well i just tryed stratera and i cant take that along with everything else because my sensitivity to stimmulants even though stratera does not have any stimulants it caused heart palpitations with me.my doctor does not have to many other choises partly because of the cost of meds and my hmo can be costly for some meds.i guess i will wait for some new meds to come out and hopefully they are affordibale.

You're the 3rd or 4th person to mention Strattera and high blood pressure/heart palpitations.

Hrmmm.

You need a solution that works. Perhaps you have a vision problem. Did you ever have a comprehensive vision exam? This is different than a test for visual acuity (the eyechart test). It takes about an hour and is covered by most insurance. My son had an undetected vision problem for ten years of his life.



If you have a vision problem, I am here to tell you that there are clinical studies that proove that Vision Therapy can help you. Please go to google.com and type: Parents Active for Vision Education" You will see that the symptoms of a vision problem are nearly the same as those for the ADHD label. Here is an excerpt:



PHYSICAL CLUES Red, sore, or itching eyes
Jerky eye movements, one eye turns in or out
Squinting, eye rubbing, or excessive blinking
Blurred or double vision
Headaches, dizziness, or nausea after reading
Head tilting, closing or blocking one eye when reading


PERFORMANCE CLUES Avoidance of near work
Frequent loss of place
Omits, inserts, or rereads letters/words
Confuses similar looking words
Failure to recognize the same word in the next sentence


SECONDARY SYMPTOMS Smart in everything but school
Low self-esteem, poor self image
Temper flare-ups, aggressiveness
Frequent crying
Short attention span
Irritability
Day dreaming


LABELED Lazy
Dyslexic
Attention deficit disorder
Slow learner
Behavioral problem
Juvenile delinquent
Working below potential
If you or your child experiences any of the above, P.A.V.E.® recommends a learning related vision examination by a behavioral optometrist. Please see http://www.pavevision.org/

I make no profit from the Vision Therapy Industry. I am a parent whose child had undetected vision issues for most of his life. I am reaching out to help others.

vision therapy does work. A friend of mine had her daughter go through it. She does so much better in school now. Her vision has always been 20/20, so it has nothing to do with that. Just the way your vision/brain work or don't work together.

By all means parents and adults with attentional issues should get a thorough eye exam. I am somebody who has above average visions but my eyes don't focus correctly. While getting eye glasses did help with reading I still have AD/HD.

If you cannot take amphetamines, methylphenidates, or strattera, there are still a few non-traditional options.

Wellbutrin is sometimes used for add, but its method of action is very similar to strattera, so I doubt that it would help you.

Pemoline, also known as Cylert, might be an option. I don't know much about it other than the fact that it isn't prescribed very often due to possible liver problems.

Finally, there is Modafinil, which is an odd type of drug. It was originally designed for narcoleptics, but also may help some people with add. It's not a normal adrenergic/dopaminergic stimulant like the others, but rather works on histamine receptors. Histamine is a chemical which is responsible in the brain for wakefulness, which is why many anti-histamines make good sleep-aids. By working directly on histamine alone, Modafinil can keep someone awake and alert without having a direct simulating effect. However, it remains uncertain whether it is very effective with add. I've never tried it myself, but I've heard both good things and bad things, but the bad things were rarely worse than simply "didn't help, didn't hurt."

While a vision test couldn't hurt, there are a lot more issues involved in add than just vision. It is possible that you could have some sort of visual problem, but most add symptoms are completely unrelated to vision at all. For instance, while bad vision would explain why a kid can't copy something from the blackboard in class, it doesn't do anything to explain why he can't listen to the teacher or why he jumps up and down in his seat.

I'm very sensitive to stimulant too so my doctor prescribed me a beta-blocker to control the effects on the heart. It's work well with dexedrine.