It may take four to eight weeks to get the maximum benefit once the right dose is determined. However, improvements in some symptoms may occur sooner.

Strattera can cause very significant abdominal pain, nausea and drowsiness, especially when starting the medication.

Side effects not requiring immediate medical attention These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

It is effective for 24 hours after it is taken. Strattera’s half-life is about 5 hours.

In addition, Strattera should never be stopped cold turkey, as this can produce unwanted withdrawal symptoms. Typically, if you no longer want to use Strattera, your doctor will lower your Strattera dose gradually over time so your body can adjust to less and less of the medication.

Strattera is usually taken once or twice a day. Do not open, chew or crush Strattera capsules.

Strattera, however, is not a controlled substance and is not habit-forming. This means you do not have to taper off the use of Strattera if you decide to stop taking the medication.

This is a temporary episode that can leave you feeling tired, anxious, irritable, or angry. It can occur several hours after taking the drug. A crash refers to certain negative feelings, such as anxiety and tiredness, that happen as a drug wears off. It’s not the same as side effects.

This medication may rarely cause serious problems such as a heart attack or stroke. Get medical help right away if you experience any of the following: chest/jaw/left arm pain, shortness of breath, unusual sweating, weakness on one side of the body, confusion, slurred speech, sudden vision changes.

Strattera is the brand name for the drug atomoxetine hydrochloride. Though many SNRIs are used to treat depression, Strattera is only used for ADHD. It works by changing the way your brain absorbs the chemical norepinephrine as well as how that chemical acts in your body. Norepinephrine affects your overall mood.

Effects on Growth Subsequently, weight gain rebounds and at about 3 years of treatment, patients treated with Strattera have gained 17.9 kg on average, 0.5 kg more than predicted by their baseline data.

Anxiety is a common side effect of stimulants. Your doctor won’t know how a medication will affect you until you take it, but it’s possible stimulants may make your anxiety symptoms worse. If that’s the case for you, your doctor may suggest other medicines, such as the nonstimulant drug atomoxetine (Strattera).

Patients and clinicians should be aware of alopecia or hair loss as a possible but very rare side effect of atomoxetine treatment.

Stimulant medications like Adderall are known to be the most effective treatment for ADHD. As such, they are considered first-line medication. Non-stimulant medications like Strattera are second-line medications. While not as effective as stimulants, they can still be effective for ADHD symptoms.

This is partly because the drug is a central nervous system stimulant. That is, it gives you energy, makes you feel alert. Strattera, though also prescribed for the treatment of this disorder, works differently. It belongs to a class of medications call Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs).

Drinking alcohol while taking Strattera can not only increase your chances of suffering from side effects from your medication but can decrease the effectiveness of atomoxetine on your body and mind. Doctors advise you to avoid alcohol while taking atomoxetine or severely limit your use.

Strattera can cause liver damage in rare cases. Patients should tell their doctor right away if they have itching, dark urine, yellow skin/eyes, upper right-sided abdominal tenderness, or unexplained “flu-like” symptoms.