Dear all,

I have tried Strattera but it doesn't help. My doctor doesn't give me stimulant because he fears if I would abuse it.

Then, any other medications can help with my ADHD? How about the drugs for manic-depression, like lithium?

Hi there!

There are no medications that "cure" ADD, but as far as non stimulent treatments go here are a few:

Sometimes the atypical stimulating anti depressants Wellbutrin (generic name buproprion) or Effexor are used to treat ADHD. Some of the older antidepressants can also used if other first line options aren't available like Norpramin (generic name desipramine), Pamelor (generic name nortriptyline), and Tofranil (generic name imipramine). These are all from Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey. Other possibilities are also mentioned.

I believe the the new Ritalin patch is out -- perhaps your doctor might be more comfortable with a stimulent delivered in that manner.

Some of the mood stabilizers are effective in stabilizing ADD moods but they have pretty severe side effects and probably wouldn't be your first choice unless bipolar issues are also present. I hope you find a medication that is effective for you.

Take care,
Scattered

PS: You can probably find some articles about medication at www.schwablearning.com (http://www.schwablearning.com/).

I am not pushing anything on you but I am a recovering addict and have a bit of a manic depression issue and I have to say that dexedrine is what has helped stabilize the adhd part of my illness and helped with behaviors that accelerate the process of relapse of both the bipolar issue and substance abuse... I am a hyperactive one and don't get any high off of any stimulants but i have to say that stimulants are the first line treatment of adhd and maybe you should look into the possibility of finding a new one...

Here's the thing, stimulant drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall are the first-line treatments for ADD and have been for more than half a century. Strattera is a recent introduction and is also considered a first-line medication for many people.

What I mean by first-line medication is that it's a medication that you would turn to first after a diagnosis, because it has been continually shown to offer safe, effective treatment for the majority of the people who use it. Only if first-line medications don't work or have negative health effects would someone turn to second or third-line treatments such as Wellbutrin, Effexor, or tricyclic antideressants.

The reason why these medications are considered second, third, or fourth options is because they are less likely to help, and are also more likely to have negative side-effects. For your doctor to go to these drugs without even trying you on a stimulant is borderline malpractice. Furthermore, if Strattera wasn't helpful, it is highly unlikely that any of those others would help, since they all work in a somewhat similar fashion. If there were some reason why you couldn't take stimulants, such as a serious cardiovascular condition, then it might make sense for your doc to take this route, but otherwise it's just ignorant. Furthermore, he can do what most doctors do even in patients where there's no risk of substance abuse: give you a week or ten day or whatever prescription of a low dose, have you try it out and see if it helps, and then meet with him the next week. When I started on Adderall, my doc wrote out a prescription for 2 weeks, taking 5mg the first week just to be safe, and 10mg the second week if there weren't any problems the first week. He did this mostly out of a safety concern, to make sure there weren't any nasty side-effects (my previous doc was like yours, and refused to prescribe stimulants to college kids, gave me Wellbutrin, and I almost died, so he had reason to worry about my safety), and also because he didn't want me to pay for a full months prescription if it didn't work or if we needed to increase the dose. However, this would also be a good way for a doctor to deal with a patient if they believe that the patient might try to abuse the medication.