Stimulants drug holidays

The effects of stimulant medication generally cease upon discontinuation of the treatment. One double-blind study, however, did not find this to be necessarily true for DEX (Gillberg et ah, 1997). Many patients favor a period off the medication, a drug holiday, to deal with the partial suppression of weight gain, worries about long-term effects, or to assess the need for staying on medication. This type of trial is best done when the child is not scheduled for important school tests or social activities (e.g., summer camp). 

May be able to give drug holidays over the summer in order to reassess therapeutic utility and effects on growth and to allow catch-up from any growth suppression as well as to assess any other side effects and the need to reinstitute stimulant treatment for the next school term... 

The more drug molecules which are present (up to a point), the more consistendy the receptor may be stimulated. Constant stimulation of a receptor may result in desensitization of the receptor, or in receptor down regulation, and a lower number of availahle receptors. This is a tolerance effect, and may necessitate a drug holiday. 

Strattera is prescribed for ADHD because it is not a CNS stimulant or controlled substance. It acts to increase norepinephrine and regulate impulse control, organizes thoughts, and focuses attention. It does not decrease appetite, and the child does not need to take drug holidays. 

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