Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 9/26/2009

Question
Hi I am 52 yrs of age.  was diagnosed back then by family doctor after teachers could not deal with me.  Was on ritalin but it made me sick.  40 some yrs later, I got put on Aderall which made me extremely agitated, then Straterra, which gave me headaches, and now I am on Focalin XR.  I have the inattentive type of ADD.  I have been on Focallin for 8 days now and am so hyper, but no other side effects.  How long until it will reverse itself, and I wont feel the stimulant and will be able to concentrate(hopefully)  I am getting discouraged because I fear this is my last choice.  I have just recently went back to get my master's in social work.  Please write back with some positive news.  I need it

Answer
Your age is no problem, my oldest patient started treatment at 83 years of age.
All the medications you have tried, including Ritalin  do not have any long term side effects. The short term side effrects are usually mild and fade in a short while. Thus it is almost never necessary to stop medication because of side effects. If the dose is incorrect you may may well experience agitation or if the dose is not gradually increased to an optimal level over a perod of 10 to 14 days. As you have not given me enough information about doses and methods of taking the medication including at what times and how many doses a day you take it,it is impossible to give you any information. However if you do have ADD there in absolutely no reason why you cannot be correctly treated and succeed with your studies.