u/West_Kaleidoscope379

I started Strattera about 7 weeks ago: 4 weeks on 25 mg and now about 3 on 40 mg. I responded basically immediately and had a wildly mixed experience. For the first time in my life, I was able to focus on my tasks during the workday. I could read books for the first time since college. I could keep my room clean. It was like my field of vision expanded and the panic that’s always fueled me dissolved. The change was subtle but undeniable.

At the same time, if I “stalled out” and ran out of concrete tasks or scheduled to-dos, I would become a zombie for days. I stopped wanting to do anything at all. I didn’t care about spending time with my partner and friends and didn’t remember why I was supposed to. When I was with people, I was endlessly irritable. I felt body snatched.

I’m on Kaiser and was seeing someone external, and the office was so hard to get in touch with, which was scary when my side effects were deeply impacting me. I changed doctors and asked my new psych if I could add a stimulant. I really felt like I needed a jumpstart. He offered to shift me off the Strattera as well but I told him I really want to stick it out since the benefits have been so pronounced.

Wow. I am only on 5 mg of Adderall twice a day right now, and I know I could get more out of this med at a higher dose (both meds, honestly). It hasn’t helped yet with the focus/task initiation, but my mood was instantly elevated. I haven’t crashed. The mood elevation doesn’t feel artificial. I just feel light and interested and able to self-regulate.

Anyway, I wanted to share my experience for anyone who’s struggling. I do think Strattera is worth sticking with - but we don’t need to be martyrs and should continue to self-advocate. I’m still early in my journey and am excited to keep sharing how my reactions evolve!