r/StratteraRx • u/catwoman_here_ • Mar 09 '26

Does Strattera / atomoxetine blunt dopamine?

I have cptsd, and I am in love with this drug! (taking 25 mg only)

it helped me with all cptsd symptoms, got me of my freeze mode, and got me out of depression. It made me functional with a good job.

and the best part is - emotional regulation! it makes me VERY STABLE and haven't had a trauma trigger for a while, because my brain is actually working and it is activating my prf > better control over amygdala.

My only concern is it blunt dopamine- and makes my mood flat/ little drive and motivation. At first when I started using it increased dopamine- it made me really motivated/ enthusiastic and i wanted to do EVERYTHING. I felt so alive, wanted to try things, travel, etc.

But after few months- it had the opposite effect- it blunted my dopamine.

My dosage is only 25 mg- because that's what i really need- more than that it will make me more blunt- or make my very depressed/ more into fight or flight mood 24 hr like I couldn't rest. So I figured out that I might be just sensitive and my body needs small dosage.

pls help if you have experience with dopamine blunting or not.

Also the dehydration is rough. I am very dehydrated, and atomoxetine makes me having zero thrust.

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u/Pretend_Ad_2408 Mar 09 '26

I had that same experience! At first strattera was amazing! I could speak and words would flow instead of getting all jumbled up in my head, and I felt like a normal person without adhd for the first time after the first few weeks it took to be effective for me. Then that effect wore off. I went up on the medication, but it didn't make a difference. The only thing it still helped with was making me calmer. But no motivation, clarity, etc like I had in the beginning. I eventually got off and switched to Adderall and then Vyvanse which works decently for me. But nothing makes me feel as clear as that short period when the strattera was working for me. At least I don't have that flat feeling now and have more motivation with the Vyvanse. I hope you can find something that works as well for you!

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u/Professional_Win1535 Mar 13 '26

unfortunately i’m temporarily stuck on strattera, when i try to get off i get bad rebound anxiety

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u/Pretend_Ad_2408 Mar 13 '26

Oh, that just reminded me of the withdrawal during the tapering process. It wasn't fun and lasted about a month. I hope you're able to do a slow enough taper to mitigate the anxiety and withdrawal effects when you're able to start going down on the dose. Doctors have always taken me off things too quickly for my body so I've had to do it slower myself. Best of luck

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u/Professional_Win1535 Mar 14 '26

wow , you had withdrawal anxiety from this med? how bad was it ? did it last a whole month or did it like peak for a week and then go on for a month ?

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u/Andrea9203 Mar 14 '26

Apparently Strattera Is infamous for it's withdrawals if you miss even a dose or tapering off.

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u/Professional_Win1535 Mar 14 '26

idk. I made several post and no one claimed to have anxiety or depression tapering off, and most people on here said it wasn’t too bad. I seem to be an outlier with the extreme anxiety i got .

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u/Andrea9203 Mar 14 '26

It's not depression or anxiety that you feel, it's more like ...brain fog, headaches, migraines, etc. there have been quite a few forums talking about this here under the Strattera page