medication and stuttering

[greggsteven]

i am 48, male married with 2 young boys. Recently as a result of some marriage issues i went to a psychiatrist to seek some help with my ADD. Found out that i also have some anxiety issues relating to my stuttering. I have stuttered since a child with major blockage until i went to HCRI when i was 17. My speech is choppy but i get by. Can speak on the phone and say my name etc.

anyway, the doc put me on a stimulant for the ADD, Addrerral and my speech went to hell. Found out that stutterers have too much dopamine in the speech center of the brain and stimulants blow more and cause the stutter to be worse.

The doc and i did some experiments with different non stimulant meds and found some that really helped me. She started me with Remeron 60mg at night for anxiety and depression, then klonopin 0.5 mg in the morn and afternoon if i need it. Really calms you down and the thought of any anticipatory words or sounds goes away. My speech really improved to the point of near perfect fluency. After a few weeks we added Strattera for the ADD and 5mg of Abilify to help with the loss of energy and get up and go.

Well, this tail really has me feeling great and my fluency and confidence is at a high.Plus i can focus and finish tasks. I always knew stuttering was something wrong in the brain. chemical that was triggered by anxiety. think about how we can talk to a dog but not a person. Anxiety is the key. you tense up, and it manifests itself in your vocal cords. Hope this helps someone.

If you stutter, stay away from stimulants!

[Box of Clocks]

Thanks for the thoughts. Glad it is working for you.

[Thomkatt]

I agree that stimulants really seem to complicate stuttering. It's almost like our minds are working fast enough already. It's ironic cause people's impression of me a lot of times is that I'm so calm and quiet. If they only knew what was really going on lol.

Glad to hear the meds are working for you. Be extremely careful to say the least though. Benzodiazapine are dangerous. I wouldn't take those things more than once a week. You likely already know the dangers. A lot of doctors will say you might have side effects but fail to tell you the real story. Google benzo withdrawels or go to you tube and search benzo withdrawels and any of you interested in benzos will know what happens when these drugs are taken on a daily basis for over two weeks. That being said, benzos are great for dealing with the anxiety that comes with stuttering.

[Vandy]

Good post. I've had anxiety most of my life and only a few years ago sought out help from a professional.

I tried several different medications, and found that Paxil solved my anxiety issues.

Interesting enough, my stammering has all but gone away!
The anxiety was obviously behind the stuttering/stammering all along, so for years and years I suffered.

I did play around with different meds as Paxil is notorious for weight gain, but they did not have the same affect. I may be a little bit heavier;), but well worth it to kill two birds with one stone.

[willamtarker]

Stuttering children received direct treatment, that changed to talk to their parents. Such indirect therapy has proven ineffective. Before starting any medication, stutterers have to negotiate their therapists and speech therapists and their recognition only they consume it. This moved the parents speak slowly, or not to interrupt the child.

[willamtarker]

Stuttering children received direct treatment, that changed to talk to their parents. Such indirect therapy has proven ineffective. Before starting any medication, stutterers have to negotiate their therapists and speech therapists and their recognition only they consume it. This moved the parents speak slowly, or not to interrupt the child.