ADD-ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication

I have done considerable research about Strattera. There is no long term research abailable since the drug is relatively new on the market. From personal experience with my daughter, her moods swings and irritability became progressively worse the longer she was on the drug. She had been taking it for about a year. Withdrawal from Strattera put her in the hospital since her emotions were totally out of control. If you see negative side effects, please have your physician report them to the FDA and best of luck to you.

I have an 8 year boy who has been taking Strattera for aprox. 6 months. I do not know the long term side affects of the drug, however, I find it very helpful in conjunction with the stimulant drug, medidate. It definitely helps him to get to sleep easier than taking a stimulant medication alone. I take things one day at a time...

My son has been on Straterra for about a year now. My wife and I put him on it at the suggestion of his pediatrician. It worked for a while at 10 mg, then the pediatrician suggested us upping the dose to 40 mg since his weight has increased. It apparently helps him focus much better, but I believe his behavior off Straterra now (when we try to take him off of it) is worse than it ever was before we began taking Straterra. We've tried to take him off the meds, but he begins bouncing off the walls so to speak and is totally out of control even after three or four days of being off the meds.

In my opinion, that's a terrible price. Comparing it to illegal drugs, it should be around the $5 to $10 range. Any more would be ridiculous.

My first thought when I read this was "Well, of course you do"! But, when I went to answer your querry, I realized just how in depth the answer could be. So, allow me to tell you what I know from my experience with my own diagnisis.

First, I would say that if you received a full ADD/ADHD assessment from a qualified professional (a Neurologist) and were diagnosed, that, yes, you still have the disease and that the meds you have taken just aren't the right meds for you. But you rest assured in the knowledge that there are many med choices available.

Secondly, also realize that most of us don't realize how profoundly we are affected by ADD/ADHD. Forgotten appointments, burned food, unfinished projects, dry gas tanks, and list goes on, and on, and on...Each of these, when taken as an isolated incident, is not so bad. But together (and they add up quickly for us ADD/ADHD folks!) they can add up to one hell of a bad week! At this point in medical technology, our best form of treatment is good nutrition, excercise, and medication (Okay, I should add "In MY Opinion", so as not to offend anyone) The good thing (and, sometimes unfortunately bad thing) is that most of us have people around us that are willing to be our critics...husbands, wives, co-workers, teachers, mother in laws (yeesh!!!) That said, I HIGHLY recommend that you share (with someone you trust) the exact time that you start any new medication and allow them to guide you in your assessment of whether or not the drug is working. When I began taking Adderall, I noticed I felt a little more energetic and aware, but didn't think it was making that much difference in my overall day to day home and work operations. I mean, I didn't feel any different. I hadn't become the Martha Stewart of my domain. I was ready to call my doctor and tell him the meds weren't working. When I shared this with my husband, he said "Oh contrair, my dear. We've had clean clothes and unburned food all week! You even remembered to put gas in the car"! My point being that the effectiveness of some meds is felt and seen right away, while the effects of others is not as quickly noticable. And the people around you may notice changes that you haven't. Wife....."Owww, I've got a screaming headache." Husband to wife........."Let me get you some aspirin and a cool cloth for your eyes, my sweet". (Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?) Husband, an hour later........"How's your headache, dear wife"? Wife......"Much better! That aspirin really helped. Let's go eat hot wings and drink beer and watch the game with your buddies at the pub"! (And, yes, a guy can dream, too!) The kind of relief you get from ADD/ADHD meds is alot more subtle than the relief you might get from, say, a painkiller. And bear in mind that most meds have a cumulative effect, meaning they work better the longer you take them. Now, I'm not saying that you should continue to take a med that has done nothing for you til the cows come home, but it might not be a bad idea to keep a brief journal and consult a friend in your med trials. I have (and people that I have known) have "tested" whether or not their meds were working by stopping them...we ALL noticed a dramatic return of symptoms. I couldn't believe how much better I was with my meds than without. And, back to the part about how profoundly we are affected by ADD/ADHD...most of will continute to struggle with the symptoms of ADD/ADHD despite treatment. But, take heart, there are numerous coping skills out there for us. We just need to latch onto what works for each of us and keep plugging along. Hope this helps.

My name is Kayla and after reading the Q & A about this subject, I agreed with the answer, however I thought that I would inform you about a new drug named Vyvanse which is made by the same people who make adderall xr. I have tried concerta and it didnt do much. I went back to adderall, but it didnt last long (even though I took 30mg in the morning and 10mg aroung lunch) and it really didnt seem like it made too much of a difference. My psychiatrist brought up vyvanse at our last session. I took it monday because my college classes resumed, and it has been the only medicine that actually does what the makers claim. It is very strong, and it stays with that first initial feeling ALL day. When I take it at 8am, it is consistently strong until at least 7pm-8pm. I questioned my ADHD because in the beginning of these type of meds I get extremely restless and talkative, but today I went to a website called http://newideas.net/ It was the best website so far and it gave me reassurance that I am ADHD. After you get to that website, go to "different types of ADHD" on the left hand side. Sometimes people have different types of ADHD and they all need to be treated different sometimes. I learned my type and I am focusing on only those symptoms. Some types have different medicines that they recommend, and they give you these herbal supplement examples for alternative treatment. If your case isn't incredibly severe, maybe the supplements will work. Overall its important to talk to your doctor about it AND make sure that's the doctor that you think is the very best. I went to a few until I found a psychiatrist that actually counsels me and finds the right med for me- not just a doctor you see for ten minutes and they hand you some prescription for ADHD without even trying to understand YOUR symptoms and what medicine might be best for you. But I recommend trying to get Vyvanse, it does everything the company said it would and more (that's hard to find today).

Yes I take 80mg strattera and 100mg Lamictak

No medication is effective for dyslexia. Strattera can should only be used for ADD or ADHD.

I am not a physician and cannot say for sure if it will "go away", but I can tell you that Strattera can cause extreme agitation and volatilty due to the fact that it is a adrenaline re-uptake inhibitor, which means it keeps adrenaline running through your body as oppossed to being processed by the body. Adrenaline is a natural chemical our bodies produce that helps us react in a stressful/fearful situation. I would recommend that you call your doctor for a re-evaluation of your child. There are many more medications that can be used to treat ADD/ADHD with fewer/milder side effects.

My 11 year old daughter had been taking Strattera for a little more than 3 years. About 5 weeks ago she decided on her own, without discussing it with her father and I, to stop cold turkey taking her meds. She was taking 60mg of Strattera and a melatonin every night before bed. She was taking it at night because of the stomach aches. they were just to much to handle during the morning at school. After a few weeks of not taking the meds she confided in my Mother that she was not taking the Strattera anymore. I couldn't really tell any major differences. The only big difference was her insatiable appetite In the about 5 or 6 weeks she has been off the Strattera(taking it for ADHD) she has gained 10lbs. She says she is now sleeping through the night. Falling asleep quite easily too. It used to take her more than an hour even with the Melatonin.

because of the big world because of the big world

Your boyfriend must discuss the side effects he is experiencing with his doctor. There are many other meds available to treat ADD. He needs to find the med that gives him relief from the ADD symptoms without severe or life altering side effects. Good luck ... it's rare you find the right med on the first try.

Jerri

Lisa, I completely agree with Jerri that your boyfriend needs to contact his physician and try something else.

In regards to these mentally--altering types of medications, I can tell you that they can make you think that you are unable to perform as well as just plain cut you off physically. I'm a woman who has experienced the problem and can sympathize how it would affect a man.

Strattera did not work for me.I did not experience sexual side effects with it but developed a disoriented feeling and also made concentrating much more difficult for things like my school work (I am a student) and also while driving. I have noticed that I have difficulty finding the right words also when on Strattera.

So just like your boyfriend, I am having to deal with disrupting my life to find the medication that works best for me, even if it creates havoc. Many times men feel that they have gone to the doctor, they are taking what the doctor has prescribed and that they don't need to ask any questions or go back. A lot of times they are just shy about questioning the doctor's choice. But try to reason with your boyfriend and hopefully he will not settle for what this medication is doing to your relationship--there are alternatives!

By the way, one physician I was seeing for taking one of these medications mentioned that a lot of times it is the family members who call to notify them of odd or disrupting behavior and side effects--not necessarily the patient--and they will take into account the information given by family members. You might try calling his physician yourself and see what he says!

Sincerely,Dawna

I am a physician who is moderately familiar with prescribing Strattera,and also familiar with it personally.

it is possible the drug will work and not have the problems the original poster described, IF the drug is started VERY LOW and incereased VERY slowly. the boyfriend should see the doctor.

I am the original poster. It has been a while since I posted this. Our relationship has improved greatly, but a new problem seems to have focused. After speaking to his doctor, he was removed from Strattera. This was great for his frame of mind, but the physical side effects still loom almost 4 months after being off the medication. He still has no desire or performance sexually. This is still very frustrating. He has spoken to a doctor and was told that there was nothing wrong with him. Obviously something isn't right since he was sexually very aggressive before Strattera and now he doesn't even consider it an option.

Have any of you experienced something like this? I am looking for medical advice as we have tried the psychological avenue already. After 2 months of "therapy" the doctor dismissed him as healthy and not posessing 'identifable phsycological issues pertaining to sexual performance and drive.'

Ideas? Thanks so much for all of your thoughts. Just knowing he wasn't alone was helpful. :) ~Lisa

Hi. I've tried strattera a couple times, but have dismissed it becasue of side effects. This is the third attempt (It really enhances my efficiency up to an extra 50% to 100%), and I'm trying the smallest dose availabe this time. It doesn't reduce ADD symptoms as well as higher doses, but lowers them to a manageable level and side effects aren't as bad.

My advise is to take your boyfriend to an urologyst to have his prostate checked. Strattera might cause prostate irritation (It's my case), and that might be the cause of his lower sexual drive. If his prostate is slightly irritated, symptoms might not be noticeable but it might reduce sexual drive.

I'm not a physician, so I might be talking nonsense, but are talking from self experience, and since you have no clue on what to do, I thought I might share this idea.

I would also recommend you to take a look at "attend". It's a new medication for ADD with no reported side effects and better results than strattera. I'd love to try it myself, but it's not available in Mexico.

Carlos

There's another thing that has helped me a lot !

There's a book named "Multiorgasmic Man" by Mantak Chia.

It has some exercises that have really helped me in overcoming strattera sexual side effects.

Carlos

YES! I am 29 and have been on Strat since 12/03. At first I thought I had a hernia. But in speaking with a friend who has had one operated on, the symptoms didn't match. Then when I spent a busy week working out of town on the 4th day that tenderness returned again. My tenderness is always accompanied by abdominal discomfort.

What I realized is that if I go 4 or 5 days without having any "sexual release" the tenderness appears. And it doesn't go away until the second or third "release". Also the first one is forceful and painful.

I have also been experiencing increased sensitivity during intercourse that causes very rapid "release". It is very emberassing to be a literal minute man.

From what I can tell this isn't going to go away. My doctor has informed me that I am his third patient to come to him with this complaint. He had mentioned it to the drug rep who told him if a third person comes to him with the problem to contact them. That was last week and I haven't heard anything yet. My doc said that, for now, the best work around is to make sure I have a release at least every three days.

He didn't recomend stopping the Strattera because I NEED to be on it for my and my family's sake.

Yes it certainly can.

I'm regularly sexually active, so I've never noticed increased pain after a three or four day build-up, BUT I do experience mild testicular tenderness a few times a week.

In fact, the pain manifests and gets MUCH worse when I need to urinate, and have to hold it back for several minutes due to the inaccesibility of a restroom during shopping or driving a car.

Timing my urinations and controlling my beverage intake during shopping or driving helps somewhat, but I still experience an immediate need with no warning from time to time, neccesitating "the pee-pee dance" across a Wal-Mart, or an inprompetu 50-yard dash from my car to the nearest tree along the highway.

Yes. I am a 28 year old male. A few months ago I took strattera for about a month, but stopped it because it caused tiredness. Recently, I started taking Strattera again and the same day noticed discomfort in my frelum and testicles. By the fourth day, the pain was severe. I also had something weird going on with my rectum. It didn't click in my head that it was the Strattera until I read about it on the net. I had the same symptoms when I first took Strattera a few months ago. That time, the pain and discomfort went away after a couple of weeks, but I kept getting sharp pains in my testicles a couple of times a week. Sometimes the pain was so severe that I couldn't even walk... it felt like I got kicked in that area, hard. I have not noticed any correlation between having to urinate or how long since my last release. The only thing I notice is right after sex, It is very difficult to urinate for a while. After reading a lot on the internet, I think the thing going on with my rectum is my prostate swelling. I stopped taking the Strattera (I only took 25mg for 4 days) as of today, so it's been about 36 hours since my last dose, and it is getting a lot better, but I still have a lot of discomfort in my testicles.

Yes I am an 18 year old male. I just started using Strattera 4 days ago. I have noticed discomfort in my testicles. Also after urinating it seems as if I have to continue even after I am done, although that goes away pretty quick. It seems to make me worry less, but does not seems to not be very effective for my add. I am only on a low dose of 25mg right now maybe that will change, hopefully without an increase in side effects.Bill

WOW time to find something else. If you are sexually active. You may experience severe pain and Premature Ejaculation. And a ton of abdominal pain!

:

It is not normal for Strattera to cause depression. This is not a "normal" side effect, is what I'm trying to say, and you should contact your doctor immediately. Especially if you have sudden changes in behavior, are a minor, or have thoughts of suicide.

hope this helps *****

This is just another opinion, though it's not listed as a "normal" side effect, when first starting strattera I experienced crying spells as well. I wasn't necessarily depressed, just stressed. After about a week everything started to calm down. This has happened twice, once when initially being prescribed the medication, and again three months later when my dosage went up.

Strattera's a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, used to treat ADD or ADHD... opioids are used mainly for pain relief.

this is not an answer. I am the one who asked the question I just wanted to elaborate. I have never officiall been diagnosed with ADD, (i do not have the money or the insurance for that) as a child I was always described as "spacey" or "in her own world" when i was a kid it didnt seem to be a big deal. as an adult it is very much a big deal, what I want to know is if it is ADD, did it get worse over time, or is it that my symptoms are all of a sudden a problem (with work and family and all) where they werent a problem when I was a kid?

No; there is no clinical data to suggest this is a possibility.

Mixing Lexapro and Strattera can cause a few side effects. The Lexapro can cause the Strattera to build up in the blood more. This causes dry mouth, sleep problems, dizziness, loss of appetite and heart palpitations.

What type of rash does strattera cause

For common drug interactions, visit: http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interaction/ChooseDrugs/1,4109,,00.html There, you can "plug in" different drugs and find out if there are any known interactions. You really need to ask a pharmacist to be sure. Don't gamble with drugs, drug combinations or your health. Call your local drug store. They'll be glad to assist. ~ T

Absolutely, terrible mood swings, irritability and withdrawal has caused anger and rage. If you see these symptoms, please have your physician notify the FDA of advser effects. It will help others make decisions on whether to prescribe or take Strattera

I started taking strattera and I use to be a meth addict and I had a slip up, will Strattera show up as meth on a home urine test?

PLease let me know ASAP!

Strattera's most common side effects are stomach upset (including nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia or indigestion, appetite decrease, fatigue, and mood swings).

What will happen if I am off 36mg of strattera for 5 days till my grandson who is 10 gets a new refill from the doctor

Answer: No, currently the only form of Strattera is pills. Unfortunately, there are no generic forms of Strattera( atomoxetine HCI), yet.

MY 13 YR OLD WAS ON STRATTERA AND I TOOK IT HIM RIGHT OFF IT AND HE HAD NO SIDE AFFECTS WHAT SO EVER. AND YOU SHOULD'NT HAVE ANY SIDE AFFECTS CONSIDERING STRATTERA IS AN ALL NATURAL MEDICATION USED FOR ADHD