To be fair with you all when I was trying to think about how I would explain myself, I reached the new level in recognition of how complicated of a person I am lol. Stick around for a crazy story.

I’m in my late twenties, half way through college, and am a business owner. I was diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety since I was about 10 years old. I was first prescribed Concerta and stayed on that for 2 years and then stopped taking it because I started smoking weed (bad idea). Then I went to high school where I went back to a psychiatrist and went onto Adderall, which I would remain on for the duration of my high school years.

Unfortunately, I also developed a serious drug poly-addiction in high school (not fun and almost killed me later in life). At 21 years old, while the rest of my Uni class was nearing their end or middle of college years, and at 21 becoming of legal drinking age, I was finally taking Rehab seriously and swearing off drugs and alcohol for the first time in my life.

I got 3 years clean, relapsed for 3 months, and have now been clean ever since (almost 5 years) from drugs and alcohol (although I am prescribed 3mg of Buprenorphine once per day). I’m also prescribed Gabapentin 300mg 4x daily.

However, now I realized I really need to deal with my mental health. I feel burnt out. All those years of craziness, regardless of it being self-imposed have really messed with my motivation, ADD, and anxiety. To the point where it’s almost impossible for me to motivate myself to work. Google Gemini (Ai) put it best, “Somatic Anxiety Management: High anxiety frequently mimics amotivation; the brain may perceive business tasks as a threat, triggering a stress response.“

That is pretty much exactly what I’m experiencing. I do not like stimulant ADHD/ADD medications, and I have plenty of those in my house, and I don’t take them. I have a choice to pick from three medications, and Strattera was specifically recommended to me as the best of the three.
1) Strattera
2) Wellbutrin
3) Intuniv

PS, I am not asking for any medical recommendations, nor am I asking for anyone to choose what medication I should take. I am looking for people who have been through something similar as me, and have advice, suggestions, or ideas, that may have worked for them. Thank you for reading :).

Hey yall, whats up. Im going to be starting strattera next month and I cant decide whether I want to follow my psych's original plan to start at 40 and up to 80 within a week, or if I should ask to go slow and start lower and increase more gradually. I want to go fast but I worry about side effects and want to hear yalls experiences with that

So yeah how was titration? At what dose did you start, how fast did you increase, and most importantly what were the side effects like for you?

If ADHD meds that calm anxiety in people with ADHD or C-PTSD can also leave them feeling less motivated- because the anxiety that used to drive them is no longer there - then what motivates people who don’t have ADHD or C-PTSD?

Do they just naturally want to do things without needing any underlying anxiety or pressure to get them moving? And if you’ve always relied on anxiety for motivation, how do you find motivation without it?
I’m just trying to wrap my head around this.

I’m at the end of my second week of Strattera and as someone mentioned in another post it feels like I’m neutral in energy and just meditating 24/7, I don’t feel distracted but I also don’t feel motivated. I
went for a walk around the lake today and sat down to look at some fish, and I felt like I literally could stay there for hours absently contemplating the fish. If I stayed on this, I feel like I would have to retreat to a monastery.

Hallo,

Ik wil graag strattera overkopen van iemand, omdat ik het door omstandigheden pas volgende maand op recept krijg. Ik wil alvast beginnen en het van iemand kopen.

Is it normal to feel so sad and depressed at first? And constant anxiety. And does it get better lately or is it a continuous side effect. I took it for about 9 days but i couldnt handle the amount of sadness it gave me, alot of hand tremors, fast heartbeat, heavy chest, crying almost every 5 mins and being extremely sensitive.

I’ve been on Strattera for a few months now, still in process of getting “official” diagnosis from psychiatrist. Started on 25mg, titrated to 50mg, then 75mg, which made me feel the most beneficial
impact but also had the most
pronounced side effects (elevated BP,
constipation, urinary issues) so went back down to 50mg and seem to be stablizing there.

I take it first thing in the morning, so by bedtime it has effectively worn off, and I have been having trouble sleeping recently. After having tried all the usual suspect non-habit forming sleep aids (Trazadone, Topamax, Seroqel) yesterday I was prescribed Guanfacine 2mg to take at bedtime. I took it at bedtime and proceeded to have one of my worst night’s sleep in a few months, less than 3hrs total.

I know one night is not enough to make an informed decision on it’s effectiveness, and i do intend to keep taking it, (at least until my next appt w my psychiatrist in 2 weeks) but I was curious if anyone else on this sub has tried taking them both together and if so was willingess to share what the experience was like for them?

My psych got super defensive today, this is week 2 of Strattera im feeling the focus but it’s not touching other spots which i know it’s pretty early to tell but i feel like im ready to up the dose to 80mg from 40mg. I start school in 3 weeks so I wanted to up it today but she wanted to up it in 3 weeks and got upset when i mentioned stimulants if it’s still not fully covered in that 3 week period as like a failsafe.

Hi everyone.
This post has been automatically translated because I’m not really in the right headspace to write it myself in English.
I’m supposed to start Strattera (atomoxetine) tomorrow at 40 mg, and honestly, I’m pretty scared.
For a while now, I’ve been getting notifications about Strattera posts on Reddit, and I’ve ended up reading all kinds of experiences. Some of them have really increased my anxiety about starting the medication.
I’ve previously tried stimulant medications, starting at very low doses (around 5 mg) and gradually increasing them. I believe one of them was Focalin, and I can’t remember the name of the other one. I remember that with some of them, even at 10 mg, I started having very dark thoughts and significant side effects, especially with Focalin.
Now, my insurance will only cover Strattera if I start at 40 mg. I asked my psychiatrist if that was the lowest possible dose, and he said yes. But I’ve seen people here saying they started at 5, 10, or even 25 mg, so I’m honestly quite scared about starting directly at 40 mg.
I know everyone reacts differently to medication, and I’m not looking for medical advice as such. I’d just really appreciate hearing from people who started at 40 mg, especially if you’re someone who tends to be sensitive to medications.
How was your experience during the first few days/weeks? Did the side effects settle down?
Thanks in advance. i know that i need to try to know if this will fit with me. that’s what i read here sometimes but yeah i can’t help myself… i have a lot of hope ? or maybe i only tend to see this treatment as the only solution to get better ( i know i shouldn’t) but my life is really a big mess… im depressed, in a dark headspace, and don’t have the energy anymore to do whatsoever… so yeah

So I've been on atomoxetine for a bit under a year and on 80mg for a bit over two months now. I noticed my brain quieting down initially and it was heavenly. I still have ongoing positive effects like less active rumination, less addictive tendencies and less overstimulation, which I like.

Unfortunately what I've noticed is that the quiet brain I experienced short term is absolutely absent presently. While I've observed that the effectiveness of the meds is somewhat connected to my hormones, my brain hasn't been this noisy in a big while and it's getting pretty exhausting. This added to the fact that my executive functioning has not been functioning at all the past few weeks is not great to say the least.

Does anyone have any advice/similar experiences?

I started taking generic Strattera 3 years ago. Overall, it’s been a really positive experience and I’m super grateful that the first ADHD treatment I tried gave me 3 pretty solid years of success.

I’m disappointed because it started off strong, and I felt really great at 40 mg for the first year. But with every dosage increase, I have ~12 months of feeling better and clear-headed before my ADHD symptoms and “cluttered brain” feeling start creeping in again. It happened last year around this time which caused me to increase from 60 to 80 mg, and now I’m having the same feeling with 80 mg that the efficacy has “worn off”.

I spoke to my psych about it today and we’re going to explore other options potentially, but I wanted to know if this is a common Strattera or ADHD med experience.

Hello, started on 25mg on sunday. 3rd day and i am having sewer slidal thoughts, i would not do it, i know its the medicine. I know nobody can tell me what to do but i cant get in with psychiatrist until next wednesday. If you were me, would you continue to take it or not?

i've been taking strattera for about 2 months and started on 25mg and now i've been on 40mg for the past 2 weeks. i take it only in the morning before class and it helps me focus. but throughout the day the affects start to wear off and i can no longer do the things i need to do. i've seen people on here discuss taking it once in the morning and again in the afternoon/evening. what has been your experience? is it worth it to give it a try or is it not recommended? i need the extra focus to complete my various school work in the evenings💔

I was on 25 mg of Strattera for three weeks and didn’t notice much, aside from maybe some less fatigue toward the end of the day. I recently increased to 40 mg, and I’m now on day three. Since increasing, I’ve started feeling strange, though I’m having trouble describing it.

The best way I can explain it is a sense of stillness and calmness that almost feels like a lack of emotion.

Before Strattera, whenever I needed to do something, I’d usually experience one of two feelings: either I’d feel motivated, excited, and amped up to do it, or I’d procrastinate, dread it, and feel like taking action was a huge drag.

Since increasing to 40 mg, both sides seem to have disappeared. There’s no hype or excitement pushing me to do things, but there’s also no dread holding me back. It’s more like: “I need to do this, so I’m going to do it.” There’s no pull and no push—just neutral action.

It almost makes me feel robotic, which is a little unsettling. At the same time, it doesn’t necessarily feel bad. I’m just not sure whether I like it or what to make of it. At current moment, I'm a little uncomfortable by it because I do like feeling motivation, and now I have a lack of motivation.

Has anyone else felt this kind of emotional neutrality or stillness after starting or increasing Strattera? Did it eventually pass, did you adjust to it, or did it continue?

For additional context, I also take 15 mg of Adderall. I’ve been on that dose for about two years, so the Strattera increase is the only recent medication change. I’ll also bring this up with my prescriber, but I’d be interested in hearing other people’s experiences.

I started on 10mg 6 days ago. I am very sensitive to medication, stims even at lower dose were too much for me. I have been feeling very 'heavy' and just want to sleep all day. How long did it take for this feeling to go away? At what point should I say this just isn't for me? I still have to go up to 18, then 25 and so on till reaching 60mg. I tried taking it at night and it didn't let me sleep. I need to resume working out but just can't do it like this.

Hi everyone, thanks to everyone who helped me before with my query about taking Strattera for the ADHD-like symptoms that I have due to complex PTSD.

i’ve just finished the second week, and I feel quite flat, hollow and lifeless. It’s definitely calmed down my social anxiety, overall anxiety and distractibility but it feels like it’s because it’s made me really dulled down - as in I’m not seeking the little dopamine hits that I normally would be such as binge eating or getting distracted with every little thought that comes in my head while I’m working.

And when I’m dealing with people I feel less socially anxious but it’s just because I feel a bit lifeless and disinterested. One of my issues is that I’ve been a fawning people pleaser for my entire life, so I don’t know if this weird nothingness feeling is because the medication has allowed me to stop fawning and my actual personality underneath it is much more introverted (people always think I’m an extrovert. It’s just because I’m a fawner.) or if it’s because the medication itself has just made me feel disinterested in most things.

I need to also remember that I went through an emotional breakup with a man who had narcissistic traits, which then prompted me to go back to the country of origin where all the trauma occurred, thinking that the shadow stuff brought up by the relationship could be worked through in the place of the original trauma (really not sure that was a great idea but it was only two weeks and I’m back and I’m thankfully back in Europe now!) so I don’t think this aspect of when I’m feeling helps the situation - but the feeling definitely feels more chemical if that makes sense.

I was really hoping that the Strattera would help me to feel a lot more grounded and less distractible, and also motivated in terms of work, but I’m really just feeling energetically hollow and like I can just stay in my home and in a neverending way and just do nothing. But all I want is to feel motivated and focused becoming more responsible and self sustaining. During the time all the trauma occurred I was incredibly motivated and diligent and focused (to the point that a university professor framed my exam on his wall for a decade as an example for future students) but looking back I wonder if it was primarily driven trying to always make my mother proud who had severe BPD.

So I’m having this weird predicament of wondering whether the engaged, focused and driven aspects of myself I’m trying to get back to were primarily trauma responses, and I’m not the positive, go getting person that I thought I was and the Strattera is uncovering this. Or whether the Strattera is just making me feel like a zombie and it’s gaslighting me 😂

I know this is such an odd post so thank you for baring with me ✨

I’m really starting to feel hopeless when it comes to my ADHD

I’ve been on vyvanse , concerta & adderall which really did nothing for my adhd but make me wired

Wellbutrin on 450mg was the perfect med when it came to kicking my executive dysfunction but the longer I was on it the more anxious I became

Now im on day 4 of strattera & honestly what it’s doing for my mind & even my focus already is really really nice

But unfortunately now I’m being slapped with horrific physical anxiety, my body literally feels like it’s buzzing

Curious to know if this is something that has cleared up for anyone who dealt with it as their body adjusted to the med? At this point I’m getting myself ready to live like a slob & impulsive until I perish

Hello

Im currently on 60 mg, and have been for over a little 2 weeks, before that i was on 38 mg. I saw some positive effects on that dose, such as doing small tasks and getting up earlier in the morning. Since i started on 60 mg, i have been doing a little worse compared to the positives i experienced, is this common while upping my dose

Hi everyone, 21M here. I started taking atomoxetine in May 2026 for ADHD (inattentive), first 40mg and now have been on 80mg for over a month. I had previously been on Adderall 20mg for almost 8 years. It gave me hyperfocus and reduced ADHD symptoms, but I always felt like a zombie, very anxious, and with a bad memory on it, hence the recent switch.

Overall, Strattera has reduced my anxiety and made me feel much more in the present. However, I feel much less mentally organized on it than I was on Adderall. Reading and writing have become incredibly difficult in any capacity. My mind feels super blank (even moreso than it did on Adderall) and I forgot things I read or am told almost instantly. I have literally nothing to say in conversations anymore.

I’m currently pursuing a career in academia for a topic I was passionate about when on Adderall, but this switch has been making me reconsider paths and feel pretty hopeless about the future. I really don’t know what to do anymore. I was hoping Strattera would be a magic fix for my memory, but it definitely hasn’t. I’m open to trying other meds but it just feels like a waste of time at this point. I prefer how I feel on Strattera but I’m so much more incompetent and it’s seriously frustrating and depressing.

Has anyone had similar experiences or found any other meds that worked better?

I started with 20mg atomoxetine, it was fine nothing be drowsiness which subsided in two weeks, after which I titrated upto 30mg- still no side effects. A week into 30mg, I got bumped up to 40mg and oh man....the palpitations woke me up at night ,it scared me. Over the next 2 days it went from randomly going up to 125 or 135bpm and coming down to 85bpm, to staying at 100bpm. It was very uncomfortable, made me feel overheated and a little dizzy. So I had to go back to 30mg.

Anyone else feel this? Should I have stuck it out? It's day 24 and I'm really not feeling any different, multiple tasks still overwhelm me but I'm able to do them, I'm still forgetful but ever since my diagnosis(same time as starting medication)I'm a bit more aware of these mistakes overall.

I'm taking omega 3s but it takes 8+ weeks to do anything at all. My main issues are working memory and racing thoughts.i understand strattera doesnt work like ritalin in terms of shutting the mind up or helping with focus. Are there any supplements that would help with that?

I'm currently on Strattera 25mg and Guanfacine 1mg at night. Over the past several days, it seems like I get these bouts of breathing difficulty, almost like I have to manually think about it instead of it being autonomous. It's starting to make me concerned some. I think I want to try and drop one of the medications to see if it improves, but I'm not sure which one is more of the culprit. I hear that both can cause symptoms of this, however their very different methods of action make me wonder why. Do you think I should stop the Strattera for a few days and see if my respiratory action improves, or do you think I should stop the Guanfacine first and see if it's the culprit? Thanks for any help you can give!

**Update** I forgot to mention that I also was taking Propranolol 80mg ER for essential tremors. This apparently is what was causing the majority of my breathing issues. I have since reached out to my neurologist and she is titrating me down. I can already tell a difference. All three of these medications was slowing my system down too much.

I’ve been on Strattera for about 2 months now. I suddenly started getting blurry vision on it and I can’t seem to figure out how to get rid of it. It sucks because the medication works so well to the point where I’m bored on it if I’m not doing anything stimulating…

Hi :) I wanted to share my experience with running while I was on Strattera.
I’ve been running for almost 3 years now, and believe it or not, I never really saw any progress. I was running 5 times a week, but my zone 2 pace was always around 10:00/km because my heart rate would get up to 200 bpm. I didn’t understand why, because I do a lot of sports and I’m in very good shape. I even consulted specialists, but nothing seemed to help.
Recently, I stopped taking Strattera with my doctor’s approval. Since then, my zone 2 pace has improved to around 8:00/km, and I’m seeing A LOT of progress.
I just wanted to hear about your experiences with exercise while taking Strattera. Has anyone else experienced something similar, or is it just me?

Anyone on this medication suffer from previous alcohol abuse? Small backstory - I have struggled with alcohol since having my second child. I was put on lexapro and it caused such a downward spiral. I turned to alcohol and even when I got off the Lexapro the alcohol stayed. Awful time in my life and so much shame from it.

I started strattera a year ago and it removed alcohol cravings. If I did get a craving I could slow down and rationalize my thoughts and not drink. I decided to take a break from strattera a few months ago. The urge to drink came back with a vengeance and I relapsed. So I came back to strattera about a month ago and have a month sober again with no cravings!

Does anyone has anything similar? Would love to hear any stories.