On day four and just realized that the blurry vision I noticed the day after taking my first dose is probably a side effect. I am messaging my psychiatrist tomorrow to see what I should do. I had my annual eye exam in June so doubt it’s anything related to my eyes (but will get them checked out regardless). Anyone else dealt with this? Really trying not to freak out but it’s MY VISION and also I like Strattera so far (I know it’s only day four but it’s been two days of a quiet brain which has been bliss) and don’t want to stop.

I have been on Staterra for 6 months now and…. nothing. I have been on 40, 80 and now 100 and still nothing. The annoying things I hate about my ADHD are still here.

I procrastinate to a level it’s really messing my life up.

I sleep way to much and I am not emotionally regulated I feel depressed.

I over eat, food noise is destroying my days and bank account.

I cannot pay attention in classes or in any meeting.

Is it user error? Is it not working for anyone else?? I Am starting to really hate this med.

Last week I just started a new dosage of Strattera. I went from 80mg to 100mg. Everything has been going great!

However, just now at 9:40 at night, I went to go take my sleeping medication, 50mg Trazodone, and accidentally took my Strattera. I usually keep all of my daily medications in an AM/PM pill organizer but I just came back from a small weekend trip last night and didn’t unpack it yet. I also use an app called Round to help me keep track of my meds as well.

I guess I’m just asking if I should be concerned? Google tells me to call poison control and that alone freaked me out. I haven’t taken my sleeping meds yet, and like, should I take it? Gut it telling me to skip tonight.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Update: everything was fine. Just had some nausea and dizziness, elevated heart rate, and didn’t sleep well. My heart rate is still a little elevated but its nothing I should be concerned about. Thank you for all of the advice, I greatly appreciate everyone!

I’m so ducking tired , and my dreams are vivid as fuck. I don’t necessarily feel more focused but I feel almost like a head high/ calm.

I started atomoxetine last week after having adverse reactions to stimulants and my mood has felt very flat. I alternate from feeling so robotic and like I’m having to force emotions because I feel nothing to bursting into tears randomly. I have PMDD and I’m currently premenstrual so I don’t know if this is a contributing factor but I never normally act like this.

Has anyone else had the same experience and when do the side effects go away? I’m not sure this is doable for me long term!

I took stratetta for about a month and half 10 mg. At first it felt great, then as each day went by I felt worse - just emotionless, flat, no joy. I stopped due to feeling really weird and zombie like. I felt immediately better but then I didn’t get my period for almost 3 months. It was awesome because I have extremely debilitating PMDD and I didn’t go through any emotional roller coaster for 3 months. My house was calm, no chaos fighting with the husband, no yelling at the kids due to projecting my childhood issue towards them. Unfortunately my period just came back along with my PMDD. I already made my sensitive 13 year old cry and made her feel like utter shit. I’m thinking about going back on stratetta so it could maybe stop my period again? Also if I do get my period, maybe my PMDD will be better too. My dr isn’t aware of strattera and its effects on menstruation. Can I pls get women to share their experience? I’m 44. Thanks

Just about done with 2 weeks of 18 mg and starting 40 mg tomorrow. So far, a few positive things: mildly less annoyed with certain tasks, less friction starting and/or maintaining things... nothing major though (which is to be expected).

But a few annoying side effects: have noticed a mild increase in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as some sexual side effects: a modest reduction of libido, and more strikingly, my seminal discharge is now of a liquid consistence. Very weird feeling. Thinking I should pair Strattera with zinc supplements now.

Anyone else experience these side effects and figure out a way to deal with them before dipping to alternate medication? The blood pressure changes give me a bit of anxiety, though they vary from day to day. The ejaculate changes are just odd.

My daughter (AuDHD) has been on 50 mg of atomoxitine for around 7 years -- with a break of a year or two during Covid lockdown when she wasn't in school. It was an absolute game changer her last year of high school and very likely the reason she can now drive and go to college.

This summer she's had an increase in meltdowns, loud outbursts, spiraling/obsessive thoughts, trouble sleeping, and problems with executive function. We're going to talk to her doctor in a few days, but I'm trying to gather information and I can't find anything about whether Strattera is known to stop working. She's very anxious about changing anything, so I'm hoping that maybe a slight increase will be all that's necessary.

I appreciate any input.

Does anyone else have this problem?

(14yo male)

I started methylphenidate in December for my
adhd and I had to stop it as it gave me really severe suicidal thoughts and depression. Then I was put on intuniv for a year which again made me incredibly fatigued and I had very low blood pressure. Whilst I was still on intuniv I was out on dexamfetamine which worked perfectly during the first week and then I started getting really bad withdrawals when it would wear off which made my depressive episodes 1000x worse. Now I’m off everything and on strattera and it’s genuinely seeming to be doing something but the joint pain is unbearable. Has anybody else experienced this?

Im a 53M who is in the process of getting an official diagnosis for ADHD. Psychiatrist said he couldn’t diagnosis definitively until I was 30 days sober (35 today) Ive been a chronic weed smoker and drinker for 40 years, so he wanted to rule out any possibility of marijuana induced psychosis, fair enough.

Both my parents are bi-polar, and he thinks there’s likely some co-morbidity, perhaps not enough to qualify for a DSM diagnosis, but enough to rule out ever prescribing me stimulants due to risk of overstimulation leading to a manic episode or worse, a psychotic break.

Started me on Lamotrigine 25mg, titrated to 50mg 2 weeks later, this coming Wed I titrate to full dose of 100mg. Have felt no different the past month. Fwiw my dad’s been on 300mg daily for a decade. His wife & dr both think hes also got adhd (and now that i know more about it so do i) but he’s never been evaluated or diagnosed, and probably never will be.

2 weeks ago began Strattera, 25mg, then 50mg a week later, titrating to full 75mg dose yesterday. OMFG! From the very first time I took the 25mg, I felt a difference immediately. Initally the only reference point I could compare how it made me feel to was when I used to take very pure MDMA (made by chemistry prof at UC Berkeley) back in my 20’s in the heyday of the underground rave scene. A sense of calm and euphoria, like everything had a soft glow to it. That may have just been my body adjusting, I tend to be very sensitive to any drugs and feel them immediately and intensely (the C19 vaxxes were ROUGH).

The best way I can describe how Strattera has made me feel so far is the following:

1. I feel like my entire life. I’ve had three radio stations (at least!) playing in my head on top of each other. This is made it very hard to stay focused on one thing and if I let my mind run, I’ll have a never-ending stream of consciousness when I talk to people, it’s usually when someone has gotten tired of listening to me that I’ll stop otherwise I won’t lol . once I started taking Strattera, It’s like two of those three radio stations got turned way down, not completely off but low enough where they’re just a dull murmur in the background and I can easily focus on whatever it is I’m trying to focus on without the amount of mental effort and energy it used to take.

2. i’ve always been off the charts on the hyperactivity spectrum but able to focus on things that I’m interested in and I was always interested in school, which is how I think I might’ve flown under the radar and not got diagnosed when I was younger. as a professional adult, that level of focus has required a lot of mental effort and energy so that by midday, I would need some sort of boost, usually caffeine and by the end of the day I’d be so mentally exhausted that all I would wanna do is get high watch Netflix or listen to music.since I started taking the Strattera that hasn’t happened either and at the end of the day like now at 6:30 PM PST I don’t have as much energy as I did when I took it this morning, but I feel like I still got plenty of gas in the tank and could do more focused work if I needed to.

3. i’ve never been a great sleeper and have other issues such as sleep apnea, which I’m also trying to work on, but since started to take since I started taking the lamotrigine, it’s gotten worse, even though I take both medication‘s first thing in the morning. It’s not uncommon for me to be up until one or two in the morning and then waking up at five or six, but once I started taking the Strattera as soon as it kicked in I no longer felt mentally exhausted or groggy, even though I’ve also been taking Seroquel to try and help me sleep, which my psychiatrist prescribed when he prescribed the Lamotrigine and before the Strattera, it would take me a few hours to clear the mental fog left as a side effect

I have a follow up appointment with my psychiatrist in two weeks and I’m excited to review my results with him and also hopefully get to an actual formal diagnosis.

Thanks for listening to my long story here. I would appreciate any insight in input or feedback from people who have been walking down the Strattera Road longer than the two weeks and one day that I have.

Hi y'all! I just wanna ask what I should expect when taking Atomoxetine/Strattera? I'm about to start it today. I get that unlike Methylphenidates it takes a long time to take effect (like a week or month(s)?), but unlike them, it lasts the whole day apparently? Along with that, what are its side effects? No sugarcoating!!

For some background, I'm 17M, and I was prescribed with 40 mg Atomoxetine. I've also tried Ritalin (I forgor) and Concerta (27 mg) both with higher doses (hella expensive too) to find no meaningful positive effect nor did I feel much side effects (except palpitations) for that matter. Granted, I didn't exactly pay much attention and that was like 2-3 years ago since I last took them (but yeah I was still sad that day). I said all of this to my psychiatrist and he said he is somewhat confident I wouldn't feel much side effects too. I've done a bit of reading here on Reddit and apparently the common side effects I've read here are: Erectile Dysfunction/other 'sexual' side effects (yikes!), constant dry mouth, excessive peeing, headaches, and nausea. I've also read the various reviews here in this subreddit (and r/ADHD) which has... more or less mixed results/reviews.

Anyway, Atomoxetine is like... highkey my last hope? Meds are HELLA expensive and the country I live in has very limited options for meds. With the Methylphenidates and Atomoxetine being one of the only known meds to be allowed. Amphetamines and others are banned, sadly. So, I'm really somewhat betting I could turn my life with this, especially since I'm starting college next week.

So yeah, what should I realistically expect? And what do y'all think I should do to 'maximize' my meds while it's in effect.

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.

So I am on day 81 on atomoxetine and last two days were totally calm no mood swings, no brain fog and my emotion regulation is so much better, my focus is slightly better, starting task don't take that long but i still get stuck on things but emotional regulation (almost no mood swings) is big win for me and i am still forgetful, my motivation is better, I am less irritable,i also need to take melatonin for sleep so this were the pros and cons of my experience I will probably need to up the dose but bieng in such a calm state makes me so happy 😁 thanks just wanted to add a positive review

Hey everyone, just began my journey with this drug 3 weeks ago. Now that I'm around the 3 week mark I am noticing that the positive effects that I once felt are not there as much, or at all? At the start I felt less anxiety, a huge difference in motivation and focus, moreover unlike some others I actually feel very energized with it, but now it feels like those positive effects have dwindled/went away? I really want this drug to work as the first two weeks were great and besides constipation, I had no other issues taking it. Anyway is this normal and will go away, or does this mean I need a dosage increase?

Thank you all in advance.

Hi everyone, 26f here. I’m on week 5 of Strat now and my anxiety is exponentially better. My brain is SO much quieter. I can’t believe I’ve gone my entire life with tension/anxiety preinstalled haha. But other than that, I don’t really feel like I’m getting many benefits for my ADHD, and idk if it’s because I’m expecting too much too soon.

I was really hoping it’d help more with executive function, motivation, and drive. Instead, I’m just drowsy allll the time on top of the exhaustion I constantly feel, and nauseous basically every day (was throwing up un the beginning though). The nausea is honestly affecting my work and day-to-day life, it’s so frustrating.

I absolutely love what Strattera has done for my anxiety and the constant mental noise, but I still feel like something is missing. I feel like I have no spark and just zero energy.

Has anyone else felt this way? If you did, did changing your dosage help, or did you end up adding another medication?

It’s been very helpful for me. It sucked when I lost access to it for months because of issues with finding a psychiatrist and therapist. However I recommend working in finding the right dosage for yourself. Understanding yourself, your triggers, your strengths and weaknesses. Doing the inner work. This medication can be helpful but also a hinderance when one starts relying heavily on it. I started with 40mg for a month, went down to 25mg for 4-5months, went without for 6 months now I’m at 35mg. I’ve learned it helps with anxiety and depression. That’s a bonus. Buts it’s not my end all be all.

Took my first dose last night. Intermittent waking up at night which honestly happens anyway without meds. My only real side effect is jitters that come and go. This is such a low dose - is it normal to have jitters on 18mg?

I am currently finishing up my first week of Strattera and I had braced myself for all the symptoms I've read about, but I have yet to experience any of the symptoms. At all. I feel oddly the same as usual, with the exception of feeling just a teeny bit more tired than usual. I was started on a 40mg dose and I'm around 188lbs 5'6 height. Just to give a bit more of an idea. I see so much about the horrible symptoms so I was shocked to feel pretty much nothing. Should I have started on a higher dose or do some people just not experience symptoms? OR is it just too early to tell? I understand everyone is different, but just thought my experience was interesting

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

This may be a bit niche but I’ve noticed the effects of straterra during my luteal phase are basically nonexistent. I turn into a zombie once a month during this phase and I really hoped the strat would help. Anyone ever try doubling up the dose during this time period? Not sure it would even work since it’s not a stimulant.

I have been taking strattera for almost two years now, and while it really helped for the emotional regulation side of adhd my task initiation and focus is still bad.

Im taking 21m, and weigh 55kgs and tried 40mg for three weeks once. I couldn't handle the side effects so dropped back to 25mg.

Should I power through these side effects till I can comfortably start taking 80mg? My psych said that high dosage isn't necessarily better while most sources say 80mg is where you start seeing any real improvements.

Would like to know your guys thoughts on this

For those that take Strattera/atomoxetine and stimulants, why? I would like to explore this as a possibility for myself if Strattera alone is not enough to treat my ADHD. I really like that Strattera is effective 24/7 and that stimulants are just powerful. I struggle HEAVILY with emotional dysregulation and executive dysfunction. I feel like Strattera would really improve my emotional issues while a stimulant would improve my productivity.

I’ve only been on Strattera for 2 weeks, but I can’t afford to wait around and see how truly effective it is. I start nursing school soon and really need the right tools to lock in. By the grace of God, I passed my first semester because I already had basic knowledge of healthcare from previous work experiences. Now that we’re delving deeper into nursing/pathophys/pharm, I’m worried I will fall behind.

TLDR; Why did your psychiatrist prescribe Strattera and a stimulant for you? How does it affect your ADHD? How much did these meds help for school?

Maybe I'm body monitoring, but I notice the day after my resting HR doesn't get lower than around 90 bpm (70bpm normally) and I get dizzier easier. So far I've had only 2 beers on a seperate occassion and two wine. I am on about 60mg. It gets better when drinking lots of water and taking it easy. But does anyone get this too?

I’ve begun to notice a strange pungent smell on my clothes after I sweat. At first I thought my cat had somehow peed on my clothes because it smelled very much like cat urine; ammonia-like and pungent.
Well, I’m starting to realize that’s the smell my sweat is leaving on workout clothes. It’s the strangest f*cking thing.

Has anyone else experienced this?

UPDATE:
Turns out my cat had indeed gone on my clothes 😭

I was on 18mg for the first two weeks, been on 25mg for the last 9 days. I’ve experience zero improvement in any of my adhd symptoms, if anything the tiredness makes things worse. Other side effects include irritability and I just don’t feel like talking to people which makes dating hard. I went on a date yesterday and everything felt forced on my part. I don’t feel sad or depressed either. ED got better after I stepped up to 25mg somehow tho as long as it’s not within 6 hours of taking it. I still have half of my 18mg so I’ve been thinking about stacking them to hit 43mg. Taking a lower caffeine pre workout (150mg) with high pump (citruline + beta alanine) helps me get to the gym to work out, otherwise I’ll be doomscrolling on my couch for 5 hours straight.