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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Torque on June 25, 2004, at 19:49:50
Do anyone any have good experiences about Straterra to post? If so please give me your experiences
Posted by Torque on June 26, 2004, at 7:07:43
In reply to Straterra, posted by Torque on June 25, 2004, at 19:49:50
Sorry for the poor grammer on the previous posting, it was my first day on straterra and I was in a bit of a hurry. What I meant to say was "Does anyone have experience with this drug?" If so please provide the following:
Starting dose:
Maintenance dose:
Side effects:
Overall Effect:List other meds your taking:
Comments:
Thanks
Posted by zeugma on June 26, 2004, at 22:17:17
In reply to Strattera Survey, posted by Torque on June 26, 2004, at 13:10:13
> Does anyone have experience with this drug? If so please provide the following:
>
> Starting dose:18 mg am.
>
> Maintenance dose:80 mg am.
>
> Side effects:Constipation, dry mouth, dry skin, some miscellaneous GI upset, eventual severe fatigue.
>
>
> Overall Effect:It helped a lot with focus. And I suppose it was also good for motivation. A definite antidepressant effect. But the fatigue it caused was too great for me to bear, considering I suffer from terrible fatigue anyway. It also made my mind somewhat 'inflexible', which kept me from getting too distracted at work, and which made me focus narrowly on things- obviously both good and bad. My performance ratings at the job I had at the time shot up when I started taking it. The job called for repetitive and boring tasks, and did not call for any imagination or initiative, so Strattera was perfect. It became a poorer fit when I got another job that called for more imagination and flexibility. The energy drain by the end was awful, and was the reason I went off it.
>
> List other meds your taking: nortriptyline 75 mg, buspirone 30 mg, clonazepam 1 mg.
>
> Comments:I've already made some comments, but I will talk about how the Strattera combined with the nortriptyline: Strattera is a new drug, but I am not convinced that it is all that different from the old TCA's, including nortriptyline, although the Lilly Co. would like people to think so. The side effects I described above are identical to those of a less sedating TCA. In fact it is harsher on the system overall than the TCA. I argued a lot with my pdoc about how similar the drugs were, and he insisted that Strattera worked on a different part of the brain from the old TCA's, even though its major property (norepinephrine reuptake inhibition) is identical. In the end i realized that Strattera was more fatigue-inducing than nortriptyline and dumped it.
>
> Thanks
>
Posted by Torque on June 27, 2004, at 13:06:45
In reply to Re: Strattera Survey, posted by zeugma on June 26, 2004, at 22:17:17
So how are you doing on the nortriptyline? Sounds like you have anxiey issues like myself??
Posted by utopizen on June 27, 2004, at 17:51:11
In reply to Re: Straterra Experiences Please, posted by Torque on June 26, 2004, at 7:07:43
How common is it to feel an effect the first day or so?
I've never tried it. I'm in rut now with having trialed Ritalin again after not having it for two years while I was on Adderall or Desoxyn.
Now I need to go back on Desoxyn, but also need to take an antidepressant since Abilify is only partially responding
(I went from not waking up until 10 or 12 each day and feeling hopeless to feeling miserable yet exercising each morning on my bike at 9, God knows if it's Abilify or just me)
So seeing as how it takes a month or more to even see if an antidepressant would work at all, and knowing I'd eventually go on Zoloft because the other SSRIs failed me for social anxiety in the past, I coughed up a $100 and bought Zoloft online at 50mg for a month's supply. My next doc appt. is two weeks away, and that was made a week ago.
I have a PPO, so I don't need referrals and have unlimited visits. But my pdoc's busy, a Professor, so 3 weeks is usually what I need to wait for. He does good though with answering calls if I need them, but I feel akward now because I need to ask him to go back on the Desoxyn in between appts.
To top it off, I need to eventually go on Straterra, and hopefully before the fall when classes start again. But it seems like this is a never ending thing because I can only change on med at a time...
Posted by zeugma on June 27, 2004, at 21:50:15
In reply to Re: Strattera Survey » zeugma, posted by Torque on June 27, 2004, at 13:06:45
> So how are you doing on the nortriptyline? Sounds like you have anxiey issues like myself??
I have terrible anxiety issues. Nortriptyline is probably better than Strattera, and definitely better than something like Wellbutrin, for anxiety. It helps with sleep, and a little with concetration. I realized, after having been on the Strattera for a year, the nortriptyline for two years, that of the two drugs I found the nortriptyline much more tolerable to my system. That's important because I need to be on these medications long term.
Clonazepam is an excellent anxiolytic. I am still a highly anxious person but I am keeping my dosage of clonazepam as low as possible because I suffer from extreme lack of energy even without the Strattera and the benzo is sedating (as well as being possibly depressogenic).
I have added provigil to replace the Strattera, and it is helping a little although anything even remotely stimulating kills my appetite (I am trying desperately to make this stimulant trial work by forcing myself to eat as much as possible- it literally takes me an hour to eat a peanut butter sandwich because I have no interest whatsoever in food!). If I can get myself on a therapeutic dose of Provigil, I think I will be all right. Nortriptyline plus Provigil seems to be a good combination.
Posted by Waki on July 11, 2004, at 19:15:53
In reply to Re: Strattera Survey, posted by zeugma on June 26, 2004, at 22:17:17
I'm 43 yo male. I have depression and have all the adhd symptoms.
After 3 years of trying every ssri, effexor, lamictal, provigal, concerta and more, Welbutrin sr and welbutrin xl
Welbutrin xl was the first drug along with lamictal that helped me out. It changed me from a 250 lb couch potato to a 170 athlete as I was many years ago. I enjoy activities and have a desire to "get out and go"!
I just started strattera and am on 2nd week. First week was a night mare. I was lathargic all week. I discontinued a anxiety relaxer I was taking before bed and woke up feeling great. So I don't know if the fatigue was a side effect of strattera or the anxiety relaxer. I'm on 80 MG of Strattera and 450 Welbutrin.
Side effects have been acellerated heart rate, ability to excercise "MORE" and "LONGER" (Fantastic)!
dry throat, perfuciously perspire when excercising, insomnia.
I really have hopes for this med. I am feeling signs that it will be a "calmer" "Clearer thinking" Welbutrin for me.
I'm noticing more and more to reduce the welbutrin to not feel so speeded up. I skipped welbutrin yesterday and felt good and slept better. I took 300 mg Welbutrin today and feel hyped up. I took a partial anxiety relaxer to see how it works to get me to sleep tonight.
Tomorrow Ill take 150 welbutrin and continue if it feels good.
I suspect I'll be reducing everything but the Strattera.
My ADHD symptoms have not improved, but i did not feel depressed when i did'nt take welbutrin. Point being it has anti-depressant propertys.
I read an excellent article by a lady that stated if you dont try strattera for 4 weeks you are not testing it at all. The lady also stated that Strattera only works at full dose that calculated by your weight, in my case 80 to 90 mg. I have hopes in 2 to 4 weeks that will help my adhd..
On my own thought process today, I bought the amino acid called L-Tyrosine, it specificly states its for the same Nuro transmitters such as Norepinephrine that we are trying to acomplish with Strattera.
I started 1000 mg per day today and am hopefull.
In summary: Concerta did nothing for me but hype me up for adhd. I'm on 2nd week at full dose; I hope to remain motivated and energized but also have a clear organized mind very soon.
This is the end of the thread.
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