• My 5 1/2 yr. old son begins Strattera (10 mg. going to 20mg. after one week, depending) tomorrow. He is curently on Valproic Acid (Depacote) for a seizure disorder named Lennox-Gastaut. His neurologist suggested that if the Strattera turns out to be ineffective that Adderal is next. Because of his seizure disorder we have addressed his:

1. Seizures w/Valproic 2. Sleep Disorder w/Benadryl

Now we find ourselves with a seizure-free, full-night sleeping child that has a 5-10 second attention span. I'll let you know how the Strattera works.

• I am 18. I have ADHD inattentive type, (aka ADD). I'm a very bright kid and if you met me in person, you couldn't tell. I tried switching from Adderall to Strattera for a summer between middle school and High School. It made me extremely irritable, paranoid and anxious. It appeared to be anger and irritability to my family. I went back to Adderall and felt much better. However, last year i went to see an ADHD specialist in my area and she prescribed a much smaller dose of Strattera (18mg for 1st week, followed by increasing the daily dose to 36mg) to be taken at night. This also helped my trouble sleeping. My previous dose was around 200mg per day, taken in the morning. Obviously WAY too much. Now on the smaller dose I feel much better. I still take 40mg of Adderall in the morning and 20mg in the afternoon. I can function normally and sleep more than 3-4 hours a night.

• He's just a kid. Who's giving him all this stuff? Even just taking one of them can be dangerous. Check ritalindeath.com for information on how to take him off the stuff, what to do instead, and which other sites would come in handy.

• My son was in to see the doctor yesterday and has been diagnosed with severe ADHD. I was wanting to put him on Strattera and was told that it only addresses part of the problem. I was told with my son Strattera would be great working in conjunction with Adderal or Ritlin. So that is likely why he is on both Adderal and Stratera. Hope that helps. We have tried about everything natural for my son. We were very nervous about meds. Now it has come to the point that his ADHD has caused him to be extremely depressed. Natural ways don't always work and sometimes medication is the only way to give these poor children a normal life. They deserve to be happy like all the other children.

• My Nephew was on both Strattera and Adderall. It seemed to cause anger issues. Once the Strattera was removed, the anger dissolved.

• I am 19 and have depression, anxiety, and panic disorders. I was taking Wellbutrin SR and Adderall. The Wellbutrin is for depression and I was taking it twice a day. The Adderall I began taking a few months ago after being diagnosed with Adult ADD. I noticed that I became immune (tolerant) to it and the doctor increased my dosage. Over the past month I have been a mess, EXTREMELY irritable, cannot concentrate on anything, feel "spaced out" all the time, horrible memory, etc. which made it very difficult to make and keep friends and do well in school. I finally went to the doctor today and he switched me to Wellbutrin XL, a higher dosage of Adderall (2x a day), and Strattera. My dad didn't like the idea that I was on so many meds and just did not understand it. I now see that Strattera is used WITH other meds and not alone. So it basically boosts the other meds. As for the Adderall and Strattera mixing, well, I was prescribed both, so it was not just you. I thought it was odd because I thought they were the same, but after reading several things on the internet I have found that it is normal to take it with other ADHD meds.

• My son and daughter only take Strattera and it works great. I believe that the increased anger some people have noticed when used in conjunction with Adderall is not from the Strattera, but the Adderall, or more correctly from the combination therapy. I noticed that when my son took Straterra in conjunction with a Ritalin based product, he was wildly hyper, and I believe the same to be basically true for Adderall. The Ritalin based products my children were taking needed dosage increases every 3 months consistently, which I believe to be necessary because the body adjusts to the meds so a higher dosage is needed to get the same results. Adderall is the same. In the evening hours when Ritalin based products would wear off my children were especially hyperactive (even more so than before they started meds) and decreasing the dosage caused withdrawal symptoms. This pattern of Highs, Lows, and withdrawal symptoms tells me that these drugs are addictive. I stopped giving him the stimulant drug altogether and kept him on Strattera only and within a day he was normal again. I would not recommend combining Strattera with Adderall or a Ritalin based product. But, after a year of Straterra following a year of a Ritalin based product, I could not recommend any stimulant even taken alone.

• I have a 15 year old son that takes Risperdal and Strattera. It seems to be working at the present time. He has OCD, ADHD and a tic disorder.

• My son is eight and has ADHD. Please note although Risperdal is widely prescribed for children. It is NOT, I repeat, NOT approved for use in children by the manufacturer, Janssen. Closed clinical trials, those required by the FDA to approve efficacy have not been done for children. Respirdal can cause certain serious and potentially permanent side effects in children and adults. Go to www.risperdal.com for more info. I have switched psychiatrists because he wanted to combine Adderall and Risperdal. The Adderall appears to work. Also note that the prescribed dose for Strattera is 1.2 mg per kilo of weight. He also got that wrong. Bottom line, in my opinion, go to the manufacturer's website for the best info.

• I only take Adderall and Strattera. The closer I take Adderall with Strattera, the stronger my bad symptoms: I experience indigestion and severe nausea. I was able to solve this by taking Strattera at night and Adderall in the morning. I haven't been aware of other symptoms or decreased effectiveness.

• My son is 10 and has been on Metadate CD for 3 years for ADD. It worked well, with the exception of reduced appetite, stomach sensitivity, and difficulty focusing on homework in the late afternoon/early evening. This summer we switched to Strattera (40 mg 1Xday). It helped minimize some other symptoms of mild anxiety (he is doing more independently); however, it doesn't seem to do enough to address the focus deficit. His Dr. prescribed a combination of Strattera (40 mg) and Adderall XR 10 mg in the am, plus Adderall (Amphetamine Salts 5 MG) 1-2 tablets around 4:00 pm if needed for homework. I've looked on line for info on the combination, and haven't had much luck other than a recommendation to take the Adderall in the am and the Strattera in the pm. Any advice or warnings would be appreciated.

• Mothers and caregivers are very perceptive and not all treatments are going to work for all children. When your child is having a bad reaction to a single medication or combination therapy, do not hesitate to phone your doctor and voice your concerns:

  you must be the one to sound the alarm! If your doctor dismisses your concerns, you

  are wise to get a second opinion...or third, fourth...whatever it takes until you and

  your child are satisfied. Most physicians want happy patients and caregivers. They are human and can only make determinations based on the limited information they have when deciding what may work. Many times, it is "trial and error." Until optimal

  dosage(s) and choices of medication(s) are reached, the control issues are difficult

  for the family as well as the physician. Keep really good records: make a log of your

  observations of your child (including teachers' and others' observations) and how the

  symptoms relate to the time of day, how long after administration of the medication,

  and your own personal rating scale. Your intuition and "red flag alarms" need to be

  trusted. The more objective data you can offer to the physician by phone and during

  office visits, the faster you will get the results you need. When others comment about the direction you have chosen for your child, whether "natural" or with FDA approved medications, remember that you are the boss and you "know best." Then, give their criticisms the few minutes they deserve and forget about them. They do not walk in your shoes. Any time you or your children experience a side effect from any medication, you are encouraged to call the FDA at: 1-800-FDA-1088.

• Another useful piece of advice may be to ask for partial month supplies of the more expensive C-II's (controlled drugs such as amphetamines). Some manufacturers offer trials and you can get these on line or from your doctor. Strattera is not a C-II, so when you go to the pharmacy, you can ask them to give you a partial fill. In this way, if the medication works, you can still get the remainder, but if it doesn't work your pocket will not sustain the loss. In the case of C-II's, you can ask for a smaller quantity, but you will not be able to get the remainder.
• I agree that this seems like an awful lot of medication for a child this young, but I also agree that it is your decision that matters most and how much you trust his doctor. My son is 9 and on Lexapro only. I was worried at first with this med because the manufacturer specifically says that it is not for children under a certain age, which included his age. So I was like why are they giving him this? Well it has worked great for him, no side effects except sleepiness when he first started it. Plus we have a great psych doc that I also see and my so does my 15 year-old. You could also discuss all these meds being prescribe together with your pharmacist-they are a good source of information about drugs and interactions. You could also get a second opinion. But some of these drugs are high risk and your son should be watched closely. I also posted an answer to your question with my use of Adderall and Strattera as an adult.

There are reported incidents of abnormal thyroid lab results in patients taking valproate sodium (Depakote). Physicians often do frequent thyroid testing on patients taking valproate sodium.

For appropriate diagnosis, treatment and prevention of headache disorders, seek the help of a board certified headache specialist.

Depakote (Divalproex) is a anti-convulsant. It is usually prescribed for persons who are Bipolar(Manic Depression), or a similar illness. It is sometimes prescribed for people who experience chronic migraine headaches.

depakote is also used for seisure control,the shaking of Parkinsons disease and also the leg cramps and pain of nerve damage due to Diabetes

Depakote is believed to work by enhancing the actions of natural brain chemical, GABA gamma amminobutyric acid. Gaba is a neurotransmitter that carries messages between brain nerve cells. Gaba inhibits the transmission of these signals and it reduces nervous excitation.

It also treats other conditions like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, preventing migraine headaches, and reducing chronic pain, neuropathic pain.

It can make you gain serious weight. But that is one of the most common side effects, and reasons why most people stop taking it. You should get regular blood tests while taking Depakote, to monitor liver function, and blood cells. Skin and hair problems are common. Hair loss is common too.

Depakote is a medication used to treat several things. Treating mania associated with bipolar disorder, to treat complex partial seizures and absence seizures in epilepsy, and for prevention of migraine headaches, panic disorder, rages/aggression. Anticonvulsants can be used to treat other painful conditions such as, postherpetic neuralgia. They are also used to treat chronic pain, the exact way in which they reduce the pain is not known, they may block the flow of pain signals from the central nervous system. How it works with bipolar disorder is that it's a mood stabalizer. It increases the amount of GABA in the brain. When you nerve signals and receptors are not regulated properly by the natural chemical in the brain called GABA your nerve cells can't communicate with each other. When GABA is released in the brain, it acts as a stabalizer keeping the coating on the cells, allowing them to communicate and not get over stimulated. Depakote prevents a breakdown of GABA in the brain. Allowing more stability for nerve cell communication. Basically GABA is a natural calming chemical,it helps keep your brain cells functioning properly. If your GABA levels are low, or