Strattera Side Effects of the Male anatomy and ADD

[TowserTune]

I've had two "unpleasant" side effects on Strattera, one of which resolved itself. I was on a dose of 25 mg 1x/day at the start, which my doctor upped to 50 mg 1x/day. By that time (four days or so) I started having urinary problems. I cut the dosage back to 25 mg, and the urinary sided effects went away. After a few more days, I increased the dose to 25 mg 2x/day, and all remained well.

The remaining one, and the one that's more problematic, is prostate pain after an orgasm. I've experienced this since starting the medicine, but I wanted to wait it out to see if it went away with time. After 60 days, I still have a sharp burning or stinging that subsides after a few minutes. I saw a urologist, thinking that I had developed some kind of prostate infection, but everything checked out normally.

Has anyone who experienced anything similarly seen this problem go away? I am going off the Strattera and will likely try Wellbutrin next, after being med-free for a couple of weeks.

[shanecoots]

I took Strattera for about a month a little over a year ago. I had several sides from it.

I had problems with urination. I would stand over the toilet for what seemed like forever before I would start. Then, the urine didn't come out in a steady stream. If my back teeth were floating, it would still start and stop. There was also a bit of a burning sensation.

I also had a sexual side effect associated with Strattera. I had problems finishing. It seemed to take longer. I also had delayed ejaculation. I also had problems with keeping an erection a couple of times.

I experienced these and a couple of more sides. I soon learned that this was not the medication for me.

[orangerusty]

It was nice to hear that I was not the only one. This is the first time that I have had such adverse reactions to a med and I have been taking psychotropic meds for a long time. Thank you for your posts.

[MitreLeMond]

I have had no adverse side Effects from Stratterra. Except I am tired all the time.
But with a grain a salt, I have been on it for a little over a month, and I am at 80Mg.

[broK]

last wk i had to take a visit to the e.r. they took blood, no problem, but took a couple hours for me to come up with a urine specimen. & this was after 2 saline i.v.s. dr was kind & even laughed at my joke about it, but it did test my paitents ( & was a bit embarressing).
i too am at 80 mg. (& 450 mg welbutrin).
i experienced erection problems after id been on this 2 weeks. its been some months now with a porportionate rise in dosage & my dr still tells me its temporary & stress related. im tempted to see if viagra will help & not mess with the meds.
rather than stand over the tolite forever waiting for my bladder to empty, i just sit down now (& bring something to read). again, dr seems to think its temp.
i guess well see...

[E-boy]

These side effects on strattera for adult males are not unusual at all, and are the main reason I ceased using it. BLECH! Who wants pain at that moment of all moments?! LOL! Urinary issues were problematic as well. Sort of a sneak preview of life at eighty years old because of the prostate swelling the med can cause.

Not all adult males experience this, but as I said it is quite common. I can also dramatically reduce sex drive, although in some cases it has been reported to do quite the opposite.... In short, you are not alone in what you are experiencing, but everyone is different which means for those who haven't tried this med, it might be worth trying before you ignore it. Everyone is different after all. I take Adderall now and I am quite content.

[DogPatch1149]

I guess I'm really fortunate...I've been on 80mg (40mg/2x daily) since June and have had only two effects on my...uh...maleness, with one of them being temporary and the other constant.

The temporary was erectile dysfunction, which lasted a couple of weeks and then (thankfully) ceased to exist. The other is more a nuisance than anything else...for the first hour or so after taking a dose, my "thingie" looks very much like it just took a REALLY cold bath...MAJOR shrinkage. (BTW, I say "thingie" because the ***** that appears where the P-word should be doesn't look right to me...LOL) Then, within a few minutes, everything down under is back to normal.

Thingie shrinkage vs. mental focus...sounds like a fair trade-off to me.

- Dana

[TowserTune]

When I went off the Strattera, the side effects (thankfully) disappeared.

Dana, I noticed the...ahem...shrinkage problem as well. Bizarre -- I wonder how that would be described on the medication fact sheet!

I'm now on Wellbutrin and Concerta. The Concerta especially seems to be really doing the trick for me. I can't believe how focused I am able to be. The only problem is that I get "too" focused while at work and tend to forget to break for lunch. However, my distractability and inattention are way down -- I never realized how often I would gaze out my office window, until I stopped doing it.

Next up for me is to find a coach. I went to a Hallowell seminar last month, and in the discussion he emphasized that treating ADD is not a one-dimensional approach. I think having someone who's "neutral" but will help hold me accountable for commitments and help me through rough spots would be beneficial.

Interestingly enough, almost every coach I've seen in listings, and every coach I've called, is a woman (not that there's anything wrong with that, to quote Seinfeld). Wonder why -- is this a nuturing/supportive thing that men need but can't do themselves.

TT

[DogPatch1149]

Shrinkage is a Seinfeld plot, and TT quotes Seinfeld in the thread...I just don't wanna be like George...LOL

[E-boy]

The "Shrinkage" effect is due to that particular organ being composed of about 80% fat. Strattera is only "officially" a non-stimulant. The net effect of taking it is the same as a stimulant because it allows your bodies "natural" stimulants to last longer and be used more after production. It is a norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor. This can cause your body to use up fat reserves in much the same way that stimulants do. Epinephrine pills will do this as well, as anyone who has used "Rip fuel" or any of those other nasty little "dietary supplements" can tell you.

The shrinkage will only affect "flaccid", so to speak, size, as erection size is due primarily to chambers engorged with blood and not fat content of your member.

Just my two cents.

[reusablepheonix]

i am in a medical study for Strattera, found out I am on 80 miligrams..also have the problem with my prostate, peeing burns and the sexual side effects are a painful burning and aching, but its no big deal, I have ejaculated so many times in my 32 years of life, that I suppose It doesnt bother me if I feel some pain, its not like I am missing out on anything...been there done that you know.

[Misdiagnosed]

Hi, all. I started taking Strattera about 50 days ago, and, over the last week or so have developed difficulties with urination, urinary retention, urethral/prostate pain. I'm discontinuing the drug to see if the urogenital problems disappear. If they do, I am not sure I'll continue with the drug, as I have not noticed any positive effects from it. I have been on a 60 mg dose. Thank goodness for the internet. Doing a search under "Strattera side-effects" almost certainly saved me a useless, annoying, costly visit to a urologist. Of all the types of doctors there are, I dislike urologists the most. They run their practices like factories---trying to herd as many individuals as possible through their examining rooms each day---and they are far too quick with diagnosis and treatment---unless they come across a particularly difficult diagnosis---then they are a menace. My mother suffered badly at the hands of a urologist who had her tested by a "neurourologist," who STILL could not figure out what was wrong with her. Finally, by some miracle, she found the one out of a hundred urologist who was able to diagnose and treat her problem. In any case, thanks for this forum!

[Saxman7]

I quickly rose to 80mgs, which is what my MD thought the best to try, but have since cut back to 40.

My biggest side, was drowsiness; I tried splitting the dose AM & PM, then taking it all at bedtime, but nothing worked. So now I just take 40 in the AM, along with a 20mg, Adderall XR, and all seems well.

Sexually speaking, I found that Adderall caused me erectile difficulties, and the Strattera not only put an end to that, but actually upped my libido. I must be one of those odd ones, reacting opposite the way most do. Of course, that's been true of many drugs over the years....