I am not hyper, I just can never start a project, struggle with completing tasks for following through on things, can’t engage well in convo, zero motivation, can’t organized or do most adult things
Anyways my point being is that I think I am more inattentive type and low on energy. I was prescribed non-stim, but was really hoping for a stimulant as I struggle with motivation and doing things. I have another appt in two weeks and I think I am going to ask to switch, but I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to get it for bad reasons (prior substance abuse)
I also have had a suicide attempt in the past, worried strattera will bring on those thoughts (still struggle with those thoughts as is sometimes).
What do you all think should I just not take it and wait for my next appt? Should I give it a try? Trying to avoid falling into a major depressive episode
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I just started Strattera too and I also have similar symptoms to yours. The first day I took it I was surprised to feel I had a lot of energy. I had to write a paper for class and finished it much quicker Than I normally would have. The occasional nausea/dizziness sucks tho. Give it a shot and see how you feel
I am thinking about giving atomoxetine a go, so please keep us posted. :)
That’s great to hear!! I will give it a try before writing it completely off. Glad it is working for you so far
I would give it a shot. It takes longer than you would think to see results and most people give up on it quickly. Someone here said two weeks...but it's more like two months. You get a more all around balance though than with stimulants. I am also inattentive and I've been on strattera for about two years. For me it helps the most with focus and task initiation.
I am thinking about giving atomoxetine a go but it’s super expensive here! I couldn’t tolerate methylphenidate. I also relate to a lot of SCT/CDS symptoms, and it sounds like there’s some tentative evidence that atomoxetine is best for them.
How have you found atomoxetine? (Sorry OP I don’t mean to hijack your post)
Been trying Strattera at max dose for a couple months now. I think I'm doing better but isn't much or really noticeable (everyone's different)
I feel the same way. I maybe feel a little less anxious. I wonder if the only way to tell if it’s working is to stop. But then if I realize it was working I’m not sure if I’d have to start from the lower dose again
Honestly, you’re the first person I’ve heard say it doesn’t make much difference!
Everyone else seems to either say it’s a miracle drug or that the side effects are beyond intolerable.
The side effects were horrible at first but now I don’t notice any negative side effects. Just took some time to get used to it.
Happy for you ya know! Now you know and you’ve already started the process of becoming a better version of yourself. Straterra builds up in your system it takes like 2 weeks I myself personally didn’t like it. I am also inattentive but the combined type. You could give it a try see how you like it and if you don’t you can ask your doc for something else. I felt/feel the best with Vyvanse it’s less side effects but everyone is different. Make sure you’re eating and drinking enough water. Protein really helps it balances out the medicine so it can work at its fullest. I can’t remember if straterra caused me anxiety but I know Adderall did.
Hey thank you for the response & the kind words! My best friend highly recommends Vyvanse and I believe my bf takes that one too if I’m not mistaken. I guess I can probably at least give the Strat a try for two weeks then go from there. But yes I am thankful so finally have a diagnosis.. took 3 months to get it and a ton of testing lol
Tried it, wrecked me for ten days, told my provider that I refuse to continue, went to stims, haven't looked back. Apparently, some make non-stim trial a mandatory first step. Best of luck!
Straterra was my first prescription after being diagnosed this year at 38. I too have struggled with depression for the majority of my life, but straterra actually slightly helped those feelings in the end. It messed me up and made me super spacey/dizzy for the first week or two, but afterwards the benefits really started to show. It really takes some time to show it's true effects. My anxiety was extremely reduced, and I could relax and start to enjoy things in the moment. Unfortunately, it made me TOO calm and I would just kind of sit around hyper focused on things for hours, kind of "couch locked". It also made me pretty emotionless, as well, so in the end I decided to transition to stimulants.
While the journey with stims has had its ups and downs as well, I would say stimulants are really what I found to be the best for energy and motivation. Best of luck on your journey as well, if going stimulant route, I would recommend extended release versions
This is me, I'm 32 and am getting on medication on Thursday to get on stimulants. Interesting that they've given you non-stim.
Op said they have prior substance abuse in their post…
She did give me the option for a stim. But she recommended to start non stim. & I was afraid to speak up and ask for stim bc I don’t want anyone to think I am after it for wrong reasons. Do you know how I can avoid dependence? Could I cycle on and off?
Hey! I actually took my first pill today (25mg) ! I am also mostly inattentive and i too was pretty disappointed to not get stimulants. Kinda makes me wonder if i have an unhealthy want for stimulants if i am upset over not getting them. Seeing everyone here always saying “just got diagnosed, took first stimulant, i feel great” makes me really jealous. You’ll also see a lot of people flaming your dr for prescribing strattera first which at least made me feel pessimistic.
Anyways, my dr was very adamant on telling me i NEED to eat when i take them, and a real meal too. Also need a lot of water. So far (only couple hours), i don’t feel much different. I get some weird short term tingles, primarily in the head, and i think i am getting some dry mouth rn. Just give it a go, what’s helping me is thinking “i’ve dealt with this unmedicated/self-medicated for 24 years, i can give a non-stimulant a try for a month”. I don’t even know if my dr is willing to prescribe stims in the first place lol. For some history, i am a pretty clean slate, no substance abuse (drink 1-2 drinks a week though) and no real major medical history. I got diagnosed with GAD too.
Strattera is a nightmare for me. Doesn't work and caused all kinds of bizarre side effects, some of which lasted months after I stopped it. I'll never take it again. To start with a non-stimulant is borderline malpractice, IMO. I hope it either works for you or you can get on stimulants soon.
What were the side effects you had?
Vomiting, extreme mood swings, and my blood pressure went from normal to stage 2 hypertension in a couple months.
This is a baseless comment. They start you with non-stims because stims are a highly controlled substance with the potential for addiction. It's literally the opposite of malpractice.
Stimulant bias. Their opinion that starting with a non stimulant is borderline malpractice is simply incorrect and not grounded in how medication actually works.
Malpractice would look more like ignoring severe side effects, refusing to adjust treatment despite harm, prescribing stimulants despite clear contraindications, not monitoring mood/anxiety changes, or dismissing patient feedback.
Sure. I'd agree with that feedback. Maybe malpractice was too harsh a term.
It didn't work for me. My experience was scary. I'm biased, probably, as a result.
Strattera can cause extreme increases in blood pressure in 6-12% of patients, though. To me, that's too high an incidence of a serious side effect for me to consider the medication as safe as stimulants.
Sounds about right. Except if you had bad side effects. Non stimulants are the devil of meds. Some are permenent side effects. Although the law doesn’t say it’s malpractice I agree it would be if I was king.
Something being controlled for political reasons does not mean it actually results in addiction in patients. Stimulants are the gold standard for ADHD treatment because they're highly effective and have a very good safety profile, both in the short and long term.
"A total of 579 children (mean [SD] age at baseline, 8.5 [0.8] years; 465 [80%] male) were analyzed. Generalized multilevel linear models showed no evidence that current (B [SE] range, −0.62 [0.55] to 0.34 [0.47]) or prior stimulant treatment (B [SE] range, −0.06 [0.26] to 0.70 [0.37]) or their interaction (B [SE] range, −0.49 [0.70] to 0.86 [0.68]) were associated with substance use after adjusting for developmental trends in substance use and age. Marginal structural models adjusting for dynamic confounding by demographic, clinical, and familial factors revealed no evidence that more years of stimulant treatment (B [SE] range, −0.003 [0.01] to 0.04 [0.02]) or continuous, uninterrupted stimulant treatment (B [SE] range, −0.25 [0.33] to −0.03 [0.10]) were associated with adulthood substance use. Findings were the same for substance use disorder as outcome."
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2806881
I never said ADHDers had a higher chance of becoming addicts. I said the drug has a history of being abused, therefore its prescription is more controlled.
Don't twist my words just to win your argument. There's still a MEDICAL reason why it's safer to try non-stims before stims, and your single bad experience with SNRIs does not get to dictate prescription best practices for the entire medical community.
If the medication was highly addictive for people with ADHD, you would see higher rates of substance use and addiction in those treated with stimulants.
It has a history of being abused by people who do not have ADHD, and I'm not "dictating" prescription best practices. It literally is best practice, unless there's a reason a specific individual shouldn't be prescribed stimulants. Stimulants are the "first-line medication". That's the standard.
For some, Strattera is better, but it's not safer. I don't know anyone that tried it and didn't experience scary side effects.
Now days ppl are having to deal with Rx shortages. A different Dr switched me to Strattera from Adderall. Adderall was better but Strattera always gets filled for me. I was dxd at 38
I am on atomexene, and i felt it right away. I'm up to 80 mg in the morning. It helps but is subtle. I am also inattentive type.
There are 3 types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive, and combined.
Are you on an anti-depressant? You might want to ask your Dr about that.
I’ll be honest I gave myself the ‘inattentive’ diagnosis. My report didn’t specify. I just know I’m not hyper 😅
I was on Wellbutrin and was told to stop taking it with this
It’s worth trying. I’m inattentive and actually asked to try a non-stimulant first since I’ve had issues with caffeine giving me anxiety. Strattera seemed to help with not getting stuck in thought loops and being more aware/present. However, as I went up in dosage (you’re supposed to slowly taper up), it started giving me sleep issues (falling asleep was fine but I would wake up after only a few hours and not be able to go back to sleep). I’ve switched to stims and don’t get as bad side effects but positives aren’t as good either. I can focus easier but it’s harder to get off unproductive trains of thought. If I didn’t have that sleep issue, I would have stuck with Strattera.
Strattera successfully turned my ADHD into depression and a non-functioning penis.
There are seldom medications for add/adhd (I dislike they categorize them the same now) . I would play the game, try it. Doctors are usually pretty apprehensive these days to start with stimulants. If you are missing that hyper active component you should be a good candidate.
I don't see how trying the Strattera is going to hurt you, especially if you aren't going to have an appointment for another few weeks. The only way to know how it affects you is to start it, but it can take 4-8 weeks before you start noticing benefits. If you start feeling bad beyond the usual side effects, that's when you ask for an alternative, or potentially having to address the underlying issues before returning to ADHD drugs.
Tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds more like you want stims off the bat because you want to potentially use it to address your depression as well as a quick fix, which is not a good idea if that's the only way you're gonna do it, and sounds like a recipe for substance abuse, potentially taking a dose whenever you feel sad.
Edit: Also, stims prescriptions have been difficult to fill due to shortages that have plagued the last few years and you may not be able to have a consistent supply to meet your needs.
Hey congrats on getting diagnosed, that's huge at 29
Honestly I'd probably try the Strattera for at least a week or two before your next appointment - gives you actual experience to talk about with your doc rather than just theoretical concerns. Plus it shows you're willing to work with their treatment plan which might make the stim conversation easier
Just keep a close eye on your mood and don't hesitate to call if the dark thoughts get worse. Most people I know who switched from Strattera to stims had a much easier time making that case after giving it a fair shot first
You need at least a month for the Strattera to really take effect and work properly. If you just got the prescription today, how are you so sure it's not going to work, let alone give you bad side effects?
Also, "Inattentive type" does not mean "low on energy", nor does lacking energy necessarily equate to motivation. You're using terms interchangeably that aren't interchangeable.
If you've only just recently been diagnosed, I would start by doing some research and deep dives before you start challenging your doctor about whether or not you need a stimulant drug vs an SNRI drug.
Unless the Strattera actually causes you depressive episodes, take it as prescribed. Then use your follow-up appointment to talk with your doctor about how you feel while taking it so you can adjust your treatment together. Do NOT try to force the conversation toward the goal of getting stimulants. Especially if you have prior substance abuse concerns, if you walk in there saying "I didn't bother even giving the Strattera a chance, I just want the stimulants," it's not gonna look good.
I am Inattentive type and I'm currently on Strattera (going on...3 months now?). Strattera is not a magic pill (none of them are). You're not gonna suddenly have boundless energy reserves that you can perfectly control to start and stop all efforts on command. What it'll do is even you out a bit. It'll help give you an edge on the Executive Dysfunction that stops you from actually acting on your motivation to do things. I also tried a stimulant before this, and it really had a tendency to exacerbate any existing anxiety I was grappling with, giving me far more "bad episodes" than the SNRIs did without actually fixing any of the ADHD stuff, so keep that in mind as you try to self-prescribe a need for stimulants based on depression concerns.
tl;dr - Give the Strattera time to work. Talk honestly without specific medication goals with your doctor. Be patient, finding the right drug at the right dosage takes quite a bit of time.
It sounds like you have ADD and not ADHD. The H is for hyper. Anyways try the 18hrs fasting. That will help you more than taking chemical.
It hasn’t been called “ADD” since the 80’s or 90’s. It’s now just a subtype called “predominantly inattentive” type of ADHD. And unless the expectation is that he just fasts for the rest of his life, I’d think that advice is also a bit outdated.
It's funny because my diagnosis is literally "Attention deficit Disorder (ADD) without hyperactivity". Diagnosed in 2023.
Do you have ADHD.? And what have you done to help with it.? Be on med for the rest of your life.? I guess thats never outdated right.?
I’m giving a heathy solution that i know works.
I did some quick research. There appears to be no evidence that fasting, or anything related to food, does anything major for ADHD beyond the fact that simply being healthy in general helps a bit with brain functioning. But that’s true for people who don’t even have ADHD in the first place.
That would almost suggest ADHD is little more than junk-food-induced depression or something, easily counteracted by changes in lifestyle. If that were the case, my adhd should have practically disappeared back when I was in perfect physical condition, running marathons and eating zero junk food.