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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by thinkfast on November 3, 2004, at 7:06:04
After what seems like forever, I finally convinced the Pdoc to let me try an ADD medication, but she doesn't Rx stims to adults for some reason. Anyway, I've tried Ritalin before and it's fairly efficient at calming my brain down and helping with anxiety(mostly social). I'm allready on effexor which effects Norepinephrine(spelling?), and Seroquel for sleep, so I am wondering what to expect when adding Strattera to the mix. I've been on wellbutrin before but I was extremely zoned out and gave me a wierd taste in my mouth. My main question is.... how are the effects of Strattera compared to Wellbutrin or Ritalin? It seems obvious that the Ritalin will be stronger than the Strattera and I'm hoping it's not like Wellbutrin. Plus, I don't need anything else that makes me freegin tired all day long. Thanx in advance.
Posted by JayDee on November 3, 2004, at 11:14:27
In reply to Strattera compared to Ritalin Well.., posted by thinkfast on November 3, 2004, at 7:06:04
Strattera increases dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, IIRC, because the reuptake of DA is controlled there by the NA enzyme. Most of DA related social anxiety is belived to lie in lowered levels of dopamine and receptors in the striatum and (probably) the nucleus accumbens. Strattera does not increase DA levels in either area(stims do). Also the striatum is involved in executive functioning which is probably why Strattera is not as effective as stimulants. The DA effect in the nucleus accumbens is probably partly responsible for the calming effect, too.
Strat has more side effects as wellgood things about strattera:
-no crash
-anti-anxiety(not social), calming effect (probably neglegable if you're already on an AD)
-long lasting
-non addictive(not + as far as im concerned, but for lazy docs it is)
-Strat causes no anxiety, where WB and stims doIt can, i Belive exasperate the fear circuit, though. For example when I was on the strat... If i was strongly startled by somthing(not scary, just somthing to make me jump) I would find my feet/hands shaking for several mins afterwards. But i was somewhat prone to this in the beforehand, strat just made it worse.
for me it made my excessive daytime sleepieness even worse, but it was better then nothing.
Posted by Peddidle on November 5, 2004, at 12:20:21
In reply to Re: Strattera compared to Ritalin Well.., posted by JayDee on November 3, 2004, at 11:14:27
I just wanted to clarify something. I recently started taking strattera as well. Anyway, to clarify, strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor-- it increases norepinephrine NOT dopamine.
Posted by reefer on November 8, 2004, at 2:32:45
In reply to Re: Strattera compared to Ritalin Well.., posted by Peddidle on November 5, 2004, at 12:20:21
i'm sorry but what you are saying is incorrect. we know that it's a NA reuptake inhibitor and doesn't bind to dopamine receptors. BUT just because it lacks affinity for 5-HT, DA, etc doesn't mean it cant indirectly affect other neurotransmitters. and strattera by preventing reuptake of NA does also increase DA in certain brain regions as previosly stated.
This is the end of the thread.
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