My son was recently baker acted to a hospital for flipping out because he was on Prozac and conserta. Now they want to put him on a combination of Stratara and Seriquel. Has the combination been effective?
Kathleen
Q: Have the medications Seriquel and Stratara been a good combination to treat ADHD?
Answers (6)
4/25/08 9:04pm
Rayvn
Seroquel is a medication that has been approved to treat bipolar disorder and Strattera has been approved to treat ADHD. A combination of medications would be dependant on individual symptoms.
Since people react differently to different medications, it would be impossible to say if this would be an effective combination for your son. Many times finding the right dosage and medication is a matter of trial and error.
I hope this helps.
Eileen
4/25/08 2:50am
Hello Kathleen,
There is some information here about the medicines your son is taking. Perhaps there is something here that will answer your questions.
Here you can read an article that gives you the basics of ADHD medications including Strattera. Here is a link to ADHD and how it affects the child and what can be expected.
This link will tell you about treatments available.
I hope this information helps. Remember these online resources are good for helping you to ask all the right questions of your family doctor, but they should never be considered replacements for a doctor's advice.
Take care and stay in touch. Let us know how you and your son are doing!
Vicki M
4/26/08 9:32am
4/26/08 9:45am
I am a 49 year old woman who was just diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder, type II, and ADHD. Explains much of my life. I am on Trileptal and Straterra. I'm assuming that you son was given Seriquel for the mood disorder. I know it is prescribed for mood disorder but not sure about it. If he doesn't feel better you may want to ask about the Trileptal/Straterra combo as it has done wonders for my life. I feel like a new person. My twin daughters are 19 so I had them evaluated and they both have ADHD but no mood disorder. They have recently been put on Straterra but it is so subtle that they don't feel any different but I can tell as they are more confident and able to complete tasks now. They both failed classes their first semester of college and dropped for a semester to get regulated on Straterra. They will apply for the 2008 fall semester. (Not sure of the spelling for Trileptal. I am on a generic form. Ck with your doctor) Hope this helps.
4/26/08 6:25pm
Hey Kathleen,
I'm an adult who lives with the symptoms of ADD and anxiety who led and faciliated an adult ADD support group for eight years. I am also a health care advocate.
Anti-depressants can sometimes cause manic or hypomanic episodes in people who do not have bipolar disorder. Prozac is an anti-depressant.
This happened to me in 1990. Within months of taking the anti-depressant desipramine, I had a hypomanic episode. Four years later, a second psychiatrist weaned me off of Tegretol, an anti-convulsant commonly used to treat bipolar disorder. At the time, the psychiatrist told me that if I didn't have another hypomanic or manic episode in five years, I most probably did not have bipolar disorder.
Thirteen years have passed. I'm fine. I no longer take medication (though I would take medication again if I needed it).
The psychiatrist also told me that I should be wary of taking anti-depressants because what happened to me could happen again. I now take nutritional supplements to reduce my risk for depression - (specifically a B-complex, selenium, and fish oil).
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness. If your son has bipolar disorder, treatment that includes medication, education, and therapy will make it possible for him to resume a normal life. It's not in any way his fault. He most likely was genetically predisposed to develop bipolar disorder. I have many friends who have bipolar disorder who are living happy, productive lives. The medication gave them their lives back. It's a godsend.
If your son has bipolar disorder and does not take his medication, he will alternate between depressed, normal, and manic states which will make it difficult if not impossible to care for himself, maintain his relationships, and maintain employment.
The question is, and this is an important question, did the anti-depressant cause your son to have a single, manic episode, in which case it would be just a matter of stopping the Prozac, or did it unmask a bipolar disorder that will need to be controlled with medication for the rest of his life?
This is something that you, your son, and your son's psychiatrist will need to sort out over the next year.
Seroquel is a mild anti-psychotic. Because of this medication's side effects, I would only feel comfortable with my son taking it on a temporary basis. Type "seroquel" into a search engine to learn about the potential short and long term side effects of this medication. Be sure to use the correct spelling.
I would ask the psychiatrist to discuss with me and my son what other medications are available to treat the bipolar disorder.
When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I read everything I could on the subject so I could partner with my psychiatrist in creating a treatment plan and goals. I encourage you and your son to do the same. It's always best to get information from multiple sources.
Two excellent organizations that I encourage you to become affiliated with are www.dbsallliance.org and www.nami.org. Hopefully, there is a local chapter of both organizations in your community.
In our community, Depression and Bippolar Support Allliance (DBSA) offers a monthly support group for those affected by depression and/or bipolar disorder and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers a monthly support group and classes for the family members. There is a wealth of information on their websites.
I realize I'm dancing around your question, so to speak to your question specifically, some people have both bipolar disorder and AD/HD. In that case, it is appropriate to treat both. My understanding is that in these cases, doctors prefer to stabilize the bipolar first then the AD/HD, though it is possible to treat both at the same time if preferable. Strattera is a medication used to treat AD/HD.
The above are my experiences and my personal opinions. In general, my bias is to use the safest available medication that works. I encourage you as a parent to learn as much as you can about bipolar disorder, AD/HD, and it's treatments so you will be better prepared to support your son as he continues to receive treatment. Information is empowering. It will assist you and your son in making informed decisions.
I post and respond to posts regularly on ADHDCentral.com. I hope you'll continue to post your questions, experiences, and successes here.
Grandma Lise
10/26/08 5:51pm
seriquel has not a thing to do with add ad/hd
Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media. Remedy Health Media does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.
By Rayvn— Last Modified: 12/14/10, First Published: 04/23/08
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
