Sounds like you've been seeing one of the scared off doctors that are terrified that you would abuse one of the stimulant meds. Have you had a history of abuse (alcohol or drugs) that would give them a reason to be worried? If not - I would ask for a second opinion.
Stratterra in my opinion is the LAST effort when stimulant meds don't work. It's expensive (even here in Canada and they don't cover it on my insurance) and is better suited as an anti-depressant.
Don't be afraid to get a second opinion. There are many different approaches to treating ADHD and it can be controlled quite well. I've been in control of my life now for over a year and a half and loving it.
I'm on strattera 120mg a day. And I love the drug. I can't take the stimulants because I am also a private pilot and the FAA watches stimulant drugs closely.
With the strattera I think there is a breaking in period. I haven't experienced the urinary side effects but that could be a male/female thing? There are some digestive issues but that can't be fixed by drinking more water. Yes it makes me extremely thirsty. Yes, I do get a wave of nausea about an hour after I take it but a couple of deep deep breaths and/or something cold to drink and it goes away within a minute. All in all, the side effects are manageble.
Given the choice of going off my ADD drugs and quitting flying? I'd probably stop flying.
[QUOTE=aarontheman]I have had ADD/ADHD my whole life. I was diagnosed by a behavioral clinic when I was 19 but was to stubborn to continue any treatment. I lost my insurance shortly after. I am now almost 23. I am a husband and a father. I just got some insurance for me and my family. My wife really wanted me to talk to our doc about my ADHD. So we went. I took a test that was check all that apply. I check everyone and told her I had been previously diagnosed and about the insurance and everything. At first she was not going to give me any meds and wanted me to talk with a therapist first. I told her that I really wanted to talk to a therapist but that I also wanted to start on some meds so that we could get the process going on trying to find the right one that works for me. I have already been taking paxil for anxiety for 4 years or so. 40 mg a day and it works wonderfully but i had to try many different meds. She agreed to start me on a small dose of strattera (10 mg once a day and then 20mg once aday after 7 days) My concern is that I just started this stuff yesterday and am already experiencing many side effects. Sexual, urinary, and stomach upset. After doing some research I found out that this is a new and somewhat controversial drug. I will see my doc today for my daughter and will have a chance to talk with her. I dont understand why she would start me out on this new drug when all the others have proven the test of time. I just dont know how or what to say. She seems so reluctant to give any meds. She already gave me a UA and a Blood test I am just looking for some advise. Anything will help. THANKS[/QUOTE]
I hope you have already called pdoc to let her know what's going on. Many will start with Stratterra first, but I don't know any adults that have stayed on it. It worked okay for me, but made me incredibly sleepy. I'm now on Adderall xr and there is a major difference. At 19 did you try any meds? What was prescribed then.
I tried strattera when it first came out. It was helpful for my mood, but did zip for my concentration. Looking at the big picture, you have two issues, IMO.
1) Strattera would be great for you if it actually works. You can get it refilled without monthly appointments, and once you adjust to it, it is likely to have fewer side effects overall.
2) Strattera is the antianxiety prescription for doctors. The stimulant meds are federally regulated because they have street value. So, because there are idiots who MIGHT abuse it, doctors and pharmacists risk their license prescribing them.
Ask your doc if they prescribe stimulant meds to people at all/rarely/frequently. If it is just a matter of being sure you aren't drug seeking, it would probably be a good idea to get a copy of your records from your previous diagnosis - that way you aren't somebody just walking in off the street. If that doesn't work, you could consider seeing the therapist.
It isn't out of line for your pdoc to be sure you really do have ADHD and have no drug problems before they risk their professional licence on you.
I'm so glad that I found this forum. I now know that other people out there experience what I do. I find that whenever it is time for me to hit the sack I can do anything but sleep. It's almost like I focus on not focusing therefore creating a circle of complete confusion causing me to GO DO SOMETHING until I forget what i was going to do bye the time I get out of bed. WOW, there ya go, another example. I cant even type on the computer unless I'm mixing formula, feeding the fish, birds, cats, myself, channel surfing, the radio on, and 42 different internet explorer windows open. Bye the way when is this STRATTERA going to start working, ohh yeah it might not ever. OK, back on the subject I saw a different doc who is checking with the pharmacist to see if the side effects i'm having could be caused bye the strattera. UMMM..... I was speechless, she was holding the drug info I received from the pharmacy that had a list of side effects with mine highlighted, she still needed to check. I havent heard back from her and plan on calling her tommorow if I can remind myself in between reminding myself to do everything else I'm going to forget to do. Anyways thanks for all the supportive info. As far as the tiredness goes, that happens to me too. BUT... I've found that if I've gotten a good nights sleep the night before (7-8 hours) the tiredness isn't so bad. Sleep seems to be the key to reducing the side effects. Last night I only got 6 and I'm feeling it today. It's just that it's hard to go to sleep when there are so many interesting things to hyperfocus on at night, like channel surfing through all 50+ stations about 20 times, or reading just 1 more chapter, or hitting the refresh button on a message board topic over and over just to see if anyone has replied at midnight, or hitting send/receive to check your email for the eleventeenth billion time, or... or.... or...Sorry it took me so long to reply back, I was out of town. I made an appointment for a second opinion. The side effects have seemed to decrease but I am always so tired. Thankyou for all the input I understand now that the stimulants are an easily abused drug and me being younger may make me seem more like the type to abuse them. I also have a DUI from about two years ago and did attend an intensive outpatient program and understand I may appear as a threat. All I can do is stay on the right path and try to manage my life. It's up to the docs to to help me get on the right meds. Thanks everybody.
It's amazing the different attitudes that doctors hold toward ADD and the drugs for it. Some are so opposed to ADD and frankly don't believe in it. The one that said that Wellbutrin was ONLY prescribed for depression... obviously she hasn't kept up with her continuing education has she? According to my doctor, 80mg/day is the typical adult dose for Strattera. So not only is Strattera generally less effective, but you're only taking 1/4th of what you should probably be on.