Strattera and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 2)

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

For ADHD "I made the switch from Vyvanse to Strattera about 3 months ago, for no particular reason other than wanting to give a non-stimulant a go. A few hours after my first dose (40 mg), I was hugging the toilet, vomiting. My doctor said nausea is normal and to push through it. 3 months later, I am up to 60 mg. The first hour after I take the pill is still awful. Pounding/racing heart, nausea, and stomach discomfort, scattered thoughts, etc. Some days are better than others, and overall, my mood has improved a little, but nothing noteworthy has happened in regard to my ADHD. I gave this drug an honest go, and it's just not working out. Even after the side effects wear off, I'm still feeling exhausted and unmotivated, and unable to get my thoughts in order. I see what people mean when they say a drug makes them feel like a 'zombie.' I'll be switching back to Vyvanse ASAP."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2018

For ADHD "I took Strattera 10 mg for a few days but had to stop. Even at 10 mg, constant headaches, tiredness, hot flashes, heart palpitations, and my skin felt tight and a bit itchy. There was more, but I'll stop there. No thanks. I know some people say to wait it out for 4-6 weeks because it's worth it, but I have a feeling, given how terrible I feel on it, that it won't work out. Everyone is different, and while it will probably work for other people, it's not working for me. It's also very expensive."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2015

For ADHD "(18 years old, 104 lbs, 5'0) I was on 25 mg and switched to 40 mg as I hadn't noticed anything after a month. So far, I have dry mouth sometimes, feel more tired, nausea after taking the pill. Also, those around me have noticed that I am blah all the time after I take it and that I completely change from my upbeat personality to very flat. I will be talking to my doctor about taking a stimulant instead so I won't have to take it every day."

• Ali...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2017

For ADHD "I read all these reviews, and I still took it. I told my doctor about the reviews and my concerns, and she pushed me to try it, so I did. Progressively, I could not leave my house. I was so tired. I could only have the strength to shower once every 9 days. I felt myself becoming more and more tired, and for some reason, I just stayed with it. I gradually increased the dosage and took it with food, all the tips everyone's said I've done because I wanted it so badly to work. But it has made me sick, and I'm not sure if I've recovered even now, a month after stopping. The final straw was me starting to feel worse than I had been in years. Please do not be like me. I saw the reviews, and I did not listen."

• AJ ...
• February 16, 2016

For ADHD "Strattera made me tired during the day and kept me awake at night. It was miserable at night. I took it for 3 months before I couldn't take it anymore. Now I take 200 mg of Wellbutrin twice daily, and that seems to help quite a bit with my morale and the way I view myself in the world. Honestly, the Strattera made a zombie out of me."

• Wil...
• May 30, 2016

For ADHD "I'm giving it a 5 for the moment. I just started it last week, and it looks like I'll have to commit at least 2-3 months to see if it really helps. The first week, I was on 25 mg, and I could feel the change in productivity and lack of procrastination. However, when talking to people, I almost felt like I was over-focusing, which resulted in not hearing what they were saying at all. I did have a couple of days of facial flushing and water retention. Today, I started 60 mg, and I haven't been as lethargic and tired in a long time! I got hardly anything done. My eyes were burning because I just wanted to sleep. I felt down on myself for being so lazy."

• cha...
• November 9, 2015

For ADHD "I had such high hopes for Strattera, but it was completely ineffective and actually made my condition worse. I wanted it to help me focus on work: sending emails, making phone calls, generally being able to work at a computer and other things. I started at 40 mg a day, and found myself slightly more tired. I raised it to 60 mg a day and seemed to get more tired and less motivated to get anything done. Finally, I went to 80 mg and still no help with focus. I just found that I was lethargic, unmotivated, and tired. I took naps and lazed around, but didn't get as excited about things as I had before the medicine. My job requires creativity, and it's hard to be creative if you're not excited about it. So, I actually became LESS productive."

• cha...
• November 9, 2015

For ADHD "I had such high hopes for Strattera, but it was completely ineffective and actually made my condition worse. I wanted it to help me focus on work: sending emails, making phone calls, generally being able to work at a computer and other things. I started at 40 mg a day, and found myself slightly more tired. I raised it to 60 mg a day and seemed to get more tired and less motivated to get anything done. Finally, I went to 80 mg and still no help with focus. I just found that I was lethargic, unmotivated, and tired. I took naps and lazed around, but didn't get as excited about things as I had before the medicine. My job requires creativity, and it's hard to be creative if you're not excited about it. So, I actually became LESS productive."

• 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."

• ema...
• July 4, 2021

For ADHD "I’ve been on Strattera for about a month. The only thing it has helped with is not being able to fall back asleep when I wake up in the morning, so I have a little more time to get ready. Other than that, it’s made my ADHD symptoms worse. If I don’t have caffeine with it, I’m extremely tired, constantly nauseous, it made my executive dysfunction worse, so it has not helped productivity whatsoever. I notice I forget what I was about to do and misplace things a lot more, and I have cried and been sad for a lot more days on it than I have felt good. It has also worsened suicidal thoughts and depression."

• Taw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2018

For ADHD "The first 2 months on it are awesome... focus, drive, energy... but I need a nap 5 hours after I take it. Then there’s a shift. I’ve done this twice: taking 80mg for 2 months, then all of a sudden, I’m angry. Agitated. Outbursting. Cannot focus to save my life... and exhausted. I’ve never tried Ritalin, but I may now."

• 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."

• 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."

• sni...
• June 5, 2015

For ADHD "I am an adult with ADD. I took Strattera according to my doctor's recommendations, starting with 25 mg and upping the dosage to 80 mg gradually for 6 weeks. I noticed nausea almost immediately after I started taking the medicine, along with unusual bouts of tiredness. I continued with the plan, as I was told some of the initial side effects would ease as my body became accustomed. The side effects began to get worse, with frequent sweats, occasional sore throat, EXTREME tiredness, and the worst constipation I have ever had. I will say that my ability to stay focused was improved dramatically, but the side effects made it impossible to stay on the medicine."

• Sha...
• August 25, 2016

For ADHD "This stuff must've been brewed up by a demon in the depths of hell, 'cause it was awful. I can't explain the feeling when it kicked in other than I wasn't prepared, and I could definitely feel it kick in. Also, it was too much for me to really be helpful. I felt a lot like I did when I tried to take Vyvanse once, and it was so bad I threw the stuff away, and years later I'm just trying to get back on meds. Well, it also makes me really tired and agitated, but it's difficult to sleep after it kicks in because for the next three or four hours, it just hits me in waves. A week into taking it, I started getting so bummed I eventually started feeling suicidal. Will never take this stuff again."

• Ton...
• August 12, 2015

For ADHD "I was prescribed Strattera for ADD, 40 mg, and I was only on it for 6 days. I was warned about the side effect of having nausea and to eat before taking meds in the morning. I started Strattera on a Saturday morning, and by that night I had diarrhea so bad that I thought I would have to sleep sitting on the toilet. I also had the feelings of being constantly angry, I had really bad headaches, depression, tiredness, it worsened my anxiety, and any time I would eat, I ended up on the toilet for quite a while. I was put on Strattera to help me with my ADD lack of concentration, etc., needless to say, it didn't work whatsoever. My poor butt thanked me when I quit taking it, hahaha."

• Sca...
• February 2, 2016

For ADHD "The first month on Strattera, I did not feel well. It made me tired and grumpy. Then, after it stopped being a nuisance, it started being nothing. No help, ZERO. Waste of time, money, and liver. I quit cold turkey after my 6th month script ran out. Too expensive to continue paying a lot of money for ZERO. (I no longer had the same insurance that had a copay. I do not know how much it would have cost with my new insurance.)"

• big...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2022

For ADHD "I'm a woman in my mid-20s, a petite thing with a fast metabolism, under 120 lbs. So I was started on 10 mg, 1 pill a day, the lowest dosage from what I've seen, and I took this for two days. Strattera gave me the WORST side effects I've ever dealt with in a medication, constant nausea and hunger (it suppresses the appetite, NOT a good feeling) for a week so far, inconsistent tiredness, mood swings, headaches, restless leg syndrome symptoms. I keep feeling a tingling/pins and needles or tickle feeling in my left leg and foot AND my upper middle chest. It kept me up at night, and I jolted around for hours struggling to get a wink of sleep because the feeling just made me need to move! The last thing I need is less food to eat. When I started getting my appetite back and felt hungry and ate WITHOUT NAUSEA, I almost cried (in joy, of course). Yeah, this stuff was not worth it, I would never take this for weeks on end."

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2019

For ADHD "Adult ADHD diagnosed with the onset of depression at age 32. I was on 60 mg of Adderall, but doctors will not prescribe controlled substance anymore due to liability of my insurance through Medi-Cal right now. Strattera has done absolutely nothing for me. I started off with the dosage of 40 mg and went up to 80 mg. Makes me tired and nothing else. Pointless to even take, just like Ritalin was."

• Dif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 20, 2021

For ADHD "26 yr old, 3 weeks on 40 mg Strattera. The first few days I was slightly nauseous for an hour and felt on edge with the smallest things. Day one, I fell asleep unintentionally for 2 hrs after work. The tiredness has not yet left. Currently, the nausea has pretty much gone away, but I feel distant from what’s going on around me. I zone out in thought and don’t feel motivated, where before the medication I would have moments of energy to get something done and hopefully finish it. I’m drinking coffee all day to stay awake, and it's not having much of an effect. I have noticed the racing thoughts and the need to be doing something has gone away, but almost in a bad way. All the reviews are saying to give it 4-6 weeks, so I’m hoping for the best. (Almost didn’t finish this review because I didn’t care to after starting it)"

• Bec...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2021

For ADHD "I was okay at first. Then, 4 weeks into taking this, I'm tired, sluggish, itchy, irritable, constipated, nauseous, headaches, and having horrible, crazy dreams. This drug needs to be taken off the market with all the side effects. I can't believe doctors actually prescribe this drug, and I'm in the process of looking for a new one after he put me on this. Don't take this medication unless you don't want to poop or you want to call off sick because you think you have COVID or the flu due to the horrible side effects. I would give a zero for the rating. But that's not an option."

• Not...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 23, 2021

For ADHD "I mostly had an issue with lack of motivation, depression, and suicidal ideation due to this med. It also made me very tired. I was on the med for ten months. Here’s the timeline of my experience: 1. The first month, I had started at 40 mg. I had a whole range of side effects. Most of them went away. The only symptom that stayed was me being tired and unmotivated. I had depression and suicidal ideation, but it went away before the one-month mark. 2. Around the 2nd to 3rd month, a lot of my ADHD symptoms were under control, like hyperactivity and impulsiveness. It didn’t matter, though, because I was tired. I had to supplement with caffeine to get some energy. 3. Month 4, I tried 60 mg and had horrible depression and suicidal ideation. I went back down to 40 mg, and the depression subsided after a week or 2. 4. Month 9, I decided to get off Strattera (my current situation). Lots of depression and suicidal ideation again. Be careful."

• liv...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 27, 2012

For ADHD "I have been on Strattera for 6 years. I take one 18 mg a day. When I take it, I don't feel like myself. I feel depressed. I feel tired all the time. So for me, I don't like it, but so far, they haven't found anything else that will work for me."

• Ato...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 6, 2015

For ADHD "45-year-old woman, 138 lbs, 5'7''. Started at 25 mg and titrated slowly. Noticed within a week my stress responses improved. Continued to increase as there was no change to organization, memory, or attention. Felt okay even at 100 mg. Then since I started 120 mg, I feel quite unwell. I don't think I can sustain this dose as side effects are strong: nausea after 1 hr of ingestion, tiredness, feeling as though I've had too much strong coffee. The side effects are definitely more pronounced if I'm not doing anything, so I try and stay active and never take this on an empty stomach! I'll give it 2 more weeks at 120 mg (which will be 6 weeks total), then gently titrate down. It gives me palpitations, too, which make me unhappy. I get this free on NHS in the UK."

• Lui...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2016

For ADHD "I am just starting to take this medication. I'm 54 years old. I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2006 but never took this medication. I hope I'm not making a mistake. For now, my insurance pays for it 100% because I met my out-of-pocket max for the year. I have Harken Insurance, which is phenomenal insurance if you can get it. It's not offered in every state, but Georgia is one. It sounds very expensive, but the main point is that it helps my ability to focus and be more productive and not feel tired or irritable."