Strattera VS. Insomnia; Withdrawls? | ADHD Information

Hi I'm 33 and new to ADHD news. (I couldn't get through all the zillions of
posts to find out if this has been covered.)

My wife clipped out an article about ADD and to my amazement I had
many of the symptoms. I went to my doctor and he prescribed the
Strattera welcome kit: 40mgs for 4 days, then 60mgs.

Aside from the ADD, I also have some occasional anxiety/panic, low-
grade depression... your basic 21st century malaise.

Anyway, aside from being really fearful of meds--I am now on day 6. I
can tell some difference in my productivity, but I am also not sleeping.
(hence the productivity?) I woke up last night at 3am and cleaned the
house. Odd that most people complain about the sluggishness.

Anyone else have sleepless nights on this stuff?

So then I made the mistake of doing some research on Strattera and came
across all of these horror stories on the net. (Sending me into a dizzying
panic)

I just really don't want to be on meds... I'm a skeptic. I know I should give
it more time, I just hate the idea of being held hostage to pills despite the
mountainous mess of unfiled papers on my desk.

obviously I will call my doctor, but I am wondering if only 6 days of 40/
60mgs on strattera will cause any problems or withdrawls if I stop? I had
a really bad experience coming off of Paxil many years ago.

I understand that everyone responds differently to drugs, so the
withdrawl question is probably moot. But perhaps there is a general
consensus?

Thanks for any advice anyone might have!

[QUOTE=brig]i am not up on medical terminoligy unless it is something someone in my fam takes....so what exactly is melatonin?[/QUOTE]

Melatonin is a natural supplement you can buy in health food stores (and stores like Meijer's). It is produced naturally by the body as part of your normal circadian rhythm when your body senses that it is time to sleep. Some people find that taking a melatonin supplement at bedtime is a natural way to gently coax the body into sleep, rather than hitting you over the head with a hammer like most pharmaceutical sleep aids do.

Word of Caution with Strattera.  My son (age 10) has been taking it for about  a year now and we noticed major mood swings and anger issues with him starting about 2 months ago.  A nephew of my experienced the same thing.  We have now changed his meds and he seems so much better now.  He said he was angry all the time but did not know why and he felt depressed.  Some people do not get this side effect, so just be aware of it in case you start having mood swings.I am on straterra 40 mg two times a day and on clonazapam 1 mg three times a day for anxiety and panic attacks.  i have had no sleeping poblems after i started taking them.  strattera is working well for me as strattera also has an anti depressant in it.  b4 these meds i couldnt get to sleep til 4 or 5 am in the am... i have only been on them for aweek but can tell a difference already.  Thanks for the feedback... very appreciated.

I had my doctor refill the strattera at 40mg, so I am sleeping a little better,
but still not solid sleep. My pharmacist said I could take melatonin and that
helps a little.

i am not up on medical terminoligy unless it is something someone in my fam takes....so what exactly is melatonin?Actually, Strattera is a very easy med to come off of, according to all research that has been done. It has little, if any, "discontinuation syndrome" (a pleasant euphamism for withdrawal). Paxil is a serotonergic med, where Strattera is noradranergic. Actually Strattera is more like Wellbutrin than it is anything else on the market, and Wellbutrin has no withdrawals either. The insomnia should pass over the next couple of weeks after your body adjusts. It tends to be a short lived side effect.I was put on strattera first (am on adderall now) one of the main reasons I came off of it was I could not sleep. The first night I took it I got maybe 3 hours of sleep, so I gave a day or two and although I could go to sleep, I would have a restless, light sleep, never a deep sleep. It also made me jittery, even though it is a non-stimulant. After two weeks I called my dr. made an appointment, and did not take it that night. The next day my dr. rx'd me adderall xr. I liked the idea, because I could take it in the am and be done with it by the pm.  The first day I took it was strange to say the least/ When it "released" that afternoon I felt like I could lift up my car and run laps around the building. I was a little reluctant to take it the next day, but after a day or two I could no longer feel that effect again. 

Oh, and there was no affects comming off of strattera, in fact I slept better than I had in two weeks.  Hope this helps