What has been your experience with strattera?

[italianstallion]

I've been taking strattera for a few months now. I started at 25mg and my doc bumped me up to 40mg a couple weeks ago. I was wondering what peoples' experiences have been with it? I think I'm on a relatively low dose, but I definitely do not see the drastic improvements that I did on vyvanse or adderall. At the start it seemed like it was helping, but now I feel like it is doing very little to nothing at times.

[benito]

Strattera didn't work for me, but I wasn´t on time either. People talk about 4-6 weeks until it starts to take effect. I could not stand for the side effects, but I recommend that you continue with the medication long enough if you can tolerate it. Regards.

[italianstallion]

It was weird because I knew it was supposed to take a few weeks to start working. Yet, it seemed to be most effective for me in the first few days, and less effective over time. I have been on it a while and it does not seem to help me either.

I've had a lot to do lately so I started taking adderall XR with it, and I feel like being on the strattera might actually be helping with the comedown... it hasn't been long enough to know for sure though.

[Alphawave]

Hi there, 40 mg they do call a sub optimal dose on every bit of searching I've done. 80 mg seems to be the recommended.

It took 3 months to fully "kick in" with me and it's perfect. What I like the most is that it's 24 hour and I take it once in the evening. There's no up and down that I've experienced with stimulants.

I sort of knew it would work with me eventually after the first dose. I felt calmer and more confident, it was almost like a wave of relaxation.

[namazu]

For me, I didn't see benefits until I was at a higher dose.

It seemed to help more with initiation of tasks (especially household and self-care stuff) than with focus, per se.

Combined with a stimulant (Concerta), I found it quite helpful for some time.

Unfortuntaely, it raised my blood pressure (even by itself) more than stimulants ever did, and it made a tic-like/compulsive behavior problem worse. Because of that and some other unrelated (non-medical) reasons, I ended up discontinuing it.

[italianstallion]

Originally Posted by Alphawave

Hi there, 40 mg they do call a sub optimal dose on every bit of searching I've done. 80 mg seems to be the recommended.

It took 3 months to fully "kick in" with me and it's perfect. What I like the most is that it's 24 hour and I take it once in the evening. There's no up and down that I've experienced with stimulants.

I sort of knew it would work with me eventually after the first dose. I felt calmer and more confident, it was almost like a wave of relaxation.

Thanks, that is good to hear. Not having the up and downs is definitely something that I would benefit from as I definitely noticed that with stimulants.

I felt that calmer and more confident wave of relaxation when I first started taking it, I guess I need to stick with it and will ask my doctor about increasing the dosage.

[italianstallion]

Originally Posted by namazu

For me, I didn't see benefits until I was at a higher dose.

It seemed to help more with initiation of tasks (especially household and self-care stuff) than with focus, per se.

Combined with a stimulant (Concerta), I found it quite helpful for some time.

Unfortuntaely, it raised my blood pressure (even by itself) more than stimulants ever did, and it made a tic-like/compulsive behavior problem worse. Because of that and some other unrelated (non-medical) reasons, I ended up discontinuing it.

I also have a tic-like/compulsive behavior problem that I think is due in part at least to anxiety/stress, which I feel like the strattera could possibly be affecting and making nervousness etc. worse. I've never taken concerta.

[PI-ADHD 29]

I have started to use 40 mg strattera about two weeks ago. It made me very exhausted and sleepy. I sleep 8-9 hours, but still I wake up difficultly and need more sleep. I already was drinking too much coffee before I started the drug, after I started strattera I need to drink more coffee. I take pills in mornings. I feel only a little more focus, better self confidence (it may be plasebo effect I'm not sure).Will the side effects go with time? Normallally noradrenaline gives energy, alertness, insomnia,agression etc. As I know atomoxetine increases noradrenaline in brain so why does it make drowsiness?

[benito]

Originally Posted by PI-ADHD 29

I have started to use 40 mg strattera about two weeks ago. It made me very exhausted and sleepy. I sleep 8-9 hours, but still I wake up difficultly and need more sleep. I already was drinking too much coffee before I started the drug, after I started strattera I need to drink more coffee. I take pills in mornings. I feel only a little more focus, better self confidence (it may be plasebo effect I'm not sure).Will the side effects go with time? Normallally noradrenaline gives energy, alertness, insomnia,agression etc. As I know atomoxetine increases noradrenaline in brain so why does it make drowsiness?

Effexor also "touches" norepinephrine and it causes me much drowsiness, that's why I take the split dose, half in the morning and half before sleeping. You can try that also with strattera and see how it works. Regards.

[PI-ADHD 29]

Originally Posted by benito

Effexor also "touches" norepinephrine and it causes me much drowsiness, that's why I take the split dose, half in the morning and half before sleeping. You can try that also with strattera and see how it works. Regards.

I had used efexor for depression before. Efexor had made sleeplessness, tachycardia, sweating, pupillar dilatation. But strattera did none of these.

[benito]

Originally Posted by PI-ADHD 29

I had used efexor for depression before. Efexor had made sleeplessness, tachycardia, sweating, pupillar dilatation. But strattera did none of these.

I had all those side effects in the first weeks on effexor, but now it's a wonder.
EDIT: hold on strattera all the time necessary