Any Bipolar people taking Strattera?

SNRI's - Strattera vs. Effexor? How are they alike/different?

My pdoc just prescribed Strattera for me today. And I am bipolar II. I am scared to take it. I came back from my appt. and started cruising around the forum, naturally, and I learned it is an SNRI, and another SNRI's I have taken is Effexor. Gosh, it was too horrible! I had some behaviors that were really icky, irrational, abnormal, that I never had before or since (and too embarassing to share!). :o I made some *really bad choices.* I realize now that it made me extremely manic.

I am 53, and I have been inattentive ADHD as long as I can remember, and I have never been treated for it. I have been treated for depression and anxiety, and since March, treated for Bipolar II. My ADHD has gotten worse, and I really need some relief. Thus the trip to the p doc today....:faint:

I don't know how closely related these two SNRI's are (Effexor and Strattera) I do know that now that now that I am on a mood stabilizer (Lamictal) and off all antidepressants, I feel like a "new man." Except that I am not a man... :p I swore that I would never do an antidepressant again. The most recent one, Wellbutrin, made me tearful and hostile alternately. I have tried them all over the last 14 years before my bipolar Dx in Feb 2007. Effexor was by far the worst. Wellbutrin was a close second (for worst, at least for me). Now, Strattera is an SNRI antidepressant used to treat ADHD? Is that right?

Is there anyone on the forum that can explain the differences between Strattera and Effexor?

I was hoping that a low dose stim would be what my pdoc prescribed, but he talked about all the extra paperwork..... He also said if I turn yellow I should go the emergency room!! :eek: Because of liver problems associated with Strattera. I told him my liver enzymes were already elevated, but he seemed determined to start with Strattera simply because it is not a stim. Time to get another doctor?? Am I over-reacting?? :confused:

I am worried that Strattera will not be good for me because of the bipolar and because I had such a bad experience on Effexor. Although I have also read a lot of good things about Strattera. I don't know anyone who is bipolar who is taking Strattera?

This post is related to a reply I wrote in the Strattera thread. Sorry for being redundant, but I really want more information! :eyebrow:

I am a person who's diagnosis of bipolar disorder is Bipolar I Disorder, Most recent episode Manic with Psychotic Features (mood congruent definitely) and I can say given my 'heightened status' of Bipolar disorder compared to yours that Strattera is like POURING GASOLINE ON A FIRE for people with our mood issues. My experience was the typical manic switch in 3 days and this delusion of running for president.

Do stimulants make you manic? I know upping the dexedrine with my mood stabilizers (need a short term lithium boost for a month with my recent doozie) actually lessened it.

I am a person who's diagnosis of bipolar disorder is Bipolar I Disorder, Most recent episode Manic with Psychotic Features (mood congruent definitely) and I can say given my 'heightened status' of Bipolar disorder compared to yours that Strattera is like POURING GASOLINE ON A FIRE for people with our mood issues. My experience was the typical manic switch in 3 days and this delusion of running for president.

Do stimulants make you manic? I know upping the dexedrine with my mood stabilizers (need a short term lithium boost for a month with my recent doozie) actually lessened it.
Well that is just great! F--ing fabulous....!!! Gasoline on a fire! Have you seen the price of gasoline! ;) Or the price of Lamictal for that matter!.

Thank you so much for responding, what you said was the same as my first reaction after finding out it was an SRNI like Effexor. :eyebrow: If I had to go through that again, just shoot me now! :faint:

I'm not going to take it. I tell you these doctors will give you anything if you are over 50 and look fairly "normal" and "responsible." One of my regular doctors, just in general practice gave me samples of Risperdal, 100 mg. when I told her I thought I was ADHD. Just gave me three boxes of 7 pills each and told me I would know if I was bipolar or not if I took them! (This was before my official of bipolar II from neuropsychologist.) My father was bipolar I, so I suppose it is logical, but I think we all need to proceed slowly and in a logical fashion. It seems like first would be a mood stabilizer no matter what. Unless I was psychotic, or delusional at the same time, then perhaps.

Gasoline on a fire, indeed!! What is he thinking? He's kind of a geez, won't be on call or see patients at the hospital, must be pushing 70 from what I can tell. Needs to retire, and I need a new pdoc.

Just blow me up or shoot me....I did even mention that antidepressants make me manic, and he knows I am bipolar, and that effexor was really horrible for me, and of course, the liver issues are not something to take lightly, either!

Oh, and also I don't know if stims make me manic, because I haven't been able to get a prescription for them! :rolleyes: I have a feeling they will help with the anxiety because I worry most about what I can't get done, can't maintain concentration at work, can't get organized, costantly let people down...yada yada, you know the drill...

Thanks mspen! :cool:

[QUOTE=mspen1018]I am a person who's diagnosis of bipolar disorder is Bipolar I Disorder, Most recent episode Manic with Psychotic Features (mood congruent definitely) and I can say given my 'heightened status' of Bipolar disorder compared to yours that Strattera is like POURING GASOLINE ON A FIRE for people with our mood issues. My experience was the typical manic switch in 3 days and this delusion of running for president.

QUOTE]

I have been doing a LOT of research on Stratterra and BiPolar disorder as I am now convinced that my husband may be BiPolar (undiagnosed) and that the Stratterra brought on some sort of psychotic break in him.

Within days he was a completely different person...........I am heartsick over this and now it is I that am thinking of ways "out" of this pain cause I just don't feel like I can go on any longer.

My family wants me to sell my house and move away, yet I can barely function from my broken heart and the loss and grief I am feeling from this episode with the meds that caused what I have written below on another post.

The despair, grief, sadness, pain, in me right now is at an all time low.
I can barely go to work these days and all I do is cry when I am home. I miss him so much and there isn't a thing I can do about it as he can't see it. I spoke to his doctor and he says that he comes in and says yeah, everythings great. I have never thought so clearly before in my life.

I hate this drug too and I haven't been the one to take it!

My husband started taking Straterra on the 24th of April, and here I sit alone and in the process of a divorce........

One day he was fine.

The next a raging maniac that couldn't see the negative side effects this medication was doing to him.

On the 7th of May he moved out for good after a week of arguing. He was totally negative, angry, anxious and all he could say was it was me.

I have been there for him while he has been on and off meds, anti-depressants, etc. The doctor took him off Zoloft which worked very well for him the day he was put on Straterra. I believe this drug truly caused my marriage to come to an end.

He doesn't seem to care. It's as if he has had all his emotions other than anger blocked off from these meds and there was no reasoning with him. One day he is up and rev'd up angry, the next he wants to reconcile ONLY IF I CAN BE THE ONE to change!

I can't take these ups and downs anymore and he was the one that wanted out, moved out, and said hurry up and get this divorce going........I just can't believe how my life was ruined in a matter of days of him taking the meds.

UNREAL. I feel like I have been living in a total nightmare. I love him dearly, miss him terribly, and can't imagine my life without him. I feel like someone has removed my arms and legs. We did everything together. But I can't take the fact away that he BLAMES ME for everything yet all these changes occured AFTER he went off the Zoloft and onto this awful medication!<!-- / message -->
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I have been doing a LOT of research on Stratterra and BiPolar disorder as I am now convinced that my husband may be BiPolar (undiagnosed) and that the Stratterra brought on some sort of psychotic break in him. Within days he was a completely different person...........I am heartsick over this and now it is I that am thinking of ways "out" of this pain cause I just don't feel like I can go on any longer.

My family wants me to sell my house and move away, yet I can barely function from my broken heart and the loss and grief I am feeling from this episode with the meds that caused what I have written below on another post.

The despair, grief, sadness, pain, in me right now is at an all time low.
I can barely go to work these days and all I do is cry when I am home. I miss him so much and there isn't a thing I can do about it as he can't see it. I spoke to his doctor and he says that he comes in and says yeah, everythings great. I have never thought so clearly before in my life.

I love him dearly, miss him terribly, and can't imagine my life without him. I feel like someone has removed my arms and legs. We did everything together. But I can't take the fact away that he BLAMES ME for everything yet all these changes occured AFTER he went off the Zoloft and onto this awful medication!
Soconfused,
I have been reading your posts about your husband and strattera, and I agree that there might be an issue with bipolar. But I am not a doctor!

I too took zoloft for years, and liked it better than any other antidepressant. I probably tried 6 or 7 antidepressants, but always went back to zoloft. Although I stopped the zoloft in January when a quack pdoc I no longer see put me on Wellbutrin. Wow that was almost as bad as Effexor. Please remember that I speaking from my own viewpoint of being bipolar, I know these drugs work well for many many people who have unipolar depression.

I have been divorced for 11 years, and I still feel sort of broken. Even though my husband had a tendency to be negative and critical and had problems with rage. I think he is has borderline personality disorder or BPD. I recently went through a workshop at my church called "Divorce Care," they also have a website. They talk about the horrible pain of divorce and they recommend against taking drastic measures like selling your house and moving away or making any kind of hasty decision. You should check and see if any Divorce Care groups have formed in your area. They will also send you daily emails. I can't tell you how much it helped me pesonaly. Marriage is literally a "joining" and divorce is literally a "tearing apart" or putting asunder. Listen to your own heart and do not do the things everyone tells you to do, just because they think it is a good idea.

It is possible that your husband will eventually go off of strattera and get the right diagnosis, but that process can take months, and of course he has to be motivated to change. I really feel terrible for you, but try to hang in there. Get a support system of some kind that is not judgemental, a church is a good place to start, if it is the right group of people.

That said, I have been doing a lot of reading on bipolar and found several websites. Most notably one called psycheducation.org (sp??) Don't have the exact link, sorry.

They talk about the very latest treatments by doctors who specialize in bipolar, who now feel antidepressants are not a good idea for bipolar people. In Europe, doctors use mood stablizers more often than antidepressants.

When you are facing divorce, it is very, very common to feel like you can't go on and that your life has been ripped apart. You need to seek immediate professional help if you feel suicidal.

It would help you to talk to others who have gone through exactly the same painful "ripping apart" that happens when your spouse leaves suddenly. I would be glad to PM with you and offer some support. I think you should hang in there and try to wait it out. Be tenacious, however, do not put yourself in danger. It may still work out for you. But concentrate on taking care of yourself and resist the urge to listen to well meaning friends and family and also avoid looking for some kind of rebound relationship. Work on your own issues. Do think about what you could change, and work on forgiveness for your husband, and also for yourself.

And I am not taking the strattera! :eyebrow: Looking for a new Doc Tuesday! Thank you so much for responding, and take care.

Jeanie...all I have to say is Thank Goodness....


I am not a doc either...but I haven't read anything "great" about taking this drug either...

do what is in your heart, sometimes that includes not doing something a doctor tells you...they are not god and they are wrong sometimes, this is why we have more than one doctor ......for second opinions....I hope you find another one soon...and one that will listen to you and the fact you know YOU very well.

Good luck Jeanie...my thoughts are with you as always..and if you need me...just a phone call away!

Hope

Yes, I called the Dr.'s office, and then I did throw out the Strattera.

I am liking the lamictal except for the "fog" which has descended upon my brain, which was foggy to begin with. :(

The lamictal definitely has a negative effect on my cognitive function, as I wrote about at length in my "On the Lam(ictal)" thread. Apparently all the anti- epileptic drugs can impair cognitive function because they are designed to slow down the connections between neurons which get over-stimulated in the case of epilepsy. Which also makes sense.

Lamictal is supposed to be "better" at not impairing cognitive function, but probably in someone who already has ADHD, it can impair it, well a little too much?? I know it is driving me crazy. :eyebrow: Although I love the mood stabilization effect which is working extremely well. :p

My good friends here on the bipolar, "cycling" team, who are also BP II and ADHD, have had good luck with stims in small doses. So now I need another appt w/pdoc, which was supposed to be in 3 weeks to check back on the Strattera, but now I would like to have sooner.

Thanks everyone for your responses. ;) :)

I had to increase my stimulant dose slightly after I got up to my optimum dose of Lamictal, Paula, and I think so did Hope?? This might actually work in your favor though, because now you would theoretically be able to titrate up on a stimulant and the Lamictal will already be factored in :).

I may not be the best person to speak to this issue though, I take rather high doses of stimulants, no matter what type I take. I did even before Lamictal. Just keep us posted?

Hey guys, long time no talk. Just as a quick update i'm pretty stable these days on Lamictal, Seroquel (at night) and Effexor. The Bipolar II has been pretty good (or as good as it can be). My mood isn't so up and down and I haven't fallen into any deep depressions. I still have some bad days but not nearly as debilitating as previously.

The one bad thing is my ADD is just as bad as it always has been. I started taking Stratera, it has been about 7 weeks and unfortunately it isn't helping at all. Actually i've been having some annoying side effects and just spoke with my pdoc and decided to quit it all together. No point in taking more medication if it isn't doing anything. I have an appointment with her tomorrow so we'll see what the next step is. I really want to try and get back on the Adderal in a lesser dose, but I know she is very much against stimulants with my BiPolar. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Hey Buddy! Great to See you! WB!


I am so happy you are doing so well on the Lamictal.

As I have shared before, I went off my Adderall XR 40mg after being dx as well. but after I was on the Lamictal at 100mg for well over a month, I went back on. I am on 1/2 of the doseage...and I do fine. Part of feeling more ADD after being on the Lamictal for awhile is the cognitive dulling that it causes (this is a true side effect, or rather it's what the Lamictal is supposed to do, in it's anti-seizure state) which my doc said was fine for people without ADD for us it's like really feeling ADD after the mood swings subside . I thought I was more ADD, and then my doc explained what it was. Being on the Adderall again allowed some of that to lift and it also helped with my distractability and disorganization. I have never been thrown into a mania mood because of it.

I do watch my cycles, since I know them all to well, and if I feel myself cycling up , I just stop taking it for a day or so (with his full approval) And as I explained before, since I also know my triggers, like when we went to the hospital for my son's "self" induced cutting experience, and sat all night in the physc ward, I didn't take my Adderall for days. I knew the mania would hit due to the stress, and loss of my "sleep" pattern. I made it through, and then took it again when the depression hit, and it helped me survive it.

I understand why docs are cautious, but if you take a small dose and have a reaction, you can just stop it you know? Something to think about, and mention to your stim cautious Doc? It's not like it's a blood level med and oopsie you are stuck with it for a month while it wears off, right?

And if you know it might, then you can prepare yourself and take "counter' measures? I don't know, but I have done very well on it. The other day I forgot I had taken my pill and took anothr one, 40mg like my old dose and you know what , it wasn't until I looked at my pill box and realized I looked at the wrong day, that I knew I took that much. It didn't seem to make a whole heck of a lot of difference, cept I was pretty productive, and quieter the entire day...hey for my family that is a good thing.

I hope it all works out for you and stop by and see us more often will you, you know we have a serious shortage of brother cycler's here! We miss you and your unique male perspective on Bipolar and life!

Take care!

Hope :)

Wow what a blessing these forums have become. I am brand new to this site but have already gained a a lot of knowledge about my Stratterra. I am still wading through the sea of posts on this medication, but know from first hand experience that it is not the bees knees. I was first put on Stratterra a year into my recovery from Substance Abuse. Adderral worked wonderfully for many years until I began increasing my own dosages in order to meet the demands of my Master's Degree program. Eventually, my increased dosing with my Adderral developed into a fullblown stimulant addiction. I am now in my third year of Recovery from Alcohol and Substance Dependence. My initial dosages of Stratterra were 40 mg then 60 mg. My Psychiatrist now has me at 100 mg, the max dosage. From what I have been reading, this may be to high. My Dr. told me that the effectiveness of Stratterra to maintain increased attentiveness is sporadic, unlike the consistency of say...Adderral. I asked him if this explained why sometimes while at work, my innattentivess and my inability to concentrate was as if I was unmedicated. Often during these times, I will have to self-medicate with caffeine to get any paperwork accomplished. Stratterra seems to help sometimes but is very inconsistent. At times I will feel very focused in conversations and other times I will wander off in distraction. Lately, I have experienced some feelings of hyper-tension and anxiety in the absence of any external environmental conditions. These feelings have been coupled with random manic periods of anger, depressive thoughts and self-loathing. I am not saying that there is a correlation between these episodes...certainly my affect and behaviors could be symptomatic of other underlying mental health disorders...but after reading the posts about the Side Effects of Stratterra, I am beginning to wonder whether or not there is some correlation. None the less, I continue to attend self-help meetings and work on the other spiritual and cog/behavioral avenues of my recovery process. I guess its back to my Psychiatrist to share my concerns.

Wow what a blessing these forums have become. I am brand new to this site but have already gained a a lot of knowledge about my Stratterra. I was first put on Stratterra a year into my recovery from Substance Abuse.

My initial dosages of Stratterra were 40 mg then 60 mg. My Psychiatrist now has me at 100 mg, the max dosage. From what I have been reading, this may be to high. My Dr. told me that the effectiveness of Stratterra to maintain increased attentiveness is sporadic, unlike the consistency of say...Adderral. I asked him if this explained why sometimes while at work, my innattentivess and my inability to concentrate was as if I was unmedicated. Often during these times, I will have to self-medicate with caffeine to get any paperwork accomplished. Stratterra seems to help sometimes but is very inconsistent. At times I will feel very focused in conversations and other times I will wander off in distraction.

Lately, I have experienced some feelings of hyper-tension and anxiety in the absence of any external environmental conditions. These feelings have been coupled with random manic periods of anger, depressive thoughts and self-loathing. I am not saying that there is a correlation between these episodes...certainly my affect and behaviors could be symptomatic of other underlying mental health disorders...but after reading the posts about the Side Effects of Stratterra, I am beginning to wonder whether or not there is some correlation. None the less, I continue to attend self-help meetings and work on the other spiritual and cog/behavioral avenues of my recovery process. I guess its back to my Psychiatrist to share my concerns.
Headspace--

Pleased to meet ya! Now, are you just looking for Strattera info, or have you been diagnosed with Bipolar? It didn't look like you have been diagnosed for Bipolar, but... your descriptions of anxiety, manic anger, depressive thoughts and self-loathing could, possibly... be related to bipolar?? Or not, don't jump to conclusions, after all. I have seen one person have increased anger, and agressiveness on Strattera, but everyone is different! So it is hard to tell what is what sometimes! I take it that the above symptoms were not present before Strattera?

I am sorry you are having problems! Do talk to your doctor. I'm afraid I don't have any recommendations, but the side effects you describe, along with feeling "unmedicated" at least at times, sounds like the Strattera may not be working very well. There are people it helps a lot, and others who get no benefit.

Good luck!

As far as an actual diagnosis....I do not know what was actually written on my charts at the time I was being prescribed a cocktail of meds. At differrent points and not necessarily all at once I had been put on Abilify, Zyprexa, Effoxor and Clonidine in addition to my Adderral. When I got in recovery for poly-subsance abuse, I went off of everything. I wanted to address my behaviors with a 12-step program and a Cog/Behavioral approach to my attitudes and behavior. A year into recovery I started up on my Stratterra. I have done much 12-Step Work looking into the roots of my frustrations/anger/depressions and feel I have done the necessary work in order to go back to my Psychiatrist and let them know that I am still having episodic periods where I experience a dynamic shift in my attitude, demeanor and thoughts. Anyway...that's the game plan...Hopefully if I continue to augment my self-help program of recovery with a reasonably cautious approach of exploration with my psychiatrist, I look forward to reaching a more consistent and contented plateau of existence. Too be quite honest...I am wary of going back on so many meds again!