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:
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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.
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What benefits did it gave you ?
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Any prevailing side effects?
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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.
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!
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Thanks for sharing! That’s very interesting info. I’m a bit curious on how it affects you in your non-work days. Can you still be yourself, what about drug interactions (alcohol, weed), any experience?
The thing with stimulant medication for me is that it turns me into a completely different self, so I’m afraid that with Strattera having to take it everyday this happens permanently
I’m happy to report Straterra leaves me personally totally intact. I get a little more bored on the weekends but otherwise feel fine. I only drink socially but so far Alcohol presents no issues. I’m a full-time stoner and I haven’t noticed any differences in my Cannabis effects. I do smoke just a little less because I’m a little more focused during the day but it’s not a big difference.
I got off stimulants 20 years ago because I hated feeling like I was ‘either on or off’ and Straterra has given me a steady middle ground that’s supremely pleasant. I was very against meds but after I hit 40 and was working from home over pandemic my symptoms just weren’t manageable any more and Straterra helped immensely.
Thank you so much, that’s exactly what I wanted to know ! I feel exactly that way with stimulants, either on or off