How long should I give straterra until I can determine if it is/isn't helpful. My current regiment is 40mg/3 days then 80mg/11day. After this two weeks the doc says I should be able to tell if it is helpful or not. Might it take longer? Maybe I am just in the SSRI mindset still (didn't that sucK).

It may take up to a month to see the full benefits of Strattera. Results will vary from person to person.

Strattera does take effect over a long period like SSRI meds do. I would say at least 4-6 weeks at the highest dosage you can tolerate would be considered a fair trial. If you're having bad side effects, I would see your doc sooner than that and try and get things straightened out.

Well its been 4 days now at 40 mg and today being the 5th I took my first dose of 80mg. I have had few side effects which is nice, and I seem like I have a little bit more energy. However today, coinciding with the doseage increase, I am sleepy just like I was the first and second days at 40mg.

I would agree with Andrew and exeter. Some people take 40mg in the moring and 40mg around 2-3pm. The longer your trial the better. Other people have reported the gradual effectiveness. The stop the med and realize how much it was really helping.

I noticed when I was taking 60mg in the morning (not taking AM dose of Adderall XR) I would get really sleepy around 3pm. I stopped taking Adderall for over 1 week. I started my AM dose again and I am not tired in the afternoon. I also noticed, without the Adderall, I was a zombie and didn't have any motiviation.

Good luck with your trial and keep us updated. I love hearing success stories. :)

Unfortunetly Strattera takes quite a while to work. I started off on 40mg in May after I had built up quite a tolerance to Adderall. The first week or two I didn't notice much at all. My doctor also told me to go ahead and supplement it with Adderall. I felt many of the normal side effects of tiredness, etc.. but luckily the Adderall offset that a little bit. I would only take 2.5-5 mg of Adderall once I woke up and that would usually be enough. After a month my dosage of Strattera was increased to 60mg and a month later to 80mg. During the second month I could slightly tell some changes but it wasn't until the third month that I could definitely tell a difference with the Strattera.

Its not a fast acting drug and it takes quite a while to build up in your system. I luckily had the Adderall so I could put up with the tired feeling the and the ineffectiveness feeling of the first month. I would say to stick with it for around 1 to 2 months to see if you notice any apparent changes. It would have been really hard for me to stick with it though for as long as I did without the Adderall.