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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Von on May 12, 2003, at 10:41:36
In reply to Re: Straterra x35 days, posted by Kippie on May 11, 2003, at 20:40:40
My 8 year old son was on 18 - 50 mg straterra during 60 days, he had a calmer personality more agreeable and motivated to get going in the mornings, less arguementative, but yes the hyperactivity was not helped on straterra as it was on Ritalin. He was constantly trying to do hand stands and flips even in the chairs in the doctor's office. His grades suffered because he was not able to grasp the cognitive parts of his school classwork and he had some impulsive behavior in class that would cause him to miss seeing classwork that was being done. As of Friday he went off straterra and on to concerta because of state school testing coming up, he must to be able to pass the tests to pass third grade. The doctor said every med does not fit every individual, but we will try it in the summer at 60 mg since there was some sign of it working in some areas. We have seen a change in him being able to focus better and get things done with a somewhat positive attitude as of day 2 on concerta. Unfortunately, our initial goal was to stop stimulants but this may be more of gradual process. He was quite a bit moody on Ritalin previously.
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 13, 2003, at 20:18:17
In reply to Straterra x35 days, posted by MomOfBoys on May 4, 2003, at 23:51:06
Hi,
are you still taking 80 mgs of straterra at bedtime? i just took my first dose and am feeling incredibly sleepy and lethargic a couple of hours later.
are you seeing the sleepiness effect wearing off, or has it stayed true for you?
right now i'm going to bed about 8:30 pm tonight. This is kind of nice because I usually stay up until about 1 pm, and I _want_ to wake up early.
books
Posted by MomOfBoys on May 13, 2003, at 23:11:33
In reply to straterra at bedtime? » MomOfBoys, posted by bookgurl99 on May 13, 2003, at 20:18:17
Yes, I am still taking 80 mgs right before i go to bed as when I do, i wake up very early. I go to bed around midnight and and up enthusiastically between 4-5 am without an alarm clock (which NEVER happens in my normal life...i am a nite person, not a morning).
My energy does wear off around 10 am to noon, so doc thinking i need a stimulant added...i don't know. I do wish the effect would last longer.
If I take the Straterra in the morning, I am dreadfully tired all day long, dragging butt and can get nothing done. Also, my doc said I should forego the twice a day dosing and just take the total amt at one time, which I am doing.
Kim> are you still taking 80 mgs of straterra at bedtime? i just took my first dose and am feeling incredibly sleepy and lethargic a couple of hours later.
>
> are you seeing the sleepiness effect wearing off, or has it stayed true for you?
>
> right now i'm going to bed about 8:30 pm tonight. This is kind of nice because I usually stay up until about 1 pm, and I _want_ to wake up early.
>
> books
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 14, 2003, at 8:18:34
In reply to Re: hypersensitivity, depression - not exactly » BekkaH, posted by not exactly on January 25, 2003, at 22:32:08
>A quick Google search with the query "sprinkled site:strattera.com" indeed turned up the following statement: "Strattera capsules should never be broken and sprinkled on food. They must be taken whole."
I think this is because some people may attempt to snort lines of straterra in an attempt to get high. I read another website where a 17 year old claims to have done this to get high, saying there are ingredients in strat similar to crystal meth. He also said he got an uncomfortable burn in his nose that makes him not want to repeat the experience.
Posted by paulk on May 14, 2003, at 11:52:46
In reply to straterra sprinkling » not exactly, posted by bookgurl99 on May 14, 2003, at 8:18:34
> >A quick Google search with the query "sprinkled site:strattera.com" indeed turned up the following statement: "Strattera capsules should never be broken and sprinkled on food. They must be taken whole."
>
> I think this is because some people may attempt to snort lines of straterra in an attempt to get high. I read another website where a 17 year old claims to have done this to get high, saying there are ingredients in strat similar to crystal meth. He also said he got an uncomfortable burn in his nose that makes him not want to repeat the experience.
>
Actually it is because they make more money if you don't split the larger dosages. They want to create FUD so they get more of your money.Snorting it would be unpleasent as it is not a nuetral PH.
I wouldn't sprinkle it on food - it tases nasty. I split them into empty capsuls and it has saved me quite a lot of money.
Posted by paulk on May 14, 2003, at 12:05:49
In reply to Re: straterra at bedtime? » bookgurl99, posted by MomOfBoys on May 13, 2003, at 23:11:33
I tried taking it at bed time with poor results. I find that if it makes me sleepy then I am taking too much. Even a very low dosage makes a difference in gettting up in the morning for me - other than that I don't notice that I'm taking anything.
Posted by tire on May 14, 2003, at 17:45:30
In reply to Re: Straterra withdrawal, posted by Rachel2 on March 5, 2003, at 16:30:35
I'm on Lexapro now and I've noticed that you posted that back in March, how are you doing now with getting off of Lexapro. And how is the start up on Straterra coming? I'm thinking of going on Strattera but am hesitant. Thanks.
Posted by anthonycardasiuss on May 14, 2003, at 20:57:16
In reply to Re: straterra at bedtime? » bookgurl99, posted by MomOfBoys on May 13, 2003, at 23:11:33
I have been on Straterra for 3 months now and i have to say it has made me more focused and also the slight anxiety I had before has gone...I must say i am very happy with straterra and will continue using it.
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 15, 2003, at 3:30:44
In reply to Atomoxetine (Straterra) splitting sprinkling » bookgurl99, posted by paulk on May 14, 2003, at 11:52:46
>>
> Actually it is because they make more money if you don't split the larger dosages. They want to create FUD so they get more of your money.
>
What's F U D? (first unit of delivery?)Maybe it's similar to the protein shakes I sometimes drink after weightlifting. They always say "don't use for weight reduction," knowing full well that people are using them for weight loss! It's almost like it puts the idea in your head. Hmm, what if I split these pills up . . ?
Posted by paulk on May 15, 2003, at 10:26:55
In reply to Re: Atomoxetine (Straterra) splitting sprinkling, posted by bookgurl99 on May 15, 2003, at 3:30:44
FUD = Fear Uncertaincy and doubt. The term comes from internal Microsoft’s marketing philosophy communications from the anti trust suit and now is in general use.
Posted by Hattree on May 15, 2003, at 14:54:52
In reply to Atomoxetine (Straterra) splitting » bookgurl99, posted by paulk on May 15, 2003, at 10:26:55
hey paul...
how much are you taking, where did you start, how long did it take you to get to where you are now, and when did you start to notice that it was helping?
thanks!
Posted by kdg on May 18, 2003, at 0:44:50
In reply to Re: Straterra - No other takers?, posted by zenclear on January 15, 2003, at 21:40:31
I have an 7 yr old son who I thought was simply curious and maybe a little off the wall in some of his behaviors but I guess I didn't think he was that different from other boys. That is, until his teacher along with the school principal, cornered me last Friday and told me that my child had ADD and needed to be medicated if he had any chance of suceeding in school or for that matter life. His teacher told me he is doing things like daydreaming during class, to the point that she has to physically shake him to get his attention. She said when he is left unsupervised he becomes very destructive (ie. smearing soap on the bathroom mirrors, tearing his work up, throwing markers).
We have been aware of his focusing issues since his first year of school. We tried focus groups, counseling, and a strict diet consisting of zero sugars and low complex carbs (of course none of these things seemed to help).
So here we are, and this destructive behavior is a new thing that's accompanied by profuse lying (his teacher refered to it as progression of the ADD) I talked about these issues with my sons Dr. and he asked me if I wanted to medicate my child,possibly with Ritalin.
Well what do you say to that? No I don't want to medicate my child with anything. Especially not something as contraversial, & potientally dangerous as Ritalin. But at the same time I want my child back. We don't even feel as though he is a part of our family anymore because he is always grounded. Frankly, I don't like being around him because of his "always into something" behavior and lying.
So my question is two-part. Is this typical ADD behavior in a child? I mean could he be lying to me because he just can't explain why he does the things he does? Or is he just being an overactive 7 yr old in a school system that doesn't want to deal with it? Also I have read all of the other postings on the website, because a friend told me this drug maybe a better option for my son. However, I have not seen any postings on Straterra can even being administered on children. I am so afraid that my son is going to end up being my age (late twenties) with blood pressure problems because I wasn't informed about this critical decision, and possibly to quick to medicate. - help kdg
Posted by oops...trythatbutton on May 18, 2003, at 8:09:42
In reply to Re: Straterra - No other takers? » zenclear, posted by kdg on May 18, 2003, at 0:44:50
Yes...though I don't recall myself throwing thing. Actually I think it is the opposite with sugar. ADHDer tends to have a low/slow glucose uptake in the brain so having sugar has a calming effect. A lot of mild ADHDer tends to self medicate with coffee and/or chocolate which would help if it was mild ADHD.
The Strattera is ok with children. The key is to get the right dosage. You could check the Strattera website.
Strattera takes time and should be started at the lowest dose from my own experience
Posted by snowflake on May 18, 2003, at 14:08:53
In reply to Re: Straterra - No other takers? » kdg, posted by oops...trythatbutton on May 18, 2003, at 8:09:42
My 11 year old was put on Strattera with disasterous results. After being on Adderall XR which helped, his doctor wanted to try this new med, Strattera. It didn't help his ADD and he was acting the way you describe your son as acting now. My son's ADD is the inattentive, not hyper type. After wasting 8 weeks, he even noticed how different he was feeling and acting. We stopped immediately and he's back on Adderall XR. I'm sure there are success stories, but it seems, in my opinion that the majority are with adults.
Posted by teacherkris on May 18, 2003, at 14:14:59
In reply to Re: Straterra - No other takers?, posted by snowflake on May 18, 2003, at 14:08:53
This thread seems to be focused heavily on adults, which is the reason why I started reading it. I've found a lot of other boards and threads focused on kids with Strattera many of them success stories. So I don't think the Strattera is necessarily better for adults I think it's more a matter of who's posting. I'm a middle school teacher and have had several kids switch to strattera with great success. I also think that we need to keep in mind that most of us who come to these boards are having trouble with the meds, since those who are having no problems have no need to seek out the support and advice the boards offer. I guess my point is don't give up too quickly, true it doesn't work for some but from my own experience with it and what I've seen with my students I think it's worth the patience to give it a fair trial. Hang in there and good luck!
Posted by Mona on May 19, 2003, at 8:11:37
In reply to Straterra approval., posted by scoper on December 28, 2002, at 2:19:34
My son is 9 years of age and he was taken off the Dex cold turkey and put on Staterra 40 mg about a month ago. Since then I've seen him cry for no reason, get mad for no reason, rage, shout, yell, hit, and run away. He goes into the rages out of nowhere and then it's like you can't control him. Does anyone know what's going on? He also has shacks and nitemares....SOS from AR
Mona :)
Posted by snowflake on May 19, 2003, at 9:47:51
In reply to Re: Straterra approval., posted by Mona on May 19, 2003, at 8:11:37
Dear Mona,
Your case sounds exactly like my 11 year old son's response to Strattera. At 4 weeks we saw no improvements, his doctor asked us to wait a little longer. For us we waited 8weeks with absolutely no help for his ADD and with the exact side effects you describe. After a horrendous weekend with these types of behaviors, we stopped it immediately and went back to Adderall XR.
Posted by kashusha on May 19, 2003, at 17:53:29
In reply to Increasing to 100mg Strattera, posted by cmcdougall on May 5, 2003, at 14:05:08
> Hi All,
>
> Took 40mg for 4 days, increased to 80mg for 21 days, started 100mg last Friday. I LOVE Strattera. Still taking Lexapro and Trazodone for depression, Zonegran for migraines.
>
> This is the best I've felt in years. I tried all the stims and they were OK... This is definately better.
>
> Love and luck to you all.
> CarlyI'm on 80mg Strattera and have had no response. Nothing. I've been at this dose for about a month. Did you see improvement before taking 100mg? I see my pdoc tomorrow, and I don't think she'll go above this dose. Adderral does nothing for me, and i haven't tried anything else. I'm so overwhelmed and disorganized/distracted! I really hoped Strattera would help.
Posted by GRS on May 21, 2003, at 15:35:43
In reply to Re: Straterra approval., posted by Mona on May 19, 2003, at 8:11:37
My son has had a similar reaction and was switched from dexedrine. I have just lowered his dose to 25mg and hope this will help.
GRS> My son is 9 years of age and he was taken off the Dex cold turkey and put on Staterra 40 mg about a month ago. Since then I've seen him cry for no reason, get mad for no reason, rage, shout, yell, hit, and run away. He goes into the rages out of nowhere and then it's like you can't control him. Does anyone know what's going on? He also has shacks and nitemares....SOS from AR
>
> Mona :)
>
Posted by froggyanna on May 22, 2003, at 4:32:32
In reply to Straterra approval., posted by scoper on December 28, 2002, at 2:19:34
Hi Folks,
I apologize in advance for the length of this posting!
I have looked at many of the messages about Straterra on this board, but there's no way that I'll be able to read them all! But I'm very glad that I found this and I hope to learn a lot. If it happens that I ask a question that has already been addressed here, perhaps someone could kindly direct me to the conversation where that question is covered. Otherwise, I thought that, like several other people here, this might be a good place to keep a record of my experience, perhaps help others, and benefit from the collective experience!
I am starting Straterra tomorrow, 40 mg. Actually, it's today, since it's 1:00 am! So I'll start a few hours from now. I'm a 51-year-old woman who is just discovering I have ADD. I went to a psychiatrist a few weeks ago to get a diagnosis, and it was confirmed. He also recommended an internist I could go to, because I am new to my area and have a number of different health issues. Luckily, I went to that doctor last week and found him to be a great match for me! That in itself is a major accomplishment -- to find a doc that you can trust and feel comfortable with!
Anyway, the psychiatrist (is that what people mean here when they use the term "pdoc"?) took my history and we discussed the fact that I also have sleep apnea and am hypothyroid. Both of those problems can exacerbate the ADD. I am going to work with the internist to get the thyroid meds fine-tuned, because I believe that I'm not taking the right amount/kind of thyroid right now. As for the sleep apnea, I use CPAP and that has been fairly successful. But this pdoc (I hope that's the right term!) has done a lot of work with Buspar. His research and clinical experience have shown that Buspar can be highly effective in reducing both snoring and apnea. He suggested that I start taking Buspar for a few weeks, see if that helps with the snoring and/or the ADD symptoms, and if I still need help with the ADD, to add either Ritalin or Adderall to the mix.
So I've been gradually increasing the dosage of Buspar over the past couple of weeks, but I haven't yet tested whether I can go without the CPAP. I did try to go without it one night at the beginning, and my husband told me that the gasping apnea had been reduced but I was still snoring pretty badly. I put the mask back on! Since increasing the dosage I haven't tried it again yet, but I will!
I'm up to 45mg of Buspar. Both the internist and the pdoc said that I could comfortably go to 60mg and maybe even higher. For me, the reason to be taking Buspar is specifically for the sleep apnea. So if, after testing it out again, I see continued improvement, I will probably keep increasing the dosage to see if the snorning is even more reduced. I have been snoring loudly since I was a skinny teenager, so being an overweight middle-ager is NOT the cause. I was evaluated for surgery for apnea (decided not to do it) and that doc told me that I have an unusually narrow air passage, so that's the cause. I guess the Buspar has properties that help to maintain muscle tone of the airway during sleep. I think that's fascinating!
When I went to the internist, he suggested that I get all the thyroid blood work done and I'm waiting for those results. He also suggested an overnight sleep study because I haven't had one in years. That will be a good way to find out if the Buspar is having an effect. Additionally, he told me that because I have some possible heart risks, he thought that it might be a better idea to try Straterra before going with the stimulants. I called the psychiatrist and told him this and he commented that a lot of internists are "unnecessarily afraid" of the effects of stimulants (he and the internist are friends). But he said if I wanted to try Straterra he had no objections. He said that he's had 15 people on it -- 5 of them love it and 10 of them hated it.
Despite the odds, I've decided to give the least objectionable substance a chance (least objectionable, at least, to my mind). The pdoc said that my target dosage should be 120mg, and to start out at 40.
By the way, I'm going ahead with this, because the Buspar appears to be having very little effect on my ADD symptoms.
Now.... in addition, I have been taking ssri's for years for depression. First Prozac for about 6 or 7 years, and now Zoloft for about 5. I have found a very stable state in regards to depression by taking 100mg/day of Zoloft. Like a lot of people, I think, I thought my ONLY problem was depression. Well, after several years of learning what it feels like to be, or not to be, depressed, and yet still having problems with attention and work performance, I recently "discovered" ADD.
What a revelation! Now I can finally put all the pieces together and see my life clearly, all the way back to little-girlhood! The overwhelming sense of futility over not being able to achieve goals, accomplish things that other people seemed to find so easy, and put my life in order. The extreme shyness, the sensitivity, the anger, the impulsivity, the aimlessness.....despite being very intelligent! I dropped out of high school, I have taken college courses but have never gotten a degree, and at 51 I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up! Despite some career success, I have been unemployed for over a year and a half now and I'm afraid to jump back in! I've been afraid to put myself back into those corporate situations that are so alien to a person with ADD; afraid to make myself vulnerable yet again to the constant sense of not performing as well as I should, despite my best efforts, and always being late to work!!
So, in summary: I currently take 100mg of Zoloft and 0.2mg of Levoxyl (thyroid) in the morning, and 45mg of Buspar at bedtime (will increase to 60mg tomorrow). I also take some allergy meds (Zyrtec, Flonase, Advair), but I don't think they pertain to this discussion. I will be adding 40mg of Straterra to the mix.
I will aim to provide updates here like a lot of folks have been doing. I'm sorry again for the length of this -- just wanted to introduce myself and provide as clear a picture as I can at the start of the experiment. I sure do hope that I can begin to turn my life around!
froggyanna
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 22, 2003, at 8:08:30
In reply to Glad To Find This Group -- Starting Straterra, posted by froggyanna on May 22, 2003, at 4:32:32
Froggy,
Your symptoms blow me away, as I'm only 27 and am also hypothyroid. My psychiatrist wants me to be tested for sleep apnea. (I snore a lot.) I've just gotten off Zoloft after a year.(BTW, the zoloft made it _much_ harder to concentrate.) And -- since becoming hypothyroid -- I'm developing symptoms of ADD.
To be honest, from my perspective, these symptoms almost all boil down to the thyroid, as thyroid can exacerbate weight gain (hence sleep apnea) and memory problems. Otherwise, how would I, a health-conscious 27-year-old, be having the same symptoms as a 51-year-old?
When I tried Straterra recently, it made me very sleepy the first 2 days and very talkative the last day. I didn't like the feeling of being out of balance, and stopped.
My next step is to see my dr. next week and plead my case for Cytomel (t3) to be added to my thyroid regime. Several studies and anecdotal reports show that people feel greatly improved in terms of cognition and mood when they have t3 added to the mix. Lots of doctors are scared of t3 as it can increase one's chances of getting osteoporosis. But I say, if it's my brain versus my skeleton, my brain is a higher priority.
You might want to work on trying out t3, or getting your girl hormones checked out before hopping to more drugs. That's just my suggestion.
I'm really glad you found good new doctors. That is one of the best things just for feeling good about your care.
books
Posted by paulk on May 22, 2003, at 8:24:04
In reply to Glad To Find This Group -- Starting Straterra, posted by froggyanna on May 22, 2003, at 4:32:32
It just doesn’t seem responsible to start any med before your thyroid tests are back. It's just the humble opinion of a doctor’s kid, but if you turn out to be hypothyroid a combination of synthroid and Ctomel may be all you need. To start the med before the test results are in confounds the variables.
There is a lot of pressure for a doctor to make their patient happy, by sending them home with a prescription, but I think it would have been wise to have such a patient wait the two days it takes to get the test result back.
The thyroid test is much more objective and accurate than a psychological test.
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 22, 2003, at 12:34:02
In reply to Atomoxetine (Straterra) » froggyanna, posted by paulk on May 22, 2003, at 8:24:04
> The thyroid test is much more objective and accurate than a psychological test.
>
I have to say I totally agree with this statement. About a year and a half ago, I rapidly went from quick-brained youth to slow-brained depression and sluggishness. In addition, I developed severe migraines and started gaining weight. One neurologist tried to diagnose me with ADD and labeled my migraine symptoms (we did not know they were migraines at the time) as symptoms of health-related OCD.I rejected the ADD dx as I had never had it previous to that time; I think that's the clue about these things -- did the symptoms come on suddenly or have they always been there? A true developmental disorder like ADD should at least have _some_ symptoms in youth.
And while I _do_ have anxiety, it has never been about health concerns. I developed health concerns after untreated hypothyroidism caused health problems. It's a laugh, isn't it?
Looking back at it, I'm surprised that nobody ran a test to see how my t4/t3 levels were at the time. I guess sometimes you have to be your own dr.
Posted by cmcdougall on May 22, 2003, at 13:07:04
In reply to Re: Increasing to 100mg Strattera--Carly, posted by kashusha on May 19, 2003, at 17:53:29
> I'm on 80mg Strattera and have had no response. Nothing. I've been at this dose for about a month. Did you see improvement before taking 100mg? I see my pdoc tomorrow, and I don't think she'll go above this dose. Adderral does nothing for me, and i haven't tried anything else. I'm so overwhelmed and disorganized/distracted! I really hoped Strattera would help.
>Well, I wouldn't say I saw real improvement. It was more of a DIFFERENCE. I am more able to get started on projects, and more able to keep going on them. I am not a chatterbox anymore like the stims made me, although I think I will have to take a little bit of adderal again just to help me concentrate better. I am definately more organized. The difference has been subtle and ongoing... Don't give up.
Love and luck,
Carly
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 22, 2003, at 14:46:06
In reply to Straterra approval., posted by scoper on December 28, 2002, at 2:19:34
I've been thinking over some behavior of mine the past couple of weeks. And I'm realizing that I was talkative, but also short-tempered and perhaps somewhat impulsive on Straterra. I found myself swearing at work during annoying situations, for example. What gives? What mechanism would explain this?
books
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