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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on September 18, 2003, at 19:25:35
In reply to anyone have side effects from strattera, posted by suzie on September 18, 2003, at 8:43:41
> I'm thinking about asking my doctor to put me on strattera, since nothing else seems to be working. Has anyone had any side effects from this drug?
Posted by KimberlyDi on September 19, 2003, at 8:25:37
In reply to anyone have side effects from strattera « suzie, posted by Dr. Bob on September 18, 2003, at 19:25:35
Major insomnia. General edginess and some naseau. I'm doing ok on it, though I'm having to increase my dosage slower than my pdoc prescribed. I do notice improvement in my ability to focus and remember where I put my car keys. :)
KDi in Texas
> > I'm thinking about asking my doctor to put me on strattera, since nothing else seems to be working. Has anyone had any side effects from this drug?
Posted by utopizen on September 20, 2003, at 1:46:22
In reply to Re: anyone have side effects from strattera « suzie, posted by KimberlyDi on September 19, 2003, at 8:25:37
> Major insomnia. General edginess and some naseau. I'm doing ok on it, though I'm having to increase my dosage slower than my pdoc prescribed. I do notice improvement in my ability to focus and remember where I put my car keys. :)
>Given that it can either cause insomnia, somnolence, or both, and that it's such a new drug, and that the patient can continue to take the stimulant while trying it, I don't know why patients don't just try it at 10mg increments a week, or 5 days, or something like that.
Posted by Kacy on September 20, 2003, at 9:30:47
In reply to Re: anyone have side effects from strattera « suzi, posted by utopizen on September 20, 2003, at 1:46:22
I had a little bit of nausea the first day I took it. After that, I took it with food each morning. Within a week or two, I could take on an empty stomach without a problem. The side effect that won't go away is afternoon sedation. At 80 mg., it passed by the six week mark. When I went to 100 after the effects of 80 waned, the sedation returned and became worse.
The 'ol key test. I can find my keys, too, so it's helping.
Posted by Viridis on September 22, 2003, at 0:47:04
In reply to anyone have side effects from strattera « suzie, posted by Dr. Bob on September 18, 2003, at 19:25:35
I had some side effects with Strattera, and went up gradually with dosing. At each step, the side effects were fairly mild, lasted several days, and then all but one (dry mouth) disappeared. I discussed this with my pdoc recently, and he said my experience is similar to that of some of his other patients.
I started at 25 mg and that was fine. A few days later I moved to 40 mg and experienced some nausea and muscle aches for about a week, then these went away. Then I went to 65 mg and had the same response, which lasted a few days. I'm about to go to 80 mg and expect some minor discomfort at first.
As I mentioned, the one thing that hasn't subsided is dry mouth. Luckily, I can easily alleviate this by making sure that I have water to sip on frequently. It isn't a big deal for me.
My pdoc says the consensus from his patients is that the dosing strategy I described above seems about right for most people. He will not start patients at a full dose, but the titration can be quite rapid. I like Strattera and find it good for focus and stress reduction. It also seems to have a mild antidepressant effect.
Posted by mothermayi on October 9, 2003, at 11:54:44
In reply to Re: anyone have side effects from strattera « suzi, posted by Viridis on September 22, 2003, at 0:47:04
Doc just put my 5 yr old AD/HD child on strattera. Started him off on 18 mgs, for 4 days and tomorrow goes up to 25 mgs. He has thrown up two days out of the 4 and been falling asleep in school. Other than that, he's had nothing else. I wonder if this will fade, or I should call doc back and ask that he be changed onto something else.
Posted by Cairo on October 10, 2003, at 4:59:53
In reply to Re: anyone have side effects from strattera « suzi, posted by Viridis on September 22, 2003, at 0:47:04
Strattera brought on depressive symptoms in my teenage daughter. We started at 10mg and increased the dose gradually. At the lower doses her attention improved slightly, but as we increased slowly, fatigue became extreme and it brought on depressive symptoms. Her anxiety and withdrawal had been coming on before then, but the Strattera definitely increased the symptoms which improved somewhat again after we tapered off. Attention was never helped that much, but we never were able to optimize her dose.
Psychostimulants (Ritalin and the like) cause withdrawal in her, and they increase norepinephrine and dopamine, so I'm wondering if kids who have withdrawal side effects on stims might not do well on Strattera.
Cairo
Posted by KimberlyDi on October 10, 2003, at 15:16:38
In reply to Re: anyone have side effects from strattera, posted by mothermayi on October 9, 2003, at 11:54:44
He may be falling asleep at school because he can't sleep at night. When I started Strattera, I was alittle bit queasy also. Does he eat it with a meal? Strattera can make me jittery, short-tempered, and alittle more agressive than I am normally. Other than that, it's been a good experience for a long sufferer of ADD symptoms.
I've been told Stratter takes longer to show positive benefits than Ritilin.
KDi in Texas
> Doc just put my 5 yr old AD/HD child on strattera. Started him off on 18 mgs, for 4 days and tomorrow goes up to 25 mgs. He has thrown up two days out of the 4 and been falling asleep in school. Other than that, he's had nothing else. I wonder if this will fade, or I should call doc back and ask that he be changed onto something else.
Posted by Kacy on October 13, 2003, at 18:22:32
In reply to Re: anyone have side effects from strattera, posted by mothermayi on October 9, 2003, at 11:54:44
The sedation affects can be strong. I doubt that I could just shake them off and keep concentrating. You might need to augment Strattera with Ritalin or another stimulant until you see if the side effects pass on weekends. Maybe soft drinks could help, too, but that would be using caffeine. Mountain Dew or Pepsi or Coke might be worth a try.
My heart goes out to him. The sedation is overwhelming. The effects passed for me at the initial therapeutic dose at about six weeks. However, when I needed to go up another level, the side effects would not go away. I think for some people they do and for others they don't.
This is the end of the thread.
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