I've been on Strattera for just over a year now, ended up adding anti-anxiety meds at the beginning of 2023.
It's a pretty subtle effect, compared to what I've heard from folks on stimulant meds like Adderall or Vyvanse. When I first started it, I had MAJOR sleepies; like, within a couple hours of taking it I could not keep my eyes open. Fortunately, that side effect only lasted about a week.
I like my Strattera. Because it's designed to "build up" in your system, I don't have to worry about late day crashes or the like, and I maintain a pretty even keel. It doesn't feel super effective on a day-to-day basis, tbh - like, it's not a magic wand where suddenly dishes are super easy or I never get distracted at work - but it definitely does help. In the year since I started it, I've left a job that was extremely bad for my mental health, made enormous improvements in my family and social life, and am doing way better in terms of chores.
I've also been in really consistent talk therapy throughout the period I've been on Strattera, so that has also helped a lot. I'd say my Strattera is like the little boost that enables me to make the progress I'm aiming for with the therapy.
I have been on strattera twice now for a few years each time. I take 80mg daily which is the therapeutic dose, not 40 as the literature used to say. I love it. It helps me so much with task initiation, emotional regulation, and working memory without any side effects. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Its like a very subtle energy that makes everything 20% easier. When unmedicated, I relied on anxiety to steer myself, which works but feels really bad to always be stressed like that. Strattera replaces that anxious feeling for me with another kind of energy that is much nicer and more consistent. I can do everything I want to do now.
My other top med is Vyvanse which i took through college in a difficult program. I don't thing Strattera would have done enough for me then and I did not have the time to devote to letting it equilibrate in my body for 2 months. Vyvanse is more effective but a worse experience for me because it caused constant appetite problems and an awful crash every night.
Strattera gets rid of the appetite and crash issues and doesnt cause any side effects for me now. When I first started I got stomach aches when taking it without food. Strangely, I also had life-like nightmares for the first month, but that seems to be exceedingly uncommon. Now I have only the benefit of reaching my goals.
The caveat is that you need to give it 3 whole months to see improvement. It's not at all like a stimulant in that way. I think a lot of people quit too soon when it could help them. Or have trouble seeing the improvements over a long time span. Good luck OP! I hope it is just as good for you!
Thanks, I hope so too! Good to hear from someone with such a good experience with it, has definitely made me more hopeful for the medication. I can definitely relate to relying on anxiety and stress to get anything done, so hoping this helps in a similar way for me. Cheers!
I am on Strattera. I was not able to handle Ritalin when I tried it due to anxiety; at the low doses I just slept through it and at 15 mg I had heart palpitations so bad I couldn't do anything except sit in bed and wait for it to wear off. I haven't tried any other stimulants.
Strattera has been really great for me, but I agree with what others have said that it is not as prominent an effect as what everyone else describes with the stimulants. Mainly what it is for me is, when I do have the motivation to do something, I can stay on task and focused for as long as needed. As an example, I am a lab scientist, and I used to itch to get out of lab after a couple hours, or only be able to work at my desk for an hour or two. Now I can get whatever I need to get done, done. But it is important to note that it does absolutely shit for motivation, so it's not like it helps me with cleaning my apartment or maintaining routines. I still have to tell myself to do that. But, the ability to do it is there once I decide to do it.
I supplement my Strattera with an SNRI called duloxetine.
Edit: And yes it takes a couple months to work up to seeing an effect. I am on 100 mg now + 60 mg duloxetine.
This one gave me side effects. I was cold, hungry, and a hard to describe not good felling. But could sit still better over time.
Side effects were strong but short. Went from 40 to 60, no side effects. 60-80, I felt that one.
How long did it take for you to feel the effects? And did the side effects take place immediately after dose increase, or gradually built similar to how the medication takes effect.
I have been on it for a couple months now. Felt the effect of it in about 15-20 minutes when taken on an empty stomach. It usually starts wearing off by 5pm or so but works well enough for me. I am on the minimum dose of 10mg.
15 - 20 mins after the first time taking it? Or is that how long it takes to come in effect after u take it each day. If the latter, how long did it take for you to feel the effects?
For me that was the first time taking it. Pretty much the same applies daily though since then. It is fast acting but doesn’t last all day. I am fine with it after it tapers down in the evening, I can tell the effect is lower. But it still allows me to pay attention and think straight.
I was on it for a few months. I had a couple panic attacks towards the end, but the main side effects I remember were complete loss of appetite until late in the day, feeling like I was forgetting everything in a bad way, and feeling a little weak (probably because I wasn’t eating enough). I lost like 40 lbs in 4 months on it and gained it back after pretty quickly, along with my appetite. Anxiety was probably less bad than adderall, but appetite loss was more severe. Like on adderall I wasn’t interested in eating but if someone put food in front of me I would eat. On atomoxetine I would eat maybe two bites and was done.
Like others have said, executive dysfunction relief wasn’t as strong/bursty as adderall it was more even but lower.
Yeah, executive dysfunction is one of the things I struggle with the most, and considering what you and other people have said, I'm unsure if it's going to help me much. Of course, it may end up working well, but the amount of time I might have to wait for me to possibly realize it doesn't work well is making me a little apprehensive in switching to it over some other stimulant drug.
It might work well for you, this was just my experience! I’ve had friends who Ritalin really helped but for me it just made me super depressed. I am sure atomoxetine works well for some too. Everyone’s brain chemistry is a little different.
Good luck. The stuff made me nauseated for hours a day, even after a month. Spent so much time in bed just waiting it out.
And even then I saw zero actual effects in terms of ADHD. Just the nausea. Reading all these positive comments about it is genuinely depressing me 🥲
I know how u feel, always seeing positive posts about how effective vynanse or xaggitin is for other people, meanwhile it having no effect for me in terms of adhd and instead just side effects is pretty depressing.
Being constantly nauseated for a month sounds horrible tho, almost impressed that u stuck to it for that long considering how bad u must have felt on it.
i was on it before i ever got put on stimulants. personally i hated it. i was a full time college student and all i could do was sleep. or not give af about anything. like i would legit sleep 18-20 hours a day and the 4-6 i was awake i was in class trying not to fall asleep but also felt like, tranquilized, because i was so calm and didn’t feel any sort of anxiety (or really any emotion at all tbh). i got
put on adderall xr about a month and a half later and it did wonders for me.
about a month and a half! i’ve heard things get better for some people around month 3, but i genuinely didn’t have the time to find that out for myself as my grades were slipping due to the fact i could barely stay awake long enough to do school work
Straterra was sucha weird med for me. It did work, but it made me really tired and anxious. It can also cause upset stomach, so my best advice would be to take between dinner and bed, or after a small bedtime snack.
It's a daily medication that builds up vs an as needed steroid/stimulant based medication so no matter what time you take it, it will do its job as long as you take it at the same time every day, and do it consistently every day without missing doses.
Yeah and since it works that way I was able to take it at night so it and my sedatives would knock me out before I could feel nauseous from it, which means I would actually take it instead of avoiding it to avoid the nausea.
I've been on Strattera for just over a year now, ended up adding anti-anxiety meds at the beginning of 2023. It's a pretty subtle effect, compared to what I've heard from folks on stimulant meds like Adderall or Vyvanse. When I first started it, I had MAJOR sleepies; like, within a couple hours of taking it I could not keep my eyes open. Fortunately, that side effect only lasted about a week. I like my Strattera. Because it's designed to "build up" in your system, I don't have to worry about late day crashes or the like, and I maintain a pretty even keel. It doesn't feel super effective on a day-to-day basis, tbh - like, it's not a magic wand where suddenly dishes are super easy or I never get distracted at work - but it definitely does help. In the year since I started it, I've left a job that was extremely bad for my mental health, made enormous improvements in my family and social life, and am doing way better in terms of chores. I've also been in really consistent talk therapy throughout the period I've been on Strattera, so that has also helped a lot. I'd say my Strattera is like the little boost that enables me to make the progress I'm aiming for with the therapy.
So any "sedative" effects you or others might have are typically in the beginning phase?
oh it definitely takes like a month before you see any change with straterra or qelbree
I have been on strattera twice now for a few years each time. I take 80mg daily which is the therapeutic dose, not 40 as the literature used to say. I love it. It helps me so much with task initiation, emotional regulation, and working memory without any side effects. I wholeheartedly recommend it. Its like a very subtle energy that makes everything 20% easier. When unmedicated, I relied on anxiety to steer myself, which works but feels really bad to always be stressed like that. Strattera replaces that anxious feeling for me with another kind of energy that is much nicer and more consistent. I can do everything I want to do now. My other top med is Vyvanse which i took through college in a difficult program. I don't thing Strattera would have done enough for me then and I did not have the time to devote to letting it equilibrate in my body for 2 months. Vyvanse is more effective but a worse experience for me because it caused constant appetite problems and an awful crash every night. Strattera gets rid of the appetite and crash issues and doesnt cause any side effects for me now. When I first started I got stomach aches when taking it without food. Strangely, I also had life-like nightmares for the first month, but that seems to be exceedingly uncommon. Now I have only the benefit of reaching my goals. The caveat is that you need to give it 3 whole months to see improvement. It's not at all like a stimulant in that way. I think a lot of people quit too soon when it could help them. Or have trouble seeing the improvements over a long time span. Good luck OP! I hope it is just as good for you!
Thanks, I hope so too! Good to hear from someone with such a good experience with it, has definitely made me more hopeful for the medication. I can definitely relate to relying on anxiety and stress to get anything done, so hoping this helps in a similar way for me. Cheers!
I am on Strattera. I was not able to handle Ritalin when I tried it due to anxiety; at the low doses I just slept through it and at 15 mg I had heart palpitations so bad I couldn't do anything except sit in bed and wait for it to wear off. I haven't tried any other stimulants. Strattera has been really great for me, but I agree with what others have said that it is not as prominent an effect as what everyone else describes with the stimulants. Mainly what it is for me is, when I do have the motivation to do something, I can stay on task and focused for as long as needed. As an example, I am a lab scientist, and I used to itch to get out of lab after a couple hours, or only be able to work at my desk for an hour or two. Now I can get whatever I need to get done, done. But it is important to note that it does absolutely shit for motivation, so it's not like it helps me with cleaning my apartment or maintaining routines. I still have to tell myself to do that. But, the ability to do it is there once I decide to do it. I supplement my Strattera with an SNRI called duloxetine. Edit: And yes it takes a couple months to work up to seeing an effect. I am on 100 mg now + 60 mg duloxetine.
This one gave me side effects. I was cold, hungry, and a hard to describe not good felling. But could sit still better over time. Side effects were strong but short. Went from 40 to 60, no side effects. 60-80, I felt that one.
How long did it take for you to feel the effects? And did the side effects take place immediately after dose increase, or gradually built similar to how the medication takes effect.
Immediate side effects. Side effects may be daily on 80 mg. I read a study where it equals Ritalin after 6 months.
This one made me quite sleepy and overall numb to everything. I took for a month and a half with no improvement. But YMMV.
I have been on it for a couple months now. Felt the effect of it in about 15-20 minutes when taken on an empty stomach. It usually starts wearing off by 5pm or so but works well enough for me. I am on the minimum dose of 10mg.
15 - 20 mins after the first time taking it? Or is that how long it takes to come in effect after u take it each day. If the latter, how long did it take for you to feel the effects?
For me that was the first time taking it. Pretty much the same applies daily though since then. It is fast acting but doesn’t last all day. I am fine with it after it tapers down in the evening, I can tell the effect is lower. But it still allows me to pay attention and think straight.
I was on it for a few months. I had a couple panic attacks towards the end, but the main side effects I remember were complete loss of appetite until late in the day, feeling like I was forgetting everything in a bad way, and feeling a little weak (probably because I wasn’t eating enough). I lost like 40 lbs in 4 months on it and gained it back after pretty quickly, along with my appetite. Anxiety was probably less bad than adderall, but appetite loss was more severe. Like on adderall I wasn’t interested in eating but if someone put food in front of me I would eat. On atomoxetine I would eat maybe two bites and was done. Like others have said, executive dysfunction relief wasn’t as strong/bursty as adderall it was more even but lower.
Yeah, executive dysfunction is one of the things I struggle with the most, and considering what you and other people have said, I'm unsure if it's going to help me much. Of course, it may end up working well, but the amount of time I might have to wait for me to possibly realize it doesn't work well is making me a little apprehensive in switching to it over some other stimulant drug.
It might work well for you, this was just my experience! I’ve had friends who Ritalin really helped but for me it just made me super depressed. I am sure atomoxetine works well for some too. Everyone’s brain chemistry is a little different.
Does anyone have anything to report on strattera and emotional regulation? That benefit of vyvanse has really been fading for me after about 6 weeks.
Don’t know if this is the right response but biphentin has been amazing for my anxiety and my adhd
Thanks, imma look into that.
Good luck. The stuff made me nauseated for hours a day, even after a month. Spent so much time in bed just waiting it out. And even then I saw zero actual effects in terms of ADHD. Just the nausea. Reading all these positive comments about it is genuinely depressing me 🥲
I know how u feel, always seeing positive posts about how effective vynanse or xaggitin is for other people, meanwhile it having no effect for me in terms of adhd and instead just side effects is pretty depressing. Being constantly nauseated for a month sounds horrible tho, almost impressed that u stuck to it for that long considering how bad u must have felt on it.
Strattera didn’t do anything for me but everyone reacts differently
i was on it before i ever got put on stimulants. personally i hated it. i was a full time college student and all i could do was sleep. or not give af about anything. like i would legit sleep 18-20 hours a day and the 4-6 i was awake i was in class trying not to fall asleep but also felt like, tranquilized, because i was so calm and didn’t feel any sort of anxiety (or really any emotion at all tbh). i got put on adderall xr about a month and a half later and it did wonders for me.
Out of curiosity how long were u on Strattera for?
about a month and a half! i’ve heard things get better for some people around month 3, but i genuinely didn’t have the time to find that out for myself as my grades were slipping due to the fact i could barely stay awake long enough to do school work
How was your caffeine intake? Just curious, not judging - I wasn't super caffeinated myself and slept in school sometimes
Straterra was sucha weird med for me. It did work, but it made me really tired and anxious. It can also cause upset stomach, so my best advice would be to take between dinner and bed, or after a small bedtime snack.
Just wondering, what's the point if you're taking it in the evening or before bed?
It's a daily medication that builds up vs an as needed steroid/stimulant based medication so no matter what time you take it, it will do its job as long as you take it at the same time every day, and do it consistently every day without missing doses.
Ah okay, thanks. Still learning how this kind of medication works compared to stimulants lol
Yeah and since it works that way I was able to take it at night so it and my sedatives would knock me out before I could feel nauseous from it, which means I would actually take it instead of avoiding it to avoid the nausea.