Strattera - Others w. Adult Male Side Effects?

Edarcy -
Thanks for the feedback! That's exactly how I felt when I stumbled on to this site and these responses not long ago. So glad to rad that you and your husband are discussing this issue - that says a lot about your relationship. I'd encourage your husband to read these responses too - and to share his own experience. My physician was involved in the clinical trials for Strattera, and when I shared some of my side effects with him (particularly a nasty one about testicular pain) he said he hadn;t heard about that from any other patient which made me feel pretty odd - yet I've read about on this board. (And fortunately, like many of these side effects, they DO seem to improve/go away in time in many cases).
Anyway - best of luck, encourage your husband to log on (no pun intended) and keep the communication lines open in your marriage.

PS - Anybody hear from Jacko recently? Hey - thanks for starting this great thread - how're you doing?

Strattercaster ~

You are right about the repsonse when it is mentioned to a physician. My husband read this thread and he said "hey this is exactly how I have been feeling!" Being military he has email access to his Doc. He emailed him the concerns he was having relative to the side effects mentioned and what would you know ~ the same response you had received "I have not heard of these side effects!" Then my husband proceeded to state that the studies done on Strattera were done on children and not the effects that it would have on adults positive or negative. It is my opinion that when a drug (especially a mood altering drug) is being distributed, side effects pertaining to both child and adult should be distributed. This at the very least gives the patient heads up (no pun intended) on what they may or may not expect. I have done some research myself through the WEB of course with some prevail concerning sexual side effects. Maybe some copying and pasting with some current info can help.

Again ~ Thanks!
Edarcy1

I just wanted to add my name to list of people that experienced these side effects with Strattera. I had the exact same male sexual side effects as everyone else is saying in this thread. Probably the only good thing Strattera did for me, is I kinda seemed to feel more motivated to do things I normally put off. But even that got counteracted by me feeling sleepy alot, throw that in with the sexual side effects, feeling thirsty all the time, feeling like I need to urinate but then going only to find out I didn't need to go quite as bad as I thought... which got really annoying when for the first time since I was a kid I started waking up in the middle of the night to run to the bathroom to urinate. Now I don't know about anyone else but getting up in the middle of the night doesn't help my focus during the day very much. Which reminds me I also was having more vivid dreams than normal, but not too bad. But all in all I'm glad to be back on adderall again, though I didn't know what to think about asking my doc to go back on it... and when I told him about the side effects, he (which I expected) said he had never heard of those effects, but I was happy he let me go back to what had been working for me all along.

Edarcy - Great news that your husband read the posts. They were pretty eye opening for me too! A couple of things - Strattera was actually developed by Lilly as the first medication specifically for adults with ADD/ADHD. It is also being used with children at this point, as it is a non narcotic alternative to other children meds. I would also like to suggest that Strattera is not a mood altering drug. There is no "high", no false sense of happiness or contentment - just a greater resistance to distraction; more focus.

Coreburn - until I read your post and your noting vivid dreams, I had forgot all about those! Yes indeed- there have been some very vivid, detailed dreams.

To one and all - a hopeful reminder that these sexual side effects do seem to decrease in time. Until they do, see if you can alter your timing of sex - perhaps you'll have more feeling in the morning as opposed to the evening/nightime hours.

I have been on 60mg of Strattera since April, I also had the sexual side effects in the beginning. They have almost completely gone away. I was just at my doc this week and we are upping the dose to 80mg, so it will be interesting to see if any of the side effects come back with the increased dosage.

I'm a 50 something male who's been taking 80mg of Strattera since early June 2003. (We ramped up on the standard 40mg packages)

Early on I experienced almost all the symptoms as others I've read about here. I'd not had any prostate symptoms before Strattera but "My Friend, The Doctor" (MFTD) suggests that I might be "just on the edge" give my age. (Gee, THANKS Doc <G> )

I do sometimes get that ‘not quite finished’ situation with an occasional couple of drops no matter how long I shake it. <sigh> I wear dark slacks more now. <G>

I had the initial "shakes" an hour or so after I'd take it in the a.m. but my body seems now fully accepting of them and I can even take both pills on an empty stomach if need be.

I had the erection/orgasm issues at low levels but they’ve almost completely subsided. Just an occasional sensation.

I’d not noticed any dry mouth but now that I see it in some replies I think I MIGHT have this occasionally. Minor enough for me to not note it.

After about 3 days on the med I noticed that I had this amazing visual clarity. Like the world was physically brighter. I noticed things that I’d passed over.

Once 10 days passed I started noticing better clarity, focus, etc. --- I now no longer notice that things have changed; they just ARE better.

The bottom line for me, having never been evaluated for ADD nor treated with meds, was that Strattera is a LIFE CHANGING regimen for me!!! I would NEVER trade the clarity, focus, silence of mind, and Bias to ACT that Strattera has given me for relief of these minor symptoms.

The only regret I have is that, looking back, I’ve had this all my life. <sigh> WHAT I could have accomplished if I’d only known. Still, what do they say, “regret for the past is a waste of spirit”? I’m MOVIN’ AHEAD!!!

Best of Luck to everyone, on Strattera or whatever you find that gives you peace.

“Clear Now”

I'm glad I found this thread and feel fortunate to hear everyone's input on this sensitive and personal topic. Here's my two cents:

I've been taking Wellbutrin (SR) 300 mg/day for about three years. I added Strattera at 85 mg/day three months ago. So I guess that means I'm on two uptake inhibitors.?

I agree that the strange side effects are startling. However, the dizziness, headaches and constipation all went away after about five weeks.

I still need to drink plenty of water throughout the day, but view this as a good thing forcing me to keep well hydrated. I never drink alcohol BTW.

I also occasionally have the urge to pee immediately after relieving myself. However, I know it is a false alarm - ignore it and the urge goes away.

For me these side effects are minor compared to the pluses: relaxed state of mind, better focus/organization ability, clearer thinking/reasoning.

I understand why everyone is so concerned about the effects on sexual functions. I am 42 and sexually compulsive. It is a high priority for me.

It does take a bit more stimulation to get hard now that I am on Strattera, however, once erect I last longer. Achieving orgasm takes a little longer (a good thing) but when it comes the orgasm lasts twice as long (45 secs. instead of 20) and is twice as intense.

I'm actually more in synch with my partner with Strattera. She prefers a slow build, gradually ramping excitement like a wave that eventually lets itself go and topples over. Yet it's not an explosion, but more of a continuous rush as the water and bubbling foam picks you up and carries you along (exact time varies) before leaving you on the beach.

The sex is better. I concentrate on my partner more and enjoy the ride as much as the climax.

My experience with this drug is to give it some time - never miss a dose - remain calm. The pluses outweigh the minuses.

But remember, I NEVER drink alcohol. Possibly this is part of the reason my experiences have been different that some of you. I do not know how Strattera reacts in the presence of alcohol.

Many thanks again for sharing this discussion.

Personally, I have not suffered any ill effects from casual drinking and strattera. Occasional glasses of wine - sometimes at most, my wife and I will go out and share a bottle of wine. Note that I take my 80 mg between 9am-12noon. Would be interested to hear of others' experiences.

I am 24 and been on stratera for a two months now. I suddenly had the same side effect as some have explained. The burning urge to pee and the major discomfort in the prostate and the testicles. At 24 I doubted protstate cancer or similar problem but thought I was too young but it still scared the sh*# out of me. Also I feared an STD with the buring sensation that I had to pee. The last thing is the size of my penis in the flacid state. Almost compared to the shrinkage of being in very cold water. I love how the stratera helps me function during the day especially during school. But that is not worth losing my sexual ability or to cause problems with my prostate. Can anyone help????????

I forgot to mention I used to take 10mg adderall as needed for my college coursed and I now take 10mg adderall xr as needed for school. I don't think this affects my side-effect because I don't take the adderall often enough (1 to 3 times a week but usually the lesser). I did take two weeks off of the stratera (between shool semesters and didn't need it) and all the syptoms went away. I am contemplating dropping the stratera but I don't want to unless I have to.

Hi guys. Thought I'd share my experiences since I've been on Strattera for a while now (4 months) and have figured out a lot. FYI, I am a 28 year old male on no other medications. I take 80mg per day. First of all, the side effects mentioned herein have all happened to me. I'll break them down:

1)Smaller flaccid size (Gone)
2)Seminal discharge after urination (Gone)
3)Erectile difficulties (Gone)
4)Buzzing in the ear (Almost Gone)
5)Cold Sweats (Gone)
6)Feeling 'wierd' (Gone)
7)Dilated pupils (Gone)
8)Headache (Gone)
9)Waking up in the middle of the night (under control)
10) Testicular pain (only when I haven't 'gotten off' in awhile)

Okay, most of my side effects were present for about two months after I began taking this medication. Nearly all of them are gone now. I still climax sooner during sex, but this is welcome as it used to take me way too long sometimes. Also, orgasms are much longer than before (darn). I was pretty nervous my first few weeks taking this. I had a couple of 'freak outs' where I would feel very detatched and panicky. I would get cold sweats and a bit shaky. I have isolated this to a lack of L-Tyrosine in the diet. If I don't have enough tyrosine, I feel wierd. I now supplement my diet with tyrosine every day. If anyone else experiences these problems, try this or try drinking a protein shake with your dosage.

The waking up in the middle of the night thing i have determined to be caused by blood levels of the medication dropping below a certain level. For me, I will wake up EXACTLY twenty-one hours after my dosage. To get up at six AM, I take my Strattera at nine AM. Now I sleep through the night and I pop out of bed in the morning. Getting up used to be a HUGE issue for me, so this is helpful.

Nausea seems to not be a problem if I eat a little bit of food (crackers or something) with my dosage. Also, sometimes I split my dosage. I've found that even taking them half an hour apart helps.

Also, I have had issues with alcoholism (I do drink) in the past. It seems that Strattera almost entirely eliminates this problem. I usually drink quite heavily, but find now that I am fine with one or two drinks.

As for the overall effect of this medication? It has completely changed my life. I have never been treated for ADD in the past. For about a year, I have been unable to focus on my work. If I'm not interested in something, I don't do it. I was always tired, a bit depressed, and highly unmotivated. Now I have an abundance of energy, I'm infinitely more social, I get my work done like a champ, and I don't procrastinate. I am finding enjoyment in tasks that used to be total chores. I am more organized. Watching myself do the things that I usually put off (and do them well!) has done a tremendous amount to my esteem. I am happy as hell. The side effects used to bother me with this stuff, but now the benefits so outweigh the negatives that I would never consider cessation of this medication. I'm glad I stuck it out; my only fear is that someday it will stop working. I hope to god it does not.

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insite

Wow insite, sounds like it really worked out for you. You stuck with it for 2 months I don't think many peopel would do that, esp. with their children. Perhapes I'll give it another try and wait it out like you did if my new medication doesn't work. You are the Strattera poster boy.

No joke! Been great for me. I was EXTREMELY against the idea of medications like this after negative experiences with Prozac and Paxil years ago. I was trying to figure out why I was so unmotivated and tired all the time. I'm getting a new job soon that will require my best performance consistantly. My therapist of five years mentioned ADD. I said no way. The next day I had an appointment with a Psychiatrist for analysis, and without mentioning ADD, he said, "You have ADD." Suprised me. There was one day when I was JUST about to chuck this stuff (during a little freak out) but didn't because I had a final exam and I had to study stuff that I HATE for like 48 straight hours. Boy am I glad I kept taking it. I cannot remember the last time that I felt this good about myself.

I told my doctor I thought I could be more effective in work if I had a drug to help me concentrate better. i went to a nuerologist and he said mild ADD. Never on drugs, nothing before. Never diagnosd with ADD etc. 25mg Strattera. Side effects stink. It has been 4 days but I am ready to quit. Your posts help me with that position. My main question is how bad was everyones ADD. I made it through school OK. Have a few business's. Get bored easily and don't like to follow through on paperwork. Did you guys have it alot worse? I have functioned ok in society so far and thought this would make me able to sit and complete the paperwork that I usually put off. Alot of the posts mentioned other drugs before so is my case mild enough where the side effects are not worth it?
Any ideas Thanks

hey - you guys have been incredibly open and honest- now heres my question- I am a mom of a 12 year old with PDDNOS, anxiety issues and adhd, my doctor wants to find a drug that lasts longer for him- would any of you ever consider putting a 12 year old boy on this after what you have been experiencing? -meme