My 9 yr old son was diagnosed with ADHD during the previous school year. I had heard great things about Strattera, so when the doctor prescribed adderall I asked about Strattera instead. He told me there were various drugs out there and if I wanted Strattera then that was fine. When we filled the prescription, the pharmacist explained that Strattera was not covered, but told me that adderall was. I went ahead and paid for the Strattera out of my own pocket, because I had heard such great things about it and a few bad about adderall. My son finished his prescription about the same time that school let out and his father wasn't too keen on the idea of medicating him anyway, so I didn't go to the doctor for me. School started about two weeks ago and we're already have issues with focusing, keeping on task, etc. So we went back to the doctor today and he prescribed Adderall for him, since the Strattera was not covered. I didn't look at the prescription until we had left the doctor's office and saw that he started him out on 5mg daily and he was on 10mg daily with the Strattera. So I'm guessing the adderall is more potent, but now I'm worrying about if I did the right thing by switching over. He starts it tomorrow, so I guess time will tell.

Different types of drugs.

Adderall (amphetamine) is a stimulant - just like Caffeine, Ephedrine, Cocaine, etc.
It works great for some people.

Strattera (Atomoxetine) is an NRI (Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) just like Wellbutrin. It is, for better or worse, classified as an anti-depressant. It works great for some people.

What you need to understand is that these drugs affect chemical imbalances. Those chemicals happen to be the neurotransmitters in the brain - stuff like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, etc. The drugs balance those chemicals.

It's much like a diabetic - they have a chemical imbalance and they need insulin right? We have a chemical imbalance and need a neurotransmitter (i.e. dopamine, serotonin, etc.)

5 mgs is a great starter dose for adderall. Then, the doc will titrate (gradually increase dose & helps to decrease side effects) up to find the optimal dose for your son.