Posted by zeugma on June 9, 2004, at 18:34:16
In reply to Re: strattera trial ends » zeugma, posted by Viridis on June 9, 2004, at 6:20:46
> Interesting... Strattera seemed to help me at first with focus and depression, but it completely destroyed my appetite. I had no interest whatsoever in food, became extremely dehydrated as well, and (strangely) began slurring my words (suggestive of cerebellum damage). All of these side effects stopped within a few days of discontinuing it (except the speech difficulties, which took a bit longer to subside). I liked it at first, but the benefits quickly diminished while the side effects just got worse.
>
> Scary drug for me, but maybe good for others? My pdoc wanted me off it immediately when I told him this (although he was amenable to a taper schedule if necessary), and I had no trouble at all with sudden discontinuation after about 6 months (max dose 80 mg).That's the reason you are seeing the same pdoc while I am not. He was not interested in the worsening of my condition, he only advised me to take it at 4 pm and bedtime. I decided on hearing this that he was no longer my pdoc, and I suffered from an episode of insomnia last night (after my 4 pm dose) that gave me the familiar Strattera combination of 'alerting' and fatigue. Luckily I had some buspirone on hand which I took around midnight, and I was able to get a few hours of sleep last night.
The word-slurring is a disturbing effect. This drug is not as well studied as the tried-and-true AD's and ADD meds (TCA's, amphetamine et al.) and the drug reps are pushing it hard. What made up my mind was his seeming willingness to get me off every other drug first to determine what was causing my excess fatigue (as an inattentive ADD'er and probable narcoleptic I have fatigue enough at baseline, thank you) and his eagerness to, for instance, discontinue the tricyclic nortriptyline (which has been off patent for about 2 decades), in contrast to his response to my discovery that, in his words, Strattera was the 'culprit': no dose reduction at all, just change the time of administration! As if my am dose didn't wipe me out for the whole day anyway.
I am glad to hear your side effects abated quickly and hope that mine do so as well. I only needed one cup of coffee to get me through the day, plus some Coke in the afternoon. Hopefully the fatigue will continue to diminish.
poster:zeugma
thread:353502
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040608/msgs/355215.html