Strattera

32 Comments & Reviews: Strattera

1. Strattera seems to help my ADHD symptoms in the afternoon after the morning dose wears off, but it makes me feel so foggy and out of it that I have a hard time doing my job during the day. I’ve been taking it for almost five months now hoping the side effects would taper off, but I still feel foggy during the day, I get weird skin sensations that sort of feel like “the chills” with tingling and tightness, upset stomach, and dry mouth. I split the dose so I’m taking 25mg in the morning and 25 mg at night to try to combat the foggy feeling during the day. I could deal with the rest of the side effects but the fact that it doesn’t work when I need it to is a big problem.

   It does wake me up after about 6 hours, but on the plus side it makes me feel really awake in the morning. I’m thinking about taking the full dose at night to see what happens. I just feel so good in the afternoon… I really want it to work because I don’t like all the hoops and the “culture” around stimulant medications.

2. Strattera caused significant negative side effects for me (an adult) including tearfulness, exhaustion, lightheadedness, and withdrawal. It lasted several hours, and I discontinued the medication immediately.

3. Hi! I am a 26 year old female taking Strattera 60 mg, alongside Vyvanse 20mg, clonidine .1 mg, lithium 1200 mg, Vraylar 1.5 mg, Ananfranil 200 mg

   This drug works great for me! Initially I was taking Strattera alone for inattentive ADHD but then my doc added a low dose of Vyvanse (the Clonidine is more for anxiety than ADHD for me, other drugs are for bipolar and OCD).

   I like the minimal side effects of Strattera and find an increase in motivation and focus (I’ve never really been too hyperactive, but I suppose clonidine is more helpful for that). So yeah, I’ve been on Strattera for close to 2 years and I find that the effect is subtle but good with minimal side effects. Granted, I do take this drug with Vyvanse and many other medications. It’s great because if I take a day off Vyvanse, which has side effects of not eating much and low grade anxiety, the Strattera is still in my system, working. I am just happy with this mix!

4. Our 8 year old tried this medication for about six weeks. He had nausea and occasional headaches, but symptoms got worse as time went on. He began to have extreme oppositional behavior in the afternoons. This combined with lack of appetite and headaches/nasuea made us feel we had to discontinue this medication. When we dropped the dosage to taper off, the side effects were terrible and the behavior was extreme for 3 or 4 days. After that, it got better. It was too bad because we know 2 people who had success with Strattera and our son had also made some gains in school, but it was not worth the side effects and anger.

5. Newly diagnosed at 38yo. Took the medication for 3 weeks. Started at 25mg. Then 3 days at 50mg, then a week+ at 60mg, then nearly at week at 120mg (very high bmi). I noticed some small improvements in the first week (better handwriting of all things), but also had some stomach issues and daytime sleepiness. By the time I was upped to 120mg the stomach upset and sleepiness had subsided — but I did experience unexplained goosebumps (especially in the first few hours after taking). After 1 week, this medication seemed to be ineffective for me. My prescriber stated that this medication either works “beautifully” or it “just doesn’t.” So I suppose I’m one of the unlucky ones. We are trying Vyvanse next.

6. I’m 63 diagnosed ADD inattentive in 2017 with cocurrent anxiety. Strattera was prescribed in place of Ritalin late 2018.

   Starting at 40mg I worked up to 80mg. It took three months and the results were positive with minimal side effects at that stage.

   It did not however help my uninhibited rumination associated with PTSD. That was resolved this year when I switched to Modafinil 50mg.

   Strattera was for the most part effective and I was happy using it but for my rising blood preasure.

   That said my BMI was 30 at the time. Yet even after loosing 9kg one dose of 40mg Strattera shot my blood preasure up 20 points inside an hour of ingesting it.

   My specialist has suggested that I try say 5mg but frankly I’m just happy that modafinil is working.

   If I had to guess I’d say Strattera 60mg with Modafinil 25mg would produce optimum ADD symptom management.

   But a bit pointless if it means blowing a blood vessel.

7. I was diagnosed with ADD at 24 and prescribed Ritalin and did relatively well on it. I stopped taking any medications about a year later, partly due to feeling uncomfortable taking a stimulant daily. I’m 30 now, and within the last few months decided to pursue ADD medication again. I was still wary of stimulants so my doctor and I decided to try a low dose of Strattera for my ADD symptoms along with Prozac for my depression and anxiety. I really wanted it to be right for me because I was so much more comfortable with taking a non-stimulant. However, I experienced TERRIBLE side effects. I felt as if I was in a daze, I had tingling and numbness throughout my body, and was just generally confused and not feeling like myself. I tried it for a month thinking that possibly the side effects would wear off over time but they got worse and my doctor switched me to Vyvanse. I felt better the very first day I didn’t take the Strattera. My doctor told me some people like myself just can’t tolerate Strattera.

8. I was self-diagnosed with ADD at age 59, after reading Dr. Hallowell’s book “Delivered from Distraction” which I discovered through researching modafinil, the only medication which ever helped me to function better. I received the prescription for modafinil for wakefulness problems after being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea 10 years earlier.
   My self-diagnosis of ADD was confirmed by a leading physician/clinician at Harvard Medical School, and together with the insightful content of Dr. Hallowell’s book, brought enlightenment and awareness to issues I have struggled with all my life, despite high academic and professional achievement.

   Further research brought me to the YouTube video series generously posted by Dr. Russell Barkley, who is the most accomplished and preeminent clinician/researcher in the field of ADD/ADHD. Dr. Barkley is of the opinion that atomoxetine combined with a stimulant (I ultimately settled on Mydayis as the best option) is an ideal treatment option for the predominantly selectively inattentive form of ADD which I have. The combination of both agents provide complete relief from symptoms that neither agent offers independently, and allows lower dosage of both agents in combination to achieve effective relief of major symptoms. Unfortunately, combination therapy is not FDA approved and patients will need to find and work with a specialist who is not averse to off-label treatment protocols. If you can find such a provider, and suffer from predominantly selectively inattentive ADD, you will likely find this combination therapy to be highly effective.

9. My 11-year-old son has been on Strattera for 3 years. At low doses it works very well for him, but about three months ago because of a growth spurt the doctor raised him from 25 mg to 40 mg. His behavior began to escalate a couple weeks later with more aggression. He will suddenly go into a mood where he is not himself at all. He is normally sweet, funny, and friendly. When he flips into this mode he is extremely disrespectful, defiant, angry, and aggressive swearing and hitting parents and teachers, pulling his light switch off his wall, kicking his door, and throwing things. I took him back to his doctor last week because he was so bad at school that the teachers and principal couldn’t handle him and he was physically violent at school. His doctor raised the dose of Strattera to 60 mg. Within two days he had an even worse incident at school where he was threatening suicide as well as destroying property. The next day at school was the same. The next evening instead of giving him the 60 mg dose I had some of the 25 mg pills left so I gave him that. He had one of his best days ever at school that day and it has been several more days and he has been back to the sweet boy he normally is. Strattera can be great, but be careful about raising the dose. Everybody is different.

10. My 9 year old son was diagnosed with ADD a little over 2 years ago. Concerta was basically ineffective, and he couldn’t maintain his weight. He tried Vynase last for 3 months; his focus was great, but he dropped 2 pound a month. By last July, he was extremely underweight and our developmental pediatrician recommended we try Strattera. We started at 10 mg, and over a period of 6 months his dose has been increased to 60 mg in a single dose. He has gained 12 pounds during this time, which puts him on the lower end of a normal weight range. His attention and focus has never been better. He initially complained he’d get sleepy when he took the pill in the morning; we switched to giving him his medication at night, and he now has no complaints or side effects. On stimulants he was developing borderline eating disorders due in part to his suppressed appetite; he was only eating 4-5 different things. Now he is relaxing his self imposed food restrictions and adding foods back into his diet. He is able to do all of his schoolwork without loosing focus. It definitely took patience to wait for it to become effective. Overall, Strattera has been a real game changer for my sweet bright boy.

11. I have Strattera for 3 year. First I took it in the morning and didn’t realize different for concentration, so by the time I tried another part of day and end up in the evening, because I realized, that I am not exhausted after night, like I used to be all my life, before Strattera. First time in my life I can feel I was realy sleeping.

12. I was not diagnosed with ADD until I was in early 70’s. I had been diagnosed with depression and was on Paxil for maybe 20 years. It seemed to have helped some, but I really never believed I was depressed. My doctor tested me for ADD, put me on Straterra. After just a few weeks, I noticed improvement in my moods and focus. I have been on 60 mg for roughly a year. I have no discenable side effects. One thing I like, is that I don’t get the feeling that I have changed from being me. After all, I survived fairly well for 70 years. I don’t want to become totally efficient or give up my creative and daydreaming ways. I just want to have a bit more control. Others have commented that there seems to be a noticeable difference in my behavior.

13. I’m a 56 y.o. male, diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, Depression. Been on Strattera for ~ a year. Started out with 80mg, did great, then felt after about 3 months, my focus started slipping. Bumped it to 100mg, and felt an edginess to my mood. Backed off to 80mg again. Can’t take any amphetamine based meds because it causes joint pain. Strattera for me has had some side-effects: bladder tingle, trouble urinating. Also, increase libido and ejaculation before actual climax. No kidding. For the most part, I’ve been pretty happy with the increased focus.

14. Strattera is something to be careful with. I have definitely read several good reviews and heard other people talk about Strattera being effective, but it must vary from one individual to another for some reason, and it seems to me that for some people it works really well and for others it causes an enormous negative disruption in the patient’s mental state. During a quest to find better medication after Concerta didn’t seem to affect me as well as it did when I was younger, I tried Strattera briefly. I don’t remember the specific dosage but I know it was pretty low (probably either 10mg or 18mg) , and I was instructed to take one pill every day for a week, and then start taking two pills a day, at which point I would be at the minimum recommended dose for my weight, age, symptom severity, etc. During the week that I took one pill I didn’t notice much in the way of changes to my behavior or symptoms, which wasn’t much of a surprise because in the past I took pretty high dosages of other medications. The first day that I took two started out okay, but all day at work I felt some tension building, and around 3 o’clock I just went haywire: I felt irrationally angry and ready to get in a fight with the next person who spoke to me. I left work around that time because it was the end of my shift, and luckily it was only a five minute drive home because I after arriving at home I proceeded to succumb to a full-blown mental breakdown, for which there was no apparent catalyst. I figured perhaps I just wasn’t used to the drug yet, and continued to take it the same way for the next week or so. Although the side effects were not as severe in that following week, I would get into an argument or transition into a mood that I can describe as having been- depending on the day- anywhere from just irritable to “rage mode” every day around the same time (3 o’clock/mid-afternoon), and it would last until the medication wore off. I have several friends who are also AD/HD and those of them who have tried Strattera have had similar experiences. I have nothing against the medication, if it works for a person then it works, however please be careful with it and pay close attention to any behavioral changes like this, because chances are it is not “just a bad day/week” and this is not the appropriate medication.

15. Started Strattera this morning as my first attempt to treat my recently diagnosed ADD. I am a 43-year-old woman. My response was very negative to this medication. Approximately 1 to 2 hours after taking it I became extremely exhausted, dizzy, dry mouth, and slurred speech. I also had moments of feeling “high” -but not the good kind. It felt like I was floating, accompanied by small episodes of anxiety.These effects lasted throughout the day on and off for several hours and into the evening. I took only 25 mg to start. I cannot imagine trying to ride this out as it made me a completely nonfunctional person as a mom of three kids I can’t afford to wait weeks or a month for the symptoms to resolve or decrease. Awful 🙁

16. After being given a sample prescription and reading up on it I had real concerns and did not take it. I fought (with knowledge) for a main line treatment for adhd (adderall) and am fully satisfied. The only real reason I could find why they would prescribe this is that it has low potential for abuse. It is far less likely to work and because it is stimulant like it carried the same or worse cardiac risk. You need to focus your hyperactivity on learning, do not trust that your doctor is up to speed, and be sure to explain how severe your condition is to you because most doctors think adhd is minor and not worth any risk to treat.

17. My 13 year old daughter takes strattera. At first it gave her severe stomach pain and she felt like she was going to throw up. She barely ate anything for weeks. Then those problems decreased, and she rarely experiences those side effects anymore. It has been very helpful and we have seen much improvement in her focus and all areas in her life.

18. My 8 yr old was on Strattera for several months. Starting low at 10, increasing to 10 at night and 10 at morning, to 18 at night and 25 in the morning. It worked wonders for her ADHD combined type. Inattentive and impulsive at school, and impulsive and struggling with behavior at home. Initially, she was extremely tired the first two weeks. Thankfully we started it over a school break, but she napped for hours every mid day. After it built up, it made her very calm and focused and she teacher noticed a great improvement. Although maybe a little too calm for my liking. She wasn’t walking around like a zombie, but she just wasn’t as vibrant as before, so I was on the fence. She was still eating and playing like a normal child. We stayed on it because she in her own words, liked how she didn’t feel so crazy inside. However, it caused stomach issues early on. She would vomit about a hour after taking her medication. This happened 5-6 separate occasions. We did quickly learn that a high fat high protein breakfast remedied that. But as we increased the dosage, the stomach issues increased as well. Stomach aches and headaches that wouldn’t go away made it hard to get her to want to take her meds. We took the summer off then ended up switching.

19. I started at 18mg and worked up to 60mg over the course of a month. I felt restless and cranky all the time. However, now that it is fully kicked in (I’ve been on it for about 4 months), it is worth it.

20. I’m 38 years old. And last month I diagnosed ADHD. I started Strattera 40mg, I don’t have a effectiveness yet, but I feel very strong sleepiness all day as side effect.

21. I started at 40 mg and had a crazy over-the-top response to it (stared at a wall in bed for several hours). Now I’m on 10 mg. If I take it at night (after 5:00pm), I feel pretty good except for a little dry mouth and insomnia. However if I take it first thing in the morning, I spend the majority of the morning and early afternoon exhausted and kind of out of it.

22. I am on 40mg Strattera as well as 30mg Vyvanse. The first few weeks of Strattera were a little rocky, but four months into it, I am very pleased with it. However, the Vyvanse gets me motivated and the Strattera helps me to focus.

23. I am a 52 year old female with ADHD, and I take 60mg of Strattera daily, and the only problem I have with mine is occasionally I have dry cotton mouth. I have been taking it now for 5 years.

24. I am 56 year old Retired Special Ed teacher, and have been taking 40mg BID Strattera for over 5 years—works great for me. However, I did develop a small facial tic (excessive eye blinking).

25. I am taking 18mg once per day and this is the second week. The first week I had insomnia like crazy and lately I have been sleeping more than ever in my life.

26. I am 39 and newly diagnosed. I started on Strattera this past weekend and am on 40 mg twice a day as of two days ago. I was very drowsy the first two days, but it hasn’t been that bad since. On the other hand, I haven’t noticed much other difference in my attention or organizational capacity, either.

27. I am male and 55 years old recently diagnosed with ADHD. I am on 80 mg of Strattera. It has helped much with anxiety and impulsivity. I am having negative side effects: I feel more spacey, food tastes bland and my appetite has decreased.

28. My 9 year old daughter is up to 25 mg of Strattera. However, there are some nights when she wakes up in the middle of the night and cannot fall back to sleep for long periods of time.

29. My son takes Straterra and we are having success with one exception, stomach problems. The problem was the dye used in the capsules and not the medication itself.

30. My 8 year old daughter was taking two 25mg pills every morning and then Intuniv 3mg at night. She started having severe stomach cramps daily. We switched the Strattera to 25mg in the morning and 25mg at night and now she rarely has stomach cramps.

31. My 12 year old son has been taking Strattera for 5 weeks now. He started with 2 weeks of 10mg then moved up to 18 mg and he will be on that for another week before ramping up again. He has had no side effects so far. I think we are finally starting to see some improvement in his symptoms after 5 weeks…he seems calmer and more focused. We are giving him the Strattera every night after dinner. He sleeps great at night and has had no stomach problems. I did notice that he seemed a little more anxious and withdrawn after starting the 10 mg and again after starting the 18 mg but that went away after about 3 days. My son moved up to the 25 mg dose last Friday. On Saturday he seemed more unfocused. There did not seem to be any extra anxiety or any other side effects this time.

32. I have a son that just started taking Strattera (lowest dose). He has been on Zoloft for anxiety. He already has noticed dizziness.