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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Strattera (Atomoxetine) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 9 ratings/reviews, Strattera has an overall score of 6. The effectiveness score is 6.89 and the side effect score is 6. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Strattera review by 21 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |   |
| Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
| Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADHD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken 1/day for the period of 8 days |
| Other conditions: | | IDDM |
| Other drugs taken: | | insulin | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | none |
| Side effects: | | visual disturbances, weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, hyperglycemia, headaches, mild hallucinations, water retention, difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, erratic behaviour. these side effects lasted for several weeks after I stopped taking the medication, and my vision did not return to normal for almost a month. my doctor said it was an anti-cholinergic reaction. |
| Comments: | | i started at a very low dose, to be worked up gradually. treatment ended before this could happen. |
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| | Strattera review by care giver of 51 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADHD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 20 -25 mg taken 1 x day for the period of 2 tears |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Slowed down hyperactivity in a nine year old boy; increased attending a little bit although not strongly. It does not interfere with sleep which many of the stimpulant meds do. There were no mood swings until the dosage was increased. |
| Side effects: | | When the dose was raised, the patient suffered suicidal ideation! This was bad. At lower dose it seemed to be ok. Dosage takes 2-3 weeks to take affect. Side effects also will not be observed until dose builds up in the system. You may see lesser instances of self denegration first. Watch for that. |
| Comments: | | Take pill once a day |
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| | Strattera review by 26 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADHD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 60 mg taken once daily for the period of 4 YRS |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | ALLEGRA | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Stratterra enabled me to concentrate and focus on tasks at hand. It makes a world of difference in my daily life. After four years of using Stratterra, I would never switch to a different ADHD medication. |
| Side effects: | | Stratterra surpresses my appetite and makes me feel quite dependent on the drug to function. If I take with my multivitamin, I often feel nauseous. |
| Comments: | | I take 1 60 mg of Stratterra in the morning daily. |
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| | Strattera review by 55 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 40mg 1-2x/day taken 1/day for the period of 2 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | primpro | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Treatment benefits include improved attention to task, improvement in work quality and quantity. Impulsivity was greatly reduced, resulting in a calmer more productive day. Social relationships with co-workers and others were markedly improved. Social relationships with extended family members were also improved. As a result there was a marked improvement in self esteem and confidence levels both at work and at home. |
| Side effects: | | There wer few side effects. I experienced intermittent episodes of dry mouth that interferes when during public speaking, speaking at meetings and in social situations. This can be resolved with small candies, however, that resulted in tooth decay. I am currently trying out a gel and mouthwash given to me by my dentist, however, I am not happy about putting these chemicals in my mouth. |
| Comments: | | I am not sure what you want in this section. I received counseling. Medication was suggested. Other more typical, stimulant medications were tried but produced anxiety. This is a newer non-stimulant medication, and that is a plus. I have continued counseling and periodic check-ups with the prescribing physician. I am pleased with the results and plan on continuing with this treatment. |
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| | Strattera review by 40 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADULT ADD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 10mg, 20mg, taken daily for the period of 1 yr |
| Other conditions: | | high blood pressure |
| Other drugs taken: | | lysinopryl | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I was much more awake in the mornings instead of groggy and foggy -brained. I was able to focus a LITTLE bit better |
| Side effects: | | Blurry vision, increased bladder leaks,moodiness, a little weight gain which may not be from Strattera |
| Comments: | | Unfortunately I had a doctor who was uneducated about ADD and was very uncomfortable prescribing any medications for it. She put me on 10mg first.After 3-4 weeks I went back and asked for her to increase it. She prescribed 20mg,(which I found they don't make 20mg doses) Instead of changing it to a proper mg, she decided to have me take 2 10mg pills every morning which also doubled the cost and that amount was not enough to have much benefit. After about a year , I was finally prescribed a therapeutic dosage of 40mg. I had too many problems with the pharmacy ordering the right amount ( they had me take 4 10mg pills a day because they didn't order the right ones! I have no health insurance so was getting it on some program that made it cost me $6 but when they would screw up the order , I would either run out or have to get the full amount which was $130.00 at the 10mgs, so X 2 for 20mg, x 4 for 40mgs!! Just because of the way the pharmacy was doing it.Scamming the federal programs or something...so I finally just quit taking it. I definately had noticed that it made pee without barely any warning, and my eyesight got alot worse, and my fiance said it made me "mean". All that has stopped now that I am not on it. But my ADD is back full force! |
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| | Strattera review by 50 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | adhd |
| Dosage & duration: | | 100mg taken daily for the period of 4 months so far |
| Other conditions: | | depression |
| Other drugs taken: | | zoloft | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I am more able to stay on task and finish what I start. I don't make so many mistakes in the details of my work. I am more able to concentrate consistantly on a project and not get so easily distracted. I am more confident that my work will be done well and in a timely manner.
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| Side effects: | | When I first started taking it, I felt odd. I can't describe it except to say I felt out of sorts. I had trouble with perspiring and being cold and overly warm. I would feel cold inside and chilled sometimes and then I'd feel very warm and start to perspire. |
| Comments: | | I'm taking this because I have trouble with details. Things like where I parked my car. I go into the kitchen to get a glass of water and open the refrigerator. I come out of a business and walk around aimlessly because I have no clue where my car is. Things are much better now, I rarely have occurrences like this any more. |
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| | Strattera review by 43 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | adult ADD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 100 mg per day taken once before bed for the period of 2 years |
| Other conditions: | | hypercoagulable state, depression, |
| Other drugs taken: | | warfarin, zoloft | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | calming effect, helped with sleep, helped with concentration, reduced appetite, improved depressive symptoms |
| Side effects: | | nausea at first, agitation at first, sleeplessness initially. it seemed to take away my sense of urgency for things a bit, which was good for alleviating anxiety but might have caused difficulties with timeliness at work and time management overall. |
| Comments: | | Long history of ADD symptoms eventually diagnosed at age 37. had to stop taking medicine because i left job and health insurance lapsed. this medicine was far more effective for me than adderal, which caused me to be very emotionally labile and sensitive, and caused dramatic blood sugar drops. i really wish i could go back on strattera, it really felt right for me. |
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| | Strattera review by 22 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADHD (Predominantly Inattentive) |
| Dosage & duration: | | 25 mg taken daily for the period of Still taking |
| Other conditions: | | Asthma, Pollen Allergies, |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The "head made of air" feeling I tend to have goes away:I become more attentive, much more aware of my surroundings, feel much more grounded in the "here/now", and much better able to focus. My mind stops trying to jump from one subject to another every second; memory retention/recall improves DRAMATICALLY. I also find it FAR easier to fall asleep at night, seem to sleep better, and seem to be far more emotionally stable. I also do not "crash" from it later in the day like my former (stimulant) meds. Also does not appear to be physically addictive. |
| Side effects: | | Severe grogginess, often accompanied by lightheadedness, upset stomach/nausea - ALL aggravated by sleep loss or lack of food, become slightly less severe after I'd been on it again for a couple of weeks. Severe grogginess was slightly alleviated by caffeine (espresso) or some rest (nap) or both. Best solution appears to be to take the meds with or after food, and to attempt to get a decent amount of sleep. Also notice a certain level of dependence (NOT actual addiction though) - mostly due to return of symptoms in medication's absence. I may also have dry mouth, but I'm not sure if that's the meds or if I'm not drinking enough water. |
| Comments: | | Best way I've discovered to eliminate the side effects is to eat a protein-rich breakfast (usually egg/ham/cheese sandwich for me), then WAIT for at least a few minutes -anywhere from 15 to 60 or more- before taking the medication. Seems to retain efficacy, COMPLETELY eliminate stomach problems and GREATLY reduce grogginess -though that also seems to be partly dependent on how much sleep I get (minimum of 6 hours, preferably 8 or 9). Now that I discovered this trick, I am feeling MUCH better and no longer considering abandoning the medication! I like that it helps with sleeping quality on top of helping me focus, remember, and feel more aware of surroundings. Would cry now if I had to go back to not using it - I almost can't function without medication, and the non-stimulant allows me to sleep SO much better and I do not "crash" from it! |
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| | Strattera review by 25 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | ADD |
| Dosage & duration: | | 80 MG taken once a day for the period of one month |
| Other conditions: | | Depression, Anxiety |
| Other drugs taken: | | Synthroid | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | My ability to focus improved and I was overall calmer. |
| Side effects: | | Severe depression and thoughts of death. |
| Comments: | | I found myself staring at the wall more than anything else. I felt totally drugged. My personality changed from somewhat lively to something very dull. It was as if the medication numbed my senses. I discontinued Strattera after one month. I couldn't tolerate the depression anymore. |
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