Drug Interactions

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Our contributors share their experiences:

• I am a 42-year-old female, a mother of small children, and a student. I struggle with ADD and have done so my entire life, although began taking Adderall only a year or so ago. About 3 months ago, I started taking Stratterra 40 mg instead. The Strattera has a different effect on me than the Adderall. It seems to help with less confusion over how to tackle a project and stay organized. It has not seemed to help me as much with focusing during study time as Adderall. My doctor recommended that I try Concerta or Concerta and Strattera together and today I tried them together (Strattera 40 mg and Concerta 18 mg) and it was a very difficult day. I got a lot done around the house, but inside I felt like a basket case. My 4-year-old kept asking me if I was angry with him. I was short-tempered with my husband, and in class tonight I barely knew what the teacher was lecturing on. Maybe it is just the dosage, but Strattera is a very powerful drug and the side-effects should not be overlooked. It also makes me tired, but, after sleeping a few hours, I wake up and can't go back to sleep (I am writing this at 4 am). All I can say is BE CAREFUL with these drugs because they are very potent and sometimes children are unable to articulate what is going on inside of them. I felt very drugged today when being on both of them.
• I found that while my son was taking Metadate (about the same as Concerta) he was very uncontrollably hyperactive. I wrote a bit about my experience with this in "What is Straterra?" You might find it helpful.
• I am 35 year old and take Strattera 80 mg, Concerta 36 mg, and Wellbutrin XL 300 mg. When I first began taking these meds together (I started out taking 18 mg Concerta), I saw little change. But when my MD increased the Concerta to 36 mg, for once in my life I felt "normal." My thoughts were clearer. My attention span increased. I was less impulsive.

  BUT, after 3 months, it seems my meds stop working around 3-4 pm, so my MD may have to increase my dosage of Concerta again. I do not feel as if this combo of drugs is dangerous. They have given me back my life and sense of self worth. I also have a psychiatrist who, I trust, would not put me on something that may not be safe. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I'm going to hang in there with my current meds, even if I do have to increase the dosage occasionally. Question your child about how he feels. If he's doing better on these drugs with few side-effects it's a heck of a lot better than how he felt when he was on meds that didn't help him. Believe me I know. Having ADD or ADHD (my 5-year-old great nephew has ADHD) is a battle. It has taken me 35 years to find the right combo of meds that work for me. Discuss with your child's doctor all of your questions and concerns. I do recommend a psychiatrist - not a general practitioner - if you're using your general practioner to prescribe meds.

• My son was taking Concerta 27 mg. He was 8 and pretty thin/lanky when he started. The Concerta helped his focus at school, although at home in the evening it was horrible... he was irritable, angry, picking arguments with siblings, no patience. We were going to switch to Strattera to see if that was better (Adderall had already been tried: it had worked, then all of a sudden just stopped being effective). During the ramp-up week where you take both, I noticed an improvement. When he stopped the Concerta, inattention was a big problem at school again (but he was happy/good mood). I asked the doctor if he could take both together, since he had been doing so well on both. The teacher said (and I agree) that he is like a "normal" kid at school with both medications. I recommending giving it a try if there are mood type or depressive type issues with your child. My stick-thin child went through times where he ate little, but he gradually got his appetite back. He weighed 53 pounds before, and a year and a half later he is 66 pounds and taller. I'm thankful for these medications being developed... a real lifesaver for kids trying to succeed in the pressure-cooker of today's classrooms.
• I am taking 54 mg Concerta with 50 mg of Strattera. I saw slight improvements to my adult ADHD with 18 mg of Strattera. Each increase in dose produced marginal improvements. Adding Concera made a big difference to focus. Have seen no adverse side-effects so far.

  I was very skeptical about psychological medication until it helped me. Now I have a promotion at work and am getting more done.

• I have been taking Concerta 50 mg for quite some time daily and when a few hour dose is needed I use 10 mg Ritalin. The side-effects I experience with the use of Concerta are dizziness, tiredness, fluctuations in mood, bursts of anger for no justifiable reason and a feeling of intense nausea. However, the ability of the drug to enable concentration far outweighs the side-effects in my context as I am a engineering student; it would be practically impossible to pass without it. The 10 mg Ritalin, however, has no noticeable side-effects and allows for a short burst of concentration for an exam, for example. I have been told by many people that it is all in the mind, but once you use Concerta it is undeniable that is makes a remarkable difference. It is well worth using prescribed drugs rather than not using any at all. However, the use of these drugs should be monitored carefully and should be talked through with a neurologist! I attempted to use Strattera for a period of time, but it did not have any impact or change on my mental state. The side-effects listed are, of course, short-term effects I have experienced on a regular basis personally. The long-term effects of Concerta are known to be minimal; however, care must be taken with Ritalin as it has not undergone a great deal of testing - and the long-term effects are sketchy.
• I am 17 and have been taking both since 6th grade. One of my hobbies is playing video games and I just recently noticed that, when I take my medicine, all i want to do is play video games - nothing else! But when I don't take them, I am like a normal teenager: I want to hang out with people, etc. I have also noticed when I don't take it, I sometimes can't even decide what I want to do.

  Just yesterday I threw up due to really bad heartburn, which, I know for a fact, was caused by one or the other or both.