Hello all;

I wanted to start a poll to see what people have experienced with regards to medications maintaining their effectiveness.

I have been on Strattera for a while, and it basically stopped working for me at the dose I was at (35mg). It works at the next highest dose (40mg), but I can't seem to tolerate the side effects at that dosage (basically I turn into a depressed zombie who can't get out of bed).

This has been devastating for me because it was working a virtual miracle in my life, and I haven't been able to find anything remotely as effective yet (the stimulants really don't seem to agree with me at all).

Please share your experiences.
Best wishes.

I have been on Adderall for several years now once I found the correct dose and right pattern it worked great.... I don't even "feel it" any more but other people notice when it wears off!!!

Ditto to meadd's post!

Hi

Thanks for your input.

I'm glad the Adderall has worked so well for both of you!

I am in the process of trying to find something to replace the Strattera. I've read that quite a number of people have had this experience of Strattera 'pooping out' (as per the guy on crazymeds.org).

I'm thinking of trying Provigil (Alertec here in Canada) if my doctor will prescribe it for me.:rolleyes:

I'm also wondering if Reboxetine is available here in Canada. Does anyone know? Has anyone tried it recently?

Are there any other medications that specifically target Norepinephrine? As Strattera worked so well for me, I think trying meds that act on norepinephrine will be the best place to start.

Man...... I am soooo upset about this whole thing! Just when I thought my life was finally going to be okay, this happens (I've been on different meds for 13 years - since I was 16 - misdiagnosed of course). I'm falling behind in my work, and if I don't find something fairly quickly, I may lose this year in my graduate program. I'm devastated.:(

I was on Zoloft for a while and it pooped out on me after quitting it for a few weeks then restarting it. I switched to Lexapro and everything has been good since. It might not be as easy to find an alternate to Strattera if you can't take stimulants.

I'm starting on Wellbutrin (in addition to Strattera) tomorrow.

We'll see how it goes (fingers crossed ;)

From crazymeds.org...

"Interesting Stuff Your Doctor Probably Won't Tell You: You can't mix Strattera (atomoxetine HCl) and Wellbutrin (http://www.crazymeds.org/wellbutrin.html) (bupropion) because they don't play well together in your brain. They both want to grab the same precursors to activate the reuptake inhibition of norepinephrine, and as both work on norepinephrine mixing the two probably isn't such a hot idea in the first place. The details on this haven't been published anywhere that I've yet found, but there is a warning on Medline about mixing the two (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a603013.html). "

Hi ADHDDeeJay;

Thanks for the tip.

I have read what the folks on 'crazymeds' have said about this combination. The thing is, I haven't found anywhere else that says that taking Wellbutrin with Strattera is contraindicated.

I know the 'crazymeds' guy says there's a warning about it on the Medline website.

However, when I read through that information, all it says is that if you are planning on taking Strattera, you should inform your doctor if you are taking Wellbutrin (along with a whole list of other meds - including Zoloft, which I have been taking with the Strattera since the beginning). I wouldn't exactly call this a warning.

There is nothing mentioned on the product monograph about Strattera and Wellbutrin being contraindicated. MAOI's are definitely contraindicated - but nothing about Bupropion.

My doctor didn't seem to think there was a problem with it (and chances are he knows more about the mechanisms of these two drugs than the crazymeds guy), and my pharmacist said they work slightly differently on norepinephrine, so there shouldn't be a problem.

Also, I've read of a number of people on both medications for whom the combination works well.

I like the crazymeds site, and I think it provides a lot of good information, but I will trust my doctor and my pharmacist over the website in this case.