r/ADHDmemes • u/MistaZayuh • 8d ago
These were not the side effects I expected
Couldn't get another appointment with my doctor for about 2 months. Looks like I'm raw dogging the end of this semester
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u/Candlewaxeater 8d ago edited 8d ago
Everytime I hear Strattera I don't hear anything positive its concerning.
edit:
I'm not downplaying the med, of course if I'm on the internet and I cherry pick back results it's all I see, it's great to hear how many of you had it save your life
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u/Taro-Starlight 8d ago
Wow, it’s been incredible for both me and my husband! I started painting again for the first time in over a decade, and neither of have ready had side effects. I’m glad I didn’t read any of this first!
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u/pinkspiderkyo 8d ago edited 8d ago
Same! My interests have returned and my appetite has been curbed. Only negative things I've noticed are annoying eczema flair-ups and cold fingers. Best is I don't feel like a zombie like I did half the time I was on Ritalin.
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u/Jahosaphine01 8d ago
This is honestly the first I'm hearing of ill side effects. It really turned my life around. Helped me do the things I've been needing to do with little to no side effects, other than adjust period of any new pill.
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u/Simple-House-Cat 8d ago
Absolutely wild to be reading all these side effects. I’ve been taking it for over a year and absolute game changer. My psychiatrist did mention it had a 30% chance of success and we met often when I started it, but yeah definitely have never had panic attacks (my previous PAs actually subsided with Strattera), bleeding toes, or a frog whisperer while taking it.
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u/weak_shimmer 8d ago
The only side effect I've had is decreased appetite, other than that it's been great for me.
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u/lilPrinceBilly 8d ago
It's worked for me personally. I had no idea the side effects could get that bad
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u/corn2824 8d ago
I also am shocked to hear this since Strattera has completely changed my life! I’m able to keep my house clean, manage multiple projects at work, and generally live without feeling constantly overwhelmed by things now that I’m on it!
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u/OppositeBand1001 8d ago
It's been life changing for me. What I thought was panic disorder for most of my life was untreated ADHD. I couldn't take a stimulant medicine bc it'd make the panic worse. Once I started Strattera, my brain got quiet, and the constant stream of intrusive thoughts disappeared.
I haven't had any side effects like those you all are talking about.
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u/DigitXer0 7d ago
Honestly, it helped me quite a bit. I had some slight resistance urinating but only stopped because it was slightly increasing my blood pressure. My symptoms were not quite as severe as I've heard from others.
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u/fencerJP 7d ago
I've been on Straterra for 20ish years, no side effects that I've noticed. Certainly not hearing voices, no problems with my junk.
I DID have side effects on Adderall/Ritalin/concerta- every time I missed a dose and started taking it again, I would have the worst depression of my life. Like self-ending thoughts. That shit was not good for me.
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago edited 8d ago
Strattera temporarily killed my erections, prevented me from urinating, and then all that would come out when I tried in vain to pee was semen.
I stopped that shit by the end of day two. The side effects cleared immediately. My bodily functions went back to normal.
Omg. Gahhhhhhhhh think about that still freaks me out and this happened years ago. Ugh ugh ugh ugh.
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u/pinkpeonies111 8d ago
I’m autistic and I don’t know if you’re joking or not but this is insane
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
Not joking.
But I can understand why you might think I was joking. That was an insanely bizarro cluster of side effects!
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u/pinkpeonies111 8d ago
That sounds so awful! Thanks for responding kindly and I’m really glad to hear that stopped right away
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u/laughingjack13 8d ago
I don’t want to seem like I’m making light of that, but I would love to know what the fuck it was doing to your biochemistry because it seems like a lot needs to go pretty wrong before that can happen
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
Oh please make light of it 😂 Some things are so bad they turn around and become hilarious.
Someone else in the comments described it as a retrograde ejaculation, where basically things go in and up instead of down and out. So that then blocked up the urinary tract, impacting (literally) my ability to pee.
That’s the mechanics of it. But as to what happened in my neurochemistry from the drug to cause it I have no idea. The side effects happened almost immediately and stopped almost immediately once I went off the drug.
And judging by other folks’ experiences in this thread, I’m not alone with weird shit happening to my uro-genital system when taking Strattera/Atomoxitine.
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u/Snoo-72438 8d ago
It’s true. It causes your semen to accumulate in the bladder
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u/Graffxxxxx 8d ago
Bruh this is probably (who am I kidding, definitely) the strangest side effects for a medications. wtf even has to happen to your body to be able to piss semen???? Remind me to stay away from Strattera in the future. Ew ew ew wtf nope.
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
I had no idea what was going on because it was so far beyond the realm of “obvious medication side effect”. I did some searching through medical journals and found a report of some poor teenage boy from years ago who had similar side effects from Atomoxitine. Get this—he was having spontaneous ejaculation on top of other problems. That helped me connect the dots.
At least my toes didn’t bleed. 😂
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u/Graffxxxxx 8d ago
Bro I can only image how horribly life altering spontaneous ejaculation would be. The human body is fuckin weird sometimes.
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u/RachelScratch 8d ago
Spontaneous retrograde ejaculation would be the term I think. Everything went into your bladder instead of out
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
Thank you for sharing that. How you describe it makes sense, and explains why peeling would be difficult because the pathway would be blocked with other matter.
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u/PassiveParty0 8d ago
✍️Never ✍️ take ✍️ Strattera. Got it, thank you 👍 (seriously tho I'm so sorry wth)
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
Seriously. Wtf. Honestly, now that it’s been a while, I think it is kind of a morbidly fascinating thing to get such a rare and profound side effect.
I’m sure it works for some people.
And if you’re reading this thread and love yourself some Strattera, let us know!
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u/RachelScratch 8d ago
It is strangely worth trying, my roommate has absolutely 0 negative side effects from it and it does wonders for her.
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u/RachelScratch 8d ago
I had a similar issue with it, but a nearly opposite effect. It made me strangely horny, but ejaculation would occur shortly before orgasm. Everything just sorta...leaked out, and the dry orgasm would be painful. Shit suuuuuuucked
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u/wegwerfiiiii 8d ago edited 8d ago
I took focalin/ritalin for a while and regularly took too much. Now I have a urine retention disorder. I have up to 3 pints of urine left in my bladder after peeing. My bladder is enlarged and doesn't empty properly. I've been self-catherising for like a month now and regularly have a pint or more left in there. The doctors aren't sure if it was the meds that caused the issue because I was also regularly getting drunk and smoking weed at the weekends during that period but also have scoliosis and slight brain damage. The most annoying thing is that I did actually see my GP because I noticed I had to go pee more often but he didn't check my bladder. He basically said it was a normal side effect, which might be true but not to such a high degree.
Luckily I can still get erections, although it isn't that great anymore. What really scared me and made me get help was when I started getting urinary incontinence while masturbating. So I'd have full on wood and suddendly feel the urge to pee or even start peeing a bit.
Edit: I think I also got small retrogate ejaculations too. Like, I'd suddendly have cum leaking out of my dick hours after actually ejaculating. Saw the doc about that too. He took a urine sample, didn't find anything and said it was nothing...
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
That’s intense. It sounds like your docs dropped the ball alongside whatever other factors in your life might’ve had an impact.
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u/AFrostNova 8d ago
Not quite the same but I was on it for a week. I could still pee, but i got the random ejaculations & did not get any erections. It was really helpful overall at keeping me focused - but very lowkey compared to stimulants obviously.
It was definitely the weirdest experience of side effects. Any time I peed a bit of semen would come out too && then just whenever it wanted to would ejac too super weird stuff
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
I’m not alone! Thanks for sharing. That’s really helpful to hear that you had a similar experience.
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u/-Kalos ADHD 8d ago
Nightmare juice. Jesus Christ
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
Jesus Christ can turn nightmare juice into nightmare wine. And I think we could all go for a little bit of wine after this discussion.
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u/Hesitation-Marx 4d ago
Strattera made my blood pressure climb so high that I nearly had a stroke. I fell over in front of my husband, poor guy.
Thankfully I was okay, but no more Strattera for me.
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u/PlaidGamerGirl 8d ago
Straterra can do what now?! 💀 I'm starting to think that I might be more lucky than I thought.
I've been on generic straterra for over 2 years and haven't had any crazy issues. I take 60mg. It definitely helps with my executive function, but it doesn't solve attention/motivation. So I also take Wellbutrin. Works pretty good, with minimal side effects for me. Definitely not as immediately effective as Adderall or Ritalin, but I'll take a consistent 60% buff over a short and volatile 80% buff.
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u/mousepad1234 8d ago
I was diagnosed back in the early 2000s with ADHD, which I thought was bullshit because it was around a time when anyone who wasn bored in school was being diagnosed with it. My mom, for some unknown reason, felt Straterra was best for my brother and I. I'll never forget how horrible those little blue devils are. Couldn't eat during the school day, only when I got out of school. I was told it'd make it easier for me to focus in class but all I did was sit there, numb and silent, completely zoned out. I couldn't remember anything about school when I got out, so homework just got even harder. It also taught me what depression was at 11 years old, so that was fun. Oh, and although I can't prove it, I am convinced it led to a sexual dysfunction that made it impossible for me to orgasm until I was 18. Straterra can be some real bad shit, would not recommend.
Now I've started to realize my ADHD diagnosis was correct but I needed better meds. So now I'm on Adderall and other than making it harder for me to mask my depression by getting distracted, I can actually pay attention to stuff and I don't feel like my short term memory is fried.
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
While I’m not a doctor, I affirm your suspicions about Strattera affecting your orgasms given my side effects (see elsewhere in this thread).
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u/KekistaniKekin 8d ago
Bro, I can't imagine having memories like that.
Unmatched respect for not immediately bleaching your own eyes
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u/ChatDomestique99 8d ago
I tried strattera a few years ago because I had an online psychiatrist and they can’t prescribe stimulants online.
You know that tiktok meme where caramelldansen is blasting and there’s strobe lights, but then the person is just lying on the ground, unmoving? I quit after 2 or 3 days
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u/Taro-Starlight 8d ago
I’m sorry, it WHAT? Like… how? From where, your pores or like, your nail beds or?
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u/MistaZayuh 8d ago edited 7d ago
Cuticles. Got red, swollen, and painful first, but it was the bleeding that was the deal breaker
I'd post toe pics, but then you'd have to pay
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u/CuriousFinchWings 8d ago
My Addy is making me have panic attacks and shortness of breath, I have to stop taking them :(
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
Have you tried a smaller dose? 18mg of Concerta XR works for me, but 27mg gives me panic attacks and warzone-grade noise sensitivity.
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u/CuriousFinchWings 8d ago
I did fine with 20mg xr teva, But I asked for a 25mg increase brand name. Not only my executive function lacks, but the panic attacks are worse. I still have some leftover 20mg. I'll take those
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u/throwawaydixiecup 8d ago
I hope that works out! It’s so stressful figuring out dosage and formulations.
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u/Anamethatsnowmine 8d ago
I had that same thing with everything I've tried (expect Elvanse but shits way too expensive), and smaller dosages do nothing but make my hands cold sweat 24/7 and make me feel like my insides are vibrating (anxiety ig? 💀)
Ended up stopping medication for now, trying out other stuff like mental training and lots of caffeine when I've to really focus on something. It works good enough for now so yeah.
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u/Top_Praline999 8d ago
I guess im lucky because straterra has improved my life with no real side effects. Every time they up the dosage more and more symptoms disappear.
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u/Taro-Starlight 8d ago
Same! I started painting again for the first time in over a decade! Didn’t realize how lucky I was with it.
Wellbutrin, however, made my eyes hurt to the point I had to walk around with my eyes closed for a couple days because that helped slightly.
Drugs are weird.
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u/mersquatch 8d ago
After 4 days of not noticing anything while taking Straterra, I had my first ever panic attack. Followed by 2 more over the next 3 days. Stopped taking Straterra and haven't had another panic attack since.
I think I'd take the panic attacks over having my toes bleed
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u/IntelligentGuava1532 8d ago
gave me a panic attack too. i only took it 1 day. it was super weird, and definitely made me feel the most "not myself/within the range of my normal mental state" of anything ive taken so far, barring ayahuasca which id say was stronger but not even by that much.
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u/ohfrackthis 8d ago
Is this actually true? I had an online pyschiatrist in the US a few years ago prescribe me Vyvanse.
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u/mersquatch 6d ago
Unfortunately, yeah. Where I was, non-stimulants had to be prescribed and tried before stimulants, and I happened to have panic attacks as a side effect
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u/Zach-uh-ri-uh 8d ago
What…. What do you mean?..?????
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u/MistaZayuh 8d ago
First my cuticles receded, then my toes got red, swollen, and painful, then there was some discharge from the cuticles, then a fair amount of blood. This happened over a few months, but the blood was my breaking point
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u/Zach-uh-ri-uh 7d ago
Holy shit that’s so fucking weird I had no idea a psychiatric medication was able to do something like that
What did the doctors say??
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u/aaronify 8d ago
On a side note this format makes it look like the hulk has another little hulk on his forehead
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u/Kandlish 8d ago
I take Strattera, and have for a few years. It's interesting. It quiets my inner critic, which I was probably using to motivate me to do things. So in that regard, it might make my ADHD worse. But because my inner critic is quiet, I also care less when I drop the ball. I think I have reprioritized and developed healthier boundaries. This is all paired with heavy therapy.
All this to say, if I had to use shame and anxiety in the form of cortisol as motivation to do things, they weren't worth doing - or at least doing it that way in the first place.
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u/Reasonable_Spite_282 8d ago
Mental healthcare should be free cause cycling through different meds is fucking expensive and that’s the only reason that keeps people from getting help. Crime rates would drop Worldwide if it was available.
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u/borrowedurmumsvcard 8d ago
Strattera gave me the most clear and calm head I’ve ever had
Before it made me suicidal and the most depressed I’ve ever been in my life. Shit had me laying on the living room floor for 3 hours crying and looking at the ceiling
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u/vorobyevites 7d ago
all strattera did for me was make me stop biting my nails after almost 20 years. otherwise it's genuinely the most useless medication known to man (for me, at least)
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u/nanny2359 7d ago
When I started Adderall I got tons of painful blisters in my mouth. After a week I switched to another brand of the same drug which did not cause blisters.
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u/interloperings 7d ago
Strattera made me projectile vomit and diarrhea simultaneously while having the worst panic attack of my life
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u/pho3nixfawx 8d ago
Turns out I'm allergic to it. Took me breaking out in the grossest rash on my face for my doc to swap me off it. Yeah, because I was lying about it making everything taste like dirt covered in hair. Worst two weeks of trying a med out, ever.
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u/Which_Wrap8263 8d ago
It worked better for me at alleviating ADHD symptoms than anything I’ve taken before or since. It’s the only reason I finally got a college degree. That said, it also made it extremely difficult to urinate and absolutely killed any chance at an erection, so I eventually had to switch off it.
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u/Bearlodge 8d ago
Strattera made me nauseous as hell and I feel like that's not even one of the worst side effects based on the comments here. It also didn't help me in the slightest.
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u/captskywalker 7d ago
this came across my feed this morning and it’s so validating honestly because i tried it and felt like death. nausea, clammy/HUGELY sweaty/dizzy, and had to sit. i was bummed bc i thought it was a me thing!
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u/Bearlodge 7d ago
Oh yeah I could be in a chilly air conditioned room and I'd still be wiping sweat from my forehead and just feeling like I need to stick my head in the closest freezer. Absolutely hated it. Honestly kinda glad it didn't help at all so that the decision to stop taking it wasn't a dilemma.
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u/FarAcanthocephala708 8d ago
Wellbutrin made me have athlete’s foot (cracking toes) and yeast infections. Bodies and meds are weird as fuck.
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u/spooky_toes 8d ago
I was on strattera for about 3 weeks, felt sooo spacey the whole time. then I got lost in my neighborhood a couple blocks from my house, convinced myself I had dementia, and broke down into hyperventilating sobs when I finally got home. immediately quit the next day and never looked back.
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u/Plutonium239Mixer 7d ago
I was on Strattera as a kid, it worked exceedingly well for me. No side effects until I got into my mid to late teens, it started making me drowsy, then I weaned myself off of it and managed adhd on my own since.
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u/YaGirlJuniper 7d ago
I got off Strattera so fucking fast. It was giving me random and unexplainable violent urges. I stopped taking it after the first day. Thankfully, Adderall has been better for me.
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u/Potential_Yoghurt850 7d ago
Strattera killed my mother and stole my dog.
Jk. It made me feel like I was in menopause and didn't help symptoms. This body needs stimulants. I'm happy it strattera works for some people.
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u/sealene_hatarinn 8d ago
Did anyone have a good time on strattera? My side effects were relatively minor compared to everyone else in here (anxiety nightmares almost every night. about school. which i had already finished by that point...) but I still caved after a month and said fuck it, I'm out.
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u/Taro-Starlight 8d ago
Me! I’ve responded to a couple other comments here already, but it got me to start painting again after over a decade. My husband takes it too and it helps him a lot (and I can always tell when he misses a dose 🤭)
Neither of us have really had side effects, except he gets heart burn if he doesn’t take it with food 🤷♂️
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u/CRISPR_29 8d ago
Day 3 on Strattera, I essentially acted like a balloon. My wife tried to help me by taking me outside and I could only follow her around. I suffered through it for about 3 weeks and then chucked the rest. Strattera straight up ruined my life for those few weeks. I haven't met anyone who found it helpful.
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u/The_one_and_only_Tav 8d ago
I just imagined you inflating like Veruca Salt and floating up into space
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u/Formal_Mood0 8d ago
"Strattera" sounds like something you would get as a side effect itself from a adhd pill
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u/Glasscitizen 8d ago
Straterra just made me so tired. I’d nod off, drop my phone, miss the bus to work. Super weird. Hated it.
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u/IcedCoffeeGay 8d ago
I still had the ability to orgasm with strattera, but yeah peeing was much more difficult. The worse part of it were the thunderclap headaches that I got every time I orgasmed. Two doctors and an ER visit later, I stopped the meds and I was able to orgasm without feeling like death was imminent
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u/laughingjack13 8d ago
I’m sorry but I’ve been unable to get Any meds in months, and my brain has been a plate of scrambled eggs lost in a timeless void as a result, but i still don’t think I’d take strattera, because what the fuck is this comment section filled with side effects.
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u/Hesitation-Marx 4d ago
OP, did you tell your doctor that your toes are bleeding?
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u/MistaZayuh 4d ago
I said I had severe side effects to my meds. They didn't care, just stop taking the meds. Fortunately, an appointment opened up about two weeks from now since I made the post (Btw, that wasn't my only side effect, just the funniest)
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u/slvshergrl 4d ago
Seeing this right after starting strattera this has to be foreshadowing or some shit
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u/Dense_Comfortable_50 8d ago
Back when i used to take Strattera, i was one of the few unlucky people to start hearing voices.
Shit was scary af