Posted by 10derHeart on August 16, 2005, at 12:54:37
In reply to Re: feeling like a kid » 10derHeart, posted by brokenglass on August 14, 2005, at 13:24:27
Sure, you can ask :-)
I take 80 mg. of Strattera, once a day in the morning. It'll be 2 years in November on this med at this level. I could probably take 100 mg. (upper limit recommended, I think), as I've gained a lot of weight since starting this med.
But, since this level feels right, I haven't seen a need to increase.When first diagnosed, I took Ritalin (well, actually generic methylphenidate - I'll abbreviate as MPH from now on). Started around 15 mg., 2x a day. Over maybe a year, I worked with my pdoc and we increased to 20mg, 4x a day.
I was also taking Prozac, 20 mg., 1x a day at that time, for depression. I firmly beleive the combo of this AD and the stimulant, worked quite nicely for both ADD symptoms and depression.I probably needed more MPH to really see the best management of impulsiveness, concentration issues and to quiet the "constant chatter" in my head. I also always wanted to try Concerta and Adderall, to see how time-release and other forms of a stimulant would have been. We never got to that, though.
My GP eventually was concerned about possible effects of MPH on BP (I have hypertension, controlled very well by 2 meds.) I disagreed with that, as I closely track my own BP at home and readings were the same, MPH or no MPH. No matter....my pdoc and I wanted to try Strattera anyway, as it was new in 2003 AND not a controlled substance, making life much easier for me (they can write for mutiple refills).
Strattera, for me, was like a mini-miracle. The best words I can use to say how it felt after the first few days, are centered and mentally tranquil. I recall saying, "you mean, other people's brains work like THIS?! You guys can think of one thing at a time?!" Amazing to me. The constant jumping thoughts, starting tasks and forgettig to finish, losing *everything* (keys, wallet, papers...), forgetting things said to me every 20 seconds, not being able to sit and listen, work, write for more than 5 minutes....and much more, were improved by, let's say, 75% by this med. It still works the same today.
I had one side effect of dry mouth, which was severe at first. But it went away, and only crops up every 2 months or so now, for maybe one day. Very minor annoyance.
So I am a big fan of Strattera. This year, they put a black box warning on it, due to a rare liver problem encountered by someone. So, now my p-doc and I do liver function tests every 6 months to keep an eye on that.
If you know very little about ADD, I recommend searching the web - there is a TON of reliable info out there. Take some self-tests. Check out your local bookstore or Amazon - there are many excellent books about this.
If you decide you may have it, have someone experienced in diagnosing it in ADULTS test you. Psychologists seem to be the best route - but I'm sure there are pdocs or others out there, too. Experience is the key. If ADD is present, some combination of meds, education, and therapy can change your life. I needed to get this under control before I could move on to focus on the underlying depression and the causes of that.
Sorry so long - hope this is helpful. As you can tell, it's a favorite subject of mine. Babblemail me if there's anythihg more I can do...names of books, websites, etc. My best to you...amd never feel bad about feeling like a kid - kids are great! :-) --10derHeart
poster:10derHeart
thread:542466
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050816/msgs/542466.html