Atomoxetine and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 14, 2021

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I am on Strattera 40 mg once a day for one week, then twice a day (80 mg) after. I'm 33 years old. Never been treated for ADHD before now. I have terrible anxiety, among other things. Today is day three on Strattera. I feel drunk when I take it. I don't like alcohol normally, but this feels like I drank too much. The first few hours are difficult. My chest feels heavy, and my body is tingling. I have constant goosebumps. I don't think it's supposed to be like this. Any advice??"

• Phi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2020

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I’m 18 years old, suffering from chronic depersonalization/derealization disorder (DPDR) and ADD. I was really thankful when I finally found out that I have ADD. It explained every aspect of my life that I, my friends, and my family couldn’t understand (you all know what I’m talking about). So I started using Strattera. On 10 mg, I didn’t feel anything. On 25 mg, I started having some problems with insomnia and a little bit of anxiety. On 40 mg, I finally got to know what real anxiety is. Staying up until 3 am, sitting on my bed with racing thoughts, fast heartbeat, and high blood pressure. Being sure that I have schizophrenia and that I’m going to lose control of my brain. Waking up a few times per night, sometimes with hypnagogic hallucinations and feeling like total trash throughout the next day. Also wasn’t feeling any relief from ADD, and my DPDR got significantly worse because of all the anxiety. Can’t blame the drug; every brain is different. I hope it will work for you. :)"

• Cun...
• March 19, 2017

Atomoxetine for ADHD "Female, 28, and have been on Strattera for 5 months and it has changed my life. Went back to college to finish my high school degree after having dropped out in year 9 due to pure inability to focus. I was always in a daydream before this med. Motivation is increased 10-fold. I also had panic attack disorder with half a dozen panic attacks every day. About 3 weeks into this med and the anxiety lifted. Anxiety is 100% gone. No other med in my life has ever done that, not even actual anxiety medications. I'm more social, have more energy, and general satisfaction with life. I am so happy with this medication and truly believe this is an absolute miracle medication. I think this medication is more for people who have ADHD-PI."

• Mat...
• January 5, 2020

Atomoxetine for ADHD "At 34, I started Ritalin. It had up & down effects. At 46, I began Strattera. Hated it. Gained 35 lbs, anxiety soared, was fatigued & lethargic. My current dose is 60mg 2x/day. I never lost weight, but I feel normal. I don't limit caffeine intake. I drink tea, no coffee. Anxiety & depression are better with Strattera. Just added 40 mg Adderall as menopause dulls the effect of Strattera. It has caused high BP & urinary retention. Yet I haven't stopped Strattera in 14 yrs as the alternative is dysfunction. With my daily dose (120 mg) over the max, changing insurance & MDs involves much hoop jumping. Cost of Strattera (& generics) is very high. Some generics are not as effective. Overall, give it time to become fully effective, carefully weigh pros and cons, don't expect to eliminate all ADD behaviors, set realistic behavioral goals, & closely monitor self. The med is NOT a panacea, it is one tool on the journey to living as your authentic self."

• jal...
• January 25, 2010

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I am 65 years old and have been dealing with a learning disability all my life. However, only recently, a clinical psychologist whom I went to for some testing recommended Ritalin and Adderall, which caused unpleasant side effects. Then, I tried Strattera 40 mg. Strattera has been the drug that works for me. I am definitely more focused and can stay on task when reading a book or newspaper article without anxiety and frustration of having to reread the same paragraph. I have always been treated with Paxil for anxiety attacks over the years, but this drug seems to work better. I am happy to feel more focused, interested, and engaged in everything I do. Being with my kids is more enjoyable for me. I embrace these feelings."

• Sea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 16, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "This is my seventh time attempting the medication. I'm trying to do it right this time, no other choice. My experience has been to start at the lowest dose... 10 mg and stay on that for six to eight weeks before increasing it (10 mg at a time). I usually expect and prepare for two weeks of awfulness in the way of side effects before things get better. I've learned to be very wary of either nicotine or caffeine consumption with this medication. My experience with norepinephrine drugs like this is that just a little bit of nicotine or caffeine sets off my anxiety and irritability. It helps me with psychosomatic pain along with Cymbalta. It helps my anxiety. It increases alertness. It increases my focus but not nearly like amphetamine stimulants. Sexual side effects for me are not too serious. Orgasm as a male is irregular, but I actually find it more pleasurable. I find it also useful not to combine much alcohol with the drug. Uppers with downers for me can be ugly."

• Tes...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 1, 2023

Atomoxetine for ADHD "Throughout my diagnosis journey, I have experimented with numerous medications, and Strattera (Atomoxetine) has proven to be the most effective for me. Unlike stimulants or SSRIs, which caused mood swings, anxiety, and emotional blunting, Strattera doesn't make me feel 'medicated.' Initially, I started with a 40 mg dose, which led to irritability, depression, and anxiety. After discussing these side effects with my doctor, I realized I had exceeded my optimal dosage. I am particularly sensitive to medications, so taking a month-long break from Strattera was necessary. Upon resuming Strattera at a reduced 18 mg dose, I no longer experienced the negative side effects and began enjoying the full benefits of the medication. If you are considering Strattera, give it a chance and collaborate with your doctor to find the appropriate dosage for your needs. Too much of a good thing can be harmful, and the same chemical can either positively transform your life or wreak havoc on it."

• Ash...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 22, 2022

For Depression "I switched to this medication for depression, anxiety, and ADHD. After being on Wellbutrin/bupropion for 20+ years with good results, my chemistry changed and I began having side effects, including increased blood pressure, racing heart, anxiety, and panic attacks. I first tried both clonidine and guanfacine, both of which I found far too sedating even at the lowest dose. I started on 25 mg atomoxetine and felt the results within the first day - increased energy being the most notable, without any of the anxiety, racing heart, and elevated blood pressure I was experiencing on bupropion. My tearfulness/sadness and forgetfulness rapidly improved. My doc increased the dose to 50 mg, and I have felt further improvement. My anxiety and lack of focus are now gone, depression markedly diminished. The only side effect on a higher dose is mild nausea after I take it in the morning, which resolves in 1-2 hours and will likely abate as my body adjusts. I find this medication far preferable to bupropion."

• Anonymous
• November 9, 2009

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I first started 18 mg once a day, no noticeable change. Then increased to 40 mg once a day, at first I seemed to just be calm and zombie-like with no change to my ADD. Then, 2-3 weeks later insomnia, paranoia, depression, rage, panic attacks, and severe anxiety consumed me so badly that I couldn't leave my house. I feared for my safety and the safety of others so I stopped the drug immediately! I was having thoughts of violence toward others and myself. I am a 28-year-old woman and was on no other medications and no other conditions besides ADD. I'd rather just deal with my ADD than all those scary feelings I've never had before."

• kel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "It's hard for me to say if Strattera is the reason I feel calm and focused because I am on a lot of other medications for other diagnoses (depression/bipolar, OCD, anxiety). However, since starting Strattera, I have noticed a difference, a subtle difference. I was previously on Vyvanse, which also made a subtle difference, but it caused too much anxiety. I noticed I've been interrupting others less and feeling more focused in conversations and at work. So I say give it a try, especially if stimulants give you anxiety."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2014

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I am 15 years old girl and this was the first medication I ever took for my ADD, and I don't even know if it worked for my ADD symptoms. But I do know the side effects of Strattera were all I had. I was depressed, numb, sleepy, could not eat, and had anxiety. It felt like I wasn't on earth, I was out in space, numb to the world."

• Sli...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 13, 2017

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I think this may be my third review of Strattera. I still give it a high rating because, all in all, it has done what it was supposed to do. I've had some bad migraines while on it, and I've gone off it a few times because I couldn't fill the script or felt like it wasn't working, but I have always come back to taking it in the past four years. My current dose is 25 mg, and I also take Adderall, 10 mg twice a day. If I had to describe Strattera, it is a great focus/motivation medication, but it also ups the anxiety, and Adderall seems to up it even more. My doctor really doesn't have another solution than to take Ativan. Coffee makes Strattera worse, but sometimes it won't kick in without the morning coffee."

• Han...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I’m only giving Strattera 2 stars instead of 1 because it worked for focus, but the side effects were horrible. The first day taking it, I felt great. I had enough energy to get through the day and I felt present and in the moment. Then the next day, I started to feel really strange. I couldn’t sleep through the night. I was majorly wired. I started to not feel like myself. My head was completely empty. I felt like a zombie, tbh. I didn’t find things funny, and I started to lash out at people, which I never do. By like day four, I lashed out at my dad, and then I broke down. I cried and was becoming really depressed. When I went off of it, my imagination returned. It was kind of a scarring experience."

• DDB...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 30, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I started taking Strattera three weeks ago, and it has been awful. I started taking this because I had too many negative side effects with the stimulants. Strattera gave me mood swings, usually leaving me feeling depressed, anxious, annoyed, angry, etc. It also suppressed my appetite, which kept me from eating. It made me feel lethargic during the day, which kept me in bed and awake at night, which caused severe depression. I noticed no improvement in my ADHD symptoms. I have stopped taking Strattera."

• Flo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 4, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I took Strattera along with other bipolar meds. I started slowly losing weight. I'm already thin and didn't like losing weight. My hair became very thin and started breaking off. Then it started falling out. My anxiety was very high, and I developed severe tremors in my legs when I walked. I didn't know it was the Strattera for a long time. I went to my primary care doctor, and he said it could be the Strattera. I immediately stopped taking it. Within 2 weeks, all my symptoms went away. I still have very light tremors occasionally. Be careful taking this medicine."

• Kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 7, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "My boyfriend has been on and off this medication for the last 10 months. He gets crazy anxiety when he's been taking it consistently for over two weeks and has really bad tummy aches. He loses his personality and becomes emotionless. It's one of the hardest things to know he needs it to be able to properly do work at his 9-5 job, but it's so sad to lose his personality that I love."

• Hug...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 9, 2016

Atomoxetine for ADHD "Great stuff. Like any ADD med, if you have underlying depression or anxiety, I can see how this could exacerbate it. Caffeine used to make me super depressed. Take care of your depression before starting a stimulant. Anyway, this stuff is great. Vyvanse would make me super edgy and basically feel like ripping the world's juggler out with my bare hands. This stuff feels like that peak 5 minutes of coffee where you're like, 'damn, I wish this could last all day!' I sleep way better, I have a ton more energy. Things don't bother me as much as they used to, so I can focus on my work more. However, you should really work out to burn it off, otherwise, you could get a little aggressive. I know that I really don't put up with any shit while I'm on it."

• The...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 11, 2022

Atomoxetine for ADHD "First, I want to clarify there is a difference in how or what neurotransmitters are the target for ADHD. Science tells us what areas of the brain are affected by particular ones. However, it is different in every person exactly which neurotransmitters need uptake. It is trial and error. I was born cross-eyed, and although corrected, my comprehension is a serious problem. I cannot read without my Wellbutrin. I took Strattera for 6 months, every month, the psychiatrist increased my dose. It made me extremely anxious, agitated, and hyper."

• Nik...
• February 11, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "This drug ruined my life. I took it for five months total. I was only on 25 mg, and it was giving me heart palpitations and panic attacks. If I had anything with caffeine, I thought I would die. When I stopped taking this medication, everything spiraled down. I had terrible anxiety, couldn't sleep, couldn't think straight, and had dry mouth for months. This slowly improved over two and a half years until I felt normal again. But now, after being on other medications like Cipro, my symptoms came back, and I have to start over. I'm sensitive to any mood-altering substance and probably will be for the rest of my life! I used to have goals, but now I struggle to survive. I have a friend who came off it fine, but in my opinion, it's not worth it. Other people I've talked to have had similar reactions. I hope I can do good by offering this advice: don't take Strattera to manage ADHD, even though it seems safe. I live with pain and regret every day and would give anything to go back and change my mind about taking Strattera."

• 43...
• November 10, 2015

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I'm a 43 y.o. female diagnosed with ADD or ADHD at the age of 30-it's actually the inattentive type if you want to be specific. I kind of knew I had it most of my life because my brother and father had it. Was prescribed Ritalin-had energy, but increased my anxiety and insomnia (1-2 yrs). Only lasted 4-6 hours, but racing thoughts and heart palpitations at night. Now at 43, I had to ask my doctor repeatedly to prescribe Strattera-non-stimulant-helps tremendously with anxiety and I can focus somewhat better. Tired in the day, but I can complete tasks faster-sleeping much better :) Bonus: I pee less during the day. Took about 1 month to kick in-side effects: tingling and tiredness. Got used to it."

• Hou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 17, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I was finally diagnosed 3 years ago at the age of 45. After trying stimulants and stopping them due to the side effects, being agitation, sleeplessness, crashes, chest pains on the heart side, etc., I was then prescribed Strattera. Unfortunately, Strattera's side effects were absolutely horrible. I was advised that the side effects would subside after 3 to 4 weeks. Well, after 3 to 4 weeks, those horrible side effects did suddenly stop, but then I had unbearable anxiety. Next, I'll be trying Wellbutrin or Effexor, the next line of medication that may help with my ADHD, although probably not as effective as the medications mentioned above. Very frustrating, but not giving up. I keep praying for some relief :)"

• Pan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2019

Atomoxetine for ADHD "Was diagnosed with Asperger's after ADHD diagnosis. I'm a grown female, having experienced severe migraines at the back of my left skull the first time taking Strattera. Due to the colorings that are in these capsules, E numbers that cause aggression, anxiety, and hyperactiveness. I felt suicidal over Christmas, and no one would help. I was lucky I was used to adverse effects from all ADHD meds, worst decision I ever made starting on ADHD meds a year ago, for studying, and it has broken my mind. I have anxiety, depression, a severe black cloud envelops me. I force myself to wake up after taking sleeping pills, aware I must stop taking any, and they did something to my emotions, and I can't get better. Don't let your provider give you a cheap generic. I was allergic to the cheap fillers in generic ADHD meds, having an anaphylaxis shock at work. If you have anxiety, depression, or are on the autistic spectrum, please be careful."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 15, 2015

Atomoxetine for ADHD "My 8-year-old son took this and had an extreme allergic reaction. I thought it was something else, but on day 5, his eyes swelled and his face broke out. It took a while to get out of the system. On the other hand, my 11-year-old daughter is taking Strattera 25 mg, and it has worked great for her. She is reading like crazy, and she's never been able to focus enough to read. Whenever she took stimulants, she would get a lot of stuff done, but she would be anxious and sad. This medication is the only one that she's taken that didn't make her sad. I rate it a 5 because it worked terribly for one child but has been great for the other."

• Fin...
• September 29, 2011

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I have been on it a few months, with great results for my ADD. I have greater concentration and am up getting things done, instead of vegging in front of the tube. The major drawback has been sweating. I was getting chills and sweating a lot! Originally thought it could be hormones, but not after reading others' comments matching my symptoms. I was jittery at first, but now smooth sailing. I tell lots of people how happy I am with the results. I loved Wellbutrin but am allergic."

• ese...
• March 31, 2012

Atomoxetine for ADHD "I have been on Strattera for about two months. It certainly has a subtle effect that creeps up on you. It is not a stimulant, so it does not have that quick hit effect. While taking it, I feel a little dopey, but if I have been on it for a while and then lower the dose to one every two days, I can really feel the difference in my performance and focus. I went through a stressful experience which brought on some mania. Stay off this medicine if you go through a similar experience. It heightens panic and intensifies anxiety. Other than that, it seems to be good."