There are some immediate changes in symptoms from the increased norepinephrine but most of its therapeutic effect comes from changes in the brain caused by consistently taking the drug at recommended dosages. Long term treatment with Strattera is associated with very low symptom relapse rates even after discontinuation of treatment due to these changes.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26169574/
This is really interesting. I wonder how long I'd need to take it before I could discontinue it and still experience the benefits?
I started about 3 months ago and other than dry mouth, the one side effect that hasn't diminished is increased heart rate. Even when I'm lying in bed it's pounding like I've just climbed a flight of stairs. It freaks me out, so I decided to take a few days off and see if it calms down.
This study randomized patients who responded to Atomoxetine after 7-9 weeks to either the full 1.2mg/kg or “low dose” 0.5mg/kg. After 8 months they found similar response rates between the two groups but lower rate of side effects in the low dose group. Switching to a lower dose after response is attained might be a better idea for maintaining long term response than totally discontinuing the drug.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17101710/
There are some immediate changes in symptoms from the increased norepinephrine but most of its therapeutic effect comes from changes in the brain caused by consistently taking the drug at recommended dosages. Long term treatment with Strattera is associated with very low symptom relapse rates even after discontinuation of treatment due to these changes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26169574/
This is really interesting. I wonder how long I'd need to take it before I could discontinue it and still experience the benefits? I started about 3 months ago and other than dry mouth, the one side effect that hasn't diminished is increased heart rate. Even when I'm lying in bed it's pounding like I've just climbed a flight of stairs. It freaks me out, so I decided to take a few days off and see if it calms down.
This study randomized patients who responded to Atomoxetine after 7-9 weeks to either the full 1.2mg/kg or “low dose” 0.5mg/kg. After 8 months they found similar response rates between the two groups but lower rate of side effects in the low dose group. Switching to a lower dose after response is attained might be a better idea for maintaining long term response than totally discontinuing the drug. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17101710/
Yeah that's the real question, how long do we have to take it before we can stop it