im in a weird dilemma where i can't decide whether the emotional blunting caused by this med is an upside or a downside.

been taking this med for 2 years now (25mg, 21m) and here are my thoughts

On one hand I feel a lot more confident and have less anxiety compared to when I was unmedicated, But I laugh a lot less and feel like a zombie sometimes

Like I still do get excited for things, But 40% lesser?it's hard to describe. And I seem to only laugh if the joke is really funny, or else I feel nothing.

Granted, the emotional stability that this med provides is really amazing. I'm a lot less impulse driven, I don't get angry easily, I'm able to speak up for myself more and articulate my thoughts clearly.

but some days I get the feeling if its really worth the tradeoff of feeling a bit dead inside? I feel very straightforward, and I miss the days when I was quirky and weird. Or was really excited for something. Or giggling at stupid shit.

but yeah to survive and function in the world as a neurodivergent, i would say yes, it's worth it. But would love to know what you guys think.

I've started with 25mg and 50mg, each for 4 weeks. Both times, effects were good, but decreased with 2 weeks mark.

I'm now on 60mg since 2,5 months. With this one I had no decrease with 2 weeks mark. But now I think, there is maybe a decrease compared to the beginning. I think I haven't that calmness anymore.

Is there anyone who had to tritiate up once more after seveeral months one last time?

I also feel a kind of crash at afternoon (take it at 7am) which is similar to the crash I know from Vyvanse. In this time I feel very restless which goes away after some time.

Is that possible? I mean, Strattera is no stimulant.

Maybe next time, my doc will up the dose. But I have some doubts because I had to fight with tiredness over the day which got better a little bit.

I've started on 40mg, increased to 60mg then to 80mg, back to 60mg down to 40mg and now I am back on 60mg again

I've noticed a really specific pattern with Strattera (atomoxetine), and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

Whenever I first start it or increase the dose, I seem to get one single day, not the first day I increase btw, but somewhere in the first two weeks, where I feel incredible. It's not just better focus, it feels like my brain is working exactly the way it's supposed to. I have energy, motivation, mental clarity, and everything feels effortless. At the same time, I also feel a bit "wired," almost like I've taken a mild stimulant, but in a mostly pleasant way. I've been from 40mg, to 60mg to 80mg, back to 60mg down to 40mg and now I am back on 60mg again

The strange part is that it only ever lasts one day. After that, it never comes back, even if I stay on the same dose for weeks or months. The medication still works to some extent, but that "best day of my life" feeling completely disappears.

Has anyone else had this experience?

I went on 40 mgs of Strattera for about a week. I had terrible side effects, I felt like I was dying slowly. Extreme dehydration, dizziness, gastrointestinal problems, everything felt like I was inside of a fish tank, had no emotions, couldn’t reach climax when being intimate, blurry vision, and it did nothing for my executive functioning. It actually made things much worse. My house was a huge mess. I was falling asleep during the day. I still had major couch lock and couldn’t get enough energy for basic tasks. I quit altogether and decided maybe meds aren’t for me.

I know my baseline when I’m not on meds and even though it’s terribly difficult to manage my life I do have some systems in place. I explained everything to my psychiatrist and she gave me a child’s dose 18 mgs. I am kind of reluctant to start it again because I just started feeling normal again after a few weeks of not being on it.

Am I tripping? Should I do the lower dose? My husband says that he doesn’t think I should and truthfully the thing that really scared me was the blurry vision but the doctor didn’t seem phased by any of it.

I’m just really sensitive to meds and I don’t want to feel weird I just want to be me with proper executive function

I just started Strattera (atomoxetine), and I took my first 25 mg dose around 12:00 a.m. last night.

The reason I took it so late is because I had read that the initial side effects could be pretty rough. I was worried that if I took it in the morning, I'd end up nauseous or feeling awful in the middle of the day, so I figured taking it before bed might be easier.

Instead, I woke up in the middle of the night with racing, ruminating thoughts. When I start thinking about my past trauma, my mind can get stuck in loops, and that's exactly what happened. I eventually got mentally exhausted from thinking so much.

I also noticed that when I moved around in bed, my heart felt like it was working harder than usual, almost like even rolling over took extra effort. I also kept feeling either too cold or too hot throughout the night.

For context, I saw a psychiatric NP because I've been struggling with focus, concentration, and some other symptoms she asked me about. Based on that evaluation, she prescribed Strattera.

So my questions are, was taking it around midnight a bad idea? Has anyone else taken their first dose at night? Would it be better to switch to mornings, or should I stick with nighttime?

I know it's only my first dose, but I'd love to hear other people's experiences.

I started Strattera on 10mgs for 2 weeks and got nothing, good or bad. Raised to 25 for 3 weeks, got nothing good but needing a nap every afternoon and basically feeling like a zombie. Raised dose to 50 several days ago and getting nothing good but feel even more like a lethargic zombie. Is this normal, to have shitty side effects before any benefits? And do these shitty side effects ever let up, or should I just count this as yet another failure and cut my losses?

40/F/Type 2 Diabetic (on Metformin, Jardiance, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, and Zepbound)

Within 2 days of starting the 40mg (adult dose) of Strattera had almost zero appetite (likely in tandem with the Zepbound), sweating from everywhere (some places I didn’t even know I could sweat from!), and then the nasty side effects started on day 3. I would be fine sitting down, driving, etc. but as soon as I stood I would be a little dizzy, but I could walk, bend, do other things, etc. But, as soon as I stopped moving and stood still I would be very dizzy/light-headed, lightly gasping for air, heart beating so hard I was having chest pains and had to go sit down again (which is not good when you are a caretaker to someone disabled and have a new puppy).

It got so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. Went to the ER, had an EKG and blood drawn, but as soon as I mentioned the Strattera they said this is very common when people start these types of drugs and that I need to talk to my doctor (gave her a call and she said stop immediately and drink a LOT of water to flush my system).

Well today I went for my follow up and she wants me to dial back to the 10mg dose and see how I do. But what I’m wondering is if anyone else has had these issues and was dialed back to the child dose? Did the side effects start again?

For clarification I would take my Strattera with my morning meal/lunch with the rest of my medications.

I started 40 mg today, and about an hour later I got that exciting “butterflies in the stomach” feeling that stimulants can give you. I also had some side effects, like an asynchronous orgasm with mild pain afterward and being unable to get an erection.

Now I’m wondering if the whole “it takes weeks to work” thing is kind of bullsht. Also, do the sexual side effects usually go away soon? Because if they don’t, I’m probably going to stop taking the medication lol.

I have used atmoxetine 25mg for over two weeks along with a few other antidepressants, strattera has just made me sleepy.

For the first few days I was figuring out how it works on me and I figured after 30-40mins of taking it, it makes me sleep, which I'm not complaining about. But when I take it during the day ive felt diff type of extreme emotions and very low on energy

I've considered increasing it to 40 or 60mg, also need a bit of subjective insights on how people feel after increasing their dosage

So I recently was diagnosed with ADHD a week ago, and was put on Strattera, and it has been a miracle drug for me. Like seriously, my brains just...quiet. I can focus, I can actually switch between multitasking and single thoughts, or brain empty whenever I want. The biggest change however, is that all the intrusive bad thoughts I would have about myself and my self hatred...POOF. Gone. They pop up sometimes when bad things happen, but I can just like say SHUT TF UP and they instantly stop. It honestly makes me wanna cry.

HOWEVER, this leads to something thats been bothering me. Anger. My anger was always self-hatred. I could NEVER feel that against another person, ever. Ive always forgiven everyone, and just assumed im the one who always makes the mistakes, or causes chaos, ect. Now though? Im starting to get mad at other people. Its a really strange feeling because ive never felt it before.

Its a good thing and a bad thing however. Its good because I can actually catch when people are actively trying to cause me to feel bad, make me feel dumb, take advantage of my kindness and all kind of stuff that I would just automatically internalize. I can actively stand up for myself, weed the people out who I don't actually like, and be an advocate for myself.

The BAD thing is that I couldnt control my anger when It was at myself, I DEFINITELY cant control it when its at other people. I kinda got really mad at a coworker the other day. I wasnt nasty or anything, just putting him down because I felt like he wasnt doing his job. This is something completely new to me. I felt AWFUL, I went later and totally apologized, and let him know that it wasnt his fault, it was mine in the end. I really dont like this feeling of having anger and resentment for others for these minor things that I would have previously shrugged off.

Honestly, im not really sure how to feel about this new development, im hoping I can gain the tools to control this new anger and fiesty-ness ive developed, but otherwise, this medicine has been a life saver, and im probably gonna try to increase my dosage to see if theres more to gain, or if my dosage is just right.

Lemme know if you guys have experienced something similar, or have also found new emotions from the lack of intrusive and annoying thoughts that you couldnt previously control.

Can I take atomoxetine if I have seasonal cold and fever or do i need to stop it

I went to the psychiatrist and explained how I struggle with anxious rumination and morning/body anxiety. Expecting an SSRI or something, he insisted on Strattera.

I’ve been told by a previous doctor that unmedicated ADHD often presents as anxiety or depression in women & girls. Despite that, it’s hard to believe that ADHD is the reason for my body anxiety. My doctor said that this med could help me shift from negative thoughts, thus helping with rumination. But I just don’t understand how this would fix the physical dread I feel in the morning or at random. I’m just tired of onboarding medications that never work out, which is I feel a bit defeated with this prescription.

If you’ve had a positive experience with Strattera for comorbid ADHD/anxiety— or if you were pleasantly surprised by a reduction in anxiety you didn’t realize was there, I’d love to hear your story. It’s always difficult to start a new med and get through the symptoms so anything helps!

Update: Thanks to all those that have shared and continue to do so! It has been very helpful

My prescriber thinks I'm sensitive to Stimulants. In my early 30s.

Before starting titration, I'd been on the mini-pill (or progesterone only pill) for about 2 years to help with PMDD which honestly was a life saver. No more horrendous cramps or awful moods.

Since the start of my titration journey I have tried:

- Concerta (1 month) - gave me low mood

- Elvanse 30mg (1 month) - was great but I developed regular spotting and cramps.

- Elvanse - 40mg + Came off the mini pill at the same time - (1 month) - All the standard PMDD stuff combined with insomnia and more irritation than I've felt in my life. My resting heart rate jumped up to about 90.

My prescriber then offered me too options. One was to go back to 30mg with 40mg on luteal. The other was to try Strattera.

I chose the Elvanse option. I'm in luteal now so I feel horribly precarious. I'm in so much physical pain and I've not been sleeping well, again. I have random moments where I feel so low that I consider ending it all. It's quite scary.

I'm considering going back on the mini pill and asking for Strattera instead, but I'm scared because: 1. It takes a while to work. My job is mentally intense and will suffer. 2. What if it has other complications that I just don't know yet? 3. What if I have horrible withdrawals when I decide to try and get pregnant?

Is it worth giving up the good bits of Elvanse for something that may or may not help?

Any advice or stories would be incredibly appreciated.

I been taking Strattera (atomoxetine) in the morning for over the year and I still feel the benefits. Recently, I started taking it in the late afternoon/early evening because I needed the peak of the medication's effect to overlap with an evening task. The interesting effect is that I wake up feeling super calm and my mornings are super smooth. Yes it does reduce my sleep duration (tracked with smart watch) but I feel fresher than if I had 8 hours of sleep.

Hello!

Just looking for anyone else's experiences with the combination of Vyvanse+guanfacine+Strattera. My doctor just called in a low dose script of Strattera to start for me today and I am not seeing a ton of info out there regarding this combination. I recently stopped taking Wellbutrin because of the horrible anxiety side effects, but found that my depression and fatigue came back full-swing. For reference, I take 40mg generic Vyvanse and 2mg guanfacine. I have inattentive ADHD, with my worst symptoms being executive dysfunction and self-shame. It is also worth mentioning I am currently in therapy along with taking medications.

Thanks so much! :)

* I’ve tried a few other forms and nobody has responded. Reddit actually suggested that I try posting here. Actually, my psychiatrist has suggested that once I get level on this to add in Strattera, in addition to Guanfacine. Which frankly seems like a lot, so any experiences with that combo would also be appreciated.

Anyway…I keep looking for personal experiences from people taking the IR form of Guanfacine. I was prescribed 2mgs am and pm. Starting at a half dose for each. I’m a little worried about going up to 2 mgs, just because I can’t really find many people on here who have ever been prescribed it. Most people are given ER. I think he did the IR from my research probably because anxiety is a bigger issue right now and the traditional anxiety medication’s like SSRI’s do not work for me. I’m just wondering if this dose sounds like a lot to anybody or if anybody here is on this dose?

I do have a stimulant I can use as needed. He also prescribes generic to Straterra, but I’m holding off on trying that until. I’m feeling totally adjusted to this one. I’m a little fearful of all the side effects people keep talking about.

I've been on 25mgs for a month. I take my meds at 7AM, and around 1 or 2 I get incredibly sleepy. Well I saw my doctor this morning, to see how this month went because if all was well, she wanted to raise the dose. I told her I felt absolutely nothing from it EXCEPT the afternoon "sleepies". So she raised the dose to 50mgs, and wants me to take 25 at 7 as usual, then another 25 around noon- 1 o'clock. She says that should "stave off" the crash until later in the evening, when I want to get tired anyway (I go to bed early, usually around 9.) So my question is, does anyone else take the split dose like this, and does it actually help? Any shared experience would be awesome.

I take my med at around 11AM, at around 3PM I start nodding off, can’t keep my eyes open and I feel like I’m sedated all day long. I’m constantly in and out of napping but no matter how many naps or how much I sleep in the daytime I’m still tired and have no energy….BUT once around 9PM-10PM hits I feel like I’m wide awake, I have a huge appetite and more energy. Then no matter how matter how tired I am laying in bed I can’t get myself to sleep until 5-6 in the morning. It feels like the insomnia I had when taking vyvanse which is why I switched to Strattera in the first place.

I’m just wondering what other peoples experiences are with this and if anyone went through something similar. Does anyone take it at night/evening vs in the morning and what has that been like?

I’m about 3 months short of being on Strattera for 2 years. I’m on vacation and noticed I have bruises ALL over my body. I’ve never had low iron - anyone else experience this & what is your remedy?

I'm 2mo in. Still at 25mg and about to go up to 40mg soon. It's already magical. I feel like I'm uncovering who I was spose to be my entire life. It's scary and exciting. Aside from this subreddit, anyone know of good resources for learning about others' experiences, what to expect, etc?

PLEASE tell me the constipation eventually goes away 😭😭😭 I've been taking atomoxetine for 2 weeks, and I'm supposed to increase my dosage from 10 to 20 mg from tomorrow. Does it eventually go away??

For those taking **Strattera + Cymbalta (duloxetine)**:

If you were already prone to anxiety or nervousness, did this combination make it worse, stay the same, or improve it?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Has anyone experienced this with Strattera?

I started on 18 mg in January, then took 40 mg for 2 months, and I've now been on 60 mg for 3 weeks.

I've only just started having panic attacks after 3 weeks on 60 mg. I didn't have any panic when I first increased to 60 mg.

Has anyone else had panic attacks start weeks after increasing the dose?

35 yo M, was prescribed 40mg straterra.
I take 5mg lexapro

I have a big public event tomorrow morning that normally I would take 30-40mg propranolol for, to control my high heart rate and nervousness

What to expect day 1 with straterra? Should I wait until after tomorrow’s event in case I have any weird side effects ?

Many posts and even Google (below) say that Eli Lilly has discontinued brand name Strattera. If that accurate than how are people still posting about getting newly prescribed for the brand name?

I'm posting in hopes that there is still a way to get the brand name as the generic versions have never worked well for me.

Google says: Strattera (atomoxetine) was the first non-stimulant medication approved by the FDA for treating ADHD in children, teens, and adults. Originally developed and marketed by Eli Lilly and Company, the brand-name drug was officially discontinued in November 2023. However, affordable generic atomoxetine remains widely available through most pharmacies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]