Harm Reduction Strattera advice please

[arthunter888]

I was recently prescribed Strattera (a NRI) for ADHD, ADD, and amotivation. I usually take a weekly recreational opiate dose, along with 30mg DXM before that, and an occasional low dose benzo either on its own or at the comedown of opiate high. I am also a daily cannabis smoker (about .1g a day).

I need to ascertain whether I should avoid any of the above drug habits while on Strattera. By that, I mean is it dangerous to combine any of the above with Strattera? The doctor didn't mention anything, and the monthly sample box only says to avoid MAOIs, so I need to be sure about mixing. Internet search failed. Also if you or someone you know has been on Strattera for similar problems, fill me in on how that experience went (side effects, successfulness, etc). thanks

 

[Mr Blonde]

The drugs.com interaction checker didn't pull up anything with atomoxetine and DXM, but I'd tread carefully there regardless. Opiates should be fine, and benzos should be fine. As for cannabis, should be OK too. Nothing you are taking is an MAOI so you don't have to worry about that.

 

[pallidamors]

I'd avoid the DXM only because the SNRI activity could have some funky interactions with DXM's seemingly countless mechanisms of action. My guess is that it could result in tachycardia in higher doses (if you decided to robotrip) or possible uncomfortable stimulation in lower doses. I doubt it would be truly dangerous at the dose you mentioned though.

Granted, 30 mg isn't a lot, so you could be fine, but there's other potentiators out there, cimetidine would probably work just as well and shouldn't have any interactions, for example.

Other than that, Mr Blonde just about covered it. I've taken opiates and benzos with strattera before and didn't notice any interactions whatsoever, so there's your anecdotal evidence to go along with the empirical info from the interaction checker.

 

[Depressicaa]

Strattera will give you anger issues, and will not help with motivation and work until weeks after you've taken it (if that at all). My suggestion is discard it and do not take any more. Take an instantly working drug like Dexedrine, Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, Intuiv, Ritalin, or Desoxyn.

 

[pallidamors]

Strattera will give you anger issues, and will not help with motivation and work until weeks after you've taken it (if that at all). My suggestion is discard it and do not take any more. Take an instantly working drug like Dexedrine, Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, Intuiv, Ritalin, or Desoxyn.

How do you know it will give OP anger issues? Last time I checked drugs affected people differently; what is a side effect for you might not hold for someone else. Perhaps there is a reason OP is taking Strattera instead of an amphetamine or related dopaminergic, as well. Your post does nothing to answer the original question and is useless.

 

[Mr Blonde]

^ +1, just because it didn't work for you Depressicaa doesn't mean it's gonna be the same for the OP. Strattera I believe is also indicated in cases where typical stimulants aren't working to treat the ADD, so you have no idea what his situation is and why he is taking it.

 

[arthunter888]

Granted, 30 mg isn't a lot, so you could be fine, but there's other potentiators out there, cimetidine would probably work just as well and shouldn't have any interactions, for example.

I choose to take the DXM for tolerance prevention, and the enzyme-based potentiation is an added bonus. True that this property is not thoroughly proven, but opiates are so damn expensive that it's better than nothing and worth a try IMO.

And I'll only consider stimulants as a last resort as I already have some nervous tics and general uneasiness that way worsen with amphetamines.

 

[Depressicaa]

How do you know it will give OP anger issues? Last time I checked drugs affected people differently; what is a side effect for you might not hold for someone else. Perhaps there is a reason OP is taking Strattera instead of an amphetamine or related dopaminergic, as well. Your post does nothing to answer the original question and is useless.

Hes getting a sample and hes asking what happens to people on it. I merely answered his question, but I'm not looking for a fight (are you with that tone-of-post?). Just giving anecdotals.

See here?

Also if you or someone you know has been on Strattera for similar problems, fill me in on how that experience went (side effects, successfulness, etc). thanks

Intuiv isn't a stimulant, I have heard bad things from Strattera, but not much on Intuiv as its newer. It does however, tend to give some people overheating.

ADD can also be a problem with nutrition. A lot of the problems I had were fixed by a magnesium supplement (which ironically was for the Adderall I was going to get).

 

[TheFDA]

I was on Strattera for pretty much the entire time I was a Meth addict, & doing tons of other drugs as well. To my knowledge & in my own personal experience, Strattera doesn't really interact badly with anything. Besides, if it did, I'd think your doctor would have told you.

Strattera in & of itself can be freakin' insane, though, & hardly EVER works. Lots of people go crazy when they're getting off of it... Like, committed-to-psych-ward type of crazy. I've heard many horrible stories about what people have gone through getting off of Strattera -- & yes, at least most of those people I know were getting off of it by lowering their dosage as their doctor recommended.

Of course, you won't see that on any warning label or whatever... Strattera's a pretty new medication, though, & with many new medications the drug companies aren't aware of tons of the adverse effects the drug can have until it's already been on the market for years.

 

[FlawedByDesign]

a little off topic but how do you manage to only smoke .1 grams a day? do you pack a bowl and only hit it once a day? you must have alot of self control (or some really good weed)

 

[arthunter888]

I was on Strattera for pretty much the entire time I was a Meth addict, & doing tons of other drugs as well. To my knowledge & in my own personal experience, Strattera doesn't really interact badly with anything. Besides, if it did, I'd think your doctor would have told you.

Strattera in & of itself can be freakin' insane, though, & hardly EVER works. Lots of people go crazy when they're getting off of it... Like, committed-to-psych-ward type of crazy. I've heard many horrible stories about what people have gone through getting off of Strattera -- & yes, at least most of those people I know were getting off of it by lowering their dosage as their doctor recommended.

Of course, you won't see that on any warning label or whatever... Strattera's a pretty new medication, though, & with many new medications the drug companies aren't aware of tons of the adverse effects the drug can have until it's already been on the market for years.

Wow, that's heavy. I always take caution with pharmaceuticals. As ironic as it seems, they tend to be more toxic and have more complications than a lot of illegal street drugs. My ADD is not severe enough that it's ruining my life, it just makes me half as productive as the norm. So if you are serious about the insanity thing when getting off it let me know that you are not exaggerating, as this is really something to consider. Has anyone else heard stuff like this?

a little off topic but how do you manage to only smoke .1 grams a day? do you pack a bowl and only hit it once a day? you must have alot of self control (or some really good weed)

Yes, and yes. First off, though I'm near the east coast most of the headies I get comes from California dispensaries, so it's high quality and not much is needed to begin with.

It also helps that I am extremely efficient at smoking. I'll take a little pinch, put in bowl, and keep some space between the flame and the bud, to avoid a ''cherry''. This makes it "curl" slowly as I inhale. Then I'll pack another seperate hit and do the same, etc. By the time I'm high, I've barely used .1g.

When you combine packing huge bowls with direct flame contact like most stoners do, you'll find over half of your stuff burns in to the air between hits, AND your hits are mostly combustion chemicals that cloud your mind.

 

[Depressicaa]

Yeah, see why I really don't think that you should take Strattera? Because your ADD isn't ruining your life, its in my opinion, you would be better off getting regular stuff and just using it when you need to, but certainly not everyday.

Anecdotically, I know one person who keeps using it, and got depression and anger issues from it, but he refuses to believe that the drug caused it (taking multiple antis and seroquel). Oh well, don't talk to the guy anymore since hes a dumbass and an asshole (think: Hey doctor, someone told me that it was a good idea to use Adderall instead of Strattera, would you prescribe me some? No? Why?)

 

[arthunter888]

I recently called a local radio talk show (which is mainly encourages naturopathic/hollistic approaches to health problems --- so not biased toward pharms) about Strattera. They said that they have heard mainly good things about Strattera: that it is safe, effective after a couple weeks, and didn't mention anything about the harshness of discontinuing its use.

There are a few posts here that express negativity about Strattera, and bluelight has been a great reliable info source IME, so I'm not sure what to believe. Is there anyone else out there that can ellaborate here?

 

[syndeusys]

Intuiv isn't a stimulant, I have heard bad things from Strattera, but not much on Intuiv as its newer. It does however, tend to give some people overheating.

ADD can also be a problem with nutrition. A lot of the problems I had were fixed by a magnesium supplement (which ironically was for the Adderall I was going to get).

Intuiv isn't a stimulant but it's been around forever I think over 30 years there is tons of information about it look up guanfacine. The manufacturer just made it an ER dosage form and got a new patent it's completely BS. Strattera is related to antidepressants and as with all antidepressants it has the chance of causing mania although it is a side effect it doesn't happen in the majority of cases but i totally agree that it's not as effective as more traditional therapies although helpful where those are otherwise contraindicated. ADD is also not a problem with nutrition I can't even begin to get into that but not having a proper diet can cause all sorts of problems for people concentration definitely being one of them.

 

[Depressicaa]

I recently called a local radio talk show (which is mainly encourages naturopathic/hollistic approaches to health problems --- so not biased toward pharms) about Strattera. They said that they have heard mainly good things about Strattera: that it is safe, effective after a couple weeks, and didn't mention anything about the harshness of discontinuing its use.

There are a few posts here that express negativity about Strattera, and bluelight has been a great reliable info source IME, so I'm not sure what to believe. Is there anyone else out there that can ellaborate here?

It is indeed safe, as in no immediate danger from the usage. Unless you count some psychological problems that are associated with it. I know one person still on it. So anecdotally I am not happy with its effects. Not saying it happens all the time though.

Effective after a few weeks, if at all (I assume you're taking it, hope it works for you). Why not take something that works within minutes?

No harshness after taking it isn't a fact, it happens to some people, same as when they stop SSRIs. Not that often, but still.

And thanks for the info on Intuiv, I knew it was rebranded, but I didn't see many studies on its effects on ADD is what I meant.

 

[syndeusys]

The ADD use for guanfacine is off lable same with clonidine both are alpha-2 agonists But yeah haven't seen too many studies myself.

 

[WSB15]

A friend of mine in High School (when Strattera had just came out) started taking it, and then at a party he smoked some weed--probably 5 to 8 hits--and turned a palish blue color and puked several times over a few hours. Anecdotal, but it might be something you want to test the waters carefully at first.

 

[JimLovesOxies]

I smoked herb, (quite alot of it) on strattera back in high-school when I was prescribed it. I didn't notice any ill effects from the combination, but I will say that the strattera did not help my ADD at all. In fact, it honestly made me feel quite shitty. Hopefully this treatment option will work for you. Strattera was the first drug my ADD doctor made me try because he said it was non-stimulant based. I also tried Concerta, which is extended-release Methyphenidate(Ritalin) and to no avail, it didn't help either. I'd be careful about mixtures with the Strattera, just to see how things may effect you. Be safe and report back.

 

[CuriousCub]

Strattera is so new compared to rest of the ADD meds and I'm really concerned about the damage from taking 40 mgs a day of it. I can't stand the smell of the pills...and the price of the pills is just outrageous...it's $600 for 90 pills! I want to give it a try though...but I don't want to endanger myself....

 

[skunk123454321]

DO NOT DO THIS, WHATEVER YOU DO! I was on strattera and decided to robotrip not realizing the potential interaction. When it was about time for me to start feeling the effects of the dxm nothing happened so i went to sleep. i woke up 10 hours later hallucinating beyond imagine, not in a dxm kind of way though, with my heart racing, having an overdose on strattera. i am pretty certain that both strattera and dxm require the same enzyme to metabolize and that dxm is given preference, because over 10 hours strattera just built up in my body and i had all of the symptoms of a strattera overdose whilst only taking the normal daily amount.

it has changed the way i think, the way i act, and i regret doing that more than anything in my entire life, so no definitely dont fuck with mixing those two drugs