I'm new, I apologize if this has been asked before. Ds (10) is ADHD and has been taking Adderall for the past two years. At the end of the school year he developed a tic (head jerk) and we d/c'd the med. We only gave him the Adderall on school days and it was effective. School starts in a few weeks and his ped suggested switching to Strattera since it has not been associated with tics. I got the Rx filled yesterday but the pharmacist was completely useless when I asked questions. What I want to know is, after the initial month on Strattera (two weeks at 25 mg then 40mg from there out), can we only give it to him on school days? Will it be effective? Or does the blood level need to remain at a certain level? From what I've read it passes through the bloodstream relatively quickly, but at the same time there is a ramp-up period to adjust to the med. Those two facts seem to be contradictory to me. Does anyone use Strattera only for school? Thanks so much!!
They have a web cite and what it says is this medacine should be used daily. Reason is cause it takes 4-6 weeks to maintain a constent level. Our son takes only during school year and weekends only off at summer.Nervous Mother - pick up the book Delivered from Distraction by Dr. Hallowell - even if you don't buy it read the chapter (towards the back of the book) talking about meds.
Dr. Hallowell says that Strattera takes 1 or 2 months to become fully effective since it's not a stimulant. It has to build up in the system. So it's recommended to take EVERY day to build up. He said that it can be really effective but most people don't give it the full time necessary to get the full benefit from it.
So please call your doctor with any questions since the pharmacist couldn't help you.
Autumnstar