Posted by Lasagne on August 17, 2003, at 22:36:51
In reply to Re: Back to you, lasagna, posted by ben12 on August 17, 2003, at 14:01:53
> The ritalin, i believe, causes the anxiety push. I am aware when the ritalin wears off and at that point there is no extra anxiety. Are there times when strattera works better or is not as effective throughout the day? The whole trial period is making me very nervous because i have only known myself on or off ritalin but i have noticed that the ritalin provides some anxiety. Furthermore, my psychiatrist is loath to put me on anti-anxiety medication because he feels that would sedate me to the point where studying is more difficult. Im having a lot of difficulty finding the 'correct' balance between strattera and ritalin and the struggle has definitely made me a little depressed. Do you have any other thoughts or answers to the questions above, thanks again for replying, you've been a huge help.
> BenHi Again:
Since you have been on and off Ritalin most of your life, maybe now your body is changing and so you aren't getting the same benefits anymore. You may want to consider changing the type of stimulant you are taking. My son has been back and forth between Ritalin and Adderall over the last 3 years. Especially now that he is entering puberty, the meds stopped working as well, which is why we stopped the Adderall and decided to go full time with the Strattera at a higher dose. Strattera does take time to really hit maximum benefits. You may be a few weeks away from knowing if that is true for you. In the meantime it wouldn't hurt to switch stimulants and possibly increase your Strattera dose again, then in 3-4 weeks take a weekend off from the stimulant to see if the Strattera gives you enough focus. My son is getting really good results on the higher dose of Strattera. I am really amazed at the improvement in his behavior without him taking the Adderall.
As for your doctor's concern that the anti-anxiety meds may sedate you too much, it is possible to start at a really low dose at bedtime. That way if you do experience drowsiness it will be while you should be sleeping. When I began the Buspar I don't remember having any sedation from it. My doctor started me on a lower dose and then increased after a week or so. Within a few days the panic attacks/anxiety went away and I felt great. Almost all of the psychotropic drugs cause an initial side effect of drowsiness, but with time it does improve. If you take them at bedtime then by the morning hopefully you would feel alert and be able to function for school and studying. Another thing to consider is that everybody reacts differently to meds, so maybe you won't have the sedative effect. If you have any vacation time coming up before Fall semester starts then you may want to use that time as your adjustment period with your meds. Unfortunately these things take time. We have spent the whole summer getting to where we are at with my son. He was doing terrible when school went out in June and now things are looking hopeful for a new school year. Depending on your ability to keep up with your school studies, you may want to discuss these matters with some of your professors. Maybe they would be willing to make some adjustments to help you be more successful. I know you must be studying hard so you can get good grades to get into med school, but I found back when I was in school that sometimes a "C" grade was equivalent to somebody elses "A" grade, because I had to put in so much painful effort. Now when I look back at what I had to do in order to learn class material I am absolutely amazed that I even made it through college.
As for a time of day when the Strattera seems to work best, I would say the morning. In the evenings as a mother of 3 boys, I am often pooped out and then when I take my Strattera it seems to calm me down for bedtime. When I wake up I feel alert and ready to go. Whereas before the Strattera I struggled to get out of bed and would want to go back to bed after my boys were off to school. It really has changed my life in numerous ways. My functionality is greatly improved.
So please don't give up. I know it's frustrating waiting for results. The first 3-4 weeks of Strattera were tough. The side effects hit me hard and I wasn't sure if I was going to endure them.
Well, I suppose I have gone on and on again.
Take care,
Lasagna
poster:Lasagne
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/251726.html