Posted by jrbecker on January 17, 2003, at 10:43:27
In reply to Re: Straterra - No other takers?, posted by tia on January 17, 2003, at 6:43:22
Well it's been 5 days on Strattera and I feel guilty already for not having provided more frequent updates, but I didn't want to report back to hastily. So here goes...
First of all, I just want to stress that I am defintely an exception to the rule as it goes in terms of reacting to medication. I suffer from severe atypical depression and am very senstive to meds. I am only taking 18 mg of Strattera right now for starters. Also, I take only 2.5 mg daily of Lexapro for AD treatment. Likewise, in past treatments, I have taken only 10mg of Celexa, 37.5 mg of Effexor, and a half of the 2.5 mg tablets of Focalin per dose. Anything higher, is very jarring to me. So as you can see, I am VERY sensitive to meds. Ironically enough, I am a 6'1" 180 lb. male.
So here's the skinny on Strattera:
PRO: great mood effect. I am definitely feeling more cheery and alert. Motivation has increased. Not a problem getting up in the morning. More alert and more *mentally* calm. Stimulants seem to give my thought process "tunnel vision" while Strattera is not as harsh. I am much more alert, but not as hyperfocused than when I am on the stims. There are no rebound effects late in the day. Another big plus, is that I don't get irritable like I did on the stims, but more the opposite, I am much more pliable and adaptive to stress. Socially, it is definitely a help, not only in being more social but wanting to seek out conversation (the latter being more my problem).
All in all, the efficacy seems to be increasing every day more that I am on it even though I haven't increased the dose yet.THE FOLLOWING ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS, WHICH HAVE FADED MORE WITH EVERYDAY ON THE MED:
CON: During the early hours of the med's peak absorption, I have a lot of peripheral effects, such as racing heart, high blood pressure and slight muscle tension. I have also had some restless periods of sleep, though this is getting better everyday. Sexually, it has caused some pretty bad issues with anorgasmia, although this is a problem with every drug I have been on -- others will probably find this effect very minor. AS many others have reported, I have experienced a slight drying of the skin as well as some constipation, but nothing bad. As I mentioned, these effects are fading. Since I have only been on it 5 days, I can assume that these will be minimized in the week to follow. My biggest complaint out of all of them is the increased heart rate (which I have to begin with). My doc and I have already discussed the option of a beta-blocker if this doesn't go away on its own.
OK, so there it is. Hope this helps. Sorry I can't be like the others and report in every day. But I hope I can give you another update in less than a week's time to see if there is any more improvement.
poster:jrbecker
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030113/msgs/136259.html