#strattera

Atomoxetine

I'm not pissed that there's something I really want to do like drawing or sewing but I have to do this chore first. No, I'm just excited to get there.

I don't need to mentally prepare for an hour before doing the chore.

I'm not bored out of my mind. I can work with no music, no video running in the background, I don't have distracting thoughts. No thoughts at all actually. Just PEACE.

I have ENERGY, both physically and mentally. I'm not tired, I don't drag myself through the chore. I work fast, even sort of multitasking, ideas are organized, ideas flow well, good workflow.

Short term memory is better.

I crave less sugar/junk food.

Among other things.

Things that haven't changed too much:

I still hyperfixate with activities (and in general). The past months I haven't touched my drawings or crafts, I've only been wanting/craving to sew.

I still leave things unfinished to start something else. I not only have art WiPs but also clothing WiPs. Imagine.

Now...... There are days/weeks when the medicine doesn't quite work. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what causes it, but I guess it's poor quality sleep. I'm not quite good at recognizing changes in my own behavior, this is what I've noticed so far. And since I'm taking two meds, I'm not sure what to attribute to what.

Strattera and Qelbree make me want to sleep before I can be functional. Clonidine has become my sleeping med instead of anxiety because I passed out multiple times after taking it.

Life. Changes. ADHD meds & brain wrangling…

I’ve been on Strattera after switching off of Wellbutrin for several months now. (I did not necessarily *want* to stop the Wellbutrin, but the dose that had been working for me started giving me side-effects, and while I tried the next lower dose for a year, it proved insufficient for ADHD management.)

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Pros:

- My anxiety is WAY lower. That’s been fantastic!

- I can tell I’m driving more safely again; far fewer instances of getting caught off-guard by things I should have seen coming. Also fantastic.

- I have more energy and focus left at the end of the day for creative pursuits, which has been nice. Been writing more than before!

- Basically no side effects since I started taking the pill before bed rather than in the morning. (In the morning, it was leaving me mildly nauseated for most of the day.)

- My weird undiagnosed shooting phantom pains and twitches/spine chills have almost disappeared. Not a huge deal, they were more annoying than distressing, but it’s certainly a minor perk. (The fact that Wellbutrin affected them does make me wonder whether they might have been super mild seizure activity or something though ffff. Alternatively: maybe they were just psychosomatic anxiety nonsense??)

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Cons:

- The Strattera is not helping my working memory whatsoever, where the Wellbutrin did. I’m back to forgetting why I’ve gone to a room by the time I get to said room, only remembering to run half my intended errands when I’m out and about, making mistakes at work like accidentally leaving scientific instrumentation running over the weekend… it honestly kind of sucks. :/

- I’ve been feeling more emotional & self-critical than I’m used to. Might be a pretty natural consequence of making more mistakes throughout life, or might be because Wellbutrin was being helpful as an antidepressant too.

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In conclusion… more pros than cons, and some of the pros are pretty major! But the cons are major too. :’)

While I appreciate the forced correction of my sleep schedule, this leaves me waking up crazy early in the mornings once my body's decided I've had enough sleep. The silver lining to this is that it means I've been awake to catch THREE different Ateez livestreams happening in the early morning because I was up in time to watch them live 😭 So worth itttt

I guess it takes a few weeks for your body to adjust and get over the drowsiness but good lord it's worse than benadryl

But the thing is my anxiety is GONE gone.

My impulsivity has vanished and my brain is SILENT- no buzzing or chatter or intrusive thoughts.

Any distractions and my brain is so easily guided back to the task at hand.

My muscles aches and pains from stress have disappeared.

I can focus SO well on stuff. I made two pairs of pants, cleaned my carpet and ate on time but when i get sleepy it is IMPOSSIBLE to resist