Posted by Viridis on July 4, 2003, at 0:36:19
In reply to Re: Help! Taking Straterra » Gradstudent, posted by Dinah on July 3, 2003, at 9:20:11
I'm new to Straterra too -- I've been on it for about three weeks. I tried 25 mg/day for the first few days and it was fine. It has a mellowing, focusing effect for me and seems to improve my mood too.
After four days I went to 40 mg and suddenly had side effects -- stiff neck and shoulders, minor nausea, and dry mouth. The positive effects were still there, though; I posted here and fallsfalls suggested I ride it out. After about a week, the nausea and stiffness disappeared, although I still do have some dry mouth issues (this isn't too bad; I just drink more water).
A couple of days ago I tried 65 mg and it made me feel kind of spaced out and dizzy. Today I took 50 mg and that was fine. So, I think I'm hovering around the right dose for me (40-50 mg range), but may try to bump it up a bit, gradually.
I've taken various antidepressants that have caused much worse side effects, and been told by doctors that these would disappear -- except they never did, even after weeks or months. Strattera is different (for me at least, and apparently fallsfalls too) in that the side effects really have gone away.
I find it a very positive drug for concentration and mood, and so far it's been well worth the transient side effects. It may or may not be right for you, but I'd give it a chance. If the dose seems too high, try a smaller amount and build up gradually. Some people here have reported good results at 18 mg while others need 80 -- like just about all the other meds, there's tremendous individual variation.
Good luck (with Strattera and your dissertation)!
poster:Viridis
thread:238936
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030701/msgs/239135.html