My psych wants to take me off Strattera because it isn’t helping my ADHD and apparently it’s quite expensive.
One thing it is helping me with though is my anxiety – I no longer get the random bouts of anxiety that I used to and I feel like I’m just generally more chill and enjoying the present moment.
What’s more, I can actively feel the Strattera keeping me calm at times when my brain would have panicked before, like when approaching girls.
Do you know if other anti-anxiety meds my psych is likely to give me will have this same effect, or should I urge him to keep me on Strattera?
You must log in or # to comment.
Are you sure it’s not helping your ADHD? The emotional regulation improvements could very well be ADHD improvements. Have you gone through the titration process?
I would also ask this.
Stratera was the first medication a doc put me on, and I was maybe 8 or 9 at most, but even I recall what was insufficiently described as more confidence and felt like better mood regulation overall.
But I was drug through the least consistent medical care for most of my childhood. If I wasn’t making their lives miserable, then we just didnt go, no matter how horribly I was feeling etc etc.
I’ve been diagnosed with AdHd/ADD by 3 seperate doctors over my life already, each with a new suggested med, and currently having to wait a bit longer than I think is fair just have a fourth doctor do the same so that I can recieve meds in this state.
I’ve never been on any singular medication and dosage to speak on much of anything with certainty, but I do remember for a a moment that Stratera was helpful. I was only allowed to take it for a bottle or so I think, so i’m not sure.
Pretty sure that it was one the two least gut-affecting meds I have tried though.
Ritalin being the absolute worst, meth fucked with my stomach less than even the initial dose Ritalin did. I remember being upset with teachers all the time cause of how much time I felt I had to spend in the bathroom, so I was focused… on how anxious I was.
Meth sucks other ways though, so don’t go get some cause you’re tum tum hurts kids. Hands down thats the dumbest shit I ever did by a long lead.
Yes I’ve been on it for half a year now. I feel like I’m emotionally still the same (good thing) but the background anxiety that always used to constrain me has gone. I’ll have a talk with my psych and ask him once more if he could keep me on it. (My ADHD problems are more to do with not being able to focus on boring things rather than emotional dysregulation)
If you make it clear how effective the Strattera is for you, and that you’re concerned a replacement won’t be as effective or will come with side effects you don’t currently experience with Strattera, they should keep you on it. It’s hard finding medication that works for you, and managing anxiety is a key part of managing your ADHD symptoms as it’s one less distraction to contend with. Fingers crossed for you, good luck!
I was on Buspar for about 2 months. Completely got rid of anxiety for me. That’s when I learned that anxiety was an important motivation for me because I stopped caring about everything so much, that I started to let everything go. It wasnt that I was stupid or emotionally blunted. I just had absolutely no anxiety to motivate me to get anything done.
I was originally in bupropion for my anxiety and it does help. I also take concerta after being diagnosed with ADHD, but bupropion absolutely helps with anxiety.
Hope you cope soon.
Thank you
Like mentioned by others, the emotional regulation is a good result from your current medication. Is your psych recommending you switch to another medication?
I’m on antidepressants for my ADHD so the experience is likely slightly different, but being on ritalin solely at the beginning occasionally sent me into a focused spiral into very unhappy feelings that seemed even more consuming than usual. Then I switched to generic wellbutrin, which wasn’t for long but gave me insomnia.
Currently on Pristiq now and I and my partner have noted significant improvements in my short term memory and emotional regulation. Maybe your psych thinks there’s something that can address more than one symptom? Hope it works out for you.
You say you had problems with short term memory – did you keep forgetting what you were doing have having to re-trace your steps/thoughts? This is one of my problems, it’s gotten so bad that I forget like every 2 minutes and always mumble ‘What was I doing? What was I doing?’ to myself…
Yeah, a lot of that. If you gave me 5 tasks in a row I’d remember maybe the last 2 and wouldnt even remember there were more tasks. Now my memory is noticeably a lot better. I usually remember what I came back to my room to grab now. It’s very different from what I dealt with before…
Of course I do recommend writing down work tasks and stuff when you can - it helps supplement and cover for the bits you still end up forgetting.
Have you tried Wellbutrin[Buproprion]?
Did that ease your latent anxiety as well? Have you been on both?
