Strattera Please help! | ADHD Information

Hi, my name is Amy and I have been diagnosed with adult ADD.  I have had all the symptoms my whole life, but never knew it was ADD symptoms until my stepson was diagnosed.  A few weeks ago, my Dr. prescribed me Adderall XR 20 mg.  After taking it for a few days, I felt VERY energetic and focused.  It helped me at work.  I did not dread going into work, and was not impatient to leave work.  I also stopped feeling lazy when I got home, and I actually wanted to clean after working all day.  I liked how it made me feel although I got cotton mouth and CONSTANTLY grinded my teeth!!  By the end of the week I was getting chest pain and my chest felt very tight.  It was late and I was advised to go to the ER immediately.  Although I felt adderal helped, I was told amphetamine did not work with my body.  My doctor is prescribing me Strattera 60mg. 

Can someone help me> I was wondering is that a high dosage to start out with> I noticed on other posts, people who take strattera started with smaller dosages and was "working their way up" to 60 Mg.

Does anyone know if your height/weight ratio makes a difference on dosage?  Im 5'1 and 125 lbs.

Also I would appreciate if others could share their experiences with Strattera

THANKS!!!!!!!

Hello, My daughter was on strattera for a little while, she is 12 and they started her off with about 5mg. and then jumped to 40mg. Yes your weight is factored into it too. Strattera is not a stimulant, but it does have side affects just like any other medication would. I suggest strongly taking it with food!

I thought Strattera takes 6 to 8 weeks to get into your system before you could tell anything from what I have been told??

It sound like everyone taking it notices it right away?? So, can anyone tell me more about this???

I have now tried 4 different types of meds and nothing still. Concerta, Foclain, Adreall XR, and now Dextrose Spanules ... Just fusterating as the days, months go by started working on this back in Nov. and still cant find a med to work..

I need it for focusin, concentrating in classroom in college, reading comprehension. Otherwise I am fine in all the other areas when tested...Im 44.

Thanks

DJT

I believe that it is the children that start out on a lower dose & build their way up.  It is different with adults, they understand their bodies better.  My son is 9, started with 25mg & is now at 60mg & doind extremely well.

I hope it helps you as much as it was helped my son.  Good luck.

Hi Amy! I am 29 and just diagnosed with adult add. I am on strattera 40 mg for 1 week to start then 80mg after that. I am 5'0 and 130, so maybe weight does have something to do with it.Weda-My son is 9 and was told last year after many hardships at school and home he is adhd. We started him on the Strattera. He was fine for a while but latter told me that the medicine made him see things he didn't want to see. That of course scared me so we stoped the medicine right away. Now we are back to square one and I would like to know is there away to do it without medication. He also seem to be very distant and not the Sam we all knew anymore.luv2farmnd

From what I understand, it isn't that Strattera will not work at all for 4-6 weeks. It is that it takes 4-6+ weeks to reach full effect. I certainly felt some change to my body/mind in the first day... but took a month or so to feel like doing well.

-InfoseekExactly............... 

Just might have to ask her if we can try this next then...I just cant beleive that out of 4 different meds now nothing is working...

Thanks DJT

My son was 24 and had been diagnosed with ADHD as a child.  He start taking 10 mg. per day of Straterra and seemed to be doing wonderfully.  Was focused, much more agreeable, was talking about things he wanted to accomplish and how he was going to go about it.  10 days after starting Straterra he collapsed on the living room floor and died.  The autopsy showed he had an enlarged heart and the cause of death was listed as heart failure.  He did not have high blood pressure and we did not know of his enlarged heart before the autopsy, so therefore I cannot say weather Straterra played any part in this or just happened to be coincidence.  I would just have to say be very careful before taking any kind of stimulants.  Everytime I read one of these post and see where people talk about the heart feeling like it is going to jump out of there chest, I would have to say check things out immediately.  My son was very active and seemed to be in good health at the time of his death.  Listen to you body!

I get so worried about taking any meds first of all and as I seem to keep reading post from everyone around and how the meds work for some and the doses that everyone seems to be taking I just dont know..

Well, now onto Strattera I will start tonight as she said to take the pillls at night with supper along with protein and fat so you dont get sick...I start out for 4 days on  40mg and then for the next 14 days I bump up to 60mg and then after that I bump up to 80mg she said so will see.

What doses is everyone taking of this?  This sure seems like a high dosage to me..but then maybe not..

Anyone got any good website for more on strattera to check out and read on??

My doc said I might be that 1 out of 15% that stimulants dont work on as the concerta, addreal xr, addreall, foclain, destrose spanules didnt do a thing to me but lose a few pounds...fusterating I just need it for my focusing, comprehending, concentrating, reading to remember and for studying for my test that it seems I have to study for a month to even get a "D" in a class.. UGHH

Any more info would be great.

DJT

I am about 5'8 and just started with Strattera 40mg and are feeling dizzy and cloudy not to mention my heart feels like it is jumping out of chest.  I do have high blood pressure and take Diovan.  Are these typical side effects people have on Strattera or should I consult my doctor.

sorry about the font.  new at this

I was at 80 mg of strattera. It was working really good for a while, up until I lost about 20 lbs. (not because of meds, i was on a diet)
Anyway, I started to feel really out of it. I was way too mellow, and lethargic. I was thinking that since I lost all that weight that maybe my dosage is too high now.

What do you all think?

Amy - I weighed about 180 lbs and started at 40mg for a week, and then went to 80 mg twice a day. Starting too high on Strattera too quickly can cause some unwanted side effects. It is best to ease into it. You may want to talk with your doctor about this.

hi there, i have been taking strettara for adult adhd for 2 weeks now.  I started of on 20 mg for the first week, the first couple of days i felt abs auwful sick dizzy and out of control, was vwery scary actually, but i must say that these feelings didnt last very long they soon wore off after about an hour or 2.  I kept with it and started to feel much better.  The doctor has increased the strettara to 40mg now and i had the same effects for the first 2 days and seems to be settling down again now, think its just your body gettin used to it.

 

donna

Donna b.

Yes...it is your body getting used to it. I went through the same thing. What I can offer to you is to be VERY dilligent about taking Strattera every day, even better if near the same times. My experience is that when I miss a day or two and then take again...some of the side effects come back... upset stomach etc. Likewise if I don't take for a day or two...some dizziness occurs. I've been taking for about a year now...and 40 mg in morning after breakfast and 40mg after lunch (food helps). As long as I stick to this routine, all is good.

Good luck

Hi Amy,

Everything you described about yourself fits me to a tee!!!!!  Don't get discouraged - mentally prepare yourself now that it may take months for you to find the right med at the right dose.  I was diagnosed last summer and I'm still working on finding the proper meds/doses.  I tried Strattera and it did keep 20 million thoughts from flying through my head at once, but when my dosage was upped (80mg) my brain went numb.  I couldn't think - just blank.  The dr. said I was overmedicated.   So, I agree w/ others that you need to try and take it slow AND that is very hard for us impatient ADD'ers.

 

 

Strattera dosage should be based on weigt and up ed gradually.

Seeing things this on this never herd that. Cut out junk foods.Natural supplements or wholefood supplements. Diet changes only didn't help our son tried 2 1/2 years.rshn

RSHN38401.6179398148 hi-my son was on 60 mg strattera for about two months.He seemed more able to concentrate in school,but was lethargic,and from our observations it seemed he lost his sparkle-no more giggle-fests and even fewer smiles.After reading a handout from his psych.about liver problems showing up with strattera use,I decided the benefits were easily outweighed by the drawbacks,and took him off.This first week without the med.has gone well,and I am in a "wait-and-see"pattern for the time being. .

Hi my son was on everything.  He is 9 years old. He tried to kill himself 4 times on Paxil and streterra the doctor didnt know that he should'nt mix the 2 drugs.

I Took him to a DAN doctor.  2 days of Allergy test.  He was allergic to Gluten's soy,wheat,corn,oats.

He his now on a GFCF diet taking Vitamin B6, Primrose, Nu-Therm a multi Vitamin, DMG, Vitamin C.

ADHD is related to the stomach swelling up with a allgeric reaction to glutens, Then the Behavior Vitamin which are your B's are unable to work.  Another world

A happy ParentJoan in Tucson, Az.