Sarah Tee Posted February 13, 2023 Report Share Posted February 13, 2023 G'day folks, My specialist has mentioned that I could try atomoxetine (Strattera). Can anyone tell me how long you would need to trial this for to see whether it is helping? Is it one of those ones that you will feel a benefit almost straight away if it is working, or one where you have to wait a while to see? I will be asking my specialist more questions, but it's hard to find anything on this for dysautonomia even though he suggested that I "read up on it". I did find one trial (for neurogenic OH) that had patients take it for a month, so perhaps that is a reasonable trial time. I have plain old OI (normal BP and HR) so of course there's no mention of it in relation to my actual condition. Cheers, Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted February 13, 2023 Report Share Posted February 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Sarah Tee said: G'day folks, My specialist has mentioned that I could try atomoxetine (Strattera). Can anyone tell me how long you would need to trial this for to see whether it is helping? Is it one of those ones that you will feel a benefit almost straight away if it is working, or one where you have to wait a while to see? I will be asking my specialist more questions, but it's hard to find anything on this for dysautonomia even though he suggested that I "read up on it". I did find one trial (for neurogenic OH) that had patients take it for a month, so perhaps that is a reasonable trial time. I have plain old OI (normal BP and HR) so of course there's no mention of it in relation to my actual condition. Cheers, Sarah I have neurogenic OH and we never considered this drug and to be honest i personally would decline it if offered as it looks to cross into the brain barrier. The CNS acting drugs have there place when truly needed but over the years i have seen more folks struggle more with these than they helped. Have you looked at Droxidopa "NORTHERA" ? Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushi Posted February 13, 2023 Report Share Posted February 13, 2023 Strattera can work for certain patients but they are the opposite from most with OI in that they are low in norepinephrine and have very active parasympathetic systems, rather than sympathetic systems. Strattera worked very well for me but…it is a powerful drug and one can get a lot of side effects if you jump in with a standard dose. My autonomic specialist started me with a half capsule (yes, I had to open them) every other day and even that was too intense at first. I took that dose for about a week and then worked up to a full capsule of the lowest dose over about a month. So I really couldn’t judge the efficacy for about a month. You have to taper off it even more slowly. But for me, it completely took away OI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tee Posted February 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Thanks, @Sushi. I will approach it very carefully if I do decide to try it. Did you continue to take it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tee Posted February 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Thanks, @MikeO. Yes, I am hesitant to take it in case it sets me back. My specialist has only mentioned it tentatively. We haven't discussed droxidropa yet. I'll add it to the list of things to ask about at my next appointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushi Posted February 15, 2023 Report Share Posted February 15, 2023 17 hours ago, Sarah Tee said: Thanks, @Sushi. I will approach it very carefully if I do decide to try it. Did you continue to take it? No, I got concerned by the effects on bone density. Good luck if you try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Tee Posted February 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2023 @Sushi, I will take that into account. I wish all these medications were safer to take long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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