Does Strattera Work For You?

One thing that works for ADD (don’t know about bipolar) is Welbutrin.

Strattera worked for me until yesterday. My doctor raised my dosage from 80 mg to 100 mg, and I had a very bad reaction to it. My heart was pounding, and I was having uncontrollable crying fits.

So my doctor took me completely off it for 3 days, and then we’ll start fresh with just 40 mg per day working back up to 80 mg.

I can say that when I was just on the 80 mg/day, it seemed to help my concentration. I was able to read, which I wasn’t able to do before. Another way that I think it helped me was that I wasn’t pacing around my house.

I’m concerned that you say you’ve been on and off it. Is that the way your doctor wants you to take it? I’m not a doctor, but I’ve never heard of anyone taking it on and off. It doesn’t seem to me that you could get all the benefits of the medication unless you take it consistently.

@marinelife I wonder why you bring up bipolar? Aren’t all of the meds mentioned by the OP for ADD? I ask because I know there was a big problem years ago with children being diagnosed and prescribed for ADD when they were actually bipolar, and the drugs did not work. This was during a time when for ethical reasons we were not testing medication in children, but then we started to approve some, because that meant that children were being prescribed having no scientific data for effects in children.

@JLeslie I brought it up because that was one of the categories that the asker put in so I thought it might be an issue for him.

@marinelife Oh, I missed that. Makes sense. Thanks.

The reason I’ve been on and off is because I have to keep cost down because I take lots of meds for bipolar. Anything that doesn’t seem effective I try to avoid. I think I’ll commit to it for a month and see where that takes. My Dr. did tell me that sometimes untreated ADD can deepen one’s depression.

I understand the need to keep down costs of medications. I also happen to be bipolar. 2 or 3 years ago, I was able to cut the different number of pills I was taking down to just 1: Abilify. It really seems to work for me in controlling my bipolar ups and downs.

I began taking Strattera about 4 or 5 months ago, and I have found something interesting. I get a better result from a lower dose of the medication. I’m back on the 40 mg/day regimen, and it really makes me seem alert and focused. It feels much better than the 80 mg/day I was taking. I’m going to ask my doctor to keep me at this dose.