Strattera(ADHD med) making me feel like crap

[wezvidz]

That's my whole issue.. ADD can be so subjective in how it's diagnosed anymore that sometimes I think I could have it, other times I think I'd just use the meds as a crutch because I'm lazy.

With how new some of these drugs are, there hasn't been a chance to see long term what effects there could be too, which I find kind of scary. When you start a kid on ADHD meds at age 5, what is their brain chemistry going to be like at 50?

If you aren't getting sleep or eating and it's pretty extreme, maybe the doc was wrong to start you out on such a high dose and maybe you could scale it back some. And then maybe only use it when you really need it for school and whatnot, and don't use it the other 90% of the time? Again, things to discuss with your doctor.

[John Spartan]

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With how new some of these drugs are, there hasn't been a chance to see long term what effects there could be too, which I find kind of scary. When you start a kid on ADHD meds at age 5, what is their brain chemistry going to be like at 50?

If you aren't getting sleep or eating and it's pretty extreme, maybe the doc was wrong to start you out on such a high dose and maybe you could scale it back some. And then maybe only use it when you really need it for school and whatnot, and don't use it the other 90% of the time? Again, things to discuss with your doctor.

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It is definitely overdiagnosed. A lot of doctors will put 5 year old kids on Ritalin just because they have a lot of energy and are running around, and the teacher doesn't want to deal with it. This is clearly wrong because being hyper is part of being a 5 year old. I know I was this way all the way up through elementary school.

But your argument about the drugs being new and not being able to see long-term effects is just not valid. Amphetamines have been around since the late 1800s and the active chemical in Ritalin and its various formulations has been around for five decades. There have been at least 200 studies that I know of on both of these drugs and at least 6000 people have been tested.

Yes the various concentration of amphetamines or metyhlphenidate(thing in Ritalin, Concerta, etc) may vary from brand to brand, but they have been tested a lot as I said and are really only dangerous when they are abused- taking more than the prescribed dose, snorting or injecting it, etc.

Or if you have a history of heart problems then amphetamines/methylphenidate are also not a good idea because they can raise your heart beat a few tics and your blood pressure only. But if both of those are normal like they are in myself, and am still in the normal range on both on the drug, which I am, then it's not a concern imo.

My BP was 114/68 before starting and I was at the store today and went up to one of those sit down machines to test it and it was 119 over 71. Hardly a big change.

Contrast this with Strattera, a drug that has only been out for 5 years and has no long-term safety data

[Mr. Philosophy]

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mbillie, this drug is not fun to be on long term. i've been on it for 3 days and already hate it. i'm sure it's great fun to use on an occasional basis to get high, but if you're taking it every day, the fun wears off real fast.

i still haven't gone to bed yet. i've stopped taking the dex and have just stuck to taking the adderall xr every morning.

i woke up friday morning, the 27th, at 7 am, and haven't slept since. even cutting out the dex i am just not tired. i've eaten breakfast once(my only meal) and drank a lot of diet coke since then.

my doc said the adderall xr would probably last me about 10 hours and i find that it helps me concentrate for about 14-16, but the appetite suppressant and sleep deprivation effects continue all the way until i take my dose at 9 am the following morning. could having a slow metabolism have something to do with the drug staying in my body longer than it should?

i'm not even sure if I have ADD any more. I know that this thing helps me stay awake a long time, kind of a speedy feeling, but I'm not hyper. I feel very relaxed but have huge amounts of energy also. I can choose whether or not to use them though. I could go out and run a lot right now but I just feel like sitting here for the moment.

Is it dangerous to be on this drug under the supervision of a doctor if it turns out that I don't have ADD, Mr P? I'd think no because the drug is supposedly very safe if not abused, and I never take more than the prescribed dose.

It def helps me focus and concentrate a ton bu the doc said it would do that for everyone, just people with ADD notice a bigger increase, to a normal level, while people with already normal levels just get a smaller, but still noticeable increase. Meh

I do love the calming effect though. nothing really irritates me anymore. maybe it's a sign that i do have add.

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Ok my first advice is to get some sleep. Being up since Friday morning is not normal and you need rest. If you have any sleeping pills then please take them.

As I mentioned earlier ADD is a subjective diagnosis. Even if you do have it I believe there are ways to train yourself to concentrate better without drugs. A lot of times doctors gives these pills to kids because they do not have the mental aptitude to keep their ADD under control. However, I believe adults if they are aware they have problems concentrating can actively train themselves to concentrate better. Most doctors will prescribe adults the meds if you request it since these ADD meds are not that dangerous and should help most people concentrate. The majority of people are able to tolerate the effects of the medication. But with your reaction to the medication and not being able to sleep or eat I would recommend not being on these pills. The fact that you have been up for three days tells me you are reacting way too strongly to the pills. In my opinion, being able to sleep and eat is more important to your health and well-being than being able to concentrate.

If you have to concentrate on something like studying for a test I suggest taking a lot of breaks while reading. For example, try reading something for 30 minutes or so and take a quick 5 minute break, then go back to reading. Simple techniques like these allow people to function without the need for amphetamines.

[John Spartan]

Mr P, what I think I will do is ask him to switch me to the Dexedrine SR instead and since it only lasts 6-8 hours generally, have an instant release Dexedrine for the mid-afternoon(3-4 pm) shot. Because I feel like it is helping me but I do need to be able to sleep and eat.

Another option might be lowering the dose of the XR I guess. Maybe 20 mg might work, but I think i remember reading somewhere that 30 mg wasn't shown to be any more effective than 20 mg in adults. So maybe the first option is best.

If the Dexedrine SR and IR still make me not able to sleep or eat, then I'll have to go off the meds, but I feel like i should at least try switching to those first. What do you think?

P.S.- I just took a benadryl which normally knocks me out pretty fast, so hopefully I can fall asleep in an hour or so after I get off work. If the benadryl knocks me out as it usually does then maybe I can just use benadryl an hour or so before I need to go to bed along with my current adderall regimen. It's not that I don't feel like eating, I just don't have hunger pangs as I normally do. I suppose I can just make myself eat meals at regular times and if the benadryl takes care of the sleeping then I might be fine on my current thing. I am not sure if my shrink will approve of this though, even though benadryl is OTC.

[pergesu]

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mbillie, this drug is not fun to be on long term. i've been on it for 3 days and already hate it. i'm sure it's great fun to use on an occasional basis to get high, but if you're taking it every day, the fun wears off real fast.

i still haven't gone to bed yet. i've stopped taking the dex and have just stuck to taking the adderall xr every morning.

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Just like before, tell yer doc, he'll advise you

[Mr. Philosophy]

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Mr P, what I think I will do is ask him to switch me to the Dexedrine SR instead and since it only lasts 6-8 hours generally, have an instant release Dexedrine for the mid-afternoon(3-4 pm) shot. Because I feel like it is helping me but I do need to be able to sleep and eat.

Another option might be lowering the dose of the XR I guess. Maybe 20 mg might work, but I think i remember reading somewhere that 30 mg wasn't shown to be any more effective than 20 mg in adults. So maybe the first option is best.

If the Dexedrine SR and IR still make me not able to sleep or eat, then I'll have to go off the meds, but I feel like i should at least try switching to those first. What do you think?

P.S.- I just took a benadryl which normally knocks me out pretty fast, so hopefully I can fall asleep in an hour or so after I get off work. If the benadryl knocks me out as it usually does then maybe I can just use benadryl an hour or so before I need to go to bed along with my current adderall regimen. It's not that I don't feel like eating, I just don't have hunger pangs as I normally do. I suppose I can just make myself eat meals at regular times and if the benadryl takes care of the sleeping then I might be fine on my current thing. I am not sure if my shrink will approve of this though, even though benadryl is OTC.

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I doubt your doctor will like you being on benadryl as well, but for now definitely use it. See how dexedrine SR works for you. If you can tolerate that then your problem is solved. But if you still cannot sleep or eat then screw the medication. Also, force yourself to eat if you have to since the body needs calories.

On another note, how have you been doing with trying to quit WoW?

[John Spartan]

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I doubt your doctor will like you being on benadryl as well, but for now definitely use it. See how dexedrine SR works for you. If you can tolerate that then your problem is solved. But if you still cannot sleep or eat then screw the medication. Also, force yourself to eat if you have to since the body needs calories.

On another note, how have you been doing with trying to quit WoW?

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yeah i don't think he would really like the idea of that, but i would really rather not tell him. i've read reports of people taking the benadryl to lessen the insomnia effects and it seems to be pretty well tolerated.

i haven't played wow ever since i started this medication. i'm sure it would help me concentrate better but i was addicted so i never really had a problem concentrating. I played it for an hour after my first dose of the Adderall and I felt really lazy and unproductive doing something like this, especially when I knew I had other stuff that I should be doing, like cleaning my house and paying bills. So I haven't loaded WoW up since and have started spending more time outside. Maybe it's the medication doing that for me because I knew before I started taking it that nothing could tear me away from that game.

People may doubt me when I say this but I feel like the medication actually not only makes me concentrate better, but also gives me a kick in the ass to get [censored] done. I see a pile of clothes on the floor that are dirty and I think, I should do a load of laundry, that's unacceptable. Whereas before I was on it, I would let that pile sit until it stunk up the room.

And this is just a random observation, but orgasming from sex and masturbatio feel great on Adderall. It's like when I orgasm, I just get this rush of amazing feelings into my head, like something I've never felt before. Not sure what in the drug would do that but I hope it lasts.

[Mr. Philosophy]

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I doubt your doctor will like you being on benadryl as well, but for now definitely use it. See how dexedrine SR works for you. If you can tolerate that then your problem is solved. But if you still cannot sleep or eat then screw the medication. Also, force yourself to eat if you have to since the body needs calories.

On another note, how have you been doing with trying to quit WoW?

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yeah i don't think he would really like the idea of that, but i would really rather not tell him. i've read reports of people taking the benadryl to lessen the insomnia effects and it seems to be pretty well tolerated.

i haven't played wow ever since i started this medication. i'm sure it would help me concentrate better but i was addicted so i never really had a problem concentrating. I played it for an hour after my first dose of the Adderall and I felt really lazy and unproductive doing something like this, especially when I knew I had other stuff that I should be doing, like cleaning my house and paying bills. So I haven't loaded WoW up since and have started spending more time outside. Maybe it's the medication doing that for me because I knew before I started taking it that nothing could tear me away from that game.

People may doubt me when I say this but I feel like the medication actually not only makes me concentrate better, but also gives me a kick in the ass to get [censored] done. I see a pile of clothes on the floor that are dirty and I think, I should do a load of laundry, that's unacceptable. Whereas before I was on it, I would let that pile sit until it stunk up the room.

And this is just a random observation, but orgasming from sex and masturbatio feel great on Adderall. It's like when I orgasm, I just get this rush of amazing feelings into my head, like something I've never felt before. Not sure what in the drug would do that but I hope it lasts.

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Glad to hear you have stopped playing WoW. Also, I do not doubt the other effects you have mentioned while taking these drugs. In fact I remember in college when I took some dexedrine to pull an all-nighter that it didn't help me concentrate, but it definitely motivated me to do stuff. For about a month after taking that one pill I had an insane amount of energy and the feeling was nice. However, after a while that manic feeling you get becomes annoying and I am a pretty mellow person, so I decided never to try to take the medication again. I never noticed the orgasm thing, but it definitely gave me energy to have a lot more sex than usual.

[John Spartan]

Wow the dexedrine didn't help you concentrate at all? Why do you think that is? I mean that's the main reason people in college take those if they don't have a prescription, so they can stay alert and focus on studying for hours and hours at a time.

[Mr. Philosophy]

Really it just made me hyper to the point where concentrating was very difficult. For the month after I took it my mind always felt like it was racing and the last thing I wanted to do was concentrate on a task for a long period of time. It gave me motivation to do chores, but the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and read a book. I don't know why my body reacted the way it did, but after taking it I realized I should probably avoid it.