Unmotivated on Strattera

[starrykitten]

I just started Strattera, and in addition to it worsening my anxiety and interfering with my sleep, I've noticed that I've been horribly unmotivated since starting it. Part of that could be that I'm not getting good sleep and am actually just tired. But since starting it, getting off the couch and doing what I need to do seems incredibly hard. I know for most people the side effects seem to wear off, but I was wondering if anybody had experienced this particular one.

[spunkysmum]

It's been so long since I tried it that I don't remember.

Are you saying that it makes you feel MORE unmotivated than you do unmedicated?

Or are you comparing it to how you have been feeling on the stimulants?

[TazKat]

Originally Posted by starrykitten

I just started Strattera, and in addition to it worsening my anxiety and interfering with my sleep, I've noticed that I've been horribly unmotivated since starting it. Part of that could be that I'm not getting good sleep and am actually just tired. But since starting it, getting off the couch and doing what I need to do seems incredibly hard. I know for most people the side effects seem to wear off, but I was wondering if anybody had experienced this particular one.

This was my experience to. After taking the Stat for a few weeks, I experienced Lethargy. While my mind was at ease... I didn't sleep worth a darn and by the mid day all I wanted to do was take a nap. Next week i see my shrink and we're going to look at some alternatives. What alternatives - I have no idea.

[starrykitten]

Originally Posted by TazKat

This was my experience to. After taking the Stat for a few weeks, I experienced Lethargy. While my mind was at ease... I didn't sleep worth a darn and by the mid day all I wanted to do was take a nap. Next week i see my shrink and we're going to look at some alternatives. What alternatives - I have no idea.

I'm taking a little extra Seroquel tonight to hopefully combat the interference with my sleep. My mind isn't at ease on it yet, though. I'm supposed to see my dr. on Friday, but I might wait until I've been on it a little longer instead. it will only have been a week then.

Good luck to you!

[TazKat]

Originally Posted by starrykitten

I'm taking a little extra Seroquel tonight to hopefully combat the interference with my sleep. My mind isn't at ease on it yet, though. I'm supposed to see my dr. on Friday, but I might wait until I've been on it a little longer instead. it will only have been a week then.

Good luck to you!

I too was prescribed Seroquel at the beginning of the year for insomnia. While it worked in the beginning, 6 weeks into it I developed a horrible case of RLS. I would wake my wife constantly. I was switched from Seroquel to Trazadone and it is sooo much better.
Seroquel has some potential BAD side effects like having permanent facial ticks. Just be very careful and keep your doctor informed of what you are experiencing.

[starrykitten]

Originally Posted by TazKat

I too was prescribed Seroquel at the beginning of the year for insomnia. While it worked in the beginning, 6 weeks into it I developed a horrible case of RLS. I would wake my wife constantly. I was switched from Seroquel to Trazadone and it is sooo much better.
Seroquel has some potential BAD side effects like having permanent facial ticks. Just be very careful and keep your doctor informed of what you are experiencing.

Funny, I was on trazodone before and it stopped working for me. Seroquel is the only thing that's consistently worked. Thanks for the warning about the side effects of Seroquel. I'll keep my doctor posted.

[sarahsweets]

What about a stimulant? ARE they out of th question?

[starrykitten]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

What about a stimulant? ARE they out of th question?

Well, I tried Adderall and it didn't go so well. But the main reason I'm on Strattera is that my insurance company said that I had to try it before they would do prior auths of anything else. (They did a one-time approval for the Adderall.) I don't know if they would authorize a stim med to take along with the Strattera.

[rtype1987]

For me strattera tired me out really bad for the first month or two. Eventually I got used to being tired on it but I felt that it wasn't doing much for me so I stopped. For me though I kind of felt like it had the zombie effect on me so I stopped taking it.

[spunkysmum]

Originally Posted by starrykitten

Funny, I was on trazodone before and it stopped working for me. Seroquel is the only thing that's consistently worked. Thanks for the warning about the side effects of Seroquel. I'll keep my doctor posted.

I don't know if trazodone stopped helping me sleep, but it gave me screaming headaches. But because I was suffering from headaches and migraines a lot at the time in general, I didn't associate the trazodone with those until I heard that a relative had gotten headaches from it.

[aarondev]

Hi there,


I'd really recommend doing a keyword search in this Strattera forum - just looking for posts that contain 'motivation' and the like. This topic has been covered a lot and I think there are unturned stones available to the OP.

Ok, so let me just say that you are also taking Seroquel so that means you also have something else up. This is going to impact your experience. I am just saying since googling these two in tandem would not be a bad idea either. May I ask what the Seroquel is for? It impacts your symptom-cluster, this is why I ask.

Strattera should be taken with protein or thereafter. Its known that it will make you drowsy. What's more, people seldom start on doses higher than 40mg. And then you gradually titrate up. Side effects are known to go away after a few weeks, to return at each successive dose. Its typically understood that after 8-10 weeks is when and only when a true gauge can be taken - not unlike an anti-depressant.

I've had mostly a positive experience with Strattera. You should know that meds are known to affect men and women differently, however. A more short-term but similar drug (in impact) is Intuniv, for some. And perhaps if not Adderall, another stimulant (Ritalin?) is available on your insurance. Unless you're in the UK, I cannot imagine why an firm would prefer you taking Strattera over a stimulant, since the former is not available in generic form whatsoever.

To close, I found that regular sleep and the protein helped mitigate the fog. And I'll admit that during my initial weeks, lethargy did increase in my life. On the other hand, I found I was able to get out of bed once I woke, whereas previously I would always wake with severe tiredness. In addition, after about the 5th week it improved my sociability, and after the second week my short-term memory. Now, I nearly never forget where I've put something.

[aarondev]

Hello, Just wanted to say that you're taking Seroquel... in response to what (apart from insomnia)? Last time I checked it was in use for bipolar. Which ADD is certainly a part of but much, MUCH less complex than bipolar. You may want to consider mentioning what you take it for, since otherwise it can be misleading.

[HYPERKID1337]

good old caffeine works for me. i drink a 5 hour energy and feel motivated. strattera slows my heart rate a bit so the caffeine fixes it

[madadder]

I found that im initially unmotivated, but after I start doing something like cleaning, it's a lot easier to keep doing it now. I almost enjoy it for some reason. But starting it is the hard part because if I'm tired from work and decide to watch tv for a while it's very hard to stop and do something like cleaning

[starrykitten]

Originally Posted by aarondev

Hello, Just wanted to say that you're taking Seroquel... in response to what (apart from insomnia)? Last time I checked it was in use for bipolar. Which ADD is certainly a part of but much, MUCH less complex than bipolar. You may want to consider mentioning what you take it for, since otherwise it can be misleading.

Really, I only take it for insomnia. Thanks for pointing that out.