My medications cause too many unwanted side-effects. What changes could be made?

[BigEvilTurtle]

I was diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and anxiety (not sure if generalized or social).

I have been taking Celexa 40mg for 8 months and Adderall 20mg XR for 2 months.

Celexa initially worked well—felt genuinely happy and anxiety mostly disappeared. Quickly—however—negative side-effects surfaced and continue to worsen to this day:
-More apathetic
-Reduced affect display and emotional response
-Difficulty feeling and discerning emotion
-Libido almost non-existent
-Little enjoyment in things I usually enjoy

I feel Celexa's negatives outweigh its positives. I like that it reduces anxiety, but it doesn't help with depression at all anymore(aside from decreasing rumination and self-defeat).

Introducing Adderall helps substantially with my attention, socializing, cognition, learning, and interest. However—toward the evening after an XR dose (usually 8 hours later)—the negative effects of Celexa previously listed worsen. Then the following day is marked by apathy and irritability. Symptoms improve after one day of no Adderall (and a break helps prevent tolerance). Taking Adderall also increases my heart rate, and I feel physically more nervous, despite anxious thoughts not being present. I would like to remain on Adderall, as the treatment for my ADHD has given me a substantial boost in confidence and learning, which has been invaluable and overshadows its negatives.

The ideal treatment plan would allow for a decreasing of depression/apathy, anxiety, and attention-deficiency. The current cocktail I'm on gives rise to too many counterproductive side-effects.

What should I do?

[mcostello45]

I would speak to your Dr about Lexapro. It is now Generic as well. If you respond well to Celexa then you might respond even better to Lexapro. Lexapro is a the next generation of Celexa. You can research it to better understand hard to explain in chemistry terms. The side effects of Lexapro tend to be less severe than Celexa also. The above answer that was left by Paxiled is all correct as well.  

[Paxiled]

I would only add that although Lexapro is pretty much the same as Celexa, just missing a few pieces so they could get a new patent, my own experience is that the side effects were different.  For me, Celexa was easier on me than Lexapro, but it works the other way around as well, and because they're essentially the same drug you can switch between them without much risk of withdrawal.

[Paxiled]

This is a discussion with your psychiatrist, of course, but Adderall, for all the good it's doing you, is speed, and that will exacerbate your anxiety.  I think what you need to do is, decide what the worst thing happening is -- the ADHD (and know that this diagnosis is very often wrong), the anxiety, or the depression.  You might be a candidate for a category of drugs I don't much like but might be a good compromise for you, which are the snris, which include Effexor, Pristiq, Cymbalta.  Because they target norepinephrine as well as serotonin they tend to be much more stimulating than ssris, but because of this can exacerbate anxiety unless it's caused by the depression.  Or you could consider combining wellbutrin, a very stimulating antidepressant, with the Celexa, in the hope it will eliminate the need for the Adderall and also get rid of your sexual side effects.  Good luck.