4 ms·

Have been taking Strattera for a few months and wonder how many years of my life I would have not wasted if I had been diagnosed with ADHD earlier in my life.

Have been taking Strattera for a few months and wonder how many years of my life I would have not wasted if I had been diagnosed with ADHD earlier in my life. I just turned 40 and I never thought I had ADHD until recently. Before I just thought my lack of attention on things was just the price of being a 10X on productivity (and I was a little arrogant because of it). The reality was that I chose to put my time on tasks that I found interesting and engaging and when that choice was not available, I would feel anxious, stuck and totally unfocused. Still, I thought that was just normal procrastination that everybody goes through. Some changes in my life and goals limited my time to act and required me to be more focused, but instead of getting into action I got more stuck than ever and very anxious as the deadlines got closer and got missed. Treating my ADHD helped me change my relationships for better and widened the possibilites in my work and I would recommend to anybody in the same situation.

codpiece 5y ago
That sounds like me! 10x productivity, sometimes so profoundly bored I'm a blank slate.
FridayoLeary 5y ago
what's the difference between strattera and ritalin?
- controlledchaos 5y ago
  You better search it, but I believe the difference is Ritalin is an amphetamine.
  - KerrickStaley 5y ago
    Ritalin is not a form of amphetamine. Ritalin's active ingredient is methylphenidate.
  - firebird84 5y ago
    Ritalin is not "an amphetamine" but rather a psychostimulant. It's a DEA schedule II regulated drug. Strattera works via a different mechanism and (supposedly) is likely not to be habit-forming. Ritalin definitely can be habit-forming.
- KerrickStaley 5y ago
  They are different drugs with different mechanisms of action. One notable difference from my experience is that Ritalin has a stimulant effect, whereas Strattera actually made me tired.
  - robohamburger 5y ago
    Had a similar experience. Was on this for a bit when I had a GP who seemed hesitant to prescribe stimulants even though I had historically taken ritalin and it was fine (all side effects were manageable).
anonymouse008 5y ago
Did you ever experiment with Adderall, Vyvanse or Ritalin? How did you end up with Strattera? I’m trying to triangulate a course for myself and still can’t pull the trigger on any of these for fear of side-effects or dependence.
- jcims 5y ago
  Not the person you're replying to but Vyvanse gave me excruciating neck cramps, brain zaps and really cold fingers. My doctor said that I had a bit of an outlier reaction to it so YMMV but if you decide to go that route at least ask about the cramps lol. Adderall isn't a wonder drug for me but it tips the scale in my favor. I just take the standard release pills 'as needed' in the morning. It does tend to mess with my sleep a bit if I take any after 10am and definitely curbs my appetite (+/-). I'm 47 and recently have been paying closer attention to heart health, it definitely increases heart rate and blood pressure. Not alarmingly so, but if you're in any way marginal for either it's something to consider.
  - stevewodil 5y ago
    To be fair, caffeine also increases heart rate and blood pressure. I think it's common of stimulants
    - nicoburns 5y ago
      ...and disturbs sleep, and can help treat symtoms of ADHD
  - The-Bus 5y ago
    I was prescribed Adderall XR which did wonders for my symptoms but eventually I stopped taking it as my heart would race after doing any strenuous exercise. I wish that wasn't the case, as it did help.
- lowdest 5y ago
  I've been on and off Vyvanse and Ritalin for a decade. Work with your doctor on side effects, I found Concerta to have the least side effects for me (long-lasting, tapers slowly at end of day, and fewer anxious feelings for me than Vyvanse.) I've also taken breaks from the medication for a year or more. It takes somewhere between 3 days and 3 weeks to feel like I'm not missing something when I stop the medication, but overall it's not that bothersome or unpleasant unless work/life is very busy at that time. Quitting coffee cold-turkey feels much worse, for comparison.
globular-toast 5y ago
What does "10x on productivity" mean? I thought ADHD would lead to lower productivity.
- ai_ia 5y ago
  You can work exceedingly long hours with high focus on something you like.
- yipbub 5y ago
  For me that means that I can be intensively productive in intense bursts when I am engaged. Pre-treatment OP sounds like me now. I am arrogant in that I am always confident I can finish the tasks I have later. The problem is that even though I consistently do, it doesn't feel good, and sometimes unexpected outside influences will kill the tight margin I've left myself.
- bluefirebrand 5y ago
  This is a common misconception about ADHD. People with ADHD have a tendency to hyperfocus on things they enjoy, to the detriment of other things. ADHD is not a lack of focus, it is a lack of Executive Function. Sometimes the Executive Function looks easily distracted because it doesn't want to do chores so it bounces from room to room cleaning one single surface in each one. Sometimes the Executive Function looks like a 10x programmer beast because you get so wrapped up in programming whatever you're making that it's all you can think about, you skip meals and sleep and ignore friends and family until it's done.
  - PragmaticPulp 5y ago
    It should be noted that "hyperfocus" is more of a fringe idea in ADHD science than a well-accepted feature. Hyperfocus can also be a side effect of stimulant medication. It's not uncommon for newly diagnosed ADHD patients to take stimulants and end up hyperfocusing on the wrong thing, such as video games or other vices. Be careful about interpreting something like increased focus as ADHD. The pop-culture definition of ADHD has become so blurry that nearly everyone could be considered ADHD under certain criteria. When focusing too much and focusing too little are both supposedly symptoms of the same disorder, it's easy to misconstrue normal behavior for disorders. It's best to leave the diagnosis to a professional.
iamdbtoo 5y ago
I'm in a similar situation. The diagnosis changed everything for me and I really wish someone had noticed it when I was a kid. All my therapy was about struggling with my ADHD for so long because it was unkown and untreated. Once I figured the ADHD part out, everything else fell into place. Knowing this about myself has been nothing but positive for me.

codpiece 5y ago

That sounds like me! 10x productivity, sometimes so profoundly bored I'm a blank slate.

FridayoLeary 5y ago

what's the difference between strattera and ritalin?

controlledchaos 5y ago
You better search it, but I believe the difference is Ritalin is an amphetamine.
- KerrickStaley 5y ago
  Ritalin is not a form of amphetamine. Ritalin's active ingredient is methylphenidate.
- firebird84 5y ago
  Ritalin is not "an amphetamine" but rather a psychostimulant. It's a DEA schedule II regulated drug. Strattera works via a different mechanism and (supposedly) is likely not to be habit-forming. Ritalin definitely can be habit-forming.
KerrickStaley 5y ago
They are different drugs with different mechanisms of action. One notable difference from my experience is that Ritalin has a stimulant effect, whereas Strattera actually made me tired.
- robohamburger 5y ago
  Had a similar experience. Was on this for a bit when I had a GP who seemed hesitant to prescribe stimulants even though I had historically taken ritalin and it was fine (all side effects were manageable).

anonymouse008 5y ago

Did you ever experiment with Adderall, Vyvanse or Ritalin? How did you end up with Strattera? I’m trying to triangulate a course for myself and still can’t pull the trigger on any of these for fear of side-effects or dependence.

jcims 5y ago
Not the person you're replying to but Vyvanse gave me excruciating neck cramps, brain zaps and really cold fingers. My doctor said that I had a bit of an outlier reaction to it so YMMV but if you decide to go that route at least ask about the cramps lol. Adderall isn't a wonder drug for me but it tips the scale in my favor. I just take the standard release pills 'as needed' in the morning. It does tend to mess with my sleep a bit if I take any after 10am and definitely curbs my appetite (+/-). I'm 47 and recently have been paying closer attention to heart health, it definitely increases heart rate and blood pressure. Not alarmingly so, but if you're in any way marginal for either it's something to consider.
- stevewodil 5y ago
  To be fair, caffeine also increases heart rate and blood pressure. I think it's common of stimulants
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    ...and disturbs sleep, and can help treat symtoms of ADHD
- The-Bus 5y ago
  I was prescribed Adderall XR which did wonders for my symptoms but eventually I stopped taking it as my heart would race after doing any strenuous exercise. I wish that wasn't the case, as it did help.
lowdest 5y ago
I've been on and off Vyvanse and Ritalin for a decade. Work with your doctor on side effects, I found Concerta to have the least side effects for me (long-lasting, tapers slowly at end of day, and fewer anxious feelings for me than Vyvanse.) I've also taken breaks from the medication for a year or more. It takes somewhere between 3 days and 3 weeks to feel like I'm not missing something when I stop the medication, but overall it's not that bothersome or unpleasant unless work/life is very busy at that time. Quitting coffee cold-turkey feels much worse, for comparison.

globular-toast 5y ago

What does "10x on productivity" mean? I thought ADHD would lead to lower productivity.

ai_ia 5y ago
You can work exceedingly long hours with high focus on something you like.
yipbub 5y ago
For me that means that I can be intensively productive in intense bursts when I am engaged. Pre-treatment OP sounds like me now. I am arrogant in that I am always confident I can finish the tasks I have later. The problem is that even though I consistently do, it doesn't feel good, and sometimes unexpected outside influences will kill the tight margin I've left myself.
bluefirebrand 5y ago
This is a common misconception about ADHD. People with ADHD have a tendency to hyperfocus on things they enjoy, to the detriment of other things. ADHD is not a lack of focus, it is a lack of Executive Function. Sometimes the Executive Function looks easily distracted because it doesn't want to do chores so it bounces from room to room cleaning one single surface in each one. Sometimes the Executive Function looks like a 10x programmer beast because you get so wrapped up in programming whatever you're making that it's all you can think about, you skip meals and sleep and ignore friends and family until it's done.
- PragmaticPulp 5y ago
  It should be noted that "hyperfocus" is more of a fringe idea in ADHD science than a well-accepted feature. Hyperfocus can also be a side effect of stimulant medication. It's not uncommon for newly diagnosed ADHD patients to take stimulants and end up hyperfocusing on the wrong thing, such as video games or other vices. Be careful about interpreting something like increased focus as ADHD. The pop-culture definition of ADHD has become so blurry that nearly everyone could be considered ADHD under certain criteria. When focusing too much and focusing too little are both supposedly symptoms of the same disorder, it's easy to misconstrue normal behavior for disorders. It's best to leave the diagnosis to a professional.

iamdbtoo 5y ago

I'm in a similar situation. The diagnosis changed everything for me and I really wish someone had noticed it when I was a kid. All my therapy was about struggling with my ADHD for so long because it was unkown and untreated. Once I figured the ADHD part out, everything else fell into place. Knowing this about myself has been nothing but positive for me.