Posted by ciejae on April 25, 2003, at 6:17:49
In reply to strattera 1 week, posted by fender5 on April 21, 2003, at 20:50:29
I've taken strattera for about 7 weeks now. I started at 40mg, then we to 80 after 3 weeks. So I've been on the full dose for 4 weeks. At first I had a few side effects: dry mouth, intermittent chills, mild headaches, difficulty urinating, mood swings (which may or may not be related to strattera), hunger, lack of motivation, and the worst one, feeling tired and sedated (but I drank a lot of coffee to counteract that while I was at work).
After the side effects were gone, I was a little disappointed in the fact that I didn't see much of a change in myself. I guess I expected to turn into this super organized, high intensity girl genius who could do everything……..or something like that. The fact is, I haven't changed that much. I'm still me, but I've been realizing that the subtle changes that have occurred may be more important in the long run.
Ok, so here are some of the subtle positive changes that I've noticed:
I can't remember feeling irritated over noises or light for the past month (my husband's snoring or whistling typically drove me crazy).
I don't wake up feeling tired anymore (everyone I know says that I'm just not "right" in the morning).
I was late for an appointment yesterday, and I wasn't speeding through traffic cursing at people all the way
I'm not feeling panic over deadlines that I have to meet (I'm just doing the job, not worrying about the consequences)
I'm not feeling like something terrible is going to happen (I'm usually always waiting for the worst)
I haven't been feeling the urge to go on a shopping binge (spending money has been one of the ways that I've provided myself the stimulation I needed)
I'm not worrying as much (I used to get fixed on a certain issue, and go over and over it in my head)
I don't fall asleep while watching movies anymore.
I find it easier to talk, and to listen to people.
I'm tackling difficult jobs at work for much longer periods of time than I could have ever tolerated before.How I wish my closets and my drawers at home weren't still a mess, or that I could juggle all my home chores with my work chores. I still forget where I put things, I continue to have difficulty getting along with my husband and daughters and I'm not dazzling people with my conversation or my knowledge.
But I'm hoping that the changes I have seen will enable me to be closer to the person I wish I was. Anyway, I'd like to hear more from people who have been on this drug for as long, or longer than me. Most of the posts here seem to be from people who try it for no more than a month, then go off because they don't see an instant radical change.
poster:ciejae
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030423/msgs/222247.html