ADHD

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A casual community for people with ADHD

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Doctor recommended trying Strattera, looking for other users experiences (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hi !

Just to go straight to the point, my doctor is thinking of trying Strattera in me, since it was recently made available as a generic and I tend to have prevailing side effects with stimulant medication (ritalin, Rubifen, elvanse).

I have some questions that would like to hear from people that are/were on this medication to share:

I understand this is non-stimulating and seems to work akin to an antidepressant. Therefore, do I have to take it every day? Even on days I do not need ? With stimulant medication I only take it when doing theoretical work, and skip it when on the laboratory or other minor tasks and would never take it in days I'm not working, because I can't just interact with people and gives me a baseline anxiety the whole day.
What benefits did it gave you ?
Any prevailing side effects?
How does it compare with stimulant medication (after taking it for some weeks)?

For a bit of context:

I've been diagnosed for about 6 years now, and started with Ritalin XR. However, I could only keep using it for some months since it gave seriously side effects that persisted 3-5 months after stopping it. I later switched to Ritalin IR, which worked for some time and gave me less side effects. But it started to be ineffective after some months.

Then my doctor tried Elvanse (Vyvanse), it worked on keeping me focused, but the anxiety and the huge time frame of action of the drug led to me only taking it once or twice a week.

I'm now back on Ritalin IR, but always feel the anxiety and aversion to interact with people that I always feel with these 3 stimulants.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for sharing! Do you notice any other effects related to shrinkage ? Similar to vasoconstriction?

When I take stimulant meds this is very common, plus the obvious repulsion to any thoughts of sex.

Does it affect your sexual appetite during and/or after the 8h window of taking ?

Last question would be, could you put an alarm 2h before waking up and take it so that instead of 8h of side effects you would only get 6h (waking) ? Or does the drug has any stimulant or other noticle effect that would prevent you from falling asleep

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I don't notice anything else related to vasoconstriction. My BP hasn't changed since I started on it, for instance. It doesn't really affect my appetite for sex, just my ability. This has lessened over time, but it's still present. (And after ~8h, everything is fine.)

You can take it before bed if you like. Some people find it sleep-inducing at first. I find it simulating an hour or two later.

From what I have read, there are several different experiences from it. You'll likely have to try it and see how it works for you, and what accommodations you'll need to make. Hopefully the comments in this thread give you an idea of what to look out for.