My son has been on Strattera since age 5....he is now 9 (25mg. now the dose was 40mg at the highest before Prozac).

He is a MX racer (as you can see at the bottom); have any of you experienced negative responses to athletic events under tx.?

Did it decrease focus? Did it make you too relaxed and not competitive enough? Too laid back or lack of risk taking?

I ask because another boy in MX was not on Strattera last year and was on it during this past school year with positive results. When he started to race again this spring he and his parents noticed he had lost his competitive edge.

His doctor agreed to stop the med for the summer/ racing season. Now he is back to original aggressive racing style.

I'm not saying I want my son to race like a crazy kid and be wild; I want to provide him with the best opportunity to accomplish the goals he has set with MX. When he is riding he is very calm and focused regardless....the movement and motor stimulation gives him the sensory stimulation needed to focus. At home he is hyper-moody-distracted; take your pick, he cycles thru all several times daily.

Anyone?

I'm thinking about dropping the Strattera and see what happens. He also takes Adderall XR and liquid Prozac (anxiety).
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Strattera did nothing good for my nephew. IT was useless for him. However, some parents give their kids a med holiday.

I myself don't recommend it as it's harder to get them back into the routine of taking meds again in the fall. Tried that with my daughter,..results were horrible.

I guess, I would in your case write down the positives and the negatives and look at it from all angles. Do you like him better on meds (attitude, excitability), or not?

Make sure you talk it over with his doctor, too, before giving him a med holiday.

JMO.. hope it helps!

Strattera would have some overlap in action with another NARI called reboxetine. Anyway I have read that reboxtine had some postive effects that
may aid sports.

1: Neurology. 2004 Jun 8;62(11):2124-6.
Links
Improved motor skill acquisition after selective stimulation of central norepinephrine.
Plewnia C, Hoppe J, Cohen LG, Gerloff C.

Cortical Physiology Research Group, Department of General Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany.

It has been proposed that the beneficial effects of training on motor function can be enhanced by stimulation of alpha-adrenergic mechanisms. Consistent with this view, a single oral dose of the selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor reboxetine was found to enhance motor skill acquisition (rapid elbow flexion) and corticomotor excitability tested with transcranial magnetic stimulation in the absence of effects on basal motor performance. Therefore, alpha-adrenergic mechanisms could possibly be manipulated to magnify training effects in neurorehabilitation.

PMID: 15184632 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


1: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001 Sep;157(2):202-7.
Links
The effects of reboxetine on autonomic and cognitive functions in healthy volunteers.
Siepmann M, Mück-Weymann M, Joraschky P, Kirch W.

Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Technical University, Dresden, Germany. martin.siepmann@mailbox.tu-dresden.de

RATIONALE: Though reboxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, causes autonomic and cognitive adverse events there is a paucity of appropriately designed studies on the cognitive and autonomic effects of the drug in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of reboxetine on cognitive and autonomic functions with those of placebo in healthy humans. METHOD: A randomised, double-blind, crossover study of 12 healthy male volunteers aged 25 (21-27; median, range) years. Subjects orally received 4 mg reboxetine and placebo twice daily for periods of 14 days each with at least 14 days in between. Vasoconstrictory response of cutaneous vessels (VR) and skin conductance response (SCR) following sudden deep breath were employed as parameters for autonomic function. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) and psychometric tests served as parameters for cognitive function. RESULTS: Reboxetine decreased SCR and prolonged the dilation phase of VR (P<0.05). It did not affect cognitive functions such as flicker fusion frequency, choice reaction, memory and psychomotor coordination but increased slow beta (beta1) power density in the qEEG. Tiredness (n=12), dry mouth (n=9), delayed urination (n=3) and constipation (n=1) were noted with reboxetine. CONCLUSION: Sustained peripheral and/or central sympathetic activation accounts for the prolongation of VR. The decrease of SCR and typical side effects suggest a relevant antimuscarinic drug action. Chronic administration of reboxetine at therapeutic doses causes autonomic dysfunction and subjective sedation but does not impair cognitive and psychomotor abilities in healthy humans.

PMID: 11594447 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hey all
first of all i want to thank you for the superb topic since it's a very important topic for young athletes and for people who adore working out like me ... well i am still on concerta a psychostimulant ... i try always to workout before taking meds cos im afraid of increase heart rate and pulsatility ... one of the main reasons im considering seeing my psych asap is to swtich to strattera it might impact down the stimulants effect ...
if any have a posittive or negative experience would be great to share it
thanks guys

Just returned from my son's med check w/ Child Psychiatrist. She is wonderful...by the way!!!:)

We discussed all of our concerns, especially the Strattera piece.

She wants us to:
-increase the Adderall and/or feel free to give it at varying times
-he will still get 25mgXR is a.m.& move the noon dose of 2.5mgIR to 10:30 a.m. (just before recess where social interactions are difficult) & add 5mgIR at 3p.m.
-she is allowing us the flexibility to change the time of dosing in regards to his racing schedule; as long as we never give it closer than 4 hours apart and not close to bed time
-keeping the Strattera the same for now; only change one thing at a time and go from there

We meet again in 3 weeks.

glad to hear the news :)
good luck