For Women with ADHD ADD Who Want to Connect
Quit Strattera--Anxious and Unhappy
On Friday, I quit taking Strattera. Cold turkey. I was on 60 mg, day 13 of the starter pack, and I stopped.
It was making me irritable. Turned me into an insomniac. Seemed to be heightening my negative emotions. My ADD? Worse. I would try reading and my eyes would jump around. As I enter data all day at my job, and we're going through major layoffs, I can't be any less than perfect right now.
Today I had a panic attack at my job. Sitting in my cubicle, feeling helpless because I despise my job so much, my mind traveling at 100 MPH, the negative emotions took over. I freaked out. I had to take a valium, which helps immensely, but after a few hours make me exhausted.
I'm seeing my doctor Friday. I know I did a bad thing by just stopping, but really, you know your brain more than a doctor does. If I'm having panic attacks, how the hell am I ever going to successfully do another ADHD drug?
I feel completely lost.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cristina on -
I also wonder if maybe I screwed something up in my brain by stopping the drug so suddenly. I hope so. The idea of having a panic disorder, well, terrifies me.
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Permalink Reply by jen on -
Don't worry about the other drugs. They all work differently so you WILL find one that works. I was put on Paxil before I was diagnosed with ADD and that stuff CAUSED panic attacks as I was getting on it. I was actually told to keep taking xanax because it was the other drug. So I had to take xanax to get on Paxil. I stopped that one cold turkey too. That was horrible! The panic attack you had was caused from the way you stopped the meds. I just tried Adderall for about a week and it caused me to have anxiety, but ritalin does not do that (at least not to that extent, it is so slight I can handle it) So I think your problem was just quitting the meds. Keep trying though I keep hearing getting the meds right is the hardest part!
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Permalink Reply by Cristina on
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Thank you so much. Paxil gave me panic attacks, too. Weird, huh?
I want to believe that my brain chemicals are a bit messed up. Went off Effexor XR in January, quit Strattera...Sometimes I wish I could just wake up, be HAPPY, and have a normal day. Those days happen, but lately they're fewer.
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Permalink Reply by jen on
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Have they tried you on a stimulant at all? I don't know what Effexor is so maybe they have.
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