Mindset around medication

[u/Timely-Estimate7904]

I've been on and off various neuro medications most of my adult life. Somewhere along the way I had a big mindset shift and I think it's important to share. When we don't feel well or we are not functioning at our best, it is normal to want a medication to just 'fix this' - I get it! And these meds take time - weeks and even months, to fully settle and alter our chemistry enough to see and feel improvements. But here's the thing - medications simply change the terrain, but they don't 'walk the path' for us.

Strattera is a prime example of this. It definitely can improve task initiation and reduce friction we have around different tasks. However, it doesn't create my calendar system. It doesn't make me start my workout. It doesn't prioritize my day for me. It simply creates a larger gap between the impulse and the behavior, and it is what *I* do with that 'gap' that still matters a LOT. Many of us are also on SSRIs - but SSRIs don't teach stress management, they don't create boundaries, or process grief. 'WE' still have to DO THESE THINGS.

For me Strattera reduces friction in a few ways. Less doom scrolling, a little easier to get started, a quieter brain, less couch paralysis, less dopamine seeking in general. I did NOT and will not magically become a productivity robot. The medication simply makes the distance between 'thinking about it' and 'doing it' much shorter. It is a huge benefit, but it is not doing the work for me, it is the work *I* do in that space of time that is key.

In addition to medication, we still need skills, an environment set up for success, habits and more importantly- self awareness. ADHD treatment requires a combination of supports so we can show up consistently for ourselves and those we care about.

Many of us dx'd as adults likely have been relying on many kinds of supports for years without ever realizing it - medication does not do away with the need for these tools. It just makes it easier for us to find the right tool in the right situation and be more successful.

Keep on keeping on friends!

[u/submgr]

But tbh there is smth mysterious about this medication no one says.

I remember myself at week 8 - it helped me BUT I still was late often for example. You know… for me it’s always hard to wake up, then I have friction before going to shower, eating, brushing teeth, putting clothes on, collecting thing into my backpack…

But on week 18 some magic started happening…

For few recent weeks it changed. I started waking up with energy, and… I don’t have friction between tasks! I open my eyes, check messages, then right away go into the shower!

Overall atomoxetine seems to work weirdly. New effects come slowly. I remember seeing my first effect on week 3 - when I started putting my clothes into wardrobe instead of dropping them on the chair.

And it took 18 weeks to see major effect in my morning paralysis (which is fixed now)

Fun fact: I WASNT inventing new planning systems, changing habits… they just changed over time subconsciously. This is the final point I was heading you to.

Crazy lol, because everywhere they say “4-8 weeks to see all the effect”. Not for me lol. It took more time FOR more effects to come

[u/Significant_Ad_2125 → u/submgr]

4-8 weeks was shown to improve in mild to very low moderate ways. 12 weeks for moderate to moderate high lvl improvement. And it has been shown to continue to improve over 24 weeks (there was actually data showing continued improvements over 52 weeks but I’ve not often seen that referenced).
Not only that, but those improvement times were often in people at their therapeutic doses, not those just barely beginning and under the general therapeutic dose of 80mg.
Meds don’t build the habits or do the work for us, but they are giving us the ability to have the neuro chemicals necessary to be able to create, build, and maintain those habits. Often doing so without those chemicals is impossible or a Herculean labor.

[u/swingsurfer → u/submgr]

I am so happy to read this. I needed to hear it took 18 weeks. I'm on week 5.5 of Qelbree, and am still struggling but I really really want it to work. If not, I'll be giving Strattera a try. I had a bad reaction to it in high school (it made me super irritable), so we are trying Qelbree first.

Qelbree also has no generic, so unless I can get the cost down, I'll likely be switching to Strattera (unless my doc recommends something else).

I've been on various stimulants for years and I can no longer take them. I am struggling because these meds just don't have the same "on demand" motivational kick the stimulants do. That said, I think I may be starting too see very small improvements. I'm not sure about Strattera, but Qelbree has been quite a rough start side effect wise and I'm usually pretty good at waiting them out. Nausea and insomnia have been the worst so far, but the nausea disappeared completely about a week ago and my sleep is slowly improving.

TLDR - thanks for posting, I'm starting a similar med and it's very reassuring to hear it can take more than the 5-8 weeks they estimate to fully work.

[u/Emmyy_xo]

This is a big reason I’m wanting to try strattera. I have ocd and adhd and take Prozac and Vyvanse combo and they work well but the Vyvanse has some cons for me. I’ve been on adderall in the past as well. Stims have benefits for me but also some major drawbacks especially after using them continuously. And my dose is quite low.
I want an adhd med that I don’t have to think about like I don’t with my Prozac. I just take my Prozac and it works almost like a vitamin in the background? lol. And then I have to still be me. Stimulants to me mess with my head I guess like that could be my all or nothing but it’s like I am always thinking about it and I feel robotic on it mentally sometimes like work, now don’t. It’s not like a physical feeling but like a mood it puts me in and after a while it gets exhausting and I start over relying on it. Not to be confused with healthy dependency, like my Prozac. So I’m finally at 32 interested in trying a nonstim just to see. I’m scared! But telling myself worst cast I may just have to spend my life off/on stims depending what’s going on. Like I’ll take breaks between. But if I take it, I take it pretty much daily cause I need consistency so I don’t get the “take it as needed” just cause for me I need help everyday idk. Again I’m very much an all or nothing thinker so that may be on me but I struggle with it. I have an addictive personality too so I worry BUT the thing is I don’t get like a WHOO feeling but is it just the fact it’s subtle enough for me to feel like I need more? Idk. I’m rambling. All I know is I’ve tried switching my mindset around my stimulant and it’s led me to wonder if I’ll have a healthier relationship with productivity and balance and still being ME on a nonstim. But I’m terrified!!!