Has anyone tried Strattera?

Pattim,

We haven’t tried it, but I read an article recently that suggested that a child who is doing well on stimulants probably should not switch to Strattera. For children who have a problem with side effects from stimulants, Strattera may be a good choice. There is a study in progress now that will attempt to compare the efficacy of Strattera vs. stimulants. Current studies show that Strattera is an effective treatment, but this study will try to determine whether it is equally effective as stimulants.

Andrea

It sounds promising and considering that some individuals can’t take stimulants this would be a good alternative not to mention it isn’t a controlled substance so getting refills isn’t such a hassle. I heard that some psychiatric Dr’s would prefer to prescribe it before a stimulant for ADHD. While others who have success with stimulants are still sitting on the fence regarding initial treatment of stimulants first and then try Strattera as a second choice. I have heard that it lasts longer than the stimulants without the side effects that occurs when coming down off stimulants such as changes in mood or behavior.

Hello, I just switched my 12 yr.old son from Concerta 18mg to Strattera 3 days ago and so far we are in a rapid behavior decline! I understand that Strattera takes awhile to build up in the system so I am trying to be patient. It would also make sense that there could be some withdrawal from the Concerta since it is a controlled substance. I sincerely hope that things turn around soon. I will keep you posted. Anyone else out there with experience? Thanks

We are attempting to switch from 10mg Dexadrine spansules to Strattera for one of our sons. Today is the first day and I will let you know how it goes. I know that they start with 40 mg for 4 days to 60mg thereafter for a child. My pediatrician told me that some kids are are kind of sleepy on the Strattera so he may have the dosage wrong or perhaps they won’t respond positively to Strattera and a stimulant would be a more appropriate treatment. For kids who can’t go to sleep at bedtime when they have been on stimulants, Strattera is an alternative. He also said that for some kids the Strattera helps with their behavior, they don’t have the crashing that comes when the stimulants wear off and he has noticed that over time the Strattera seems to keep them on an even keel and they are much more pleasant and happy especially when they first get up in the morning and you are trying to get them ready for the day. For the adult trying Strattera they would start out with 40mg once a day and then jump up to 80mg once a day. We have another son in college who is ADD. He is going to try Strattera first and if it doesn’t assist him then we will try a stimulant.

Concerta is a fast acting stimulant and it usually works out of the system quickly however the person will be kind of tired and maybe a little edgy when they aren’t on it for a few days until their body is used to being off it.

Thank you for your prompt reply! This gives me hope. My pediatrician only has a handful of kids on this so his feedback is minimal. He started my son on 25mg for 4 days and then will advance to 40. He weighs 92lbs. I am a nurse and that part of me says to be patient but the mother part says what have I done???! He is also dyslexic so losing any time focusing is a problem. Please let me know what you see. Thanks again. Nancy

The doctor just prescribed this for my son who has been on anti-depressants, but also exhibits ADHD problems. He weights 190 lbs. and is 16 years old. He has been on anti-depressants for 5 years, and I am leary to take him off all anti-depressants and just take this med. They are starting him on 18 mg. for 4 days and then 25 mg. for 30 days. Sounds like too low a dose for a big kid, and not sure it will help his depression at all. I’ve called the doctor about this, but not sure what he will do.

Historically the single, narrow classification of meds most closely associated with the temporary reduction of ADHD symptoms is the central nervous system stimulants/alerting agents. Caffeine/coffee perhaps is the weakest stimulant/alerting agent; Adderall perhaps is the strongest; the best known perhaps is Ritalin.

That’s what history reports: a very narrow window for effective ADHD meds = the central nervous system stimulants/alerting agents.

Strattera may or may not work for those with ADHD as well as the historically proven central nervous system stimulants/alerting agents like Ritalin etc. Time (3 - 5 years) may tell (enough time to see how Strattera actually works with lots more people than in the small, controlled studies used to launch the new drug Strattera).

My son, age 10, has been on Adderall for the last year or so. It’s been the best stimulant for him to date but certainly not perfect. He still has attentiveness problems, poor sleep, and he is slim (59 pds at 4 ft 5 in.). In fact, he sleeps so poorly he requires a sleeping pill. He is about to be switched to Strattera. I’ll stay in touch and let everyone knows how it goes.

I have an 8 1/2 year old girl with ADHD of the combined type. I formally figured out she was ADHD about 3 1/2 yrs ago, but was wondering a year or so before that. I fought giving her any meds, because I was unconvinced, until about 3 months ago. One of the difficulties in her diagnosis is that her verbal IQ is 132, however, her performance IQ drops to 90. She was able to work around it until 3rd grade and then I knew it had reared its ugly head, but it was a relieve to have an answer. I have tried Ritalin, do not like it at all. Appetite and sleep was affected. When the medicine (40MG) only lasted about 8 to 10 hours and the the crash off the cliff lasted 3 to 4 hours. She was meam, irritable, depressed, cried, oppositional and her ADHD symptoms seemed worse. Switched to Concerta 54 time released, still not eating until 8 or 9 pm and then starved and eating anything she could find or think of. until about midnight. This was over Christmas break. I got up every morning at 7 am and gave her the pill and we would go back to sleep. I decided 54 mgs was too much for her. Switched to Concerta 36. She had dropped down in weight by almost 10 lbs in 2 months. On Concerta 36 mgs a day, time released she is doing wonderfully. She is her old self, eating 6 to 8 times a day, happy, completing tasks, able to concentrate, and is becoming very organized in her thinking and doing. I was offered Straterra to try. My Dr. and I decided it was too knew yet, still has side effects with appetite and sleep etc. and blood must be drawn frequently I believe. The one good thing about it is that there are no methylfenidate (sp?) a stimulant in it. I am personally very interested in it but I believe I will wait until the summer time to try it. They do have a web site I believe it is straterra.com.

Oh yeh did I mention I am also a 46 year old going through premenapause. What was I thinking? Oh well, she keeps me hopping and is the joy of my life!

I have thought for a long time I was not a good mom because I had no patience or time for her. She exasperated me! I cried alot. Alot of people think badly of we parents who are advocates for our children and do not want to even understand what the adult or child is going through. I tell them what I know to be fact and what I have lived and they are supportive or we usually part ways in some cases. We must all stick together for the kids with this disorder and for ourselves we should be proud of ourselves. I know I am.

All replies welome. Thanks for listening.

Never tried Adderall. Interested greatly in the Straterra. My daughter is 8 1/2, 4’7”, and weighs 80 lbs. Her weight was about 87 lbs before meds of any sort. I like Concerta 36 time released, but feel guilty and constantly worry about giving her a class 5 stimulant.

Good luck and let us hear from you.

Jolinda

Is this the drug you were telling me about last summer? Everything I have heard and read about it sounds good. Our 16 year old is doing pretty good on it..so far, he was, reasonable and not irritable, kind of tired and took a 20 minute nap and he went back to his homework..The tiredness could have been from not taking the Dexedrine anymore, but I really like that he isn’t arguing with me about doing his homework.

Is Strattera in the same family as depressants? I noticed it says Strattera HCI after it and what does the HCI mean?

Our daughter had her Triennial and her Non verbal scores were very high but her verbal scores were within the low to average range. She has made progress but because of the ADD/HI she has all these gaps in her background knowledge and language still and we are filling the sieve daily but it is tough…Sure wish I had thought about ADD before 5th grade…would have helped her tune it so to make the gaps in her background knowledge less. The Psyche said once she learns it she has the fluid reasoning and intellegence to use it but there are just so many gaps that even though she is gifted in the non-verbal area she has so much trouble putting the puzzle together because of all these missing pieces. This is something that I already knew and it was nice that someone else confirmed it……LOL Let me know how your son does on Strattera and how things are going for you…

Patti

It is tough having kids with ADD so don’t beat yourself up for not having patience at times. We are all guilty of that. I love my family but when you have a whole family of ADDer’s it can get tough, especially in the patience department. At least we know what we are dealing with and what can be done about it now. My daughter is on concerta 36mg and has been on it for 2.5 yrs… She does well on it too, eating has never been a problem however, sleeping has been a problem.. If she isn’t on meds she talks a mile a minute…and it drives be bonkers…

I too hear you on the peri-menopausal stuff, it happens to me too. B-Complex has helped me deal better with that monkey…Hang in there, thanks for sharing…with us…

Is your son sensitive to medication? Perhaps that is why he is on the low dosage to start… especially if he is still on anti-depression medication. My adult son is about 155 and 6’3” is starting with 40 and going to 80..but he has no history of depression.or prior medication.

It isn’t uncommon for people with ADD to have depression too. It is part of the frustration in dealing with ADD. Let us know how it goes with him. I have a 16 year old son too and it is hard the ups and downs and then the driving begins…It passes before you know it…

Patti

My dd’s doc is anxious to switch her from Concerta to Strattera.

DD’s doc is the head of pediatric neuro at a leading hospital and I am very confident in her. They participated in the trials and she liked the results she say. They have many of their patients already on it.

Benefits are the med lasts 24/7 for symptom control, unlike rebound, wear-off, limited time benefits, etc that occurs with the others. I thought that was great, b/c we don’t do a lot of after school stuff so that homework can be completed with benefit of meds, so this opens up some options for dd.

It may also be better for appettite, sleep issues and is finally a viable alternative for ADHD’ers who suffer from tic/Tourettes.

The downside is that it takes a while to find the right dosing and experience the full effects.

I’ve heard more than one comment from parents about the sleepiness thing in the beginning and frustration with the waiting period on the dosing.

Due to the dosing/waiting period, dd’s learning differences and the challenges of 4th grade, we will probably wait until summer to try to switch her over. She’s doing well right now on Concerta, so I don’t want to trip her up.

Thanks to everyone responding….. This is day 4 of Strattera 25 and we will start 40 tomorrow. Yesterday was rough for him with alot of mood swings but he awakened in a good mood today. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will work. I will keep you posted.

That is good news…it looks promising…I want to switch my daughter from Concerta too but she has had so much success but she said that it starts to wear off after lunch so that is telling me she is building a tolerance to it again…

I know that one - when the dose becomes less effective - all too well.

We have the same exact issue. DD has been on Concerta for two years. We have tried other meds, but so far Concerta is the only one of four we tried that has worked for her. In these two years, we have gone from 18 to 27 to 34 to 45 (an 18 + 27) presently. 45 has been holding fairly well for a while now but at this rate, she will need another dosage increase late this year - not good.

So, if there is another viable alternative (non-stim, and although appetite issues have subsided they remain a backburner worry), I hope it can work.

Good luck.

Hi Nancy,

Spoke with my Ped. today regarding Straterra. He and the nurse has said the only bad thing they have heard is….the kids will get stomach pain or aches is taken on an empty stomach. He also said that you would want to keep a close eye on their blood pressure.

Re the time it takes straterra to take affect in system(3 to 6 days). My Dr. said concerta can be taken along with straterra, thus eliminating the wait for the system to get the effects of the straterra. This is something I am considering, still looking into. Right now I am trying to get the school to do the basics they should do for Hilary under her 504. Have a meeting tomorrow. After that I am going in search of any other rights Hilary has. My biggest problem is her high IQ verbally, but the drop in performance IQ is 30 points down. That is a LD as is ADHD. I believe IDEA may be better for her. I am still trying to figure out the IEP. Is the 504 an IEP or do you only get an IEP if you are eligible for IDEA services?

Some times all I see is red tape and more red tape. Time and info will get me there.

Hope things get better quick with the straterra. Let us know. I am a little gun shy to change Hilly. Concerta 36 seems to be working for her very well. She wants to stay on the Concerta because she is doing so very well with it. I guess we will see down the road after I get more info on Straterra.

Hey, I better go. Need time to get this out of my head so I can sleep!

Keep us posted or feel free to email me directly.

My son, age 11, is on Adderall just as your son is. When he started using it, he had major sleeping problems. I didn’t want to give him sleeping pills if there was an alternative that would work. I found GABA, an amino acid taken about an hour or so before bedtime, did the trick. You can get it where vitamins are sold. Atkin’s book called it “nature’s valium”. He was able to sleep the very first night he tried it. After a year or so, he wanted to try sleeping without it and had no problem..

xxxx

seems to work well so far. No side effects noted yet.

My son has been on Concerta 18 for a year. I know it is time for a change because he is bringing home a lot of “home”work and then spending hours getting it done. Our Dr. recommended Strattera and I have a starter pack. Reading the supplemental info I see that he should not be taking nutritional supplements. He and I are both taking Mannatec. Does anyone have experience with Mannatec? If so, have you seen any benefits from it? I will probably wait to switch over during a 3-day weekend so that I can observe him at home.

Hi I have a 7 year old who has been diagnosed with ADD (inattentive type). Her Doctor just prescribed her Strattera. I haven’t given it to her yet. I am very nervous about giving it to her. I think I will wait until the weekend just so that I can be with her. She is only 52 lbs so I am very worried about the weight loss. Her Pediatrician talks very highly of Strattera. I hope it helps her, that is if I ever get the nerve up to give it to her. Can anyone tell me what to expect at first? Thanks

Tisa

Yes, my son has tried many different medications and has had multiple side-effects to different ones including tachycardia, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. He started the Strattera 18 mg for 4 days and has had itching and nausea as well as being sleepy during the day. Says he feels like he has a bug. He is supposed to take 1 more day of 18 mg. and then change to 25 mg., but I am leary to change to 25 if 18 makes him throw up. Saw some real stress and frustration last night at the thought of beginning homework. Easily upset so far. I hope to track this carefully as I am sort of afraid of this med.

my adult son said he felt nauseated too but he didn’t throw up and felt kind of sleepy. The younger one didn’t have problems, just a little tired but other than that he was fine. The Dr. said to take it with food if the child has an upset stomach. Perhaps your son is very sensitive to meds and should be backed down to a lower dosage…

I attended a staff development symposium today where a highly regarded psychiatrist in our community presented info. on psychotherapeutic medications. She was very excited about Strattera. Said it is more specific in targeting neurotransmitters (as opposed to Ritalin which she described as a “shotgun” approach). Takes several weeks to get therapeutic blood levels. Has been tested in children, adolescents, and adults (2000 subjects) with some subjects followed for 2 years already. As with other meds, the side effects such as upset stomach often diminish as the child adjusts to the medication— you have to give it some time .

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Nancy here again. This is day 5 on 40 mg. of Strattera. I am seeing some leveling out of his mood swings. ( he will be 13 so do they level out?). He is not as angry. He is also LD and focus is an issue. I am not seeing alot of improvement there yet. We are really having trouble in that area due to the fact that we are having some difficulties with the school. It is never just one thing is it!!! I appreciate the feedback. It seems that we might need to wait a little longer to see more results. We return to the ped on Friday. Keep the information coming though. Thanks, Nancy
Jolinda, what is your email address?

Thanks for the input. I did give him the Strattera with food, and he is on the lowest dose they make. He had to miss school yesterday afternoon when he started throwing up, and felt nauseated all night — wanting to throw up but couldn’t. Still nauseated and very tired this morning, so he is missing another day of school — getting farther behind. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. Called the doctor, but no response yet. Hoping he will be able to recommend something to help. We have tried so many different meds over the past six years.

My son is 16 and on day 4 of 18 mg. of Strattera — too nauseated to attend school. Now he will get behind in his classes which are hard enough for him already. When will the nausea end?

I always find relief reading stories similar to ours. Our son, almost 11, has been on Concerta 18mg for 1.5 years. I feel so frustrated about all the management his ADD requires. I often feel that I’m not qualified to be his parent. We had a very unproductive homework session last night over work that should have been completed at school. I know the 18mg probably needs to be increased. We just received a starter pack for Strattera but reading the side effects others are experiencing, I’m hesitant to begin it unless I have a lot of time to observe him; such as spring break or summer. I’ve also recently visited a school that does not believe any children need to be on meds. They report that given the right direction, a child can learn to pace their learning and modulate their own behavior. I almost moved him last week but something told me that this seemed to good to be true. We did try Adderall during Nov and Dec and he became angry and very emotional. This morning I dropped him off for school and, even though his work wasn’t complete and the memory of the previous evening was still heavy on my mind, he gave me a beautiful smile and told me he loved me.

I understand your frustration in dealing with ADD. It gets overwhelming at times for all of us..My ADD kiddo’s are really affectionate too and that makes up for the times when they get nasty. Since my son has been on Strattera is is more even keeled…he doesn’t get as snippy as he did on a stimulant. It sounds like your son needs to have his meds adjusted…have you asked him if he can tell when they wear off? My daughter knows when her meds wear off.

Hi Tisa,
I also have a 7 year old who weighs 55-57lbs 4ft 1in. I started her on Strattera today. Can you fill me in on how your little one is doing.
Thanks,
Tracy

My son is 14 weighs 77lbs and is 4’10 he has been on
Adderall for many years. I put him on Strattera today
and am basically hoping for a miracle. He hates how
short he is but I don’t know what else to do about that
he is small as my 10 yr old daughter is there not a medication
out there to help children grow that are under the 95th
percentile?? I would love to get emails about the long
term effects on this medication.. Mainly growth and
learning skills.. My son is in 8th but supose to be in
9th .. He is very very smart just has such a hard time
paying attention and concentrating on what is in front
of him instead of what is going on around him ..
The Adderall was doing the job just fine, But, I
really wanted him off the narcotics and was really
hoping for more than this probally will give, He is also
BiPolar and I have taken him off the Wellbutrin and the
Trileptal .. We don’t have great insurance so his meds
are costing us 150 a month with insurance.. And I can’t
afford it anymore.. Please feel free to give me some input
on this problem I have.. Thanks, KRISAN

Krisan,

Most of the studies suggest that stimulants have a short-term effect on growth rate but that in the long-term growth is not affected. It remains somewhat unclear whether the stimulants actually are the cause of the growth delay or whether the delay is a feature of the ADHD. Does your son have appetite suppression? Strattera also supresses appetite but apparently not as much as the stimluants do.

Andrea

I have a 9 year son with ADHD, who weights 60 lbs. He was on Adderall and then Concerta. We are on day #5 (40 mg) with Strattera. The first four days we were on 25 mg. He was very down because he felt without the Concerta, he could not focus and was doing things that were socially unacceptable. Does anybody have any feedback on Strattera? I am nervous putting him on a new drug. Thanks!!

I tried my son on Strattera for five days and he threw up every day and was very dizzy. His school counts all absences and students can only miss 9 days a semester before they lose credit unless they have a doctors note for each absence. Can’t afford to go to the doctor everyday. He missed so much instruction, we are now fighting to get him caught up. Not taking Strattera — even the lowest dose didn’t work for him.

Donna- I am sorry to hear your son is not having a good experience with Strattera. My daughter started it a little less than two months ago and she is doing wonderful. No throwing fits when it is time for homework. (she’s 7) The teacher says it is amazing how she is concentrating more. She has Inattentive ADD. I can see a huge difference in her and the best thing is she has absolutely no side effects. I actually cried the first time she sat down and did her math homework and did it without hardly any help. It is wonderful and I am very sorry that your son is having the side effects.

Tracy-My daughter is doing wonderful. She has taken it about two months now. I actually cried when she sat down and did her homework without fighting with me. I could just see her little mind working. Usually she would throw a huge fit when doing homework because she knew that she couldn’t sit down and do it. But now she does two digit subtraction problems without hardly any help. She is still behind in her reading but is improving more and more every day. The best thing is that she has no side effects. She actually has a better appetite. Her teachers are amazed and they said they have never seen a child have such a good response to medication. How is your daughter doing?

Tisa