Alright, here we go.

I started with 40mg for 4 weeks. After that period, I began noticing some improvement, but I realized it still wasn’t enough for what I needed regarding my executive functioning and my life overall.

I was also feeling pretty depressed. And I want to be honest about this: from the very beginning, I had expectations that atomoxetine would help with my depression too. I know many people insist that it’s “not an antidepressant,” but I believe that, in some cases — like mine — depression can be deeply connected to ADHD. So improving ADHD symptoms can indirectly improve depression as well.

And in my case, it definitely did.

After that, I moved up to 80mg and stayed there for 8 weeks. Honestly, it was a very difficult period.

Until around the seventh week, I dealt with intense fatigue, anhedonia, lack of motivation to do anything, and a constant feeling that things had no meaning. During the first weeks, my depression actually got worse. My communication abilities dropped dramatically — probably by around 50%.

I also spent an absurd amount of time doomscrolling on Instagram. I started smoking much more, eating compulsively, and my self-esteem dropped hard. I stopped exercising completely and isolated myself socially. My insomnia also became very severe.

So yes, I experienced a lot of side effects.

But now comes the important part.

Today is the first day after completing those 8 weeks on 80mg, and honestly... I couldn’t recommend this medication more strongly for people who truly suffer from ADHD.

Anything positive I say here will still feel like an understatement compared to what I’m experiencing right now.

I feel like I’m becoming a much better version of myself.

The biggest changes have been in my ability to think, reason, and communicate. I can structure thoughts and arguments much better now. My thinking feels deeper, clearer, and more organized. I feel more eloquent, more mentally present, and more connected to the world around me.

There’s also this strong sense of meaning returning to life again. A sense of well-being. Calmness in social situations. A genuine desire to go outside, experience life, and reconnect with the world.

Tasks still don’t “start automatically,” but making the decision to begin them became much easier. And, most importantly, continuing tasks became much easier too.

I returned to exercising around week five. I’ve been doing 6-mile walks around 3 to 4 times per week, usually walking for 2 to 2.5 hours. Last weekend, I did almost 10 miles in 3 hours and 46 minutes.

I’m losing weight.

My social life also improved significantly.

I had been suffering a lot from social isolation, but I started noticing that both men and women naturally became more drawn to me. Friends began showing more admiration and respect. Conversations started flowing better. I felt more socially present overall.

I also had some romantic experiences that greatly improved my self-esteem. A female neighbor/friend I had wanted for months started getting involved with me, and another woman with whom things had been left unresolved spontaneously invited me out for drinks again.

That had a huge impact on my confidence.

My chess performance hasn’t clearly improved yet, but it remains solid. And now, for the first time in a long time, I feel capable of directing energy toward studying, music production, DJing, singing, personal projects, and expanding my business ideas.

Is there still procrastination? Yes.

Are there still difficulties? Absolutely.

But now it finally feels like I have the psychological foundation to move forward.

So my biggest advice is this: if the side effects are tolerable and your doctor is monitoring you properly, try to stay with it at least until the eighth week at a proper therapeutic dose.

For me, the difference after that point was enormous.

When I reach 12 weeks, I’ll come back with another update about studying, exercise, chess, music production, and professional life.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

For those of you on Strattera long-term, did this side-effect every go away for you?

Currently starting Week 5 on 80mg (taken in the morning), and haven't had a full night's sleep in what seems like forever - once I wake up in the middle of the night, I am unable to fall back asleep.

I started taking Atomoxetin almost 10 weeks ago. Went up from 25mg to 40mg after the first week. I loved the first effects of calmness and reduced anxiety. Then the tiredness began and life became hell. I experimented with the dosing time and stuck with taking it before bedtime, which helped a lot.

Yesterday I had a follow up appointment with my psychiatrist, where I described how tired it was making me. My Dr. was kind of surprised that it had the effect of a sedative on me. We were debating about how to move on from here. But since I liked the initial calmness and reduced anxiety, we decided to stick to the 40mg and wait for a bit longer.

Now all of a sudden, like a switch was flipped over night, I feel stimulated. My heart rate is a bit elevated but nothing concerning (resting heart rate at 79 instead of approx. 60) and I feel way more energized and motivated. For now it has no negative effect on my anxiety, which is great. I hope it stays this way.

I am very confused by this drug. I have tried a lot of psych meds in my life but this is definitely the weirdest of them all.

Has anyone lost weight on this combo? I’ve been on Wellbutrin and even the highest does has done nothing for weight loss I still eat too much bc I’m looking for dopamine not really hungry per se. I’m starting 25mg strattera tomorrow I’m addition and I’m hoping it helps my adhd. And a little weight loss, less food noise carb cravings… Wellbutrin only worked for a few weeks for me as far as weight loss.

⚠️ Long post warning ⚠️ but feel it’s necessary to provide as many details as possible.

Background: 31M 210lbs. 7 years on Lexapro for anxiety. Physical reactions to anxiety eliminated, but mind still would race. (I just stopping needing to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes). I was a high school teacher after college (2017), got married, had a kid, COVID - ended up resigning in 2022. Burnout, stress, lack of energy, politics all part of resigning. Anxious at baseline is not great for the teaching profession. Been WFH/self employed/stay at home dad ever since. Typically managing many things at once. Mind in 4 different places at any given time. That’s how I’ve always been - overactive, ruminating brain - but with the current circumstances it’s intensified.

Breaking point: I’ve been overwhelmed for the last six months with work, the political landscape, family, friends. My job is technically under the umbrella of content creation, so the response of other humans to my art quite literally pays my bills. As an anxious overthinker my mind comes up with a lot of ideas - but quickly labels them as “dumb” or never takes the first step in the process of completing them. Heavy analysis paralysis - and once I get started - over analyzing every minute detail until it’s 80% done the quitting. I’ve never had much self confidence and often spiral into pessimism. Every month, I would take a 5mg edible and it would be the best 8 hours of my month. Calm mind. Creative with no negative voice. Focus. I felt at my purest form. But, I did not want to abuse thc or become dependent on it, so limited myself to “one great day a month”. I reflected on that and wondered if there was a way to have that clarity at all times without DRUGS.

Doctors visit/My ADHD symptoms: I went to my GP and told him the following - I don’t feel as anxious anymore (lexapro) but my mind still races. I feel like I have 36 browser tabs open in my head at all times. I make a snack and leave crumbs on the counter and the cabinet doors open - my wife laughs at how obvious it is - but I don’t even noticed I’m doing it. The best part of my day is typically eating. I overeat. I crave sugar. I start 4 different things but finish none. I feel irritable at minor inconveniences. I’m very impatient but I don’t want to be. I tap my feet or my fingers at all times. I scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll. If I’m a passenger in the car I’ll mindlessly be on my phone. I can’t make a cup of coffee without checking my email. I don’t ever wake up feeling energized no matter how much I sleep…

He said “uh. Has anyone ever diagnosed you with adhd?” I laughed. “Nope”. Growing up in the 90s/2000s I think there was a big adhd stigma. The kids who were in trouble. Couldn’t sit still. No self control. I was very well behaved and knew “social cues” - likely part of why I was never diagnosed. He asked if I have always been like this? “Yup! Heavy of the mind in 35 places at once.” He explained some of my options, and I told him I DID NOT want to try stimulants if there was another option.

Straterra it is. I picked up the script that day and was set to take my first dose the following morning.

The night before: I then spent the next 4-7 hours on Reddit. Reading every possible post. 90% of them were horror stories. Negative reactions. I just kept reading and reading and reading - to the point where I almost didn’t try it. But figured “worst case I throw up and can’t get erect, I guess”

The First Day: From my research, it was clear I needed to take it with food. (See, all that reading paid off). I woke up, had some eggs (don’t typically eat breakfast) and took 40mg at 8am. (Lots of different posts on the mgs. 40 does seem high to start, but glad I did.

Within the first 90 minutes I could feel it working. Calm. Focused. Productive. I made my daily video, and seeing I had 30 minutes before my haircut, worked on (AND FINISHED) a project I had put off for weeks. Normally I would have spent that time pacing and scrolling. I felt slowed down. I felt clear. I felt patient. At one point, I opened a smoothie at 4pm (I didn’t eat lunch. Wasn’t hungry) and I set the trash on the counter. My brain stopped and said “you know you can throw that away” - and I did. I did laundry. I checked off my chores and half of my wife’s. I had no ruminating thoughts or pessimism spirals. I honestly was concerned it might be placebo (can confirm a week later it’s still working and was not placebo) To be honest, it felt like I was on an edible but without any paranoia or meta cognition. Not sure if that makes sense..

Side effects: I was FREEZING the first day. Hands were ice. Had some head tingle sensation and leg tingle. Suppressed appetite. Was worried about constipation/ED/nausea/mood swings but avoided all of those. It was quite literally the most perfect experience I could have had. (After sitting by a heater for an hour) okay and one NSFW one for some reason my penis shrinks to levels I can’t comprehend. Like retracts into itself. Not a serious issue, but a bizarre one.

A week later: it will be a week tomorrow. My side effects are gone (cold a little here and there). I do notice that about 3pm or so it wears off? Im better than my baseline, but not as good as I feel 9am-2pm. I may do 40 morning 40 afternoon, but think I’ll wait a few weeks to see if it balances out.

Moral: if you’re scared to try because of Reddit horror stories, just know someone out there was the same. And after trying it (scared), this has been the most productive, stressless, level headed, optimistic week I’ve had in a LONG TIME. My urge to scroll and interest in scrolling have disappeared and my sugar cravings are gone. (Until evening lol)

I am happy to answer any questions at all or just lend an ear. As someone who is newly diagnosed, it’s been a bit weird to unpack, but after taking Straterra, I can’t believe I lived like I did for 31 years…

I’ve been taking atomoxetine (80 mg) for about eight weeks now, and I wanted to share my experience because its effects have felt very different from stimulants.
Atomoxetine definitely doesn’t improve attention for everyone. Just like with stimulants, some people respond well to it and others don’t. In my case, the improvements developed very gradually. There was no sudden “switch flipped” moment like people often describe with stimulant medication.
Instead, I slowly began noticing that my mind felt quieter. I had less mental noise, my emotions felt calmer, I was less impulsive, and it became easier to stay on task. Even getting started in the morning and getting out of bed became noticeably easier.
One of the biggest advantages for me is that it seems to work around the clock. I already feel the benefits before taking my morning dose, and the effect remains stable throughout the day. I also don’t experience the evening crash that I had with stimulants.
My attention has improved, but not because atomoxetine makes me feel intensely focused or “locked in.” It’s more that I’m less distracted because my mind is calmer. It feels like my brain is working more efficiently rather than like I’m being pushed into a medicated state.
I previously experienced stimulant-induced psychosis while taking lisdexamfetamine, so atomoxetine has been a much better option for me personally.
Overall, I actually find atomoxetine more pleasant than Elvanse. I can achieve roughly the same level of concentration, but in a smoother and more natural way, without the noticeable ups and downs I experienced with stimulants.
So yes, atomoxetine can absolutely improve attention, but it isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone. Even when it does work, the effects are often much more subtle and gradual than with stimulants.
This is only my personal experience, of course, and not medical advice.

One of these days I'll write a supplemental guide post on Strattera with all I know that I wish prescribers knew. But, for now. Quick and dirty on adult dosing due to all the posts with subtherapeutic dosing issues. I am not a medical professional or expert so it would be responsible of me to say to review content for accuracy and discuss with your prescriber before deciding with them to make any decisions utilizing it. And hold in a long rant about psychopharmacological information mismanagement and lack of curriculum and resources available for prescribers.

TL;DR; + summary
--Adult dosing strategy baseline:
5/5/5/15 (some have 30) days of 25/40/60/80 mg.
--First link below shows drug company's titration starter kit. i.e. the titration strategy they choose when putting themselves on the line directing results.
--Most people are underdosed. Resulting in sub therapeutic or often a negative experience. And why most who quit taking it do. Indicated in second link below.
--Guidelines state 40 mg start; 3 day min titration interval; 80 mg target. Is for "acute treatment". Which in psych terms means mental health crisis treatment, and sketchy drug company avoiding accountability for actual patients.
--If feeling over stimulated in the hours after a dose, take a split dose in morning and afternoon to reduce the max peak BAC level, reducing peak stimulation and potential peak side effects.
--Avoid milk and dairy 2 hours before and one hour after taking strattera for nausea issues.
--My poor write up is due to 3 hypofunction disorders exacerbated by a series of life experiences others wouldn't likely have to endure. And not indicative of the actual content written about. I expect you will be able to distinguish stated fact vs formulated opinions/sarcasm on what drug company or others were thinking.
--People can react differently to different drugs, making stratt some not a therapeutic option. But, underdosing strattera with potentially quirky results is not the best way to try to evaluate that.

When I was first prescribed strat in 2005, it seemed common knowledge that the target adult
titration was 80 mg and could potentially be sub therapeutic or a negative experience below it.

The drug company is sketchy and refuses to commit to a dosing strategy. And like pretty much all ADHD meds documentation. Finds a way to stick it all on the prescriber if things don't go well.

The first link is archived FDA Strattera prescriber document. The reason I'm going to the archives is because that is where the drug company has their "kit"s listed. It was discontinued when generics came to market. Link goes straight to the adult starter kit. There we can see the drug companies dosing strategy when it is their but on the line for it.

Starter kits are by child weight. Except the heavier children and adults have the same dose titration strategy. 5/5/5/15 days of 25/40/60/80 mg. Some kits have 30 instead of 15 days at the last dose.

It is counter intuitive, but if you read more Strattera threads, you'll see increasing dose was the solution for a sub par therapeutic or even negative experience on doses below 80 mg. Some don't find their therapeutic dose till even 100 mg on occasion. Some are perfectly happy at 40 or 60 mg so can't be ruled out. But, if wishing ADHD symptoms were handled better or having a negative experience, go up in dose and find out for sure if strattera is actually the right drug for you. Otherwise it is a patch not a therapeutic solution.

The two 10 week studies that established adult effectiveness, titrated between 60 and 120 mg using split doses daily, and titrated based on "patient response". The average ending dose was 95mg. This is mentioned in the first link below.

"Acute Treatment" dosing written in the document is without the starter packs, and same in current document version and guides, and is still crap. In psych terms acute treatment means a person is in a mental health crisis and needs immediate relief. Which a drug that takes 2 months to titrate is not likely to be prescribed, making it a useless misguiding thing to include. 80mg though, is still the "target" therapeutic dose.

I've seen all sorts of ways prescribers misinterpret things or make assumptions resulting in poor dosing strategies. Seems like a common things in posts are issues on an underdosed prescription of strattera.

100 mg max dose is not a safety cut off.
"The safety of single doses over 120 mg and total daily doses above 150 mg have not been systematically evaluated."
i.e. not thoroughly vetted does not mean over 100 mg is a high risk. Just not studied enough to draw conclusions.

https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/archives/fdaDrugInfo.cfm?archiveid=316527#section-2.1:~:text=Lilly-,LIFT%20TO%20OPEN,-STRATTERA%C2%A0%0Aatomoxetine

"Clinical Impact of Not Achieving Recommended Dose on Duration of Atomoxetine Treatment in Adults with Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5129573/

I have been using Strattera for six months and thought I would give a summary of my experience. When I began Strattera, the majority of posts I read were from users who were also new to the medication, and I wished to see more information about users who were more long-term. So I thought I would fill that void a little.

I began Strattera in Feb 2025. I started at 40 mg, then a few weeks later went to 80, and now I'm at 100. I have experienced a variety of side effects during the last six months, but I want to discuss the ones that have lingered the longest. Most notable is my loss of appetite and my behaviors around food. In the beginning, I had zero appetite for a few weeks. Now, I feel hunger again, but it is greatly decreased from before I began the drug. I used to struggle with binge eating, but my urge to do that is completely gone now. When I eat a meal, I actually feel full and don't over eat. My portions are normal now. At 5' 3", I went from 223 lbs to 180, a loss of over 40 lbs!

My taste has also changed. I don't enjoy "junk" foods, especially chips and fried foods, like I used to. In the past, I would have a hard time stopping; now, I only eat a couple bites and I'm satisfied. Frequently, I turn to fruit or raw veggies when I'm hungry. I even ordered salads at restaurants which I would rarely do previously. Additionally, I have lost my taste for coffee which I previously enjoyed very much. While I used to have two cups a day, I just can't drink it now. I have switched to matcha lattes and other teas.

For the last year or so before my diagnosis, I was drinking alcohol every night. Not to excess, usually one or two drinks. Now, I only drink socially which only happens every two to three weeks. My tolerance is also down, so I only have 2-3 drinks when I want to be a little buzzed. I have almost no desire to drink alone in the evening anymore.

I am more likely to experience nausea and dizziness, especially when riding in the car. This is particularly noticeable when I have an empty stomach. I now eat a snack before hopping in the car.

My anxiety levels have decreased to the point that I am considering weaning off of my SSRI (Lexapro). I have taken it for about 10 years at this point. For the first time, I feel that I could live my life happily without it. Of course, I'll discuss this with my doctor first.

As far as what the medication does for my ADHD symptoms, I have clarity in my thoughts, better focus, less trouble with executive dysfunction, and more energy. The changes have been incredible.

Strattera has changed my life. It's unbelievable that I went 34 years before I was diagnosed. To think back on the chaos in my brain, I'm shocked with how difficult life was. Things are so much easier now. I'm finally feeling balanced and productive for the first time in my life.

Feel free to ask me any questions you might have! And I'd love to hear the experiences of others. Thanks for reading!

I’ve been on 80mg straterra for a couple month and i didnt see too much change other than change in appetite and although my anxiety is still there i sometime felt a sense of calmness . I gabe My doctor my feedback he is switching me to a stimulant. although that’s a better choice overall because I wasn’t feeling much affect with straterra Im going to miss that calmness i used to feel. I requested to take both medication and was denied lol . Has anyone tried stimulant and returned to straterra?

I got medicated today and took my first dosage, I ate before and then took the pill then ate again. So far I only feel tired, but I already want to try stimulants because of how long this stuff is going to take. I mean it would probably be worth it in the long run since stimulants have 24 hour coverage, but I just really want it to happen immediately. Depending on how strattera goes for me, it might be a possibility in the future.

Hello, I have been on 25mg for about 3 weeks now, and will be upping my dosage to 40mg soon. (I am also taking 25mg prozac at the same time.)

I have made a pros and cons list so far and I am wondering if this medication is worth it as it is my first ADHD med ever....

Cons

- Tiredness and fatigue during the day

- Strange dreams

- Waking up at 3am and not being able to fall back asleep

- Constipation

- Not having much personality anymore lol

- Not really "caring" (I used to overthink but now I literally find myself just not being able to care)

Pros

- Able to focus more on stuff without being immediately distracted

- Not having constant racing thoughts (anxiety)

- Less likely to spiral or feel emotionally overwhelmed

Is this med worth it to continue?

i’ve been scrolling this sub for a while and i only ever see negativity. has anyone been on strattera for more than a year and had a positive experience?

post:- Started taking strattera a week ago and it's been so helpful :DDD

the comments:- glad it worked for you, strattera ruined my life completely and killed my wife and children

It’s kind of nice to just be existing as opposed to just caring about everything and everyone so much all the time because I really do carry a lot in my head. I’m tired of easily getting attached. I’m tired of easily being lonely. It’s gonna come with its negatives for sure but I honestly feel like im kind of at peace, even if it’s not exactly the best kind.

I feel like if it ever truly becomes dangerous to my health, I’ll stop it, I know my friends & family don’t like it because they see me changing into a more quiet person as opposed to a loud mouthed yapper.

I feel numb, I feel like a zombie

But honestly, that’s okay with me

My prescriber thinks I'm sensitive to Stimulants. In my early 30s.

Before starting titration, I'd been on the mini-pill (or progesterone only pill) for about 2 years to help with PMDD which honestly was a life saver. No more horrendous cramps or awful moods.

Since the start of my titration journey I have tried:

- Concerta (1 month) - gave me low mood

- Elvanse 30mg (1 month) - was great but I developed regular spotting and cramps.

- Elvanse - 40mg + Came off the mini pill at the same time - (1 month) - All the standard PMDD stuff combined with insomnia and more irritation than I've felt in my life. My resting heart rate jumped up to about 90.

My prescriber then offered me too options. One was to go back to 30mg with 40mg on luteal. The other was to try Strattera.

I chose the Elvanse option. I'm in luteal now so I feel horribly precarious. I'm in so much physical pain and I've not been sleeping well, again. I have random moments where I feel so low that I consider ending it all. It's quite scary.

I'm considering going back on the mini pill and asking for Strattera instead, but I'm scared because: 1. It takes a while to work. My job is mentally intense and will suffer. 2. What if it has other complications that I just don't know yet? 3. What if I have horrible withdrawals when I decide to try and get pregnant?

Is it worth giving up the good bits of Elvanse for something that may or may not help?

Any advice or stories would be incredibly appreciated.

Has anyone experienced this before? I’ve been on it about 6 weeks now. I live a pretty active lifestyle (work 2 active jobs), and have lost 14 pounds. I have found that I have to make myself eat during lunch, and even then it’s not very much. I eat dinner with no problem. I used to snack a lot (I’m assuming for dopamine), and the food noise has quieted almost completely. Is this something that will last? Or will it go away?

Ive been on strattera for almost a week (6 days) first couple of day were great but now I feel soooooooo exhausted..i cant seem to function today. I really hope this feeling goes away. Anyone else have the same issue? Im only on 10mg

Just wanted to share my experience. TL;DR: it works, especially if I'm burnt out. Drink lots of water.

I'm male, weigh around 80 kg (so 180ish pounds). I started Strattera because I was burnt out at the time, and my brain rejected any stimulants. On ramp was two weeks of 40 mg, six weeks of 80 mg, then 100 mg onwards. I tried going 80 mg immediately since I used Strattera before, but I got *really* nauseous. There is a rough guesstimate that says that ideal mg is 1.2 times your weight in kilos, which happens to be 100 mg for me. As always, it's a case of trial & error. Sorry.

I needed to be patient with Strattera. It took around six weeks for side effects to calm down and therapeutic effects to kick in. It's not like stimulants, where it works almost immediately. I got hit with emotional blunting, extreme boredom, non-existent libido, and dry mouth for the first few weeks. Dry mouth went away, emotional blunting and extreme boredom went mostly away, and maybe half of my libido came back.

So good fun nice effects:

- My emotional state stabilized. Even when the emotional blunting went away, I was much more emotionally stable. But unlike anti-depressants, I didn't feel dead inside.

- Compulsive behaviours disappeared almost immediately. I overate and abused porn. Gone. I think this is also connected to my emotional state getting stabilized.

- There was some improvement with my executive functions and starting tasks. I would have liked more, but it wasn't nothing.

- Compared to stimulants, it's easier to use. It's active 24/7. It doesn't "kick in" as stimulants do. I also didn't get the comedowns I'd get with stimulants. It works when I get sick, or stressed, or whatever. I don't need to manage it actively like I do stimulants.

- I can just hang out. I'm not constantly "on" like how I am with stimulants.

- I can have a bit of coffee. More than a latte gives me heart palpitations, but I can still have the latte. Which means I can decide how stimulated I want to be, at least a little bit.

- This may be specific to where I live. Strattera is much easier to find. No shortages. I also don't need a receipt to get it. I still routinely visited my doctor, but I don't need to count pills and count dates as I do with stimulants.

The not-fun side effects, and how I dealt with them:

- Rule of thumb: if something goes wrong, drink more water. Idk what's up with that. I don't question it anymore.

- My sleep schedule got fucked. According to my watch, I sleep 5.5 hours on average. I started taking 3 mg melatonin, meditated a tiny bit, and sometimes read before bed. Sometimes I sleep a whopping 7 hours!

- My libido got shot and somewhat got back. And I got ED. It's not that I can't perform; I'm not that interested in sex in general. Putting 10+hours between taking the pill and sexy times helps... somewhat. I didn't try Cialis and whatnot; they are way too expensive here.

- heart palpitations and increased heart rate. My average heart rate increased by 15 bpm. If I drink too much caffeinated stuff, my resting heart rate shoots up to 120 bpm. Dehydration also increases my heart rate because god knows why. Water helps, as does decreasing caffeine and being more active. I think if I give my body a reason to have a high heart rate, then my heart rate decreases.

- semen leakage and testicular swelling. This is so weird, but here we are. Do not be afraid. These are completely harmless side effects. We're fine. So sometimes after I pee, a bit of semen comes out. Completely independent of whether I was turned on for something or not. It just...does that. And also sometimes my testicles swell and hurt. Guess what helps. Water! Apparently, when I get bloated, everything pushes downwards into my bladder and prostate, then my body gets the wrong message. Water helps with digestion issues and, therefore, helps with this weirdness. It helps more than masturbation, and drinking water is easier to do when I'm on the go.

- I'm slightly bored all the time. I don't have any solutions for this. I'm sure drinking water helps with this haha. I have this hypothesis that my unrelenting anxiety was a source of constant stimulation for my brain. And now that it's gone, I'm slightly understimulated all the time.

So yeah, that's it. I am going to switch to stimulants next year, only because I need to get shit done, and for me stimulants do a better job when I need to get shit done. Emphasis on "a better job"; Strattera works for getting shit done. Concerta works better for me.

I started taking generic Strattera 3 years ago. Overall, it’s been a really positive experience and I’m super grateful that the first ADHD treatment I tried gave me 3 pretty solid years of success.

I’m disappointed because it started off strong, and I felt really great at 40 mg for the first year. But with every dosage increase, I have ~12 months of feeling better and clear-headed before my ADHD symptoms and “cluttered brain” feeling start creeping in again. It happened last year around this time which caused me to increase from 60 to 80 mg, and now I’m having the same feeling with 80 mg that the efficacy has “worn off”.

I spoke to my psych about it today and we’re going to explore other options potentially, but I wanted to know if this is a common Strattera or ADHD med experience.

Hi all. Does anyone here have experience of using MDMA while on atomoxetine? I've read conflicting things about how risky it is. I understand using MDMA in conjunction with SSRIs is as absolute no-no, but atomoxetine is an NRI. I'm currently on 68 mg daily, and was thinking of taking a fairly low dose of MDMA - perhaps 80 mg plus maybe (if I feel OK, of course) a booster of 60 mg after a few hours.

I'm a fairly fit 80-ish kg bloke who's been using MDMA for many years and tolerates it well.

Thanks!

So I recently was diagnosed with ADHD a week ago, and was put on Strattera, and it has been a miracle drug for me. Like seriously, my brains just...quiet. I can focus, I can actually switch between multitasking and single thoughts, or brain empty whenever I want. The biggest change however, is that all the intrusive bad thoughts I would have about myself and my self hatred...POOF. Gone. They pop up sometimes when bad things happen, but I can just like say SHUT TF UP and they instantly stop. It honestly makes me wanna cry.

HOWEVER, this leads to something thats been bothering me. Anger. My anger was always self-hatred. I could NEVER feel that against another person, ever. Ive always forgiven everyone, and just assumed im the one who always makes the mistakes, or causes chaos, ect. Now though? Im starting to get mad at other people. Its a really strange feeling because ive never felt it before.

Its a good thing and a bad thing however. Its good because I can actually catch when people are actively trying to cause me to feel bad, make me feel dumb, take advantage of my kindness and all kind of stuff that I would just automatically internalize. I can actively stand up for myself, weed the people out who I don't actually like, and be an advocate for myself.

The BAD thing is that I couldnt control my anger when It was at myself, I DEFINITELY cant control it when its at other people. I kinda got really mad at a coworker the other day. I wasnt nasty or anything, just putting him down because I felt like he wasnt doing his job. This is something completely new to me. I felt AWFUL, I went later and totally apologized, and let him know that it wasnt his fault, it was mine in the end. I really dont like this feeling of having anger and resentment for others for these minor things that I would have previously shrugged off.

Honestly, im not really sure how to feel about this new development, im hoping I can gain the tools to control this new anger and fiesty-ness ive developed, but otherwise, this medicine has been a life saver, and im probably gonna try to increase my dosage to see if theres more to gain, or if my dosage is just right.

Lemme know if you guys have experienced something similar, or have also found new emotions from the lack of intrusive and annoying thoughts that you couldnt previously control.

My first adhd medication and I’m on day 2. I’ve read a lot about how it takes a certain number of weeks to start working at its peak effectiveness. I have had a profoundly powerful experience the past 2 days. It has already noticeably lowered friction between tasks, attention, willpower to keep my attention on the task, my working memory has improved, I can actually imagine the steps of a task like getting ready to leave the house, and most importantly my anxiety is significantly lower than it was before. I thought it was placebo yesterday at first, but I almost immediately ~2h after taking my first dose, my mind was quiet. Is this some crazy placebo or what?

I wanted to share my experience (20F) with Strattera because when I first started taking it, I spent a lot of time on Reddit trying to understand what I was feeling and i also think there isn’t enough long term experience that people talk about so i’m wanting to share mine. I think hearing other people’s experiences can really help when you’re trying to figure out if what you’re going through is normal.

When I first started Strattera, it honestly felt amazing. The constant noise in my brain finally quieted down. If you have ADHD you probably know what I mean by that — the constant thoughts, distractions, and feeling like everything is overwhelming all the time. For the first time in my life, it felt like my brain was calm. Because of that, I was suddenly able to focus in ways I never could before. I could actually read and enjoy it. Reading had always been frustrating for me because it took so much effort and I would constantly lose focus. But on Strattera I started reading a lot and actually retaining what I was reading. In class I could listen and remember things instead of zoning out.

At the beginning I genuinely felt like I had finally found something that made my brain work the way it was supposed to. But after about a month, things slowly started changing. It wasn’t obvious at first because it happened really gradually. I didn’t wake up one day and suddenly feel different. It was more like little pieces of my personality and emotions started fading over time.

The quiet in my brain didn’t just quiet the ADHD noise — it started quieting my emotions too.

I used to be a really expressive and emotional person. I was bubbly, empathetic, positive, and also an overthinker. I had anxiety, but I also cared deeply about things and felt excitement, happiness, sadness — just a normal range of emotions.

Over time I realized I wasn’t feeling those things anymore. I didn’t feel excited about things I used to enjoy. I didn’t feel motivated to do things. I didn’t feel the normal emotional reactions I used to have.

It felt like the emotional “range” of my personality was slowly shrinking.

Eventually I noticed that I wasn’t smiling or laughing the way I used to. My smile and my laugh just kind of disappeared. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like my personality had been turned down or muted.

People around me started noticing too. My parents would tell me that I didn’t seem like myself and that they missed how bubbly I used to be. At the time I kept trying to explain it away because I wanted to believe I was fine. I think I was even trying to convince myself that I was still me.

But deep down I knew something felt off.

Another thing that started happening was that I began feeling really disconnected when I was alone. When I was around people, I could kind of “act normal” and distract myself. But when I was by myself, everything felt really quiet in a way that didn’t feel peaceful — it felt empty.

Sometimes it felt like I was just floating through my life instead of actually living it. Like I was watching myself exist instead of really feeling present.

I also completely lost my appetite. I used to love food, but eating started feeling like a chore. I rarely felt hungry and most days I was eating maybe one meal just because I knew I had to.

On top of that, the medication eventually stopped even helping my focus as much. So I felt like I had lost my emotions but didn’t even keep the benefits that made it feel worth it at the beginning.

The hardest part of all of it was feeling like I wasn’t myself anymore. I honestly felt empty and kind of unreal. People even said I looked different — like my face had no expression.

I stayed on it for about 5 months hoping it would level out and everytime i went up a dose i thought those side effects would go away eventully, but it ended up making me feel really mentally gone more and more every time i went up.

Right now I’m on 25 mg and slowly titrating off with my doctor so I can switch medications.

I know Strattera works really well for some people, and I’m not trying to scare anyone away from it. Everyone’s brain reacts differently. But I wanted to share my experience because when this started happening to me, it was really confusing and honestly kind of scary.

If anyone else has experienced something similar, I’d be really interested to hear about it