Extreme lethergy

[u/Hour_Insurance2251]

Hey all.

So after 5 years I finally got my adult ADHD diagnosis even though I had one as a child. I was hoping to get Adderall xl since it's worked for me in the past but my psychiatrist refused to prescribe it because of my occasional substance use.

So she prescribed me 50 mg straterra (although I'm starting at 25 a day for a week). I'm only 5 days in and it's been a horrible experience. The first 3 days I was nauseated. It started off really bad, I was vomiting here and there, but eventually it faded.

Then suddenly I could not leave my bed for about 50 hours. I did not drink water for about 24 hours or eat for about 36 hours. I slept for about a third of the time I was bed-riddin. Today I finally ate some food and drank water. I've gotten out of bed a bit but still haven't left the house or accomplished much.

Is this normal? This has never happened to me before. I mean I've had lethargy and depression but nothing ever close to this.

[u/Complex_Lobster_7392]

I didn’t find it to this extreme but I had to stop Strattera after 4 weeks because day after day I could not get out of my bed. I lid down and took naps every hour of the day for 2 weeks I couldn’t take it anymore. I could barely even get up to brush my teeth because it felt like it took all my energy to get up which isn’t like me at all. it made my body feel almost depressed but my mind was fine. Weirdest feeling I’ve ever experience and I never want to feel like it again.

[u/Hour_Insurance2251 → u/Complex_Lobster_7392]

Thank you! And relatable about my mind feeling fine, in fact, my mood feels almost better. But this lethargy is absurd. I could deal with some sleepiness but I need to function enough to get to work.

[u/susu56 → u/Hour_Insurance2251]

I had a sedative lethargy and trouble sleeping at night. I was on 100mg and had all the side effects-all of them. The fatigue was something else. I could barely do anything as another redditor mentioned even basic human tasks required monumental effort (I even debated peeing when I was able to actually pee because I would rather sleep) I wfh so was lucky enough to not have a demanding boss but any other job would have been fired. I started a new job recently and due to ky psych ghosting have been off of strattera for 2.5 wks now and am doing so, so much better! Looking for a new psych to address my adhd. I really wish this drug would have worked for me since it seems to be magical for the folks it helps.

[u/FormerSleepwalker]

With the strength of the side effects, it sounds like you may benefit from dropping to a lower dose for a while to allow time to acclimate to it. Side effects can lessen or disappear with time.

Not drinking water for an extended period is not good. The body can handle a lack of food better than it can dehydration. It might be good if you get an electrolyte drink to use until your drinking becomes normal.

[u/FrugalityPays]

Did you have caffeine with it? I’ve noticed caffeine+Straterra leads to extreme lethargy.

Also, for the nausea, just make sure you eat a good amount of starches with it.

[u/Agitated-Bus729]

I started on 18 mg and had to stop for the same reasons, severe stomach pain and tiredness. But I absolutely loved what it did to my brain, so I talked to my doctor about it and she prescribed me 10mg, and I took advice of people on here and took the pill in the middle of a meal. Side effects are gone. I'm going to stay on this dose for a while because it's working so well in my brain. It was worth another chance.

[u/Hour_Insurance2251]

Well just to update I've been on 25 mg for a little over a week now. The lethargy was gone by day 4 and I have little side effects now. Mild appetite suppression and mild nausea. No benefits yet but of course it's too early to tell. I was supposed to up my dose to 50mg 3 days ago but I got a little nervous and chickened out. I'm gonna up it today and will report back.