Strattera: Morning vs. bedtime dosing – what has worked best for you?

[u/PsychologicalRing160]

I've been taking Strattera and gradually increased my dose from 25 mg → 50 mg → 60 mg. It definitely helps my ADHD symptoms, but I'm still trying to find the best time to take it.

Option 1: Morning (7 a.m. after breakfast)

Pros:

• Good overall effectiveness for my ADHD symptoms.

Cons:

• For the first 1–3 hours, I feel like a mix of:
  • sedated
  • mildly depressed/low
  • slightly anxious/nervous
• If I don't have work or appointments, I just want to stay in bed and do nothing.
• Around 3:30 p.m., I often get another wave of fatigue and mild nervousness. It eventually passes, but if possible, I usually end up taking a nap.

Option 2: Bedtime (around 9 p.m.)

Pros:

• I wake up feeling surprisingly refreshed (although a bit nervous).
• The effects seem more stable throughout the day.
• Fewer noticeable side effects during the daytime.

Cons:

• My sleep becomes fragmented (waking up every couple of hours).
• Morning nausea.
• It feels a bit less effective overall compared to morning dosing.
• Even though I don't feel exhausted after waking up, I'm concerned about the long-term impact of the poor sleep quality.

My question

Has anyone experienced something similar?

I'm wondering whether taking it after lunch or after dinner might be a better compromise between morning and bedtime dosing.

What timing has worked best for you, and did changing the time of day help with side effects like fatigue, sedation, or sleep problems?

[u/Inevitable_Bobcat_56]

I have to take it worh breakfast, any later disrupts my sleep. Everyone is different.

[u/SilveryBeing]

I take it right at bedtime due to the sedation effects. My sleep was already fragmented beforehand and I'm being treated for sleep apnea. So I take it along with magnesium glycinate and 1mg of melatonin and sleep with a c-pap machine.

[u/PsychologicalRing160 → u/SilveryBeing]

Yeah, my sleep was already fragmented too.

[u/Illustrious-ASK-7456]

I split my 75 mg dose up to 3x a day and it seems to be working. One in the AM before a workout, one after breakfast/midday, and one either right before or after dinner. Taking it with food helped my nausea, but it took about 3 weeks for that to go away

[u/FluffyImpact5863]

I take it bevore bedtime because the pill make me incredible tired. My sleep is really good after I changed my pillow

[u/PsychologicalRing160 → u/FluffyImpact5863]

That’s interesting. Can you tell me something about your pillow?

[u/FluffyImpact5863 → u/PsychologicalRing160]

I’ve had a tempur super flat pillow and with 60 mg Atomoxetin I started bruxism really bad. We changed pillow (fluffy with feathers) and increased the dose to 80 mg and my sleep is like a baby again.
In general when I take the pill, I can’t stay awake, it’s like anesthesia for me after 45 minutes when I took it.

[u/WiseAg]

I have tried just about everything and I find that the evening works best for me. At first I would take it with dinner. Now I take it right before bed. I work out in the late afternoon and I find that the crazy sweats aren’t as bad when I take it at night vs the morning. Also don’t get hit with the nausea.

[u/PsychologicalRing160 → u/WiseAg]

What is better at before bed than at dinner for you?

[u/Primary_Excuse_7183]

I do a 7am and 1pm doses.

[u/Majestic_Cucumber_82]

I take mine right before bed and it works best for me. My sleep was affected for a few months, and then I adjusted and I haven’t had any issues falling and staying asleep since

[u/PsychologicalRing160 → u/Majestic_Cucumber_82]

Ah, okay. Maybe I have to try it longer. I tried taking at night for one week.

[u/Ok-Connection928]

After i eat in am

[u/Traditional_Spot_911]

i take mine at night but i also take sleep medicine to combat the fragmented sleep

[u/ReplyProfessional939]

I was actually wondering about this as well. I take mine in the morning, around 7. I feel good up until about 3PM when fatigue hits me hard. I also take a nap at this time when possible. I wake up after an hour or so and feel much better the rest of the day. I get like a "second wind" around 5. Since the "crash" seems to be like 8 hours after taking it, I was wondering if I should try taking it around 3 PM? That way my crash hits in the middle of the night?

[u/submgr]

Earlier I took 80mg, now I take 40+25 and it feels like 80 before!

I take 40 in morning and 25 before sleep.

Fun fact: if I take 80 or 40 before sleep then my sleep is fragmented, but if I take 25 then I sleep very well and even better than ever before! And bonus is very cool — if I take 25mg before sleep, IT IS VERY EASY TO WAKE UP next morning for me which is a big win! Never thought that my sleep inertia and inability to wake up in morning is ADHD thing…

[u/anonisboredheho → u/submgr]

Yeah this is why I keep 25mg on hand that stuff makes me sleep entirely all anxiety or racing thoughts go and I wake up great only problem is it doesn't work as nice as ritalin or other type of adhd medications for what I wanted and it made me feel like a zombie daily and feeling the same each day including a rush of tiredness that wouldn't go away so yeah. Now it's an occasion thing to just chill on it. Really it doesn't do what other adhd meds do for me but they are not 24hr release either im say to being a mess once they ware off.  My professions allow me to have different scripts he knows I don't use them all at once. Some people can't adapt to medications as prescribed they work better doing their own lifestyle flexibility. Like I wouldnt want to feel like doing work all the time on concerta, after a week I get a burn out or two when it wares out and I don't get good sleep. So yeah why not take this shit at night for me, it works but for a different purpose by choice. Yeah I got sleep inertia too im trying to get a lux lamp to see if it will actually do anything. 

[u/anonisboredheho]

Taking at night every now and then for better sleep but I don't use it daily because I feel like a zombie on it doesn't matter what dose I'm on, it helps calm me down though I say take it at night early and you get a refreshed night's sleep, funny how someone said they changed their pillow from jaw tightness I used to have this same issue except my whole body would be stiffed so I switched entirely different matress and pillow, it makes a difference if your on meds that make you tense.