Strattera?
I'm on this drug, I'm on 40mg. It has helped me to focus as I have ADHD as well as aspergers, but I don't take it all the time because I forget. It prevents me from having as many meltdowns. My psychiatrist says I should be on 60mg but as 40 works she wont change it. To the person who said this was about profits, I'm 17, I live in the UK, I'm in full-time education, therefore the drug is on the NHS, which means I don't pay a penny.
Edit: I think this is a very old thread.
It is true that ADHD meds can make you feel in the dumps at times, but they do NOT make you suicidal, you are in control of your own thoughts, medication cannot fill your head with bad thoughts, only you can do that.
THIS is a terrible thing to say and a horrible bit of advise. ALL anti-depressants can cause suicidal thoughts. It is a proven FACT. Strattera is no exception.
FrogGirl
Velociraptor
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 403
Location: Lost wherever I am
Strattera is HORRILBE. It is one of the worst meds that i have tried. I had absolutely NO REM sleep for the two weeks that I was on it. In other words, I got no restful sleep, I felt drugged, was obviously tired, grouchy,whatever goes with being beyone tired. Ritilin was horrible too.(generic) I took it for two days and quit due to extreem rage. I was afraid that I would hurt my kids. I now take Adderall XR, and it works great!! I can now actually find my keys, or what ever it is when I need it. Before hand, I was so lost.
whipstitches
Deinonychus
Joined: 12 Feb 2009
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 323
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Someone on here (can't recall who...must be my ADD.... ) said that everyone reacts differently to different drugs. I could not agree more with this statement. I am a firm believer that less medication is best, but from time to time one may find that the need the medication and that benefits far outweigh the risks. I have major depression, several anxiety disorders, ADD and Asperger's Syndrome. I didn't know about the AS until recently, but I have known about the ADD for about 11 years now. I have taken Ritalin for the ADD and it worked well for a while. I eventually started to have some bad side effects from it and had to stop (paranoid feelings and racing thoughts). I have also taken most of the SSRI drugs to help with the depression and the anxiety. None of these really worked for me... AT ALL. In fact, most of the SSRI's that I have taken have made me feel really terrible (trembling, panic, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing....). As it turns out, serotonin is not the chemical in my brain that is out of whack. It is norepinephrine and dopamine. Wellbutrin has been a miracle drug for me because it has been able to treat the depression symptoms and the ADD symptoms together! I take on medication to help with the both! I use cognitive behavioral techniques to help with the anxiety. But..... this is just my story! Everyone has a different one. Neither one of my brothers are able to take Wellbutrin. It makes them feel too "weird". I have a teenage daughter who has made it most of her life without taking anything for her ADD. However, today she was given a prescription for Strettera. I have no idea if it will work for her or not, but I do know that it if doesn't.... well that doesn't mean that the drug doesn't work for anyone. It just means it doesn't work for her. All psychiatric drugs are a trial and error process. Almost no one gets the right drug (or combination of drugs) on the first try. I ink that patients is in order when attempting to find a drug or therapy that works. If it were so simple that one drug would help everyone.... well.... there would only be one drug out there.
I have to agree here---but that is just my opinion. My oldest son was on Strattera and it made him depressed and tired acting. My wife and I said, "Enough!" And he has never taken another Strattera. With our support, he has been fine. I compare Strattera to a lobotomy. It definitely created a zombie out of him. But unlike the lobotomy, at least he returned to his previous state. I know that medications benefit many here, but I am always cautious anymore about medications.
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"My journey has just begun."