Strattera questions…It worked, now it doesn’t! What’s the deal?

[huntman]

I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in first grade. I went through the entire test over and over throughout my whole life. Tested with an especially high IQ as well. I was put on Ritalin for eight years. I was dosed once in the AM and once in the PM.
I moved over to Adderall for about half a year, but quit do to panic attacks brought on because I had no work to do. Medication free for five years, I did well in school with no issues. School wasn’t that demanding so I didn’t need the medication. Things suffered at home during those five years.
I graduated and went on to college. The summer prior to my first semester I went back to the psychiatrist and asked to be put on medication. (I knew the work demand would be hard). He put me on Strattera. First six months the dosage 80mg a day. Great results!! Focused and impulse was controlled the majority of the day. Bad side effects, the sleeplessness was treated with Remeron. (also diagnosed with insomnia as a child) The physical side effects and sleeplessness were terrible but manageable. First semester of college I took eighteen hours and scored a 3.75. I was very pleased! I was also calmer towards peers. Handing writing improved also.
Now it is second semester, on 120mg of Strattera a day. Side effects are virtually gone. The impulse control stays through out the day but not the same intensity as before. Focus seems to last for only about five hours after one hour of initial ingestion of does. Even then the focus intensity seems to be significantly weaker. The doctor prescribed this with Adderall XR dosed at my discretion in-conjunction with the Strattera. I have been taking 30mg of Adderall XR in the AM with 120mg of Strattera. Then another 20mg does at about 2pm. Still the quality of focus is not the same as last semester. Wondering if any one else has had this kind issue with this medication. Also any advice on what I should ask about. Cylert has been mentioned as well as Wellbutrin. I don’t particularly like taking Adderall XR or Concerta do to the crash I get when I come off of it. But willing to cope if it gets me results.

Thanks!

[rogerj1]

We've had a dropoff in benefits for both myself and my son. The focus has stayed good for me yet the energy boost has fallen off. I'm taking 50 mg of provigil to help out.

[healthwiz]

I took Straterra too, and found the results spectacular at first, nothing short of miraculous in fact. However, after a few short months, that dropped off significantly, and after about a year, it dropped so significantly that I stopped taking it, and the net result of stopping was non-noticeable.

the problem is that are metabolisms adjust to these changes in brain chem and do things to bring it back to whatever our bodies believe is "normal".

My dr told me that 6 weeks off any drug allows the brain to bounce back to its normal state. That is wht I am doing now, taking a 6 week break, to see if I even will go back to medicine, or if when I go back I can get the kind of result I initially got. I think Straterra is great, but fails in the long term ability to help. Hopefully this will lead to new research to find something that lasts.

Jon

[Gregster]

Anti-depressants often lose effectiveness over time in some people. Dr's put them into "rotation". I'd imagine he'd use other drugs that work on Norepinepherine - Wellbutrin, Effexor, Remeron, Serzone - when the Strattera starts to poop out and increasing the dosage doesn't help.
Stimulants don't do this (although I'd guess your brain does get used to them?)