DOES STRATTERA REALLY HELP WITH FOCUSING? | ADHD Information

I'm going to ask DR about stratterra /Adderal combination...I have no idea if it would work...but like you I'm not getting much help from Stratterra.

Welcome to the Forum.

I am a 38 yr old adult with ADD. Been on 100mg Strattera for 4 months now and i find that it does not have the same degree of focusing that Ritalin or dexedrine does.

Has anyone else experienced the same thing?  It helps me be calmer but not VERY focused to do organizational stuff and follow through on lists, or instructions.

Any suggestions, for complementing it with other medications????
I am noticing people here are using stims/plus strattera. To me meds aren't the answer if dosages are changed and other meds needed. Maybe our kids have other things besides adhd going on. I am not a Dr. This is just my opinion. I wonder if one can build a immunity issue here like other meds. I here a lot about, constant increases. I have also read articles that state stims don't necessarly make life term help in learning. I think so when Ld is also a part of ones issue. Public schools seem to be forcing kids to learn things at younger ages which not all are ready for. I believe this is the Govts. doing. I have also heard that Govt. is going to reduce the amount of kids being allowed for evaluations in the future.They want to have mainstream teachers to have to work harder for all kids. Great, but then they will want more training which includes more money. I guess we will be the ones paying it in long run. Not trying to sound negative  just my opinion here. 

Our daughter who is 6 1/2 was on straterra for short period of time....and noticed improvement in hyperactivity but NOT A THING on focus and behavior.

Doc said it really works well in only 1/3 of patients....but give it time (Ive heard a month).

Post a note to let us know what you do find for a solution as our dauther is still going thru med trial and errors....same issues.

Thanks

Collette

thanks for the replies.  my 12 yr old son supplements his strattera with 10mg of dexedrine spansule on school days. it helps him with focus - but even 10mg is not enough. we will probably double the dex to 20mg. i dont like the side effects of the stimulants (and we have tried many) on him or myself - loss of appetite, moodiness etc etc...

if only they could put more of a focusing ingredient into the strattera as it certainly helps with the hyperactivity!!!

I was on strattera for one month in combination with effexor. I agree with saradan about the non-focusing component of strattera (God knows I need whatever element I can get in the focusing world). I do think I needed to go off Adderal as I felt that I had plateaued after 5 years, and just adding more wasn't going to take care of the overalll picture.

It would be great to have a pharmacist to talk with about all these meds/their thoughts on combining strattera with a stimulant et al. Does this forum ever have guest speakers to address such questions?My is 9 1/2 is on strattera, 36mg, it works but early evening i notice that he gets silly, and i think it's the meds wearing off, but i maybe wrong. Today we go for a med. check up so i'll ask the Dr.

My son is having some good results from taking 40 mg of Strattera and 18 mg of Concerta.  Previously, he was on 36 mg of Concerta and had hardly any appetite and hasn't really grown much in the last year.  So far, so good.

My son does well with 25 mg strattera and 2.5 dexadrine.  The dexadrine helps with focus and starttera with hyperness. 

Better focus in our son but that's it. The grades I looked back on showed better with out meds sometimes which is why we quit. I had concentration medacine which made no difference in me either. I think poor processing with our son/me and LD is more the issue for us both.

  Strattera helped me focus but it made me feel way to relaxed and lazy.  All I wanted to do is NOTHING when I got home from work. But it DID make me focus.