Strattera/Other Non-Stimulants Questions

[bethie44]

My new therapist suggested that a nonstimulant ADHD medication might be good for me. She could tell by talking to me that I've had a lot of trouble with ADHD symptoms for a long time, but I told her that I had a bad experience with Adderall and never want to be on a stimulant medication again.

Here are my questions:

1. We have a crappy fixed benefits insurance plan, and one of the thousands of exclusions is that it doesn't cover any ADHD treatment, so I need to know if there are any affordable nonstimulants for ADHD, brand name or generic.

2. It seems that most of the ADHD nonstimulants cause drowsiness as a side effect. Can they ever be taken in the evening. Do they build up in your system enough that they would still help during the day you if taken in the evening?

3. I do not have hyperactivity, but it seems from what I've read that nonstimulants are more helpful for people with hyperactivity. Is this true? I only have trouble with inattentiveness, forgetfulness, disorganization, etc., etc.

I will talk to my therapist about these things when I see her again, but I wanted others' input. Thanks!

[Abi]

Originally Posted by bethie44

My new therapist suggested that a nonstimulant ADHD medication might be good for me. She could tell by talking to me that I've had a lot of trouble with ADHD symptoms for a long time, but I told her that I had a bad experience with Adderall and never want to be on a stimulant medication again.

A lot of people tend to have a bad experience with Adderall. So first and foremost, I suggest you give another stim a try. Dexedrnie would probably be a good choice.

1. We have a crappy fixed benefits insurance plan, and one of the thousands of exclusions is that it doesn't cover any ADHD treatment, so I need to know if there are any affordable nonstimulants for ADHD, brand name or generic.

Wellbutrin [GSK brand bupropion] costs the equivalent of about... 60 dollars for a month's supply [300mg/day] or 90 for a month's supply [450mg/day]. Generic is not available in my part of the world, but they are in the U.S. Most generics are crap except Watson.

2. It seems that most of the ADHD nonstimulants cause drowsiness as a side effect. Can they ever be taken in the evening. Do they build up in your system enough that they would still help during the day you if taken in the evening?

Strattera can be taken at night and can be effective the next day.

Wellbutrin does not cause drowsiness, quite the opposite.

Tricyclics like Imipramine and Nortriptyline cause extreme drowsiness, amoung other side effects. I have no idea of their next day efficacy or overall efficacy.

Antipsychotics are sometimes used in the case of extremely hyperactive children. SInce you are neither a child nor hyperactive, this does not apply to you.

3. I do not have hyperactivity, but it seems from what I've read that nonstimulants are more helpful for people with hyperactivity. Is this true? I only have trouble with inattentiveness, forgetfulness, disorganization, etc., etc.

Totally wrong.

Medications that have a significant effect of Norepinephrine are most effective for ADHD-PI [ie. non hyperactive]. These include the non stims Strattera and Wellbutrin, and the stimulants Dexedrine and Adderall.

In conclusion, I suggest you give stims one more chance. Dexedrine/dextroamphetamine is arguably the best med for ADHD-PI, and is available as generic and therefore affordable. If Dex fails or if you REALLY don't want to do another stimulant, I suggest Wellbutrin as it is cheaper and available as generic as well. Strattera is expensive, not universally effective, and its US patent expires in 2017 or something like that.

Good luck

Edit: Just noticed that you are new. Welcome to ADDF.

[nanners]

I have experience with Strattera long term and have just begun using Wellbutrin as well (to treat fatigue, this is taken in the morning). Do you experience depression or anxiety due to your ADHD? I ask as although it is not the reason I began taking Strattera, that is basically what it ended up treating. I have posted in other threads as well that is has taken the edge off of my resulting anxiety due to my daily struggles with ADHD. It has helped me to be able to focus more on working on my issues, rather than being stuck in my head spinning wheels about how I can't do anything right, etc...

To answer your other question, my doctor suggested that I take it at night as it can cause drowsiness, which I do.

My insurance covers the Strattera. There was a short time a few years ago that I did not have insurance and it was very costly to fill my script.

Good Luck!

[bethie44]

Thanks, everyone! I actually have used Wellbutrin in the past and did fine on it. I took it for depression. While it wasn't effective enough by itself for my depression, it definitely improved my concentration. A month ago, I actually stopped taking my most recent antidepressant, Effexor XR, due to yet another exclusion on our insurance to not cover any behavior health costs (yeah, it's a crap plan). I didn't stop taking antidepressants altogether. I've finally learned my lesson in that area. I did my research on natural antidepressants and started taking SAM-e. I've been taking it for a month and have been quite pleased with it so far. I think I may see my doctor about getting back on (generic) Wellbutrin in combination with SAM-e. I know that SAM-e can be combined with other antidepressants, but only under doctor supervision to avoid serotonin syndrome.

[bethie44]

And no, I won't do stimulants anymore. Looking back, I was definitely addicted to, or at least extremely physically dependent on, the Adderall. It was a horrible experience.