[prius1]

Not to go into a rambling rampage, but I am excited to get this under control. For years, I have thought I might be bi-polar or manic. I'd have high-high's and low-low's. However, neither lasted long. It wasnt one of the situations where I'd be in the dumps for days...it would maybe last an hour at most, then way back up.

I'm 31 and have been married for 9 years. I am thankful to have an overly understanding wife, that has been so patient to my moodiness. Not only has this condition made me overly irritable, I've had many of the following traits:
-Extremely critical
-Hard time maintaining friendships-as the slightest annoyance would bother me.
-OCD tendencies- particular about everything.
-Short attention span
-Constantly had to be planning a trip, event
-Traded cars constantly- must have something to be looking for
-Always extremes- very frugal one minute, to luxury purchases the next
-Hard time following through with great ideas/business strategies
-A constant interest/awareness of other women, though my wife is gorgeous and everything I could ever want.
-Never content in general...mind constantly racing and must be fixated on something new.
-Constantly high strung
-Constant extremes on everything

I went to the doctor last week and started on Strattera 25mg once per day. He mentioned Adderoll, but I've heard it tends to be addictive. But, wow, it's expensive! Approx $170 per month after insurance.

I immediately noticed a more mellow feeling, but not a drugged feeling. I've had a slight burning at ejaculation, but no burning feeling at urination which I've heard many reports of. Unless it gets more intense, I can deal with the slight burn.

I'd be curious to hear if your experiences/symptoms have been similar. I can honestly see this process turning my life around. My family has come to resent that I am always the tense one in the room and the one that tends to be the stick in the mud. I can't wait until I learn to relax and just enjoy simple times. I have a huge heart for people and am typically an overly affectionate, caring person. However, this dark side has become too predominant.

Thanks for letting me talk....

[Queen of Chaos]

I'm sure ADD/ADHD effect everyone differently and I think they effect men differently from women. I was diagnosed with ADD back in the 90's but we share few symptoms. I have the attention span of a gnat, lack focus, lack concentration, am the most passive human being on earth, have no need for perfection in anything, etc. I was the quiet, daydreaming, creative/artistic child who grew up to have a really hard time meeting the demands of being a wife, mother, working, etc.

My greatest blessing is my husband who (for 45 years) has always been the primary breadwinner, made sure our bills got paid on time, seems to be able to understand or ignore what a poor housekeeper I am and, thankfully, has never once pressured me to manage things as well as everyone else I know seems to.

I've never taken Strattera - I've taken Adderal and liked it very much. Recently I was prescribed Vyvanse and I like it tremendously. You wanna' talk about relaxation? How many people can take a stimulant drug and fall asleep?

I suspect a curtain has lifted, you've come to the realization that something (be it Strattera or something else) has the power to change personality traits that bother you to such a degree that you're aware and understand that they're noticeable to others. The "dark side" can be improved dramatically but it probably won't be a quick fix or a permanent fix - odds are you'll need to always be conscious of how different drugs effect you, sometimes you'll take something great for awhile and then it won't be as effective, BUT you now understand how things effect you, through absolutely no fault of your own, and I predict a happier future.