Hey everyone,

I've been taking Stratterra for about 2 months now at 25 then 40mg and I think it has had great effects on my mood and concentration overall. Before this, I took adderall, concerta, and other ADD meds for a few years. I really like Stratterra. However, for ADD symptoms and sitting down and focusing I have always liked adderall better but not to take everyday. I'm not focused enough on it, I guess.

Today, my doctor wrote me a new script for Adderall but said she would not recommend that I NOT continue taking Stratterra along with it. I would like to take both, is there any way to find out about possible negative side effects? Is this just a judgement call? Do doctors generally say yes or no or neither? I'm sure she would fill the script for Stratterra for me if I can prove that its safe and effective to take both but I don't really know.

I also take Zoloft and Zyprexa at night for depression/anxiety/etc. if that matters at all.

Thanks!

This is a tricky question. Strattera is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibator and adderal is a stimulant. I think if I explained how each works you might see why the doctor said not to combine them.

Strattera: This a non-stimulant selective seratonin reuptake inhibator. Basicly how it works is by preventing your axon's reuptake channels from sucking up the neuro transmiter, serotonin, before it finishs crossing the neuro synapse to the neuro receptor. Now for English :D. Basiclly how it works is by stopping the vaccum cleaners from sucking up the chemical that is linked with ADD/ADHD before it can reach the finish line.

Adderall: This is a stimulant for the production of seratonin. It helps you by increasing your output of this chemical thus helping people who have a deficency of seratonin, a trait found in many ADD/ADHD people.

Combined: Now you have Seratonin coming out at above normal rates somewhat flooding your synnapse and the reuptake channels that would generally counter this flood have been disabled by Strattera. :(. So you have stimulated something and removed the control mechanism which is.....not good.

This is most likly why your doctor said NO to you taking both and frankly they are prolly right. If you are determined to try it htough then significantly lower your dossage of adderall. And don't quit taking Strattera unless your ready to stop taking it cause it requires a long build up to reach optimum efficency(2-6 weeks).

I'm assuming you mean norepinephrine instead of serotonin... and also, I thought that adderall potentiated dopamine release or dopamine and norepi... I could be wrong.

I am afraid to stop the Stratterra for the sake of my mood... but I don't want to take the adderrall (10mg XR) if its gonna give me a heart attack or something.

I've been reading other threads and it seems like people take both... :confused:

i did mean norep I get them mixed up. Which is funny cause we only know 2 of the neuro chemicals and I mess up on a 50/50 chance :p.

haha, i know three
NE, S and Dopamine

Anyway, should I just take the damn Adderall and see what happens?

10mg is a low dose for XR and 40mg is a fairly low dose of Strat. from what I understand although I am still unclear on the dosage scheme for Straterra.

So I would be on, Adderall 10mg XR, Strat. 40mg, Zoloft 50mg, and Zyprexa, 1.25mg a day. Any real doctors out there?

Have you told your doctor that you didn't take the Adderall every day but only on occasions when you needed to do paper work.....it sounds like the doctr thinks these meds together may be counter-productive. Pharamist are also good sources when it come to the chemical ways medications work and the whys they may not gel!!!

i've taken both...my heart beats fast. good concentration but it can't be good for the vascular system.

I'm on both and it's been great for me. Strattera @ 100 Mg/day for the last 3 years and this summer I added Adderall. I'm also on Paxil and Buspar. One effect of the Strattera is that I need alot less Adderall than I would otherwise, so that might be helpfull.

Just one guy's $.02