Posted by zeugma on June 4, 2004, at 5:15:29
In reply to Re: Would strattera treat depression and ADD??, posted by Ktemene on June 4, 2004, at 4:34:51
> I also have anergic depression with inattentive ADD. (I wonder how many others there are on the board? I suspect there are a lot of us.) My experience has been that 80 mg Strattera has greater antidepressant effect than even the maximum dose of Wellbutrin (450 mg). And Strattera is more helpful for concentration and focus than Wellbutrin. I took Wellbutrin for more than a year, starting at 150 mg per day, and it was a much more effective AD for me than any of the SSRI's that I had tried. But I was still too sleepy and unfocused to be productive, so my Pdoc and I kept increasing the dosage of Wellbutrin until we finally hit the maximum and I had developed a number of nasty SE's (permanent neck pain, massive hair loss, etc). At that point, three months ago, I went off Wellbutrin and started Strattera, and the Strattera has definately worked better. (I am thinking of adding 5 or 10 mg Selegiline to my cocktail just to see whether more dopaminergic activity might allow me to stop taking Adderall.)
>
> From what I have read Strattera does not cause drowsiness in most people; but it does make me drowsy. I deal with the Strattera sleepiness by taking 200 mg Provigil and 10 mg Adderall with the 40mg Strattera I take in the morning, and I take the same combination again in the afternoon when I begin to fade. (Actually, I sometimes skip the Adderall since the Provigil is so effective.)
I think that anergic depression is a manifestation of severe, inattentive ADD. (A nasty dual manifestation.) Strattera does not cause drowsiness per se, as nortriptyline does. I don't know if it highlights the fatigue that inattentives feel by successfully 'alerting' the mind, but adding nothing in the way of energy, or whether, as King Vultan speculates, there is some intrinsic property of the molecule that is fatiguing. As he does not suffer from inattentive ADD but experienced this effect it adds weight to the latter theory.I have mixed feelings about Strattera, it has definitely helped me function and get a real job, but has robbed me of any desire to socialize or have a life because of the anergia! I literally fall asleep in the middle of dinner if I do not have at least one cup of strong coffee after 5 p.m. and that is no way to live.
poster:zeugma
thread:353502
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040602/msgs/353655.html