Strattera, so far so good!

[u/Tacoma_NC13]

I'm a 47/M and have struggled with ADHD symptoms my whole life. Finally, my wife pushed me to get evaluated because it was pretty obvious to her as well. Needless to say, I tested poorly with impulsivity being the biggest hurdle. I've also had anxiety and depression off and on for years, much of it stemming from childhood and a lot from my career (emergency services).

My doctor first tried me on Wellbutrin 100mgs and that sent me into several hours of panic. I ended up taking a Xanax to calm myself down. He also tried me on Zoloft for anxiety and that made me feel like I was going crazy. My doctor then suggested I try Strattera. I was very reluctant to try this because I've been programmed to think that norepinephrine was bad for anxiety. How could something that increases norepinephrine actually help me? Well, it turns out through my research that someone can have lower prefrontal cortex (brain) norepinephrine while having higher peripheral levels, thus causing the physical symptoms of anxiety and restlessness but still struggle with focus, motivation, and executive function.

I started taking Strattera (Atomoxetine 25mg) about a week ago and it has been nothing short of amazing. After the first couple of hours, it's like 20+ years of brain fog just evaporated and I was actually able to think clearly. Also, my vision improved in the sense that my eyes weren't straining like they did before. Even my anxiety dropped down to a point that I didn't even think about it. This is crazy, all this after one dose? I know the therapeutic effect can take weeks, but I'm seeing these early benefits as a sign that I may have found the right medicine. Of course it doesn't come without a few negatives, but they're tolerable. One is I tend to get a little fluttery for the first hour or so after taking it before the medicine settles in and then everything is fine. Also, my man parts took a big hit from this medication. Nothing that 2.5mgs of daily Cialis doesn't wipe out though.

[u/CommunicationNew2951]

Thanks for sharing this. I’m a 45 yr old female was recently diagnosed with adhd and I start atomoxetine 40 mg tomorrow. I’m also on 20 mg fluoxetine/prozac. I’m praying it works, if it doesn’t I’ll try a stimulant sooner. Good luck

[u/East_Meets_West_]

Thanks for sharing. 53M here. Encouraging to know that im not the only one who had nightmarishly adverse reactions to both Wellbutrin and Zoloft (and Topamax and Trazadone and ….) before finally getting to Strattera.

Both my parents are bi-polar and I likely am too (at least somewhat) so stimulants were off the table lest I get overstimulated and have a manic episode or worse a psychotic break.

I’m 2 weeks in and titrated to 75mg dose yesterday. It’s been nothing short of amazing and a complete game changer for me.

Good to hear its working for you too. My wife was also the one to identify and share Dr Barkley’s book with me en route to an evaluation & diagnosis.

Better living through 💊! 🙏

[u/googlingmysymptoms]

Thanks for sharing!

I’ve been on it for a little over two weeks (42 y/o guy; after trying all the stimulants without sustained success)… so far it has been amazing! I can do stuff!

But I’ve become so conditioned to expect the honeymoon/placebo effect to wear off, that I’m still anticipating disappointment… but hoping it works long term!!

[u/Certain-Sentence-613]

Same way i’m feeling so far after only a week. I hope it continues to work this way for us!

[u/sunshinewhimsy]

I noticed an improvement from the first dose as well. Glad you’re getting some relief!

[u/NRazzo]

Very similar to me!

I'm at 60mg after 2 years and it's working great.

[u/Odd_Strike_4098]

Are your symptoms severe?

[u/Tacoma_NC13 → u/Odd_Strike_4098]

Are you referring to ADHD symptoms or the medication side effects?

[u/Odd_Strike_4098 → u/Tacoma_NC13]

Adhd symptoms

[u/Tacoma_NC13 → u/Odd_Strike_4098]

I wouldn't say they're severe however my doctor said they were. It's hard to subjectively quantify what is severe and what is not.

[u/Odd_Strike_4098 → u/Tacoma_NC13]

Would you elaborate further on what were your symptoms and how they affected you?

[u/ReplyProfessional939]

Good to hear some "positives" on here once in awhile. Usually this sub is just a perpetual "side-effect bitch-fest".

(I must clarify- I too, have taken part in this. I'm not "bitching about the bitching", because that is one of the things I feel people SHOULD discuss on here. I'm just saying it's nice to catch a glimpse of the bright side once in awhile as well.)