I'm only on day 2, but I feel so able to concentrate, it's ridiculous. I know it's expected to take weeks to start working, but I'm feeling it already. I spent the morning reading wikipedia, catching up with work, and doing laundry that I hadn't done for weeks. Now, I'm gonna go out to eat at a restaurant with a friend and his kids. Is this what NTs feel like all the time, just able to focus without struggle and the motivation of looming despair??
However, I slept maybe 30 mins last night even though I took 12 mgs of melatonin throughout the night, and my male genitals are not working well. I also feel a bit irritable.
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Did anyone on Strattera have a similar experience? And did the side effects eventually go away?
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If so, how long did they take to subside? If not, what did you do about it?
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Did this ability to focus last too?
I also had trouble sleeping when I first started taking strattera. I switched to taking it around noon to 1 rather than before bed, and that seemed to deal with the issue after a few days. I didn’t take it earlier than that because I drink coffee in the morning and I found that taking it within a couple hours of caffeine would give me heartburn or nausea. The intense focus lasted a few weeks and then settled down, but it was still quite helpful for the next five years or so. It eventually seemed to lose effectiveness after about five years and I’m not on it anymore. Regardless I’m in a much better place now than I was before I started it and I do think the drug can be given a good part of the credit.
I do remember having the same thought as you though, is this what it’s like to be neurotypical? You just decide to do something and then do it. Wild.
That is awesome. If you don’t mind my asking, are you taking another med now, or are you off them completely?
I’m not on meds now. I didn’t like adderall back when I was on that (being on adderall felt like going from the adhd being in control to the adderall being in control instead, and I’d also get amphetamine crashes every evening and weekend), and before that ritalin made my an emotional wreck. I’m able to manage better than before I was on strattera; granted I was in a hole of depression at the time and I’m not now; I do think the strattera helped me to climb out of it. All I take now is vitamins B and D and they seem to help a little with focus.
I’m also off all meds. I feel in control and that my life is positive. Depression is a silent killer and often underestimated. It took a breakup with my ex and getting a new job for things to change for the better. Also a lot of willpower to not fall back into old habits.
💯 😅 and it can even be enjoyable! it’s soooooo weird.