I'll start with few. Your different or similar experience welcomed!

For me, Strattera produces not focus, but perseveration and emotional detachment.

I find focus, per se, is not improved... I don't think better thoughts, I don’t have better short term memory... but I do stay on one thing longer, though that isn't always better... it is sort of related to the hyper focus thing, but at lower interest levels. It's more like I perseverate on socially approved items more. It passes for focus. I do pick things lower on the Urgency scale. I see a difference.

Also, I am not dragged off my chosen tasks as easily, but not because my values have changed, but because things happening in the world are less personal. Generally a relative improvement, but not universally so. As a drug it seems to push me "hard right rudder" to emotional detachment, relatively regardless of the stimulus or situation.

It is sometimes depressing to me to see my lack of response to some things, unfairnesses, injustices.

This emotional detachment comes at a high price: I am VERY tired on even small amounts of Strattera. Stimulants help a small amount to keep me awake, but i find it hard to be productive unless someone else has laid out everything for me to do (granted, what is new about that!) But in the absence of someone else directing me, I simply do nothing instead of “other productive” or other nonproductive things. Again, an eventual distinction with out a significant difference in result.

In school it definitely helped with staying focussed on assignments....I could sit longer with them and stay with them without getting up to do something else because I was bored or nudgey or whatever....but the side effects were awful....I won't go into them...since you didn't ask....but I am very convinced David that from what I've seen, men tolerate this drug so much better than women and have had more success and benefits with it....in so many ways....just what I have seen on these forums....that's all.....

Straterra works for me, even in low doses, which is all i can tolerate. I take it, oddly enough, each nite before bed, and i sleep BETTER! And I wake up bright and early...a little trick I developed for a notorious oversleeper and nite owl!! By early, I mean 6 am. And I'm out the door at 7 am....so this really works. I also think Straterra calms me, and lets me think of things in less urgent frames of reference...the sky is rarely falling on Stratera. I would say Straterra allows me to access a more balanced frame of reference.

Jonathan

I love the responses so far! Very illuminating!

I am interested in side effects, though I assume some may be relatively personal.

I'm also interested in dosages and time frames. I started on 40, dropped to 10, then 10 twice a day, then a 40 once a day. At very low doses I didn't go off on people, but i wasn't "satisfied" with my lack of responsiveness. With higher amounts of the drug I still didn't like my lack of responsiveness from a cognitive point of view, but I couldn't evn marshall depression over it... i was simply too detached. I stayed there until I simply needed to be able to launch myself from one task to another, which I can only do unmedicated. (I needed to move out of an office and back into my home office.)

I'm very interested in how setting and task relate to the impression of appropriateness of the effects of these drugs, and the similarity or disparity between the drug taker, and those who have to deal with the drug taker... my family likes me on strattera... I don't rock the boat. I can't blame them. i also can't always indulge them.

Thanks again. I am interested in the extra details you might have to offer!

David.... hmmm....could you translate that pleasessseee? Going too technical, as I myself often do, leaves the rest of us clueless...and I would have to concentrate way to hard, like for a graduate school exam, to understand the technical validity of your question. See what I mean?

Try me again..what do you want to know?

Its nice that others like you better on straterra, but I was not aware you were medicating yourself to please others. Do you like what straterra does for you? That is what counts in my book.

As for the rest of the information you are requesting, it seems like an analytical way to dodge the real question: HOW DOES DAVID FEEL ON STRATERRA. All the research in the world won't answer that question with validity or conviction! The research is pointless once you have chosen to swallow the pill. Now you swallowed the pill, because the FDA gave Eli Lilly permission to sell it, because the research said it was a harmless or worthwhile drug and brushed over the side effects, and now here you are, the real guini pig, you are the quintessential live human lab rat, and your research in your life is the one that counts. It doesn't matter if it works for me or not, is only matters if it works for you.

I wouldn't be surprised if even a small dose could make a difference. I take 40 mg and I think that is small dose.

Side effects: Prostate issues for the first time in my life. Thats why I take such a low dose. At 60 mg and up, I can barely pee. It doesn't effect my sex life, at least not negatively.

I don't get grouchy on Strattera, but I do get grouchy when I take in intermittenly, skipping a day, and then taking it and then skipping, etc.

Jonathan

Side effects and all the ugly details David??? Okay.....Strattera gave me an insatiable sex drive I never knew existed in me....and that was not okay with me....I could not pee...and my pelvic area hurt a lot....My mouth inside would tingle.....I could not sleep at night...and during the day I could not stay awake....(good thing I loved what I was studying or I never would have made it)......I had this generalized sick feeling all the time.....and I was only on 40 mg per day....It's been a few months now since I've been off it....so I forget the other side effects....But do you sort of get the picture now???:(

Thanks for the extra detail.

These are the things that people end up thinking are "just me" but end up being true for lots of other people. Also, they don't get put on the circular for others to read.

I found the "can't sleep at night, can't stay awake enough to do anything during the day" side effect. I also have an increase in my sex drive. I thinkit is because once the idea crosses my mind, while on Strattera, neither Congress nor God can dislodge it. Who knows?

As for what it does for me, I've explored extensively. I've also pulled the covers back to see what mechanisms participate in my case. I'm interested in OTHER peoples' experience, not discovering or telling mine own for its own sake. I've passed that.

And I'm confused... I "heard" a complaint about what I wrote, or how i wrote it, but the answer was eventually responsive... so if "you" understood well enough to answer, why complain?

And yes, I think that for a large number of people, the change in the way they are treated by others (do to a difference in the way others perceive them) is an unseparated participant in the situation. Of course I take pills for "others" sometimes, and I would contend that more frequently with ADHD than some other conditions, that is one of the pronounced reasons for taking it at all.

Not a politically popular possition, but very real in SCHOOLS, and elsewhere.

In my humble opinion. -- David

PS. I also had the inside of my mouth tingle... like I was having a stroke. Arms and legs got into it and my scalp, unevenly, as well.

Regarding your "P.S." : WOW, no kidding...arms and legs too, hmmm.

Anyway, not to get off Strattera topic but regarding taking pills for "others" vs. for "myself".... since ADD is to such a great extent an illness where there is much social isolation, saying the "wrong" things (I was fired once for calling my boss an *****hole), or not knowing how to "be" with people or around them, yes I would say the meds are partly for "others" as well as for "myself"....I think on meds I DO come across differently to people now....I may "appear" or come across less self-conscious or lost....or more confident in myself that I won't say the wrong ridiculous thing and embarrass myself (again).....so yeah I guess taking the meds is in part for others....Was I easy to be around before I was diagnosed and on meds??? I think not....:( So yes OTHERS benefit....

Yep Jaon, the question becomes is the "restraint" restraint or convenient impairment. There is no doubt that Strattera "de-escalates" things. But like one contributor has said, staying focussed is great, except when someone comes up and wants to talk, and I can't seem to put down what I'm doing!"

The other side effects you mentioned... I had them all. Though, some came and went. I had a feeling of being drunk all the time. that qualifies as sick to me, and I asked the pharmicist what the difference was, and why drinking wouldn't work as well. He just said "Strattera isn't the wonder drug they thought it was."

Joan, (David is dyslexic too!), Should we place bets on the "truth" of the statement you made? Social error, certainly. Factually incorrect? I wouldn't bet against you! Just my two cents.

Originally posted by healthwiz
David....

I don't get grouchy on Strattera, but I do get grouchy when I take in intermittenly, skipping a day, and then taking it and then skipping, etc.

Jonathan

Yep. I do this too. It is hard for me to get te right amount. This drug metabolizes into other active drugs before it is done. The "Strattera effect" is best for me from 12 to 36 hours after a dose. The first 12 hours just drag me down, unless it is night, at which point it won't let me go... to sleep. I haven't figured out a way to be always 12 to 36 hours after a dose, and not go through the first 12 hours.

When do you get grouchy, when you are skipping time, and why or how did you come to "have " that experience? (There's always a story in there, isn't there?)

Peace -- David

Originally posted by Wheel1975
Joan, (David is dyslexic too!), Should we place bets on the "truth" of the statement you made? Social error, certainly. Factually incorrect? I wouldn't bet against you! Just my two cents.


THANKS DAVID....you made my night....this was many years ago...I never told this story.....I was working as a secretary for a health research thingie....anyway, I swear to God my boss was psychotic...I kid you not....she was SOOOOO much sicker than I EVER was....the biggest control freak you ever met...anway.......I was out of control one day, needless to say.....did I WANT to get fired??? I'm sure.....Sorry for keep falling off the topic....BUT THANKS FOR YOUR TWO CENTS....I'LL TAKE THEM:D

Sometimes I just don't feel like taking it, and then I suffer for it, the next day. I take it at night, just as I am going to bed. I sleep very well on straterra for about 6 hours, then i wake up like a bushy tailed squirrel ready to go find nuts. Hmmm.. that doesn't sound very good, does it? lol


Anyhow, I think its true that Straterra is not the wonderdrug, but I think for me it is a piece in the puzzle. I expect newer and better variations on this drug to come out in the future. I still take Welbutrin and Adderall PRN. The Welbutrin I take consistently, but only 150 mg/day - that does the trick for me, and Adderal as I feel the need. I'm finding the afternoon to be a good time to take the adderal for a boost till bedtime. But if i take it too late, i will not get enough sleep and ruin my next day!!

Jon

As for complaining and understanding and answering, ahhh well, that is the ADD in me, and it is every ADD person's perogative to change their mind!

Jon

Realistically, I think you are correct in recognizing how much influence the rest of the world plays in our decision to take drugs. I think ultimately, though, it is best if when all factors are measured, I am taking a treatment for my own happiness rather than for the appeasement of others. Appeasement of others may be a part of the happiness formula, and that is ok, as long as I see it as my choice.

Jon

I don't remember seeing this much input on Strattera. Sometimes I feel like a test dummy out there experimenting for my doc. I really look forward to a time release version of Strattera. I often forget to take it a second time. David, as far as dosage goes. I've gone up as high as 160 to 180 mg per day. I find the added benefits start to diminish at higher doses. What's been interesting for me is that I just returned from a two week vacation, the first I've had since I started Strattera 8 months ago. I cut back quite a bit to 40-80 mg per day. I had a side effect return that I hadn't experienced in quite a while. I found myself gagging not long after taking the medication. It's like I was going to throw up, but never actually do. As far as how the drug makes me feel, by going back to a lower dose, I've been able to rediscover how I feel different on Strattera. What I get is an increased sense of confidence. This had a big impact on my job last spring, which I've talked about in other posts I've written.

Thank you both, jon, joan.

This could start another thread... i'll see if i have time to figure it out.

I don't know if it is the ADHD or LD that hates the "normal" worlds compulsion to understand, and yet pitch a fit over wording. On the same hand, I understand that the French don't care what you say to them, as LONG as you say it CORRECTLY.

I have noticed that the "brittleness" of ADHD, lack of tolerance, etc., is contagious. I think that is why drugs that "numb out" the ADHD work so well in settings... the normies don't "catch it too." I'd love to see a double blind study of drugs on people in isolation. Except I hate certain kinds of isolation, and love others. I think other ADHD people are like that too, and the two kinds must be distinguished before a rigorous study can be done.

Roger! Thanks!

I'm sorry you have a gagging response on lower doses, but it is interesting that you do, and that the higher doses provide confidence. i really appreciate your input.

I've gone all the way off, and plan to go back on in the not too distant future, (several weeks max). I too found that starting and stopping the drug gave me DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES OF LIFE EVENTS. I mean, things that "usually" set me off irreversibly, did not even make me flinch.

At the same time, very low doses created instant and severe drug induced depression.

I am most surious, though not surprised, that though you liked the effect for work, you cu back on the dosage on vacation. I thought I understood that the change in your schedule had more to do with disrupting your ability to be triggered to take your second dose, then that you WANTED to reduce your dosage for vacation. In either case, I'm eager to be set straight. It seems a common experience either way, but i'd like to know which it was for you.

And this is one condition where all the clues come from the person swallowing the pill. As long as you stay between toxicity and nothing at all, and watch out for dangerous side effects, we do really control our dosages, etc., like self medicating rats. Good or bad? I don't know. Apparently required at this point in time.

Thanks again! -- David

I think taking lower doses of Strattera on vacation was linked to not needing to feel as "up" as I need to be at home and at work. I like how the Strattera focuses my concentration. I become more intense. To the point of overconfidence at times. During vacation I could just go lay down or take a nap if I didn't feel that peppy. There wasn't any pressure to perform on vacation either. By the way, the gagging response was temporary. I'm still at the lower dose of 120 mg after being back at work for a week.

Hi, People,

I found this site while searching for information on Strattera side effects. Psychobabble (website) seems to get a little hysterical at times, so I take most of those posts with a box of Morton's salt.
For whatever reason, the posts I've read here seem a bit more objective. (Or maybe I just haven't explored the rest of Addforums?)

Anyway, I'm 49, female, taking Lexapro, Adderall XR, and now Strattera. There's a balancing act going on between highish blood pressure and meds for my brain. It seems that if I get my brain working "right", something else goes all to hell.

Unmedicated, I'm hopelessly scattered and distractable, moody, and really irritable. Approaching mentalpause doesn't help at all!

Adderall XR helped lessen the scatter, helped me feel less irritable, slightly more focused if I tried...helped my driving and saved on brake pads ;o). Did nothing for anxiety.

Adding Lexapro decreased my mood swings, cut way down on sobbing fits, and seemed to increase my appetite. Made me really spacey and sleepy. Chugged caffeine to counteract it.

Now adding Strattera to the mix: I started out on the tapering-up starter pack, and was more or less okay until I hit 40 mgs., at which point I was so ferociously irritable, I couldn't tolerate it. One morning I woke up angry at my <i>hair</i>, for cryin' out loud, and I am not a hair person! So we cut it back to 25 and kept it there, now taking 25 morning and evening.

The effects: more able to concentrate on the office work, which involves a lot of short term memory, taking info from the day before, entering it in a computer, getting up to go to the files...stuff I just could barely handle before seems like no big deal now. I'm somewhat less emotional with my co-workers, and can tune them out more easily. Hmmm...I think I'm also tuning out my DH and dogs more easily too. ;o)

There's less anxiety. Afternoons I work outside, in some dicey parts of town, and I'm not as scared as I was. I like that.
Evenings on just one dose produced moodswings and grouchiness. I still get some of that when the Adderall wears off, but it's not so bad now with 2 doses of Strattera.

Physically, I hit a couple times in the day when I'm just exhausted, and will take a nap if I can. Especially at first, I was getting tingles and goosebumps, mostly my head and shoulders. I decided they could be enjoyable, so that doesn't bother me.
The constipation is extreme, but manageable with fiber supplements, so far.

One guy on Psychobabble mentioned itchy "hot spots" that come and go, and that surprised me, since I'm getting that too. Don't know if it's the Strattera, but that started when I started taking it.

Sexual side effects: I seem to be hornier than I've been for quite awhile. The lexapro damped things down, and the Strattera ramped it up again, but it's not an uncontrollable thing.
So far, anyway... and DH doesn't seem to object. ;o)

It is harder to pee (excuse me), and if I was a guy, I'd say my prostate was acting up a bit. Since I'm not a guy, I'd say it's an interrupted stream, through no effort on my part.

Dreams were sad and depressing at first, and very much oriented in the past. I remembered things from my younger days that I hadn't thought of in a long while. Now the dreams are not as unhappy, but not up to their usual quality.

We'll probably ramp up the dose again, and see how it works. My doc seems a little too wholeheartedly taken with this drug, and may be dismissing some of what I've told him, which is unusual. He says the tiredness is from amphetamine withdrawal. I can see that when I tried taking Strat without Adderall, but not when I take them together.

His general take on things is that this is a drug that people should ease into, and perhaps best used with amphetamines, at least in some people. And that it may be best to ease off the amphetamines rather than just abruptly switch.

As it is, if I had to choose between Adderall and Strattera, I'd stick with the Adderall. There's no mood-brightening effect for me with this new stuff, and that's something I need.

All the news that's fit to print, sorry it's so long, but you had to ask...

Margreet.

Margreet: WELCOME TO THE FORUMS:)....It is nice to have you here.....I am almost your age....a few years younger...and when I was on Stattera.....I had pretty much all of your side effects....and so gave it up....for those reasons:).....and so I commend you for sticking with it....it sounds like your benefits are much more pronouned than mine ever were however....so there ya go!!! Your doc says to "ease into" drugs....-- very interesting way of looking at drugs......

Anyway, please keep posting as you will get a lot of support here... and if you like share with us a little about yourself in the Introdutions and Stories thread, if you have not already.....Again, welcome:)

Margreet! Thanks for posting, and the intimate details too. They can really complicate life even if you know they are drug induced.

1) With NO Adderrall, etc., Strattera puts me to sleep, or nearly so. It acts as a muscle relaxant, for legs and arms, which confuses me as to why urination becomes almost impossible.

I like to split hairs... my short term memory isn't better, but my effective short term memory is... because I simply don't get pulled off topic. That is, my memory, per se, isn't improved. I just don't follow otheer invitations for my interest.

More later. You said a lot and I appreciate it all.

A few days ago I restarted Strattera, I have some unjust, intollerable situations to deal with. Strattera pretty well makes me "uninvolved" emotionally on such things... but that effect may be decreasing with ALL the others. As the side effects go, so do the desired effects.

One of the reasons Strattera is "effective" on me is that it makes me feel like the first day of recovery side existance after the flu... wiped out. Energyless.

Hi- I'm new to the forum- I started on low dose, but now I am taking 160 mg. per day- all in one dose, although my Dr. said I could try taking it over the course of an entire day, as I've had the problem with urination mentioned here earlier. My Dr. said it isn't prostrate, but a side effect of the med. that the Docs have asked the pharm. company to study. The med has worked very well for me, and better at the higher dose.

Cambridge: Welcome to the Forums...and glad the Strattera is working for you....and anytime I've been on a "higher" dose med I've taken it in small dosages over the course of a day....(but not after 6:00 p.m. if there was a possiblity of keeping me awake all night...are you sleeping okay on this med?).....for a more balanced affect...


In any event, many people have had the urination problem including myself....I tried to drink as much water as I could......

Welcome and we invite you to share a little bit about yourself on the Introductions and Stories thread....Please keep posting...You will get a lot of support....:)

Hi again,

I tried to post something here last night but I guess my meds were wearing off: hit the wrong button, it all went away, and I didn't have the energy to try it again. ;o)

Whilst looking up the effects of norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, like Strat, I found that there are norepinephrine receptors in the urethra. One NRI drug, not atomoxetine, was being researched as a possible treatment for bladder incontinence! Hence our difficulties! (This is stuff I discovered on the NLM Gateway site. I can't understand most of what's written there, since it's in medicalese, but I did understand that much.)

Other possible side effects I forgot to mention: dry, dry, very dry mouth, so I'm drinking something all day long.
A funny feeling in my eyes, sort of a headache, sort of an intolerance for short choppy movements, like looking back and forth between paper on the desk and a computer screen. Drives me nuts.

Oh, and this morning I almost ran over an innocent woman in a crosswalk, I was so focused on what I was going to do next, I forgot she was there. Scared the crap out of both of us. Not that it couldn't have happened without Strattera...

A general lack of energy: I am spending hours on the computer, and getting nothing done around the house or yard (it's been too hot anyway ;o).

I can't blame everything on the Strattera, but I have to wonder.

Margreet
PS is there a way to preview a post? My spelling and typing aren't so good lately.

I think people are seeing SINGLE focus as MORE focus, (it isn't) but in some situations it is all you need to be productive.

I think other are seeing perseveration as persistence, until some other TRUELY important thing comes up, and their focus remains where it was, AND WON'T SHIFT appropriately quickly enough.

It doesn't reduce, but eliminates many of my emotional/physical reactions to things. I'm not leveled, I'm disconnected. Therefore I'm not called on to act in response to "extreem" ADHD stimulation. Again, when I anticipate being in a very clear, very unfair, very political situation, where my silence will serve me and everyone else beter than my rightious indignation, I take the Straterra.

Along with the characteristic of insatiable sex drive, I think it is this detachment that separates that drive and its satisfaction. Also, the physical/emotional phase of sex is vastly reduced in scope and duration, even though sex also takes longer. For the first time I am experiencing what i've heard described of other people, who don't seem to get much out of sex, no matter how much or how little they have it, and except for the obvious, don't seem very involved in it.

Thus, I think that for Strattera to "work for you" the setting requirements are more important than your particular reaction to it. So far, I've seen great uniformity in the objective effects of Straterra, and great diversity in the subjective impressions of its effects.

My additional 2 cents.

Drink LOTS of water, urinate FREQUENTLY, and NEVER DELAY... it gets harder and harder to start the stream the longer the delay has been.

Also, being too tired to "get into trouble" is a plus or a minus subjectively, depending on your situation.

I have never coasted to a halt in my life. On Straterra I coast to a halt all the time. Again, just like ADHD, if there isn't something in my environment to lead me to the next task, I sit and vegitate. Seeing myself do this enrages me, cognitively, except that on Straterra, I can hardly generate a rage reaction(emotion) at all, and so it turns into poinient depression.

In any case, once I get there, there I stay until someting else comes along and drags me out.

My ADHD and My related ability to "light a fire" under myself prevented me from these places and problems before. Now, on Straterra, it's like trying to light rain soaked wood. Planning, preparation and setting are required. Miss one of those three, and its as good as not having any of them.

IMHO(In my humble opinion)

I've had to swear off the Strattera.

How is everybody else doing with it?

Well, I've been on Strattera for a little over two weeks. I am at 80mgs. I have definitely noticed an intense c a l m i n g effect that I never experienced on Concerta. There is also a "slight" elevation in my concentration. GOD coming down off of Concerta I had TERRIBLE side effects/withdrawls eeeYUCKKKKkkkk :(

I am a little embarrased to talk about this, but since this is a forum about Strattera side effects....I have noticed that my orgasms are REALLY really really intense. Like nothing ever experienced before. Gee gadz, what a benificial side effect ! :)

The first few days on Strattera I would get a very dry scratchy throat for an hour or two, but that seems to be settled down now. I have also noticed that my appetite is decreased as it was on Concerta. Oh, and I've been sleeping like a baby!

Of the many stimulant drugs I have been given for ADHD, none had the sexual side effects that Strattera did.

I have been surprised and pleased by the willingness of people to share the variety of significnat impacts that Strattera has on sexaul existance. I cannot see how this information should not be helpful to parents of young adolescents being put on the drug who are unlikely to mention any of it to anyone, or even have enough experience to understand a drug induced difference from normal.

Other than a severe drug drug interaction issue between Strattera and decongestants, I am very happy with Strattera.

today's my first day on strattera for adhd. i've had adhd since i was a child and now i'm 26 years old. i haven't gotten any treatment since i had ritalin back in my childhood years.. so far so good. i noticed about 4 hours after i took my initial 25mg dose (which is supposed to be upped to 40mg after the 4 days), i became sleeeeeeeeeeepy but the second i stood up i felt a little burst of energy.

i've noticed a SLIGHT increase in concentration and focus, however, nothing to write home about yet. i can only assume that it's because of the low dosage. i felt 'funny' for the first 45 minutes or so, and then it just started feeling good, and then the comedown 4 hours later was the tired/lazy effect that i'm still experiencing now. my eyes just want to shut....

i feel less anxious and less worrying than i normally do, and the nail biting has stopped a little (it's not as constant as it normally is).

i'll continue reporting as the days go on......

Hi. This is my first post.

I've tried to post on the Introductions thread before but I could never finish writing/editing and then it just got too long and I had other stuff to do and had to put it down and then forgot about it, and, well, I think you might understand.

I finally felt the need to check out the Strattera thread since I started on it yesterday and wanted to find out about others' reactions and experiences as I'm trying to decide whether to stick it out or just give up.
I just started on the 18mg in the work-your-way-up-to-higher-dosages package.

I will sacrifice grammatical correctness and any attempt at fluidity of expression for the sake of just getting something up here.

so....

I'm having mostly side effects similar to what others mentioned, like:
- I get these waves of chills/goosebumps/tingles/crawlies, all over but more concentrated in my head
- sleep was awful and fitful last night - I kept waking up with my head racing and I had images flying at me non stop
- I have a general deatched feeling all day and don't want to do anything
- I'm not really tired but I have this intense urge to crawl into bed and sleep; it took me an hour to get out of bed and I was awake but I wanted to just stay under the covers and be a vegetable
an overall kind of sick feeling, slightly nauseus but just, kinda, ewwww-bleah
- I find myself frequently bursting out into song....random, stupid ones, whatever pops into my head. Only when I'm alone. It's very odd.

I do feel more focused but it only seems to really take effect if I'm actively doing something that involves a whole-being engagement; I wasn't any more focused on my studying than normal; I still had to read stuff over and over again.

I have tried Ritalin, Adderal, Concerta, Effexor, and the side effects of all but the first were too unbearable to stick them out.
I am very sensitive to medication and I am coming to think that I prefer feeling better (as in not having nausea, chills, headaches, detachment, that inner-crawly feeling ) over being as productive as I'd like and am wondering if I could just come to accept my usual spaciness and not try to fight it.

The head-chills thing is really annoying. I may start wearing a hat around the house if I stick with this.
Do the side effects get worse or lessen on higher dosages?

~Klobean

day five. onto 40mg's.

last night i took the 40mg and i didn't feel sick, surprisingly enough. i felt a rush of energy, but i could still sleep. definitely stronger than the first few days when i was taking 25mg's. i've had awful mood swings, but they haven't happened today. i woke up a few times in the middle of the night, but nothing major.. i was able to fall right back asleep. i felt well rested this morning, but at about 3pm i started getting lethargic. hopefully the lethargy starts going away because i can't handle being totally dead after a while.

still feel pretty normal, not HEAVILY concentrated, but i feel like i can concentrate a little better. still doing things like biting my nails and other impulses. gotta figure out what the best way of cutting that out will be, cause so far strattera hasn't helped much in that way.

alright.. been a few days on the 80mg's with no real improvements.

i took a test today at work and i realized that i rushed right through everything that required any sort of focus or concentration on my end. everything that i could answer in one second i was able to answer with no problem, but if it required any sort of concentration at all, it was rushed.

i called my doctor to see if he can recommend something else for me, because this is not giving me the results i want.

i'm waking up 3 and 4 times in the middle of the night and that's an annoying side effect. i can go right back to sleep, but it's still annoying.. i'd like to get a normal night's sleep.

michelle

Hi everyone. :) My first post.
I am a 17 year old female, and i have been on strattera for about 2 months now. It has DEFINITELY benefited me socially, i seem to be a much more caring/interested person now when it comes to friends and family.
That has been a HUGE benefit.
And I also can read for several hours at a timee...that has been my favorite so far. Reading is a favorite passtime of mine, and before strattera came along i could only read for about 10 min at a time(if i really forced myself to.)

I do have some negative side effects...it made me really sick when i first started(within firs tmonth.) but now I rarely feel that.
And I seem to have to urinate several times a day.

I was wondering if anyone here has been on a higher dose? Around 175 or 180 mg??
I think I'm a high metaboliser...but i'm trying to figure out what dose is best for me.
I was on 150 for a few days...and today decided to try 175.(My psychiatrist gave me his permission, btw.)
Does anyone have any information on the higher doses?

PS
i think i must be a high metaboliser, because i'm only about 140 lbs, but I always need higher prescriptions for ANY type of ADHD drug.<3

Oh and also;
my head chills/creepy crawlies went away after the first 4 or5 weeks.
But I do still get the very detailed/creepy dreams.
Those seem to be going away as well, though.
<3

Oh and also;
my head chills/creepy crawlies went away after the first 4 or5 weeks.
But I do still get the very detailed/creepy dreams.
Those seem to be going away as well, though.
<3
I've had some spectacularly detailed and bizarre dreams:
- I caught the bus to my own execution
- I visited Faery and outwitted a cantankerous gnome
- I made out with David Bowie
- I ate pikelets (no, seriously, a whole dream dedicated to the world's best pikelets; they tasted amazing!)

Sleep, though, has been strange/fitfull, and I'm pretty tired.

Other than dry mouth, that's been the only problem. I've been drinking 4 to 8 litres of water a day. Cleared my skin right up!

Of those who've experienced lethargy, did this improve as time went on? How long did this side-effect take to clear up, if at all?

I feel better on it.. I can concentrate even better than on Concerta, I am only hyper when I want to be, and I can at least somewhat control my impulses. I love that it lasts 24 hours.. I am willing to take the sthomach aches and tiredness that come with it.. Well mostly. I would like to get rid of the tiredness, because it effects my impulses, but besides that I find Strattera the better of the two medicines I have been on

How long have you been on Strattera, Kylee?

I agreeeeee Kylee
ive been on strattera almost 3 months now
and its really completely changed my life.
i feel like im finally the calm/stable person ive always wanted to be
and i can finally read/do homework without a problem
thank god

Are there any other high metabolisers here??
That need over 150 mg of Strattera??

Cambridge: Welcome to the Forums...and glad the Strattera is working for you....and anytime I've been on a "higher" dose med I've taken it in small dosages over the course of a day....(but not after 6:00 p.m. if there was a possiblity of keeping me awake all night...are you sleeping okay on this med?).....for a more balanced affect...


In any event, many people have had the urination problem including myself....I tried to drink as much water as I could......

Welcome and we invite you to share a little bit about yourself on the Introductions and Stories thread....Please keep posting...You will get a lot of support....:)

you are on too high of a dose!!!

the max is 100 mg a day. but the absolute threshold is 120mg.

How long have you been on Strattera, Kylee?
oh geeze.. There's a tough question. LOL I THINK a week and 3 days. But for me, it started working after the third day.. It was a small effect, and sort of hit and miss, but it kind of just keeps getting better.. I have no idea when it will reache its full effect though

I agreeeeee Kylee
ive been on strattera almost 3 months now
and its really completely changed my life.
i feel like im finally the calm/stable person ive always wanted to be
and i can finally read/do homework without a problem
thank god
I feel almost the same way. It's almost as if it's like taking the Concerta, but 3 times better. Of course I'm on a very low dose, but I go back next week to have it raised.. My doctor just wanted to make sure I wasn't agitated on it before he put me on a high one. It's so expensive though...

Hi, I'm new to this forum. Just started my 6-year old son on Strattera for ADD/IA yesterday. I'm worried about side effects and yet worried about not doing anything for him. His ADD symptoms are pretty classic - been very very spacey, easily distracted, excessive talking, fidgety, unable to concentrate or concentrates TOO much on something, walks in circles while talking, etc.
Anyway, I couldn't believe it b/c it wasn't supposed to "work" for up to 4 weeks per dr., but he actually seemed different the first day. Much less irritable and whiny about small things, and actually enjoyed doing his homework, and wasn't as fidgety and actually SAT in his chair for the duration of doing his homework. I started to think maybe I was imagining things buy my dh noticed it too. I admit I've been watching him like a hawk, worried about side effects. The only thing he mentioned was a short-lived stomach-ache / nausea episode at school. He didn't seem overly-tired. OK, so today is the 2nd day - we'll see! Oh yes, he started on 25mg and he weighs 53 pounds.

I wanted to mention that while researching this on the internet, I saw that a man on Strattera said that SAW PALMETTO reversed the urinary / prostrate side effects for him. Maybe worth a try for some of you. I don't think I could use that for my 6yo, but I'm hoping he doesn't have that side effect at such a young age!

Thanks for all of your informative disclosures about how it's working for you!
Debbie

some people feel it real quick like that Deb. Those people usually end up having good results with strattera, which is a drug not everyone has good results from.

just be sure your son always takes it on a full stomach and play around with the dosage as needed.

it sseemed like, for me, once I got it built up in my system good I was able to back down the daily dosage a bit.

if I didn't it was just too hard on my system.