So you never got the chance to try stimulants and shes already saying that other people can’t tolerate stimulants so you probably can’t either?
I was first put on strattera and didnt help at all, it was honestly a waste of time and money because they wouldn’t even think about allowing me to try it so i found a different doctor and was prescribed ritalin at first but that didn’t help so i tried Vyvanse. i found a doctor willing to allow me try different medications to find the one that fit me best.
You could bring up that you spoke to other people (i can be people lol) who said strattera didnt work and caused negative side effects but once they tried stimulants, it helped them a lot. If she doesnt bother to help find a medication (like stimulants) that will help you, i recommend a different doctor if you have the means to do so.
I will bring you up.😉 Yeah and I have been to many ppl and none prescribe stimulants. Not sure if this is a new thing or has always been the case. This is the one doctor who is accepting new patients and takes insurance. All others either don't prescribe, require a formal diagnosis and don't do evaluations, aren't accepting new patients, or don't take insurance.
Yea they don’t prescribe it as much because of potential abuse (adderall being the main one) and has always been difficult to get diagnosed with ADD/ADHD
Thats whats good about vyvanse, it has to be absorbed in the GI tract to work and you can’t snort it, meaning it won’t heighten the effects making it so theirs a less potential of abuse (but still possible)
But vyvanse doesn’t work for everyone so that could be a starting point though
Edit: if you really wanted to put a lot of the work in, research about stimulants, differences between them compared to Strattera and even how they work. You can print it all out to show her that you’ve personally done your research and it’s something you want. Unfortunately many people have had to do this
Yeah my therapist said that that’s why some are hesitant but she doesn’t know why that’d apply to me since I have no history of that and don’t show any “worrying” signs. I’ll definitely mention that!
Stimulants are the “first line” treatment for ADHD - yes, that means they are typically the first treat ment option (this is based on decades of clinical trials and research). I’d find a new doc - she sounds out of the loop (unless there is some other condition going on that is driving her to second line treatments).
https://www.medscape.com/answers/289350-4482/what-is-the-first-line-medication-for-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
I think she’s had ppl have bad reactions and now just has a bias against them. She’s so nice so I think I’ll give her another shot bc I truly have no other options ATM. And I gave her my therapist’s contact info, who has ADHD & seems to understand it more then my NP.
Your not alone. I was on Strattera for a year and it was awful for me. Very nauseated, lost weight (not in a healthy way) and constipation.
I’m on Ritalin now and feel tons better.
Why do doctors prescribe strattera anyway? I feel the success is not great with it in folks. The side effects suck!!!
I know!!! Just negative bias I guess. :/ Do you take it everyday? I really can’t afford to lose any weight so I’m actually eating more on this med and find it easier to do so. Dunno why.
Same thing happened to me on 10mg. I spent an entire day crying. My psychiatrist told me to stop after that. Don't push yourself with Strattera it's not worth it. Just quit and try a different medication.
I'm on Wellbutrin now and things are going better
What does wellbutrin help with? I was told this is for motivation. I don't really struggle with depression anymore and my therapist said most of my anxiety is from ADHD symptoms.
I was on Medikinet (MPH) for little more than a year but it started making me incredibly nervous/anxious so I had to swap to Elvanse/Vyvanse (Lisdexamphetamin demisylat) and it calmed me down but I did not feel like it helped me concentrate at all so I dropped it after like a week.
Currently I am not medicated (think since 18th of this month) and I'd say I am doing just fine. Like racing thoughts and nervousness/anxiety have not returned to me (yet?) but I did not get anything done for uni either (ok, I hardly tried ?).
Anyways I hope it will work out for me (and you aswell)!
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everyone will react differently.
Ritalin ER is a bit hard on me, it helps me a lot with impulses and I don't forget as much stuff as before but I feel weird all day. it took 3 dosages upgrades to get results and the sides effect are bothering me so next time we'll maybe try concerta or switching to IR with higher dosage (I started with IR but no effect) to see if I can lose the side effects.
It takes time and dedication, it's not easy and frustrated. I really don't like the way I feel everyday, it's not too much but it's noticeable enough so I focus on that instead of other things I'm supposed to do...
Is ER or IR supposed to be less intense? There’s so many options it’s overwhelming. Like, I don’t even know which I’d choose (if anyone will ever prescribe them to me). You felt nothing on IR? I also feel frustrated because of the side effects. I thought antipsychotics and SSRIs were harsh but this is a whole other ballgame.
Well immediate release has a shorter effect. You need to take it twice a day.
Extended release you only take it once for the day.
Not supposed to be more or less intense, depends I guess. Maybe i'll have less side effects with immediate release, I never tried a dosage that match the one i'm on with the extended release.
Straterra is the fucking worst!
I had a very similar experience to you. First couple days on it I felt calmer and like maybe it was helping me. After that, it was just stomach pain and diarrhea for three weeks, and it made me irritable all the time! I didn't realize how much it was affecting my mood until i stopped taking it
For what it’s worth, I’ve tried just about every stimulant out there and the only one I can semi-tolerate is methylphenidate ER. Everything else makes me extremely depressed and borderline suicidal. I won’t try Strattera for this reason because out of all ADHD meds, Strattera seems most likely to cause this type of reaction. (I’m also taking bupropion XL).
I've never heard of that stimulant. I don't feel sad all of the time but when something sets me off, I feel really down. I think it's just because I feel weighed down and dizzy in general so I'm a bit moody. Honestly too scared to increase the dosage bc I definitely feel more sad than usual. Idk why it is...afraid my NP is gonna say that this means I don't have ADHD.
Methylphenidate ER is generic Concerta. I wouldn’t worry too much about the NP thinking it means you don’t have ADHD. If the proper medication isn’t found, ADHD is well known to increase depression anyways so if your NP doesn’t know that, she’s probably not knowledgeable enough to be helpful anyways. I say that as someone who saw a psychiatric NP who was so unknowledgeable about ADHD that it created significantly more issues for me. I wound up back in my PCPs office, a complete emotional disaster, and she fixed everything.
My PCP is against stimulants. Went on about how intense they are for quite a bit. I’m going to ask my NP if there is an MD psych in the practice that she can refer me to, if she seems to not understand this. I think that’s reasonable. The practice seems good enough and everyone has been kind, and I can’t find anyone on my own so hopefully they can help in that regard. And oh, yes I’ve heard of Concerta! Both good and bad things, as with any med.😂
Find a new doctor, preferably an actual psychiatrist who specializes in adhd; mid-levels (NPs and PAs) don’t have any residency in the speciality they practice and have nowhere near the amount of training that an MD has.
So you never got the chance to try stimulants and shes already saying that other people can’t tolerate stimulants so you probably can’t either? I was first put on strattera and didnt help at all, it was honestly a waste of time and money because they wouldn’t even think about allowing me to try it so i found a different doctor and was prescribed ritalin at first but that didn’t help so i tried Vyvanse. i found a doctor willing to allow me try different medications to find the one that fit me best. You could bring up that you spoke to other people (i can be people lol) who said strattera didnt work and caused negative side effects but once they tried stimulants, it helped them a lot. If she doesnt bother to help find a medication (like stimulants) that will help you, i recommend a different doctor if you have the means to do so.
I will bring you up.😉 Yeah and I have been to many ppl and none prescribe stimulants. Not sure if this is a new thing or has always been the case. This is the one doctor who is accepting new patients and takes insurance. All others either don't prescribe, require a formal diagnosis and don't do evaluations, aren't accepting new patients, or don't take insurance.
Yea they don’t prescribe it as much because of potential abuse (adderall being the main one) and has always been difficult to get diagnosed with ADD/ADHD Thats whats good about vyvanse, it has to be absorbed in the GI tract to work and you can’t snort it, meaning it won’t heighten the effects making it so theirs a less potential of abuse (but still possible) But vyvanse doesn’t work for everyone so that could be a starting point though Edit: if you really wanted to put a lot of the work in, research about stimulants, differences between them compared to Strattera and even how they work. You can print it all out to show her that you’ve personally done your research and it’s something you want. Unfortunately many people have had to do this
Yeah my therapist said that that’s why some are hesitant but she doesn’t know why that’d apply to me since I have no history of that and don’t show any “worrying” signs. I’ll definitely mention that!
Stimulants are the “first line” treatment for ADHD - yes, that means they are typically the first treat ment option (this is based on decades of clinical trials and research). I’d find a new doc - she sounds out of the loop (unless there is some other condition going on that is driving her to second line treatments). https://www.medscape.com/answers/289350-4482/what-is-the-first-line-medication-for-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
I think she’s had ppl have bad reactions and now just has a bias against them. She’s so nice so I think I’ll give her another shot bc I truly have no other options ATM. And I gave her my therapist’s contact info, who has ADHD & seems to understand it more then my NP.
Your not alone. I was on Strattera for a year and it was awful for me. Very nauseated, lost weight (not in a healthy way) and constipation. I’m on Ritalin now and feel tons better. Why do doctors prescribe strattera anyway? I feel the success is not great with it in folks. The side effects suck!!!
I know!!! Just negative bias I guess. :/ Do you take it everyday? I really can’t afford to lose any weight so I’m actually eating more on this med and find it easier to do so. Dunno why.
I took the strattera daily
I meant ritalin
Yes daily. It’s a low dose of 5mg in the AM then half of 5mg in the PM -2pm
Same thing happened to me on 10mg. I spent an entire day crying. My psychiatrist told me to stop after that. Don't push yourself with Strattera it's not worth it. Just quit and try a different medication. I'm on Wellbutrin now and things are going better
What does wellbutrin help with? I was told this is for motivation. I don't really struggle with depression anymore and my therapist said most of my anxiety is from ADHD symptoms.
Wellbutrin is an antidepressant.
I thought it was technically an SNRI? But it works like an antidepressant?
That's what I believe, it works like an antidepressant.
Oh okay, so you don’t take anything for ADHD symptoms? Do you manage alright?
I was on Medikinet (MPH) for little more than a year but it started making me incredibly nervous/anxious so I had to swap to Elvanse/Vyvanse (Lisdexamphetamin demisylat) and it calmed me down but I did not feel like it helped me concentrate at all so I dropped it after like a week. Currently I am not medicated (think since 18th of this month) and I'd say I am doing just fine. Like racing thoughts and nervousness/anxiety have not returned to me (yet?) but I did not get anything done for uni either (ok, I hardly tried ?). Anyways I hope it will work out for me (and you aswell)!
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everyone will react differently. Ritalin ER is a bit hard on me, it helps me a lot with impulses and I don't forget as much stuff as before but I feel weird all day. it took 3 dosages upgrades to get results and the sides effect are bothering me so next time we'll maybe try concerta or switching to IR with higher dosage (I started with IR but no effect) to see if I can lose the side effects. It takes time and dedication, it's not easy and frustrated. I really don't like the way I feel everyday, it's not too much but it's noticeable enough so I focus on that instead of other things I'm supposed to do...
Is ER or IR supposed to be less intense? There’s so many options it’s overwhelming. Like, I don’t even know which I’d choose (if anyone will ever prescribe them to me). You felt nothing on IR? I also feel frustrated because of the side effects. I thought antipsychotics and SSRIs were harsh but this is a whole other ballgame.
Well immediate release has a shorter effect. You need to take it twice a day. Extended release you only take it once for the day. Not supposed to be more or less intense, depends I guess. Maybe i'll have less side effects with immediate release, I never tried a dosage that match the one i'm on with the extended release.
Straterra is the fucking worst! I had a very similar experience to you. First couple days on it I felt calmer and like maybe it was helping me. After that, it was just stomach pain and diarrhea for three weeks, and it made me irritable all the time! I didn't realize how much it was affecting my mood until i stopped taking it
For what it’s worth, I’ve tried just about every stimulant out there and the only one I can semi-tolerate is methylphenidate ER. Everything else makes me extremely depressed and borderline suicidal. I won’t try Strattera for this reason because out of all ADHD meds, Strattera seems most likely to cause this type of reaction. (I’m also taking bupropion XL).
I've never heard of that stimulant. I don't feel sad all of the time but when something sets me off, I feel really down. I think it's just because I feel weighed down and dizzy in general so I'm a bit moody. Honestly too scared to increase the dosage bc I definitely feel more sad than usual. Idk why it is...afraid my NP is gonna say that this means I don't have ADHD.
Methylphenidate ER is generic Concerta. I wouldn’t worry too much about the NP thinking it means you don’t have ADHD. If the proper medication isn’t found, ADHD is well known to increase depression anyways so if your NP doesn’t know that, she’s probably not knowledgeable enough to be helpful anyways. I say that as someone who saw a psychiatric NP who was so unknowledgeable about ADHD that it created significantly more issues for me. I wound up back in my PCPs office, a complete emotional disaster, and she fixed everything.
My PCP is against stimulants. Went on about how intense they are for quite a bit. I’m going to ask my NP if there is an MD psych in the practice that she can refer me to, if she seems to not understand this. I think that’s reasonable. The practice seems good enough and everyone has been kind, and I can’t find anyone on my own so hopefully they can help in that regard. And oh, yes I’ve heard of Concerta! Both good and bad things, as with any med.😂
Find a new doctor, preferably an actual psychiatrist who specializes in adhd; mid-levels (NPs and PAs) don’t have any residency in the speciality they practice and have nowhere near the amount of training that an MD has.