I’ve been meaning to write this for a while, but I wanted to wait until I had as much information as possible. The is a thread on adhd, the medication Strattera, and things I’ve learned. If you aren’t doing well on your current meds, give this a read and see what you think. Best

of all, the restriction on it are a lot lighter than Adderall or other stimulants. I want this to reach the adhd community so I’m tagging several people. cw for discussion on mental health, depression and nausea. @SNeurotypicals @danidonovan @ADHD_Alien @ErynnBrook @AnaMardoll 2/

@ellle_em @Jay_A_Rama_SFF @Stormwind_36C3 It’s going to be a long thread so feel free to skip it. This is my experience as a trans boy who’s been on T for a few months now and the level of T in my system does change how the meds affect me but not by much. I have no idea how 3/

they would affect someone that still has a monthly cycle of estrogen and progesterone in their system. I’ve been on Strattera for a month now and I’m considering increasing my dose to 80mg. If you have any questions let me know. And please untag others when replying to this. 4/

First some background, it’s long been thought that adhd is caused by lack of dopamine, and that makes sense to an extent. But our brains aren’t wired like NT’s are so why are comparing them to NT’s and trying to make them work like NT’s? I was on Adderall for a while, and it 5/

mostly worked on and off. But I had to vary the dose a lot and especially after I started T, my anxiety would skyrocket, and I’d get nothing done. I eventually stopped taking them and coped on my own. Being on T itself improved my symptoms a bit. It got me thinking. I realized 6/

that all my coping mechanisms, every last one of them, was to increase my adrenaline, not my dopamine. I think this is how stimulants work as well, they make youe your body produce more adrenaline. That’s the whole point of anxiety and how many adhders are described as 7/

adrenaline junkies? My partner is the same way as well. My theory was that over time, in our lives we stress our bodies out so much and learn so much negative stuff that we can’t produce enough adrenaline anymore. Often when adhders are young they have lots of energy and are 8/

excited all the time, where did that go? A lifetime of being told no, getting shut down and shut out, of having all the fun things taken away. Adrenaline and noradrenaline do several things in our bodies, they are involved in energy, motivation, blood sugar, and even pain. I 9/

found some research that hinted adrenaline might be the problem. Some research even showed that chronic fatigue patients don’t produce an adrenaline spike after exercise like most people do and other research suggested increased levels of adrenaline helped those with pain like10/

fibromyalgia. I decided I wanted to go that route, it felt right. I finally got into my doctor and asked for Strattera, which is an NRI. It stops your body from breaking down noradrenaline, which is made from dopamine and it used to make adrenaline. I started at 40mg and I’m 11/

on 60mg now. It’s done a lot for me. It’s not like Adderall was. It doesn’t force me to do anything, but it allows me to actively work on my issues. First, it gives me energy. Not explosive energy, but steady, consistent energy over the course of the day. I’ve been able to 12/

learn how to manage my anxiety, because it was a coping mechanism for getting adrenaline and I don’t need it anymore. I’ve gotten much better at managing my extreme emotional reactions for the same reason. Yeah, I still have the initial outbursts, but I can stop myself, calm 13/

myself down and work through it. I noticed right away that I just started doing stuff. Which was the most mind blowing. Before if a thing was in the way, I’d just push it to the side. Now, I actually deal with it, I put it away, without trying or thinking. I still struggle 14/

with falling into depressions and with rsd. But I now also notice and can stop it. I’ve been able to learn what my issues are and what works best for me and why I tend to avoid some things. I’ve started working out, a little bit at a time about a week ago and now my body gets 15/

excited and looks forward to it. I don’t get completely exhausted afterwards; it actually ramps me up more. I’m not in a manic doing everything at once state but a steady, chipping away at everything state. I do a thing, stop and rest and transition into doing the next. It’s 16/

not exhausting anymore. It’s work but not exhausting. I’ve also noticed a big improvement in my chronic pain. It’s not gone but it’s at a 2 or 3 instead of 5 to 8. The meds wear off at night and my pain comes back just to remind me. A higher dose will last longer. My sleep 17/

schedule has shifted to what I feel is more natural to me and it’s consistent. I stay up late now and sleep in until about 7 or 8 most days. Other random and interesting side effects include I can hear everything all the time and I can smell everything. Several nights I’ve 18/

been in bed at like 11pm only to smell doughnuts or Doritos or something from downstairs. The only major downside I’ve noticed is an increase in nausea but for me that usually means my stomach is super hungry and wants food now. I get no warning in between (it goes from 19/

you’re fine to feed me now or die) but at least my body tells me it needs food, even if it’s in the worst way possible.
Also, I’ve learned recently from @blkgirllostkeys that anxiety, nausea and a number of other issues could be from an eye condition that is apparently 20/

commonly comorbid with adhd and no one knows about it. I’m pretty sure I have it. https://twitter.com/blkgirllostkeys/status/1250118740068483076
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#adhd #neurodivergent

I forgot a few things. Strattera increases my body temp quite a bit. I seem to be healing faster from cuts. I usually have congestion issues, i don't anymore. But thw most important part is i can just do things now with minimal effort and i remember things a lot better now.