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Post by newdawnfades on Dec 14, 2015 9:34:17 GMT
Hi all.
well i have had the report back from Maudsley. The Psych' wants me to start Strattera but I am so hesitant.
The reason for the hesitancy is some of the side affects I have read about. a stimulant was discussed at one of my appointments but the anxiety side effect worries me with them, hence Strattera being suggested. As I was only diagnosed with ADHD two weeks ago this is all so new and confusing/worrying.
Any advice/support would be great. Cheers
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Post by tati on Dec 14, 2015 18:01:37 GMT
Hi Newdawnfades. The experiences with Strattera here are variable. There is an entire thread about it, I don't know if you have already seen it. aadduk.proboards.com/thread/8588/stratteraI am one of those who have had quite a positive experience with it, but many others have not. The main side effects for me have been nausea and some sleep problems. Nausea is still here but only if I take Strattera with an empty stomach. Sleep was disturbed (fragmented) only in the first period, when I started. Now I sleep normally. So what I can tell you is - Don't take Strattera whithout having eaten something before (not necessarily a big amount of food, just make breakfast) - If you don't sleep well, it -could- be a temporary effect. Talk about it with your doctor, he will reduce Strattera if necessary. - Check your blood pressure regularly. Mine has remained low but one of the bad side effect can be an increase of blood pressure. - Call the doctor in case of doubt or problems, just call him. Never try to adjust the meds by your own! |
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Post by newdawnfades on Dec 15, 2015 11:49:29 GMT
Hi Newdawnfades. The experiences with Strattera here are variable. There is an entire thread about it, I don't know if you have already seen it. aadduk.proboards.com/thread/8588/stratteraI am one of those who have had quite a positive experience with it, but many others have not. The main side effects for me have been nausea and some sleep problems. Nausea is still here but only if I take Strattera with an empty stomach. Sleep was disturbed (fragmented) only in the first period, when I started. Now I sleep normally. So what I can tell you is - Don't take Strattera whithout having eaten something before (not necessarily a big amount of food, just make breakfast) - If you don't sleep well, it -could- be a temporary effect. Talk about it with your doctor, he will reduce Strattera if necessary. - Check your blood pressure regularly. Mine has remained low but one of the bad side effect can be an increase of blood pressure. - Call the doctor in case of doubt or problems, just call him. Never try to adjust the meds by your own! Thanks for a great answer. I just feel frustrated as I really don't think med's are the answer here. There are so many side effects and horror stories I read online, maybe it's only the bad ones i focus on, that it leaves me so unsure. My blood pressure, heart and weight was tested yesterday and all were spot on. The doctor was a stand in on see he wants to speak to my GP to confirm that as per the hospital report that I start this drug. The advice you gave is great. Thanks and I will keep you posted. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2015 12:15:48 GMT
There are so many side effects and horror stories I read online, maybe it's only the bad ones i focus on, that it leaves me so unsure. That was a mistake. You should have never been reading up on the side effects like that. Before I started Concerta I avoided most stuff on the web (video, posts, etc.) about side effects because they provide a distorted image. The few people who do have side effects will be most vocal, but remember that for every one of those there are countless others who are happy and therefore have no reason to post/write/make videos. On top of that is a problem often seen in medical students. The more you read, the more aware you become of anything that might feel even the slightest bit out of place. Quite a few medical students end up thinking they are sick simply because they read too much about various diseases. They get a mild case of study-related hypochondria.  Meds are not an answer, they are merely a bit of extra support to help you along. At the end of the day you still have to do it all yourself. My meds are great, I love them, but they aren't a magical solution. Nor do I see them as a life-long solution. They help me do the work I need to do to create opportunities and as I go along I will adapt my life so that eventually I should be able to cope well (enough) without meds. If you have a hard time at the moment, meds can help you overcome those issues that are holding you back so that you can build up your life the way it works best for you. Your mindset will however be crucial to doing it. Stay positive, focus (excuse the pun ) on things that make you happy and keep it simple; every step you make, no matter how small, is a step closer to your goal.  |
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Post by newdawnfades on Dec 15, 2015 14:15:51 GMT
There are so many side effects and horror stories I read online, maybe it's only the bad ones i focus on, that it leaves me so unsure. That was a mistake. You should have never been reading up on the side effects like that. Before I started Concerta I avoided most stuff on the web (video, posts, etc.) about side effects because they provide a distorted image. The few people who do have side effects will be most vocal, but remember that for every one of those there are countless others who are happy and therefore have no reason to post/write/make videos. On top of that is a problem often seen in medical students. The more you read, the more aware you become of anything that might feel even the slightest bit out of place. Quite a few medical students end up thinking they are sick simply because they read too much about various diseases. They get a mild case of study-related hypochondria. Meds are not an answer, they are merely a bit of extra support to help you along. At the end of the day you still have to do it all yourself. My meds are great, I love them, but they aren't a magical solution. Nor do I see them as a life-long solution. They help me do the work I need to do to create opportunities and as I go along I will adapt my life so that eventually I should be able to cope well (enough) without meds. If you have a hard time at the moment, meds can help you overcome those issues that are holding you back so that you can build up your life the way it works best for you. Your mindset will however be crucial to doing it. Stay positive, focus (excuse the pun ) on things that make you happy and keep it simple; every step you make, no matter how small, is a step closer to your goal. Thanks Dutch. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to looking things up online and in turn making myself worry at all the negativity. I am also going to try CBT for ADHD as well as med's as I think a two-pronged approach would be much better. I am feeling so worn out at the moment and generally always feel tired, so was also thinking a stimulant might be good but Strattera has been suggested as the first line of treatment. My worry that stimulants would be like throwing petrol on a fire made non-stimulant a better option at my diagnosis meeting. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2015 16:06:05 GMT
Thanks Dutch. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to looking things up online and in turn making myself worry at all the negativity. It is very tempting to do that and quite logical too. It is no more than normal to want to know as much as possible about the medication you want to try, especially if there are any dangers. I guess I was lucky enough to know a few medical students and to have a lot of knowledge about the technical side of medication, so I knew what to be aware of and to take the stories about side effects more lightly. Indeed! That is a very good approach. I think my ADHD clinic is very strong in that department and they usually combine meds with CBT, even mindfulness if there is an interest with the patient for it. I personally don't like any kind of therapy, but that is mainly because I don't really need it anyway. I've been lucky enough to have had very few problems over the years and most of them were just me pushing myself too far. In those cases a bed does me more good than a therapist. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a stimulant will make you hyper or anything like that. The term "stimulant" refers to the physiological effect of stimulating higher levels of specific chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters). Normally that has the effect of making a person hyper or whatever you want to call it. However, not in the case of someone with ADHD. We have lower levels of those chemicals and the increase leads to a normalisation of the levels. This is the ADHD paradox (so to speak). We take stimulants to calm ourselves down. If I get "rebound" in the evening when my meds wear off, I feel it because I start feeling anxious. If I do and it is a bit much I will take a Ritalin to calm me down. I also feel more tired with my meds because it calms me down enough that the tiredness finally has time to register. (I still ignore the signals most of the time, but that is just me being bloody stupid.  ) |
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Post by hermanli on Dec 15, 2015 17:31:54 GMT
Very informative helpful posts Dutch, Im really benefitting from this too.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2015 12:03:41 GMT
Very informative helpful posts Dutch, Im really benefitting from this too. Thanks! That is really nice to hear. |
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aldedah
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Post by aldedah on Dec 17, 2015 2:40:30 GMT
I actually find Strattera to give me more energy consistently than stimulants. It's longer lasting, stimulants are quicker acting but quicker to stop.
Main side effect for me with Strattera is sweating and a bit of anxiety but seem to get that with most things. Probably should cut out caffeine.
Not all side effects are bad. I find sneezing to be extra pleasurable on Strattera than not on it :-)
If you read the leaflet for just about any med it lists pretty much every possible thing that could go wrong. Chances are you'll only get a few and you may find that they're not that bad and easily dealt with. Dry mouth can be common, so drinking small amounts or water regularly can help that.
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Post by newdawnfades on Dec 21, 2015 8:50:59 GMT
Thanks again for all the replies. I am still worried about this med. The more I read the more I do not want to take it. I keep reading so much negative stuff about it. My GP wants me to have an ECG and Liver blood test before I start it as well.
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andy2015
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Post by andy2015 on Dec 21, 2015 13:05:00 GMT
I'm at day 9 I started on 18mg for a week first now on 40mg
The only side effects I personally had were feeling a bit sick / slight persistent head ache a bit wobbly for the first 2 days
Then really ok since day 2
When I switch up to 40 mg I felt a little spaced out for the first day but ok thereafter
The only side effects I really have is loss of appetite but it is coming back slowly hope that helps
Don't forget every one is effected differently
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aldedah
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Post by aldedah on Dec 22, 2015 0:17:47 GMT
Thanks again for all the replies. I am still worried about this med. The more I read the more I do not want to take it. I keep reading so much negative stuff about it. My GP wants me to have an ECG and Liver blood test before I start it as well. That's normal for any drug that affects your heart rate. Also ECG scans and Liver blood tests can flag up other issues that could be unknown to you so think of it as having a check up. Some people have died due to undetected heart issues for instance, so if you come up fine you can feel confident. As I mentioned, every drug has potential side effects. It's just a matter of which works for you. Give it a few weeks before deciding though and slowly move up a dose. I know when I've gone on it to start with I've had a super amazing day, followed by a horrible one, but after that all good. |
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