Strattera: Atomoxetine Side Effects, Uses, Dosages, Warnings

Report to your doctor any heart-related problems or a family history of heart and blood pressure problems. Patients with structural cardiac abnormalities and other serious heart problems have experienced sudden death, stroke, heart attack, and increased blood pressure while taking Strattera. Keep people safe from potentially harmful drugs, medical devices and procedures by informing them of medical conditions, severe side effects and ways to take action. Strattera is prescribed for increasing attention and the ability to focus while reducing hyperactivity and is stratera a stimulant impulsivity.

Generic versions often cost less than brand-name versions. Do not take Ritalin or Strattera with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or within 14 days of stopping MAOIs. You may have more uncontrolled body movements (extrapyramidal symptoms, or EPS) if you take both drugs and need to raise or lower your dose of either. Your blood pressure medicine may not work as well when you take Ritalin.

• For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works.
• Tell your healthcare provider immediately if you notice the emergence or worsening of any of these side effects.
• Atomoxetine can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke that can lead to death.
• Adderall (dextroamphetamine and amphetamine) and Ritalin (methylphenidate) treat ADHD symptoms by increasing central nervous system activity.
• Do not use Strattera if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days, including such as isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, or tranylcypromine.
• There are no data that support increased effectiveness at higher doses see Clinical Studies.
• If they want you to take the drug once per day, you’ll likely take it in the morning.

Need For Comprehensive Treatment Program

Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Strattera, as the reaction could become severe. Call 911 or your local emergency number if your symptoms feel life threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency. Serious side effects from Strattera aren’t common, but they can occur. Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Strattera is a brand-name drug that contains the active drug atomoxetine.

• You should store Strattera capsules at a room temperature of 77°F (25°C) in a tightly sealed container.
• You may need to take Strattera for four weeks before experiencing positive effects.
• You can also take it twice daily, in the morning and late afternoon.
• Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
• Some other medicines may alter the blood levels of atomoxetine.

What is the best ADHD medication with the least side effects?

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of these side effects that bother you. Atomoxetine is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It may work by increasing the natural substance called norepinephrine in the brain. Doctors can choose from a range of drugs, including stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD medicines. However, these medications do not affect everyone in the same way. One medication might work better for one person than another.

Strattera

In general, non-stimulant drugs such as Strattera don’t work better for ADHD symptoms than stimulant drugs. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work well for your symptoms. Your doctor will help you weigh the pros and cons of all your treatment options.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Strattera or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe the medication. Ask them about other medications that may be better options for you. Be sure to talk with your doctor about your personal and family health history. They’ll help determine whether or not Strattera is right for you. If your doctor prescribes this drug, they’ll likely monitor you closely for changes in your behavior. Due to the risk of harm, doctors typically won’t prescribe Strattera if you have or have had pheochromocytoma.

What Is Strattera?

STRATTERA is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor medicine. STRATTERA may help increase attention and decrease impulsiveness and hyperactivity in patients with ADHD. In placebo-controlled registration studies involving pediatric patients, tachycardia was identified as an adverse event for 0.3% (5/1597) of these STRATTERA patients compared with 0% (0/934) of placebo patients. The mean heart rate increase in extensive metabolizer (EM) patients was 5.0 beats/minute, and in poor metabolizer (PM) patients 9.4 beats/minute. The maximum recommended total daily dose in children and adolescents over 70 kg and adults is 100 mg. Strattera is FDA approved to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults as well as children ages 6 years and older.

Serious reactions, including elevated blood pressure and tachyarrhythmia, have been reported in patients with pheochromocytoma or a history of pheochromocytoma who received STRATTERA. Therefore, STRATTERA should not be taken by patients with pheochromocytoma or a history of pheochromocytoma. No adverse fetal effects were seen when pregnant rats were treated with up to 150 mg/kg/day (approximately 17 times the MRHD on a mg/m2 basis) by gavage throughout the period of organogenesis. If patients miss a dose, they should be instructed to take it as soon as possible, but should not take more than the prescribed total daily amount of STRATTERA in any 24-hour period. Patients should be instructed to consult a healthcare provider if they are taking or plan to take any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, or herbal remedies. Although uncommon, allergic reactions, including anaphylactic reactions, angioneurotic edema, urticaria, and rash, have been reported in patients taking STRATTERA.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking Strattera?

In clinical trials with children and adolescents, administration of STRATTERA with food resulted in a 9% lower Cmax. Pregnant rabbits were treated with up to 100 mg/kg/day of atomoxetine by gavage throughout the period of organogenesis. At this dose, in 1 of 3 studies, a decrease in live fetuses and an increase in early resorptions was observed.

For ADHD, Strattera often doesn’t work as well as Ritalin and other stimulant drugs. But your doctor might prescribe it for certain reasons, such as if a stimulant medicine doesn’t help your symptoms enough or stimulants cause side effects you can’t handle. If used for a long time, Strattera may affect a child’s growth rate, weight, and final adult height.

SNRIs treat ADHD and other mental health conditions by increasing norepinephrine in the brain. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter and hormone that helps you stay alert and maintain control in high-stress situations. People with ADHD have been found to have low levels of norepinephrine on average. Strattera may be prescribed as part of a person’s ADHD treatment regimen. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Strattera for ADHD symptoms in adults and children older than 6 in 2002 and then approved the first generic versions of the drug in 2017. A key advantage of a non-stimulant ADHD drug like Strattera is that it is not a controlled substance.