I heard a local doctor speak at the local meeting of ADD resources. After the meeting I asked him how Strattera was working for his patients. He said he's found that it's helpful to add a stimulant along with the Strattera prescription. Anyone else heard this or is anyone else currently taking Strattera with a stimulant?

My doc actually tried it with me..but it was at my suggestion. I didn't like it. The stimulant I tried with Strattera was my old friend, Ritalin. My body just doesnt like Ritalin anymore. I took Strattera in the morning and ritalin in the afternoon. All the same side effects (that I have detailed at length in other posts in this forum) came back.

So, I'll just stick with Strattera, which seems to be working fine.

Roger: That's interesting....Strattera taken with a stimulant...I mean that sounds like it sort of defeats the purpose of taking Strattera in the first place...since Strattera is so known for its non stimulant properties...and then to take a stimulant with it...what was the doctor's rationale?

Also what are "ADD resources" meetings?

It's a support group/education resource for parents who have children with ADD. It was recommended by the counselor at our elementary school. They also have a group that meets for adults with ADD. They have monthly meetings with speakers or a taped presentation. There's a loaner library for media on ADD as well. Last night was our first meeting and we enthusiastically signed up to become members.

I have adderal to take with strattera and welbutrin but i have not taken the adderal much. I have tried small doses of adderal with the other two drugs, and that is fine, but the larger doses didnt work for me. I also reduced the straterra to 40 mg, which for me works better than the higher doses. My body is sensitive to drugs, so I do better on smaller doses for many scripts. My doctor told me recently that he does not see strattera as becoming the replacement drug they hoped. He sees it as filling a role of being an add-on drug for people taking other scripts for the ADD. I think the straterra does help. I feel better, more together, with the straterra. I still take the welbutrin too, which has always helped.

Anyway, life is good!!!

Take care

Jon

I had to cut my Adderal from 30 mg / day to 5 mg with the Strattera. Other wise all I get are jittery side effects and quessy stomach, like way too much cafine.

It keeps me from nodding off, but I am not always "awake enough" to do any productive work at all.

I am presently taking both Strattera at 40 mgs and Metadate CD at 20 mgs. I tried it, liked it and the doc approved it even though no studies have been done on it. I had to lower both of the original doses and cut them in half. But so far, so good, even though depending on how the perscritpion is written, it could cost a little bit money However, my doctor writes the perscitpion for 2 a day of each which is 60 pills, which will last 2 months.

Originally posted by joanrdtobe
That's interesting....Strattera taken with a stimulant...I mean that sounds like it sort of defeats the purpose of taking Strattera in the first place...since Strattera is so known for its non stimulant properties...and then to take a stimulant with it...what was the doctor's rationale?

It makes sense to me now that I've discovered that Strattera works on norepinephrine and stimulants work on dopamine. After surfing for the last hour, it seems many so-called experts think ADD/ADHD is caused more by lack of dopamine than the former. Others disagree of course.

It seems to me that Wellbutrin should work even better by itself than Straterra by it self, since Wellbutrin works by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

I guess Straterra would work better if you didn't need the extra serotonin?

I find that drugs make us more palitable to others, occaisionally to ourselves, and do NOTHING to address central issues of difference, disability, accomodation, learning, acknowledgement, acceptance, action, etc.

Life outcomes for those medicated through school and those not medicated through school are NOT DIFFERENT. Med's don't "help."(CHADD 2002 speaker.)

Meeting needs works. Not meeting needs fails. Those who get their needs met, whether on drugs or not, do better. Those who don't, whether on drugs or not, do worse.

Drugs have, on occasion, given me different experience, from which I have learned, and which have informed, changed, my reactions to my world.

They are always debilitating if effective, and stopping th edrugs for "real" life has always been requried, in my personal experieince.

Those whom I have observed on drugs, professionals in the field and in other fields, are more paliable, but no more EFFECTIVE.

They continue to be plagued by the exact same behaviors and behavior's impacts as before, albeit in a greatly more palitable form. The bottom line is continued struggle with attending to things outside one's focus, either too much or to little, or both, a failure to be productive... classic under acheivement.

People on drugs who are clearly successful, were clearly successful BEFORE what ever drug they are currently on and praising. They misattribute their current success to their current drug.

These rampant and common errors in analysis push all my buttons. (I'm not drugged currently) On Strattera I would be "able" to "choose" to let this pass me by. Nice for those around me not getting their boats ricked, but really, in terms of "progress" for the world, a non-participating position to take and hold... non-contributing, and ultimately, unhelpful.

Originally posted by InattentiveType


I guess Straterra would work better if you didn't need the extra serotonin?


True....but don't we all need the extra serotonin since the serotonin (in SSRI'S) seems to help with depression....and who of us with ADD has not at some point struggled with depression as a comorbidity......

Clinical depression and episodic depression are fundamentally different in cause and treatment. So, no, not every ADHDer needs an anti-depressant. IMHO

Originally posted by Wheel1975
not every ADHDer needs an anti-depressant. IMHO
I agree. However, I've never had clinical depression, but I do take an anti-depressant for ADD, and it helps without question. The name "anti-depressant" is not accurate; it is not "depression medicine". It's medicine for symptoms caused by relatively low levels of dopamine/epinephrine/seratonin, including depression, ADD/ ADHD or anxiety or whatever IMHO.

Originally posted by Wheel1975
So, no, not every ADHDer needs an anti-depressant. IMHO


Please read my post again Wheel1975. I didn't claim every ADD'er needs an anti-depressant. (and I wouldn't as who am I to make such a claim?). I was talking about low serotonin levels....which anti-depressants address....and most of us have low serotonin levels at some point....IMHO:)

tiggwin,
I do take an anti-depressant for ADD, and it helps without question.
Could you please elaborate? Which anti-depressant are you taking for ADD and how exactly has it helped you?

Thanks!

Joan, My name is David.

You said:"True....but don't we all need the extra serotonin since the serotonin (in SSRI'S) seems to help with depression....and who of us with ADD has not at some point struggled with depression as a comorbidity......

__________________
Joan

Which includes the words "don't we all need" to which I responded without attitude:Clinical depression and episodic depression are fundamentally different in cause and treatment. So, no, not every ADHDer needs an anti-depressant. IMHO

__________________
Wheel1975@netscape.net

indicating that MY opinion was that "not all of us" need SSRI's.

Don't take an attitude with me when I've offered none, and don't mis-quote yourself and me in a single escallating post, an expect me to follow allong with the social response... I'm personally a bit fact based, and biased. It's what I am.

Good luck in your personal walk, and your search. See you later, David

The Wheel was a nick name pinned on me at school, because I rode a unicycle around campus... FYI (For your interest)

Fundamentally, drugs are the wrong avenue to use to get to our goal.

They may be our best surrent option. But they are fundamentally flawed. The evidence describes a wiring problem, and not a neurotransmitter problem. this is completely like hurting your foot, favoring it, and throwing your back out in the process. There's nothing about hurting your foot that throws your back out. But what you do ABOUT your foot, acn throw out your back.

Our brains do what they can to overcome wiring problems (developmental issues) with particular and variable transmitter levels. When we push back on the levels with drugs, some difference might be noiced, but like antihistamine for an allergic reaction, not stimulating the alergic reaction is better than frustrating it.

Ultimately, on/off drugs will not be the answer to ADHD difficulties, unless simple submission and docileness is all that is required of the "solution." IMHO. David

Originally posted by Wheel1975
Joan, My name is David.



The Wheel was a nick name pinned on me at school, because I rode a unicycle around campus... FYI (For your interest)


Nice to meet you David. Great name!! I love it.....thanks for the PM...Unicycle????????????? Oh I hope you never fell:) Have a great night.....

I would enjoy seeing any data discussing this issue. Russle Barkley has found opver years and years of long term evaluation and stufy that behaviour mod etc alone without medication is of little use. Medication has been found to be the biggest key in long term change and progress. I myself was in a behaviour modification non profit organization and worked diligently, I was at meeting, i didnt pick up medications, I refused, I I was in group, I was in singular therapys etc all for about 15 years. I made very little progress and was completely depressed and hating me. When I finally got diagnosed and accepted meds, the ability to put into every day practice the very things I had been working on for 15 years at that time, was second nature. It didnt require sweat and tears and grinding of teeth. I suddenly was able to relate to the rest of the world for the first time in 34 years. I am almost 39 and I cant imagine going back to living that Hellish maze called life again. I enjoy life today.

Well now that's a positive testimonial if I ever heard one:) Thanks Crissy for sharing that. "I enjoy life today".....Hmmm, how many people on this planet can honestly say that???

You're 39?? Holy moly....your picture sure doesn't look it....

Originally posted by InattentiveType
Could you please elaborate? Which anti-depressant are you taking for ADD and how exactly has it helped you?
Gladly. I have been taking Strattera for about 3 weeks with definite positive results and some negative ones. I'll cover the positives first. It has done wonders for my ability to focus while surrounded by distraction. It's almost like having blinders on. I rarely have to reread sentences. In another post, I mentioned how it is actually challenging to daydream randomly. I find my mind drifts back to what's in front of me.

However, that focus can hinder. If someone drops by my office with a "quick question", whew, it's tough to REfocus on them!
I almost feel haze descending (not quite purple) on me for a moment .

It really doesn't help my short term memory or my mind process multiple thoughts in an organize fasion or "preplan" what to say next. (I'm an Inattentive type, like you, but with a bit of verbal impulsivity.)

And the side-effects: I'll only mention the ones that still linger....Trouble staying asleep. I fall asleep fairly quickly, but I now wake up every night for at least a half hour, and sleep quality may suffer as well. Here's the possible deal-breaker: My boys down-under ache. Yup, like I was hit there a hours ago. It's not a sharp pain but a dull feeling. It's just annoying, not exactly painful, unless I sit for a while. Libido is fine and I have no sexual side effects.

By "deal breaker", i mean I plan to ask the doctor to lower the dose to see if that gets rid of the ache. If it doesn't I'll have to drop it. I'll try stimulants to see how that compares, because I've already done the Wellbutrin thing with only moderate success.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for mentioning an INCREASED inablity to refocus, a blinders on quality, and sleep disturbance. Physical sexual side effects, like pain, would have to be "distracting" to youngsters wouldn't you think?

And what adolesent is going to mention "sexual side effects" to ANYONE? None I have ever been or known!

I think this drug is going to prove more useful on an intermittant basis than as a "chronic" drug.

The issue with brain chemicvals and drug theraspy is finding the correct meds for the correct issue. Many of our diagnosis are either incorrect, half done or non existant. This is a new feild for us and as such will take immense amounts of time to perfect. Annoyance and responses of exasperation are normal though not condusive to getting where we need to go. It's hard that we are at the beginning stages of this, and that we are the trial and error with hypothosis as best as possible in place. When I was on the wrong meds for the wrong disorder, I had side effects. Thankfully a good mixture has been found, with no side effects that I have noticed. Sleep disturbances are part of my NON medicated life. I have chronic insomnia. I also have issue with breathing during sleep, I wear a prophalictic night guard which enabled me to have the first rested night in years. Since, it throws my jaw out of whack breifly, should I lose the use of this sleep and oxygen because it is imperfect when I have no other VIABLE subsitution that has the same success rate? Key word being Viable. Say what you will , yes we are in the stone age of this, but if it was't for the cromagnum man there would be no homo erectus.

Sexual disturbances were normal for the meds I was on for the wrong diagnosis, though the are definately noit an issue now.

Refocusing.........well focusing in general is what i am grateful for now. f I refocus I concider my butt lucky. I actually have very little issue with it except that its boring.

This thread is now closed.

For those of you who would like to debate the use of medication please do so in another thread. The purpose of this thread was to discuss the use of Strattera and Stimulant medications.