Strattera and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 2)

• jac...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 11, 2023

For ADHD "When I first started taking this medication, it made my head feel like a balloon that was about to pop. It helped my focus and endurance, and my overall drive to do chores/work/exercise. However, as I increased my dose from the doctor's recommendation, I started realizing that you cannot take this on an empty - or even a not completely full stomach. I had to be extremely careful to eat a big breakfast before I took it, and then by maybe 3 hours later, I would have to eat a good meal again or I would feel extremely nauseous and awful. I think it caused me to gain weight because I had to eat so much to avoid that terrible feeling. I've now been off the drug for a few weeks because I don't like how it makes me feel, even if it does help some with motivation and productivity. I've been feeling the symptoms I mentioned about when I first started taking the drug, like weird headaches and trouble sleeping. I personally wouldn't recommend a dose higher than 20-40mg."

• Nik...
• February 11, 2019

For ADHD "This drug ruined my life. I took it for five months total. I was only on 25 mg, and it was giving me heart palpitations and panic attacks. If I had anything with caffeine, I thought I would die. When I stopped taking this medication, everything spiraled down. I had terrible anxiety, couldn't sleep, couldn't think straight, and had dry mouth for months. This slowly improved over two and a half years until I felt normal again. But now, after being on other medications like Cipro, my symptoms came back, and I have to start over. I'm sensitive to any mood-altering substance and probably will be for the rest of my life! I used to have goals, but now I struggle to survive. I have a friend who came off it fine, but in my opinion, it's not worth it. Other people I've talked to have had similar reactions. I hope I can do good by offering this advice: don't take Strattera to manage ADHD, even though it seems safe. I live with pain and regret every day and would give anything to go back and change my mind about taking Strattera."

• Pum...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 17, 2019

For ADHD "I have felt horrible for weeks, feeling like I'm in the early stages of a disease or disorder. Headaches, joint pain, nausea, constipation, stomach cramps, insomnia, dry mouth, feeling irritated, tired. I've even had eye twitching problems, which I've never had in my life. I get flushed or sweaty. I've woken up with horrible leg cramps, and my toes even feel weird. Never want to take this again."

• Cai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 23, 2021

For ADHD "Been on it for 4 days so far, as well as venlafaxine for 2 and a bit years. The effect of Strattera has been amazing. I don't need to take naps, I can focus, see all the colors in paintings, and don't have a constant radio going in my brain, which has been great, but the downside is I can't sleep. I'm fine once I get to sleep, but since starting it, I've stayed up till 4-5 a.m. and haven't felt tired, even if I've been busy all day. Both of my meds are SNRI medications, I'm very sensitive to dosage and sometimes have paradoxical effects to medication, so it could be any of these things. I do feel a lot calmer and like my brain isn't going so fast."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2012

For Depression "I suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I was given this medicine to help with focus. It reacted in my system as an 'old school' prescription diet pill and exacerbated my symptoms. Reaction included the following symptoms over a period of 4 days: dry mouth, feeling dehydrated, crawling skin and scalp, moderate sinus and eye tension headaches, intense neck and shoulder tension, sleeping issues, very focused and specific brooding thoughts of death and dying, increased racing thoughts, blood pressure shifts, heart palpitations, easily confused, and major short-term memory disruption. Extreme panic/anxiety attacks with 'shock' effects."

• 43...
• November 10, 2015

For ADHD "I'm a 43 y.o. female diagnosed with ADD or ADHD at the age of 30-it's actually the inattentive type if you want to be specific. I kind of knew I had it most of my life because my brother and father had it. Was prescribed Ritalin-had energy, but increased my anxiety and insomnia (1-2 yrs). Only lasted 4-6 hours, but racing thoughts and heart palpitations at night. Now at 43, I had to ask my doctor repeatedly to prescribe Strattera-non-stimulant-helps tremendously with anxiety and I can focus somewhat better. Tired in the day, but I can complete tasks faster-sleeping much better :) Bonus: I pee less during the day. Took about 1 month to kick in-side effects: tingling and tiredness. Got used to it."

• Ziz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 29, 2016

For ADHD "Strattera has proved to be quite beneficial for my cognitive performance. It has increased my memory, attention, and organization of thinking. The side effects I've had have been nausea and trouble sleeping, but as I keep taking it, I'm sure it will subside more. I currently take 40 mg and am working up to 80 mg."

• Sil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 1, 2022

For ADHD "I've been on Strattera for a year and a half for ADHD (although I question the dx; focusing takes more energy than it should, but I'd focus better if I had more energy in general). It works great. It's a very subtle drug. Getting on it was terrible (so much nausea, for over a month), but now I can just... do things. Life feels so much simpler. I don't have to eat sugar before I can focus or get irritable if I'm an hour late on dinner, but on the flip side, food doesn't feel quite so satisfying, and I've lost 30 lbs that I wasn't trying to lose. I don't need nearly as much sleep as before. (On that note, I need to take melatonin before bed every night to combat the side effect insomnia). My emotions feel less pressing, which makes life simpler but also after a year and a half makes me miss the intensity. Sexual side effects: too much arousal too fast makes me feel nauseous rather than good, and significantly decreased libido and a feeling of less sexual responsiveness."

• jam...
• June 26, 2015

For ADHD "15 and diagnosed this year. I have been on it for 4 months (in conjunction with Cipralex). Made a massive difference to my concentration levels and sustained energy, I had no idea it was possible to be this productive. Nausea was awful the first week (even threw up once), but faded quickly. I still need to eat alongside it to prevent nausea, but since I take it at breakfast time, it's not a problem. The only persistent side effect has been weight loss - about 7 kg in the past 4 months - mostly due to appetite loss. I was on Concerta (Ritalin XR) beforehand, and the side effects, such as heart palpitations and insomnia, were awful, also, it didn't help my ADHD symptoms at all. I'd recommend Strattera to people who've had bad results with stimulant ADHD meds."

• HJ1...
• March 19, 2017

For ADHD "Awful experience with this drug after taking it for 5 weeks. Started on 40 mg for 4 weeks, then went to 80 mg. Stopped using it after 1 week on 80 mg. All adverse symptoms became much worse and no relief for ADD at all. Extreme tiredness, dizzy when sitting up, insomnia, intestinal pains, and moderate burning during ejaculation. Was formerly using Adderall for 20 years which worked great, but because of a recent heart attack at age 50, my doctor recommended a change to Strattera. To me, this medication was just awful. The worst of the side effects were complete lethargy/sluggishness and insufferable insomnia. Now I will continue to look for another Adderall replacement or ask my doctor about possibly trying a lower Adderall dose."

• M R...
• April 27, 2016

For ADHD "My doctor put me on basically the fastest titration. 40 mg for 4 days, then 80 mg after that. The first 4 days on 40 mg were awful. The worst of the side effects being insomnia. I had to call out of work for a few days to catch up on sleep. I could not fall asleep at all. The doc prescribed Trazodone to sleep. That helped after being sleep deprived for a few days. I've heard of people upping their dose and having the side effects lessen and positive side effects increase. Wrong. First day on 80 mg I had crippling nausea, body aches, massive headache, off-the-chart irritability, burning urination (with white discharge), and thoughts of suicide. No joke. I've read of people having this happen to them, but it's a rare side effect."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2021

For ADHD "I have 'ADHD without hyperactivity (ADHD of the predominantly inattentive type).' I started 2 months ago at 40 mg. I feel extremely tired, more distracted than before. My thoughts are like a turbulent river with no sense (before my mind was silent and sharp), and the heartburn is killing me. It is the first time in my life that I wake up because of heartburn pain, and the constipation is so bad that I go to the bathroom every 3 days. I have trouble sleeping more than 3 hours straight, my dreams are weird, and I'm still gaining weight despite eating once a day (it's not a thyroid problem), which means I'm still extremely lethargic. I need energy and focus. I don't know why they gave me a non-stimulant thing. I tried Ritalin before and had no effect on me, but at least there were no side effects. The good side is, now I have new things to worry about besides my poor performance at work."

• Bil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 5, 2017

For ADHD "I have been on this med for 4 days now. The first day, I made the mistake of taking it at night before bed, boy, was that a mistake! Up all night, really bad insomnia. Day 2, I took it in the afternoon when home from work at 2 pm. I curled up on the lazy boy and did not want to move, ended up passing out due to pure exhaustion. Needless to say, I did not get up until the next morning, 15 hours later. Day 3, about 1 hour after taking it, developed slight nausea and the feeling of extreme skin sensations, like things crawling on me, but those do subside after about a couple of hours. On 40 mg and going to stick with it and ride it out for a few weeks to see if side effects lessen. Also on 450 mg of Wellbutrin at the same time. I think it is working in a weird kind of way!"

• One...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2017

For ADHD "I am a 27-year-old male, on this drug for 3 weeks, so I can't really comment on its efficacy, as it takes 2-4 weeks to start working. All I can say is it didn't help me. I took 40 mg for 7 days, then went up to 80 mg for 2 weeks. I had to stop taking it because of the side effects - I was getting severe irritability to the point where I was yelling at the top of my lungs at people for minor mistakes and generally grumpy. Based on this and other side effects - needing to urinate far more regularly than usual, heart palpitations, feeling down for no good reason, and insomnia - my doctor decided it wasn't right for me. This is a rare reaction which is unlikely to happen to you, but if you get it, tell your doctor."

• RJC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2023

For ADHD "DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! This is a medicine from hell. My doctor started me on this medication last week, and it has given me crippling insomnia. It makes you groggy during the day but doesn’t allow you to sleep. Ironically, I started this medication because stimulants made me too wired and jittery. This medicine makes stimulants seem like a walk in the park! My side effects got worse as I took more after day three, per the instructions on the label. I finally had enough and threw the bottle in the garbage. This has to be the single worst medication I’ve ever taken in my life. I would rather suffer with ADHD than ever take something like this again."

• Jo ...
• March 4, 2012

For ADHD "My son is 11 and started using Strattera about a week ago after Ritalin was showing some minor side effects. He is currently waking up at night and claiming he can't sleep - this happened every night he took Strattera. We stopped taking it after 4 days because mom was paranoid after reading all the side effects. I didn't connect the insomnia with the medication at first but decided to carry on with Strattera after a talk with the pediatrician - suddenly, he's again struggling to sleep at night. We decided to take it in the evenings now - tonight was the first - we'll see what happens tonight. I am really not sure about this medicine. Wish there was something natural that he could rather take to help with his concentration, etc."

• Anonymous
• November 3, 2011

For ADHD "My 7-year-old son with autism/ADHD took this to decrease impulsivity. He got insomnia, rages/aggression, completely out of control. It would happen about 4 hours after taking 25 mg. It also interferes with his asthma medicines-albuterol. Not for us."

• Dri...
• April 7, 2021

For ADHD "I went on Strattera doing high school upgrades as a mature student and not being keen on stimulants. Doing trade work, I found meds unnecessary as the physicality helped mitigate my ADHD. I slowly went up from the lowest dose to 80 mg. I stayed there for two months and then went to 100 mg. What a disaster. Up to 80 mg, I experienced minor irritability, fatigue, and low mood, but all quite manageable. Within a week of 100 mg, my sanity was wrecked. Irrational hostility, aggression, disorientation, crippling fatigue, confusion, and mood swings. At my lowest point, I was nonfunctional. I had to drop one of my distance courses and may miss my program deadline. I avoided stimulants as I was worried about insomnia. Big mistake. Doctors tell me it'll take a month to wean me off this stuff. YMMV, but if you don't have serious addiction issues, heart problems, or another stimulant contraindication, I suggest avoiding Strattera as a first choice."

• Zak...
• October 14, 2016

For ADHD "I'm from the UK. I have been taking atomoxetine for roughly 5 months for my ADD, which was diagnosed late. The medication had been okay. Recently, its impact on me has started to reduce. I feel that I am able to continue with tasks but am unable to apply focus to the task. In other words, I feel able to continue doing a thing, but the quality of my effort seems diluted (beyond help). This is frustrating because I have to repeat things several times (such as reading things for my master's degree). It has more or less ended other symptoms such as daydreaming, inability to continue at things, sleep problems, and memory issues (though this to a smaller extent over time). I am going to get it changed, though it works for some better than others."

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2016

For ADHD "28-year-old female. I have both positive and negative effects. I have been on Strattera for six weeks. Side effects: constipation, dry mouth, anger, and terrible insomnia. I cannot sleep even after taking zoplicone 7.5 mg. I struggle, and when I eventually do get to sleep, I don't sleep for more than 5 hours, and it's always broken. I wake up several times, so I am always left feeling exhausted. My mood swings, however, have massively improved, pretty much stopped, which I'm very happy about. The only complaint with my mood is that I seem to become very angry over little things. I have had several arguments when I have always suffered from anxiety, so I am not confrontational at all. I am not happy and going to consult my psychiatrist regarding changing meds."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 12, 2021

For ADHD "I've been on it for 5 weeks. I'm a 25-year-old male who just got diagnosed with ADHD. I've assumed I've had it my entire life, but regardless, my wife begged me to try something. So my doctor recommended trying this first before a stimulant because of my high blood pressure. The only thing I feel has improved is maybe my anxiety and my potential to feel a little low. But I feel like I don't enjoy things as much, and my impulsiveness hasn't improved, nor has my focus. I'm tired all the time now, but I cannot sleep. When I do get to sleep, it's never a deep sleep, I always wake up at 2 a.m. and can never go back to sleep. I'm on 40 mg, I've tried taking it in the morning and at night. When I do sleep, I get extremely vivid dreams and nightmares. So I was really hoping this would work, but I'm back to the doctor next week to see what she says. It seems like it either works really well for you, or it's a complete disaster."

• Tpb...
• October 8, 2011

For ADHD "The negative side effects were too much to deal with. I couldn't handle the irritability, agitation, depression, decreased libido and penis size, constipation, chemical odor in my excessive sweating. I couldn't remain in a deep sleep at night, feelings of helplessness and insecurities only when using Strattera. Sadness, and I can understand how suicidal thoughts tend to develop on this medication. There was a slight increase in my concentration. After discontinuing abruptly, the most intense nightmares and sleepless nights followed. Good luck, I hope you're one of the fortunate ones that this medication worked for. I am a 30-year-old male."

• Tes...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 20, 2023

For ADHD "Strattera is awful. I am confident Strattera gave me an autoimmune disease and a lifetime of suffering from insomnia. I have not had any real or good sleep or barely any at all in the past 5 years because of this medication, and it feels like my brain is shutting down."

• Ann...
• September 8, 2016

For ADHD "Was only on this for 4 days. I took 25 mg in the mornings. The side effects were bad and got progressively worse. My head felt weird and also headaches that lasted hours on end. Took extra long to fall asleep the third day. I barely ate the third and fourth day because the nausea was so bad. I would eat something small then feel like vomiting. The last day I tried to take it before bedtime as directed to try to sleep through the bad parts, but ended up calling off work because of severe insomnia. I would not recommend this stuff for anyone. Stay away from this stuff!"

• OhM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2018

For ADHD "They said I could experience insomnia, constipation, and nausea, and that if I stuck with it, they may go away. I got all the side effects after 4 days of taking this and not sleeping at all, having absolute constipation on lockdown, and feeling like I just rode the zipper at the county fair if I so much as sat in a vehicle or turned my head too fast. I stopped taking this stuff! It took another 5 days to slowly get back to being able to sleep, being able to use the restroom normally, and once again experiencing no nausea. I would recommend rejecting any doctor who prescribes this and run if they try to use you as a guinea pig and push the medicine on you!"