Medications

Ok, so I've been reading about Strattera since I've recently started taking it. I read all these horrible side effects and in all caps how people warn others that they should never take this drug.

I want to first say that as a kid/teen I had been on Ritalin and Adderall. I had horrible side effects from them. Yet, they weren't bad enough for my family to think that I shouldn't be taking them.

All I know is that Adderall wouldn't let me sleep! I would run all week then sleep from Saturday night till Monday morning when I would have to take it again. I'm still trying to see how Strattera effects me but so far it's been great! I mean I'm having a sleeping problem but things that use to get on my nerves don't and the nervousness I got with the other two isn't there.

What specific side effects are you concerned about regarding Strattera?

One thing to note is that often if you look up any given medication on the internet, you are more likely than not to find many more negative reviews/commentary/experience than positive. That's just the nature of human beings. Negative experiences stick with us more, and we feel the need to shout such things from the roof tops- but we also need to commiserate. So when you find one person saying that snap bracelets are a menace to society, you will likely find at least ten more also claiming that snap bracelets are a menace to society. Not only that, they should be banned.

...I digress.
Um, most of the medications I have trialed, including the ones I have stuck with for lengthy amounts of time, have all had various individuals claiming they were the devil's own pharmaceutical. Of course the volume of the mod will vary, but so does personal experience and that is why it is difficult to gauge how accurately a random person's experience can apply to your own.

It's usually best to talk to people one-on-one whom you are familiar with who have taken a medication who have similar symptoms and experiences and reactions with other medications to you if you want to try to judge approximately what kind of reaction to expect from a medication you are considering.

But ultimately- you don't actually know until you know.
Which is the frustrating part.

But a good example:
I am on a super high dosage of topiramate- actually 25% higher than the recommended dosage.

I have almost no negative side effects from it.
No kidney stones, no memory or cognitive issues, no time distortion, no word finding problems.
The biggest issue is that occasionally my body temperature gets a bit whacky but that happens in the summer when it gets above 85 or so and I'm aware of it so i take steps to deal with it.

The brand name is Topamax and the cognitive issues such a problem for people that it is often referred to as "dopamax", and people say it makes them "dumber than a box of rocks". Johnson and Johnson actually attempted to trial it as a weight loss medication because of it's supposed affect on appetite [not as common or as effective as is reported], but had to halt trials- so many people dropped out because it was making them too stupid.

If you think about our societal expectations and priorities, I personally find it a bit suprising that there is a medication that would help one lose weight but it was making people so stupid they gave it up.

But my point is- topiramate/Topamax actually works VERY VERY well for a specific set of individuals, myself being one of them. Usually they are people who have some type of dysfunction in the temporal lobe of some sort.

But this isn't always obvious as the case- so all the people who go online and say it came directly from Beelzebub himself likely don't have any of the specific issues it best treats. But no one knows that and so are given the impression it is just a horrible medication.

TL;DR [ok, way too late on that]
Take into consideration what you read, but not too much. Just keep track of what you are experiencing and maybe refer back to the prescribing information sheet- usually easily found on the pharm company's website, and make a judgement whether you think it is do to the medication. Often side effects subside. If it doesn't, then make a decision as to whether it is tolerable.


Josie

If you're not experiencing any side effects from the Strattera, don't worry about it too much (although: disclaimer, I don't know the specific side effects of Strattera). But just remember that everyone reacts differently to drugs so just be cognizant of the side effects and when/if they start to crop off, get in touch with your pdoc. I feel like if you're not experiencing anything, you may be responding well!

I take Adderall too and it can interfere with my sleep. I kind of use it on a "as needed" basis with 40mg as my max dose and I try to stay below that if possible. Two suggestions: decrease the dosage, if possible (I totally get that it may not be a realistic possibility for you. On some days, it's not realistic for me)... and then the other option is talking to your pdoc about adding some kind of drug with sedating properties, preferably with a short half life so you're not "hung over" the next morning. I take a low dose of klonapin at night to ward of anxiety the next day and to help me sleep at night. In the past, I've took Sonata, which has a really short half life so you can take it at like 2AM if you're really having trouble sleeping and not be foggy the next morning. Just some suggestions that you can possibly bring up to your pdoc.