ADHD

I've been on Straterra for about 18 months.

You do need to take it every day because the drug builds up in your system over about 3 weeks to the correct levels. It adjusts how much of your norepinephrine gets reused and so it takes some time to take full effect. I also was in the habit of only taking stims on work days and this will not work for that, it needs some time.

The biggest side effect I or anyone I know has had is some lightheadedness right before my next dose. I ended up getting split doses 12 hours apart but you can also bump the dose up to avoid this, I've been told.

Compared to stimulants, I prefer the steadyness of Straterra. I don't wake up in a panic state every morning, I think thought a problem first before a knee-jerk reaction sets in, and I can focus on my work without being constantly side-tracked, and I still feel like "myself" and can engage in my creative work day after day in a sustainable way.

Best of luck to you!

It works great for some but for me it's one of the worst drugs I've ever tried. I made it a few weeks before I gave up on it. The side effects were terrible, I felt like shit until it cleared my system. I didn't notice any benefits from it.

I’ve been taking it for a few months. Doctor is gradually increasing my dosage and I’m up to 40mg once a day.

I’ve noticed that I can concentrate on complicated problems much better, and my scheduling and time management have greatly improved.

I haven’t noticed any side effects yet, but was a bit nervous about some of them. I had a friend who it did wonders for, and then he had a bad panic attack and his doctor took him off of it.

Fingers crossed that things stay good. I haven’t tried stimulants, so I don’t have much to compare it to.

One of my kids (1 of 2 with adhd) is on Strattera. He first tried ritalin, but that was really bad for him. Physically it was fine, but he ended up with a constant dark mood and dark thoughts that a 10 year old should not have.

He then tried Elvanse, and while it worked for his adhd, he seemed emotionally numbed. Unmedicated he was bouncing between the walls, but at least he was happy. On Elvanse he was just... numbed.

Now he's on Strattera, and he's not that bouncy anymore, and a much happier kid. And his parents aren't exhausted all the time either, which is a bonus. The only ill effects is that he sometimes gets a bit queazy for a short while after taking it, but it doesn't take long to pass. This could be a result of his aversion to pills, but bribing him with a glass of chocolate milk makes him take it without hesitation.

EDIT: For reference, his older brother had very good effect feom ritalin pretty much right away, so he's on concerta with reduced appetite as the only side effect. He eats like a T-rex in the eveneing to compensate, so it evens out with no issues.

You take it every day. It's a neural reuptake inhibitor, so it needs to build up in your system.

For me, it's not a fast fix like a stimulant would be. It just takes the edge off of my symptoms, make them easier to manage, and makes it easier to do stuff. In fact, the biggest thing I've noticed is the effect it has on executive dysfunction.

Atomoxetine (straterra) is a slow burn. It takes at least a few weeks to start noticing any effects. I haven't noticed any side effects, other than some trouble sleeping the first week when I first started taking it; but that was because my insurance wouldn't approve me for a lower dosage to have a more graceful "ramp up" period.

1. take it every day

2. more executive function overall. I wasn't exhausted after a day's work.

3. sexual side effects, anxiety, high blood pressure, blurry vision

4. once onboarding was over, it worked better for me than simulants because there was no ramp up in the morning and no crash in the afternoon or evening.

I stopped taking it because once the starting side effects (nightmares, even worse anxiety, even worse sexual side effects) started to wear off, so did the efficacy.

I'm not suggesting this will happen to you but for me strattera made me throw up every time I stood up for about 4 weeks after quitting it. The reason I quit was a massive surge in my blood pressure. It was so extreme that my doctor probably weened me off too quickly. There was nothing in the official side effects about this kind of reaction. After a few weeks of scouring the internet I found a message board where someone described the exact same symptoms as I had. There was one other person who had commented about it happening to them. Both described when they started to get better and both felt they nearly died. at the four week mark I finally could stand without immediately throwing up. By week five I had a appetite for the first time in a month. I went from 240 to 175 pounds in that time.

I'm only sharing this to let you know that if you start having massive blood pressure induced migraines and you can't get your blood pressure to drop you need to go to your doctor immediately. I waited a week like the others and think it may have not been as bad if I had started reducing my dosage sooner. My reaction was extreme and not at all common but I will never forget the spring of 2012 because of it. I really feel like I could have died.

Yes, its daily. It took a few days to notice a difference for me, but it definitely helps me with executive function. I'm up to the max dosage after 18 months, but it's still working.

Side effects for me are nausea for maybe an hour after I take it, and major "shrinkage". Sex is a real challenge for around 8h after taking it, and it looks like I've been swimming in the Arctic sea for about that long. This isn't a major problem because I take it in the morning, but it has been occasionally frustrating. That effect wears off by evening, though, so my spouse is ok with me taking it. 🙂

I have never taken stimulants, so I can't offer a comparison there.

1 - yes 2 - more internal filter, better able to start tasks and focus 3 - slightly less hungry maybe 4 - much less effective then stems, but consistent throughout the day.

Never tried not-stimulants but I have read some studies that suggests that a combination works best for some people.

Out of curiosity, what side effects are you experiencing with stimulants?

I've been taking this (Atomoxetine) for at least 15 years. The biggest side effects for me are: Intense, but quick nausea about 3 hours after ingestion. It helps to take it with food. Lowered sex drive. Drowsiness.

I take it daily and its been the best drug for me, despite the side effects.

Yes, as said - you have to take it every day. For me personally, there are no any side effects. But, there are also no benefits.

Straterra didn't do anything for me. Had no effect on my ADHD. Didn't have many side effects other than no dreams, which I only noticed after I stopped taking it.

I'm currently taking Vyvanse and it's starting to lose its efficacy. At first it gave me anxiety and other side effects but they all leveled out.

I comboed vyvanse and guanfacine for this and it worked. Another option. Don't get, it takes a while. I too had a long journey.

I tried Strattera to avoid side effects from Adderall, but Strattera made me throw up whenever my heart rate got too high. I had to give it up, not to mention it didn't really feel like it was helping me focus. I now take very small doses of stimulant medication, 5 XR and 5 IR each day.

It gave me the big sad so I gave it up

I went through a month's supply of strattera before switching to adderall. I also only took it on "need to be productive" days, which may have been the wrong approach. I was reluctant to take it otherwise because of the side effects. I felt like it did help me focus on tasks, but the benefit was essentially offset by the drowsiness it caused making it something of a wash for my productivity. I work at home so I would end up needing to take a nap most days I took it. Sleeping became very refreshing though, which was a silver lining.

Other symptoms were a pounding head, a decrease in appetite, and an increase in anxious thoughts. None of the symptoms were intense except drowsiness, and all of them mellowed out after a few weeks.

Adderall works a lot better for me now and has fewer side effects. But I've seen others in the community really appreciate what straterra has done for them, so it seems to vary a lot from person to person. Despite my disappointment with it, it may be worth trying if stimulants aren't working well for you. My doctor recommended it initially because it was working well for some of her other patients.

Have you ever tried the namebrand of any of them? I personally take namebrand Concerta. The generics are laughably bad and are constantly being pulled from the market for not being bio identical. Generics have a pretty wide margin for what is considered equivalent to the name brand. It's also pretty common to be allergic to inactive ingredients in Generics, which can cause adverse effects.

You can find all sorts of articles on these subjects here: https://adhdrollercoaster.org/?s=Generic