Hey guys,
I’ve been taking Atomoxetine for 5 months and I’m thinking of trying a different med because it isn’t stopping the ADHD for me.
I’ve been thinking it would probably be best to come off Strattera before I try the new med, firstly so I can be sure that whatever happens is caused purely by the new med, and secondly so that I can see what changes the Strattera actually caused.

How long did it take you guys to come off it (how quickly did you lower the dose)? If I wanted to start taking it again, would I have to wait another 6 weeks for it to work, like I did the first time?

  • PsychoNot@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    8 months ago

    It takes about 5 half lives to clear 95% of a substance from your system. A quick google says the half life varies from 5-21hrs, so even if you’re on the slower end, a week should do it.

    If you’ve been on it for a very long time then your CNS may need more time to get back to baseline, but you probably don’t need a perfectly clean slate to assess if a new medication works for you. Plus, switching from a nonstim to a stimulant is a totally different class of drug and you should feel the effects of a stimulant fairly quickly.

    Just make sure you time and dose correctly to avoid messing up your sleep.

    • SubArcticTundra@lemmy.mlOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      Great, thank you

      It takes about 5 half lives to clear 95% of a substance from your system. A quick google says the half life varies from 5-21hrs

      That’s clever, I didn’t realize you could calculate it like that! I guess we just need to know the threshold dose now…

  • nick@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    8 months ago

    Took me several months. I had the worst luck with that stuff and went on vyvanse instead.

    I think like three months to wean myself, and I was only on it for like 9 months total

  • XEAL@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    8 months ago

    I had to forcedly quit 80mg Atomoxetine for several weeks because I couldn’t fill my prescription due to an ingredient shortage and surprisingly I didn’t experience any side effects that I could notice…