Ritalin with Strattera | ADHD Information

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Our 12 year old son went from Ritalin to Concerta last year.  This Spring we were concerened about some behavior issues and depression.  The doctor recommended trying Strattera over the summer.  He did excellent !! Happy, better control, sleeps through the night, less mood swings.  The only side affect has been weight gain.  Last week we started school, and he does not seem to have the "short term focus" ability to keep up in class.  We are wondering if anyone has any experience in giving a "school-time dose" of Ritalin to work with the Strattera ?

No sorry - but I thought I would reply so as your thread gets put back into the Active list.  Hopefully someone may see it that can help you.It's tough to go from medication to medication.  It's also tough to avoid the pitfall of putting too much faith in medications.  While the drug companies would like to prohibit any conclusive testing of this theory, it's widely understood that psych drugs only account for 20% of a treatment's effectiveness, once dose has been stabilized - the rest of the effect is up to the patient.

THAT SAID, I find that a cup of coffee in the morning provides the kick in the pants I need to get out of time-wasting, mind-nowhere-in-particular mode into getting-things-done mode.  Likewise, if I'm feeling unfocused during the day, I'll have a cup of tea (I like Emerald Tips green tea with a pinch of Lapsang Souchong smoked tea, perc'd for about 5 minutes, with a spoon of honey).

I also exercise daily.  I find this to be vitally important.  I am relaxed, refreshed, and ready to spend 9 hours in the library reading theses on decision theory (I'm a student - a bit older than your son, but I remember when I was his age trying to deal with this stuff).