The biggest problem with Strattera's success is that most people compare its action to that of stimulant medications. My personal experience is that Strattera is much better than Stimulant medications because it lasts 24/7 and if you are a professional with a family like myself, you need something that does not wear off in the evening.

What I have found is that Lilly has marketed Strattera as taking allot less time to reach full efficacy than it really takes. I believe that the reason for this is that because of the prevalence of its comparison to stimulants which take effect immediately. And, people are impatient by nature and because of this, stimulants appeal to allot of people, especially parents that are trying to control their children.

Also, since stimulants wear off every day, one rebounds to their ADHD symptoms every day, so it is quite easy to tell that the medication is working. Strattera really takes months to work and often requires doses much higher than what the FDA has approved. So, most people give up on it. If however you have taken antidepressants, which I have, then you know that it takes a long time for some medications to take full effect.

Since it takes so long to take effect, one often wonders it the medication is working atall. It is something like the frog analogy where, if you throw a frog into boiling water it will jump out immediately, but if you gradually crank up the heat over time the frog will not notice and boil to death. That is to say that it is easy to forget what our baseline ADHD symptoms were like. And, often people think that it is not working when it is. Whereas with stimulants you can actually feel them kick in and wear off.

Personally, it took about 10 months for me to get to my optimal Strattera dose of 160mg/day. It was a frustrating experience but patience paid off. With Strattera I take it every day and it is af I don't have ADHD, the symptoms are gone 24/7. All of the nasty side effects have disappeared as well.

The truth is that if Lilly marked the drug for what it actually is most people would not even try it because of the required time, cost and side effect investment. Most people would opt immediately for the stimulants like I first did. Lilly wants to make money like all companies so they tell you that it takes less (so that the side effects are minimized) and it takes less time.

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hi psychomom.....i never heard anybody else talk about the hot flushes, maybe it's not being peri-menopause after all? have you tried yoga? i never thought i could ever sit in one place for so long and do 'quiet mind'. now i say, yoga has changed my life. i still take strattera along w/ paxil, but it's the yoga that has really calmed me.

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TheDopaminekid said: Just started strattera yesterday. 1st four pills 25mg. next 24 days 40mg. goal is around 80mg. strattera apparently is good for add vs ad/hd. as explained by a neurologist/psychiatrist. Paul look forward to more focus

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megadanny54 said:

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TheDopaminekid said: Just started strattera yesterday. 1st four pills 25mg. next 24 days 40mg. goal is around 80mg. strattera apparently is good for add vs ad/hd. as explained by a neurologist/psychiatrist. Paul look forward to more focus

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your awsome also ask about paxil for ihave been takeing for about three or four months now my ot come hasbeen good also ihave been taking Strattera an im takeing 10 mg of paxil an 40mg of strattera help me focus an stay calm also .

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whoever said it makes you very sleepy, I had the same thing. The medication helped me focus but put me completely out in the afternoon. My doctor told me that was an indication to up the dosage, which we did, and I am doing much better.

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I have been on Strattera for about 5 weeks. I understand the sleepiness issue, though I though it was just because I don't sleep well. I also have had some stomach pains, but was unsure if it was because of the Strattera or because of stomach issues. Does anyone else get headaches? My psychiatric NP and my internist have taken me off of Adderall XR, so Strattera is my only option at this point, since it is not a stimulant. I do feel focused and able to function fairly well. My counselor has told me that she see a big difference, since I've been on the Strattera. I hope it works in the long run and the side effects go away soon.

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zonneschijn said: Are any of the adults here taking Strattera? My doctor just prescribed it to me and I'm not feeling too good about taking it. I'm 33. Does it have a better effect on adults than kids?

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I had read a lot on strattera (not this site though!) and when I had my first visit with my Psychiatrist yesterday, I asked him about it; he said he hasn't seen very good results with it and wouldn't even prescribe it to me without trying the other things first.

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Has anyone else experienced problems getting their meds through Express Script (mail order)? My child has been taking generic Ritalin for a few years. Express Scripts always lose the scripts. Every May we have major problems trying to get meds. Thank you.

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my daughter (9 years old) is on strattera. she was on concerta for about 8 months and it was causing her to have severe tantrums almost every evening. i was scared to say anything that might upset her because i knew it would set off a tantrum, and it didnt take much either. they would last about an hour. once i realized the connection to the concerta i took her off them immediately and requested another visit to the ped who diagnosed her and started her on concerta. while waiting for an appt i did lots of reading and had an occupational therapist so a sensory profile on her. we learned that she is naturally over stimulated. when i went to the ped he suggested the strattera and i said i was actually going to request it because of the fact that it is not a stimulant. she has been on it for about 3 months and hasnt had any tantrums while on it. im not sure yet if its helping, if so its very subtle. i will have a better idea once she goes back to school. so far we like it though.

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HI - great posting and info all, thanks! I have taken both in the past, but not together, I feel I need to get back on track and want to start taking them again, I am not currently in Dr. care but have plenty of both left, have not been on either for about 6 months or more. I'm struggling with issues at work and I think that it is both depression and ADD related, in the past I was not sure if I was ADD or not, but I think it's some of both. I get to that denial stage now and again and just go off of anti-depression meds and find out that I should just stay on.

With regard to Strattera - I feel like I've taken a huge hit of caffiene when I take them in the a.m. - my nose gets numb inside and I feel like I'm on speed, this dissappates in about an hour - should I take at night then? That is if I could sleep...

Thanks in advance for your help!

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My son (8) has what Dr. Amen describes as the Type 3, Overfocused ADD and has been on Strattera for 2 years. We saw relatively quick results the first year, with significant improvements in negativity, focus, organizational skills, etc. However, there were side effects: nausea, sleepiness, and sometimes quick to cry. He took a medication vacation over the summer and we discussed this with his doctor and decided to try another year as stimulants aren't an option for him (family history of tic's).

This year is a whole different story! We're seeing all the improvements and none of the side effects. The only differences from last year is perhaps his body is used to it this year, and especially since he's grown, and his dosage hasn't changed, the dosage to weight ratio is more appropriate.

My advice to those struggling with Strattera but don't want to quit for whatever reason:

-Make sure you are taking the right dosage. Some of you are taking very high amounts, which may be appropriate, but may not be. My son is 4'9", 72 pounds, and takes 18mg once in the morning.

-Read "Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD" by Dr. Daniel G. Amen. He is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist and specializes in brain imaging studies, for many conditions including ADD. Also, he has kids with ADD. He outlines the different forms of ADD and then gives type specific medication, diet, supplement, and neurofeedback advice. Many other issues are discussed. For example: in type 3 overfocused ADD, stimulants used alone would actually make the person overstimulated, obsessive, and anxious. (more so than they already were) The best cocktail in a combo stimulant/neurotransmitter enhancer. In my sons case, he can't take the stimulant so we make due with Strattera.

-For 2 of the types of ADD, Adderall and Concerta are drugs of choice. The remaining 3, anticonvulsants and antidepressants. The 6th type of ADD is made considerably worse with stimulant use.

-Lastly, give it time. It's taken 2 years to get to where we are, but it's working out very well. I will have to discuss the sexual side effects with his doctor that some of you talked about. At 8 it's not a big deal, but I don't want to set him off on the wrong foot so to speak. I think there has been scary dreams in the past too, but I hadn't chalked it up to the med, just his age. Maybe it was the med, another one for the doctor. Thanks all for sharing your stories.

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I started on strattera back in July and am now working my way off of it so I can start Adderall. I didn't notice any effect, although others apparently did -- in any case, the one thing it DIDN'T seem to affect was focus. I have a LOT of reading to do for my graduate program and I can't really afford to wait multiple years for it to take effect (I already felt behind after year 1, and now I seem to be slipping further and further back). If it was working on anything, it may have been doing so on my anxiety level b/c I've noticed myself getting more irritable lately, but then I also am dealing with an extremely bad housing situation and juggling 3 graduate courses + teaching a course + writing a paper I never finished for last semester. So it's hard to say what the med is doing or not doing and what is just life. If stimulents don't work at all I may try it again.

As for negative side effects, my stomach hurt if I didn't take it with food, and I've noticed getting painfully constipated while on the 80-100 mg doses. I was attributing that do diet, but I think it may be the meds.

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I'm on 60 mg of Strattera. I liked it at 50 mg, but my doctor's response to my complaints that it doesn't really help my attention are typically met with "well you just don't have enough yet". At 50 mg I was more balanced and even, a lot of my impulsive/hyperactive symptoms were gone, but none of the innattention. At 60 mg my symptoms didn't improve significantly, but I got sweaty, the appetite suppression that usually goes away after about 2 weeks whenever I up my dose never went away, and neither did the periodic shakes and tremors. I really like some parts of the Strattera, but I want to try it with a stimulant booster and see if I have any more luck.

I'd definitely recommend trying it though!

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I'm newly diagnosed and trying meds for the first time. This is only my third day on Strattera and I'm trying to keep track of how I've been feeling. I've been very jittery in the mornings so far and wondered if anyone else has had this experience. It's not unusual for me, but it doesn't usually happen so consistently. Yesterday I tried to go to decaf tea for the morning in case it was caffiene, but I could barely stay awake and had an awful headache. I'm also feeling more anxious and on the verge of tears when I think about doing something that normally I have a slight amount of anxiety over, and since anxiety is one of the problems I want to take care of, this worries me.

Are these things that improve with time or different dosages?

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My 6 yo son began taking 18 mg of Strattera 3 weeks ago for ADD. Within days he was clearing his throat more than usual. Then he got sick with fever and vomiting which was diagnosed as a virus. During that time he couldn't take the meds because he couldn't keep anything down. He started them again after 3 days. The throat clearing got worse. His dose was increased to 25 mg and now it is constant. He is also very emotional and clingy. He also got fever and vomiting again today, but that could just be another virus. Anyway, I have decided that the throat clearing is a tic. I am stopping the Strattera today. I just hope this goes away or at least gets better. I am also wondering if this med lowers your immune system as he is hardly ever sick and now has been twice in the last 2 weeks. We even ended up in the ER for dehydration. The most frustrating part is that I have called the doctor's office 4 times since he started the throat clearing and they just kept telling me it wasn't related to the Strattera. Now after reading on the internet I know that it is.

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I don't know what your other experiences have been, but it's definitely different. Good luck.

jamesrworkman@hotmail.com

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