I am currently taking 150mg Effexor XR (morning), 750mg Depakote (evening), and 4 20mg tablets of Adderall (spread evenly throughout the day) per day. I just recently saw my doctor and he prescribed me Strattera and said to taper off Adderall one pill per day. Isn’t this a lot of Adderall to taper down on? Or, will the Strattera help resist the temptation of taking the reduced pill per day and with the tiredness and depression associated with withdrawal? I’m confused. I haven’t taken my Strattera yet because I want more information before I do. I took Strattera once and it worked like a stimulant in that if I took it at night, it would keep me up at night. This is the only reason I can think of that he might be suggesting tapering down one pill at a time per day [because since it seems like a stimulant to the body, it’ll kill the urge to take more Adderall]. Is this true? Has anyone had any experience with tapering down on Adderall with Strattera? The whole idea is that the stimulants have failed to control my ADD and I actually am comorbid for major depressive disorder, bipolar, and adhd. PLEASE HELP

in other words, he wants you off it in 4 days? in the prescribing information that comes with the med, mine says it must be tapered over several weeks or months. 4 days seems way too quick?

Adderall has a fairly short half-life, meaning it leaves the system every night. Technically speaking, you are "withdrawing" every night that you allow it to wear off. There should be no physical withdrawal involved in cessation of stimulant use at therapeutic dosages, possibly you may have some emotional withdrawal (ie: missing the sensation of clarity the Adderall gave you) until the Strattera gets to its proper blood levels--I believe this is a slower process compared to the instant effects felt from stimulant medications.

So no, it is not a lot of Adderall to taper off of.