Posted by Peter N on September 15, 2003, at 12:50:46
In reply to Strattera Help!, posted by KimberlyDi on September 15, 2003, at 10:59:23
> I've been on Strattera for a week now at 2x40mg daily. Once in morning and once at 2 p.m. Even with Trazadone, the insomnia is killing me. This weekend, I even skipped the 2pm dosage to help me sleep that night. No bueno. I was hyped, pupils were huge, and felt like toothpicks were holding my eyes open. I'm on 3rd day without sleep. Since Fall swept into Texas with several cool fronts, my allergies have been going haywire. Has anyone had an adverse reaction to Claritin-D and Strattera?
>
> Does the insomnia problem fade any? Can I take 80mg in the morning, instead of breaking it out? I'm also taking Effexor 2x150mg.
>
> KDi in TexasI have had the *exact* same problem. If you haven't already been diagnosed, you may be bipolar. I'm bipolar, and the Trazodone made my sleep *worse* -- it's an anti-depressant, which can make bipolars go manic, and I kept waking up after 3-4 hours of sleep on the Trazodone. My story with the dialated pupils and insomnia gets even more twisted -- I was in rehab for drugs and then a recovery house, and my eyes have dark circles from not sleeping for days on end and the dialated pupils had others thinking I was HIGH!
I take Lamictal for my bipolar disorder and when I had the dosage on that increased, those hyped-up side effects went away. Despite this, I still couldn't sleep well. I've finally been able to sleep recently since the doctor gave me Seroquel. It also kinda numbs my thinking, so my next visit with my doctor I'm going to talk about reducing the Strattera dosage.
As for the Claritin-D, my only experience is with Claritin, since I'm a recovering substance abuser. I avoid anything with pseudophedrine, since it's a mild stimulant. (May not be good for the bipolar folk anyway.) I had no adverse reactions taking Claritin with Strattera.
poster:Peter N
thread:260208
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030912/msgs/260260.html