c

The Modafinils in Bipolar Depression

Topics: ArModafinil | Bipolar Disorder | Borderline Personality Disorder | BPD | Modafinil | Novel Medications | Nuvigil | Personality Disorders | Provigil | Psychopharmacology

Your patient has recovered enough from bipolar depression to leave the hospital, but not enough to return to work. He is inactive, he can’t concentrate, and it takes him 4 hours to wake up in the morning. What can you add to his regimen of lithium, lamotrigine, and lurasidone? Modafinil (Provigil) and armodafinil (Nuvigil) are wakefulness-promoting