Readers’ Questions
I can not make a diagnosis or recommend treatment for someone I have not examined. However, I will be glad to share some my general knowledge about ADHD on these pages.
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Problem with Strattera and a question about dosing of stimulants for heavier patients
I’ve been trying to complete my 4 year degree, I realized that I was very unfocused and the only classes I would pass were the ones that caught my attention and kept it. Because of this it has been 10 years, and I still have not received my degree. I went to a doctor who gave me a Srattera sample. The first 5 days at 18 mg my stomach was very upset even when I took it with food. The 6th day 25 mg caused my stomach so much discomfort I vomited twice and stopped taking it. The doctor is now considering starting me on a stimulant. I’m a 25 year old 6’3″ 255 lb male. Does my size play any role in dosing?
Dr. Schwartz’s response:
I have had very poor results with Strattera both in terms of bad side effects and lack of benefit. However, given some of the restrictions on the prescription of stimulants, many doctors prefer to use them first because they seem to help some people and are not “controlled’ drugs, which means that prescriptions can be called in to the pharmacy.
The stimulant are usually quite effective for ADHD. A person who weighs over 200 pounds will often, but not always, require higher doses for them to be effective. When I say higher, I mean doses above those approved by the FDA.If an approved dose does not work for you and your doctor would like to talk to me about the use of higher doses, I would be glad to talk with him by phone.
