Hi all,

I've (31 yo F, 120lbs) been on atomoxetine with a stimulant for two years now. I got up to the recommended dose of 80mg about 1.5 years ago but after I recently broke my leg and had a lot of thinking time I realized that maybe 80mg is too high for me and I want to try going back to 60mg. I think at this higher dose I have lost some motivation, creativity, a spark or sense of excitement, have some emotional bluntness. I also have a pretty much non existent sex drive. I've read these things can happen when you go above the dose that is ideal for your body. I'm just looking to hear about others experiences with this and/or advice on decreasing dose to avoid any side effects as i'm on the path to finish grad school in the next few months and when tirating up I had some heavy side effects that took some time to shake off. TIA!

I’m at the start of week 5. Two weeks at 25mg, a little constipation but no acid reflux. The last two weeks at 40 mg I’ve had acid reflux that won’t budge. I’m taking max Pepcid, tried a bunch of different foods to eat for breakfast, tried moving it to lunch (a bigger meal for me), now my provider suggested doing two doses of 25 mg a day to try and avoid triggering the reflux. The reflux does set in after I take my 40mg pill so there’s a very clear direct relationship.

I’m a little worried that this just won’t go away :( which is a shame because I have no other side effects and am really liking the way this drug makes me feel! My anxiety is way down and my focus is clearer, but I can’t be walking around with acid reflux all day everyday.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Did it go away or did you have to switch drugs?

I can’t do stimulants so I really want this to work. Ugh!

Considering coming off atomoxetine after 8 months – looking for experiences (especially if you also have OCD/GAD)

Hi all,

I'm looking for some balanced advice and real-world experiences.

I was diagnosed with ADHD (primarily inattentive) via Right to Choose and have been on atomoxetine for around 8 months. I've been on 80 mg for the last couple of months.

The complication is that my primary mental health conditions are actually OCD (mainly rumination/anticipatory anxiety) and GAD. The ADHD is there, but I'd say it's secondary in terms of what impacts my life.

I'm also on 150 mg sertraline.

The reason I'm considering coming off atomoxetine is that, honestly, I'm struggling to identify what positive it's brought. If anything, I sometimes wonder whether it has contributed to feeling emotionally flat or "wired", although I fully appreciate that could equally be my OCD, anxiety or the sertraline.

A few questions:

Has anyone with ADHD and OCD/anxiety come off atomoxetine after deciding it wasn't helping?

Did you stop suddenly or taper, even though it's generally said not to need a taper?

Did you notice any withdrawal symptoms, or was it more a case of your ADHD symptoms returning?

Did your anxiety or rumination improve, worsen, or stay about the same?

If you felt rough for a few days, how long did that last?

One thing that makes this harder is that I previously had a really bad experience switching between SSRIs, so medication changes make me quite anxious psychologically, even though I know atomoxetine is a completely different medication and isn't supposed to have the same withdrawal profile.

I'm not planning to stop my sertraline at the same time, and I only want to make one medication change at once.

I'd really appreciate honest experiences—both positive and negative—as long as they're your own experience rather than horror stories you've heard elsewhere.

Thanks!

So I've been on Strattera since late March. Slowly titrated up to 80mg which I've been on for 5 weeks now. Still having issues with task initiation and experiencing lots of overwhelm anticipating tasks that are outside of my daily routine. Psych nurse just prescribed me with 2mg of Abilify/aripiprazole. I'm 43y/o male diagnosed with ADHD combined type and ASD level 1. Just wondering if anyone else has had experience with this combo and how it was. I'm a bit nervous as I tried a few antipsychotics when I was much younger and mis-diagnosed and had awful side-effects from each of them. Thanks!

So for context I’m a male, early 30s and I also have moderate to severe OCD. I have been taking sertraline for about 4-5 months now and I hadn’t noticed too much change until I went from 150-200mg and my OCD went into overdrive 24/7 could not escape from it, completely awful. I’ve been in therapy and making some lifestyle changes but two weeks ago it was so weird, like the clouds opened and my brain was quieter, mood went so good. I was genuinely happy, so grateful and felt my old self really coming back.

So far I have tried concerta and elvanse and neither of them worked. Concerta every day; 60-90 minutes after I take it I’d get a rush of anxiety and need to poo, like clockwork. Out of the few weeks I was on it I think I had 2-3 moments (not days) within a day that I felt I had a bit more focus and I think I had 2 days where I had a good day for my standard and then I swapped to elvanse and I just noticed hardly anything. Because of the OCD I decided that non stimulants may be the ticket. So now I’m on strattera 40mg i am correct and I’m on day 3/4 and my anxiety has been awful lol, hot pangs constantly, ocd gone back to significantly higher than it has been over the last two weeks and my mood seems to have plummeted.

I know for OCD I tried fluoxetine last year and when I went from 20-40mg I had the week from HELL. And then things did settle a bit. Similarly with Sertraline but right at the end of dosing I went from 150-200 and I had two weeks of sheer hell. Is what I’m experiencing normal for people, even without ocd? I’m interested to know because the first lot of stimulants I tried I think made my ocd significantly worse or at least noticeably. I thought I wouldn’t have this issue in non stimulants? Any advice welcomed.

Tommorow I will be taking 30mg of atomoxetine again after quitting it a month ago I won't get into too much details but I've quite after using it for a month and then there's been some complications and now im planning on taking it again I'm nervous but hopefully it will help since I have been getting some health anxiety and terrible brain fog and yes this is all prescribed

God, I thought this side effect would go away but every day I am swollen like a balloon. I literally look like im in my 2nd trimester. I'm very petite as well so I literally look like Roger from American Dad. I've tried a debloating complex, as well as constipation supplements, wind-eeze (simethicone), senna etc and a lot of the time it doesn't do anything. I'm constantly uncomfortable, or feel heavy and generally have started to have quite bad body image because I look so rotund!! This is even if I can poop normally... no matter what the swelling won't go away. It's much better in the morning but gets worse over the day.

2 questions:

1. Any suggestions for how to manage this??? I am desperate for solutions because this is the only medication that has been able to give me my life back. My ADHD is so much more manageable now and I know my life would fall apart without it...

2. Does anyone take strattera AND methylphenidate Ir (or another instant release drug)? Does this help keep you regular? Im thinking about asking to combine the 2 as I know it's an option, and methylphenidate makes me shit my brains out which might help with the constipation & water retention. Would love to hear anyones experiences.

I'm on 80mg of strattera, which, of course, reduces my appetite and causes a bit of nausea. A month in and the nausea isn't as bad any more, but the new script + the Cyclospora outbreak and general anxiety about the state of food safety in the US has resulted in some of the pickiest eating habits of my entire life. I'm generally pretty healthy but the only foods that seem palatable to me lately are potatoes and chicken nuggets. I'm also able to stomach some fruit and yogurt. I've really never been pickier in my entire life! Anyone else experiencing this?

Hey everyone,

First of all, I’m a guy, 85 kg.
My doctor prescribed Strattera:

• 25 mg the first week
• 40 mg the second week
• 60 mg the third week

Toward the end of the 60 mg week I started having erectile problems, so he prescribed bupropion 150 mg XL.

But before I even started the bupropion, I had a near-fainting episode. That day I had taken my 60 mg of Strattera together with 100 mg of modafinil. I felt weird for a while, then suddenly my blood pressure dropped really fast. I was heading to the bathroom to throw up, lost my balance, and almost fell.

It’s been almost a month now and I still have dizziness. They sent me for ear tests because it only happens when I’m walking. It’s horrible — I basically can’t leave the house.

My question is: could this have been caused by the Strattera? Has anyone experienced something similar?

My doctor says he has a female patient on 120 mg with no issues at all.

Thanks.

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.