Posted by Viridis on January 11, 2004, at 19:55:09
In reply to Anyone combine ADD meds? , posted by utopizen on January 7, 2004, at 18:47:36
I took Strattera and Adderall together for about 6 months (along with Klonopin). Strattera was helpful at first, and the side effects (mild nausea, dry mouth, etc.) were quite manageable with gradual titration. I found it relaxing rather than stimulating. However, I quit the Strattera for three reasons:
1) Strattera stopped doing anything re: ADD or mood once I'd been on the full dose (80 mg/day) for a while. It did improve my mood and concentration at first.
2) Strattera was a tremendous appetite suppressant for me -- I had this with Adderall at first, but that stopped quickly. With Strattera, it didn't. This might be a plus for some people, but I don't think it's healthy to forget to eat for a whole day at a time.
3) Strattera had the strange effect of exaggerating any negative effects associated with lack of sleep. It didn't cause insomnia or make me tired. However, I found that the cognitive deficits that I experience if I haven't had enough sleep were made much worse by Strattera (who knows why?). Unfortunately, I've been so busy lately that I haven't been getting enough sleep, and Strattera made this worse. It was OK when I did get enough sleep, though -- but since it wasn't achieving its main goals anyway, I discontinued it.
Oh, and Strattera caused major heartburn if I took it on an empty stomach or with coffee (pretty easy to avoid unless you don't feel like eating or need some caffeine).
I think Strattera has promise, and initially it worked well together with Adderall. Ultimately, though, this just didn't seem like the right combo for me.
poster:Viridis
thread:297800
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040109/msgs/299536.html