Strattera

Eli Lilly warned doctors that, Strattera, its drug to fight attention deficit disorder drug has caused severe liver injury in at least two patients. The announcements resulted in the three companies losing a total of $30 billion in stock value.

In the United States alone, psychiatrist, doctors and Eli Lilly are all cashing in on the drugging of both children and adults for ADD and ADHD which are both subjective, the diagnosis are based on a list of behaviors.

The incestuous relationship between the American Psychiatric Association, FDA and the drug industry is one of the biggest crimes in the history of our country.

The pharmaceutical industry has so much money to throw around; they can pretty much do what ever they want with no accountability.

It was against the law for the drug industry to directly advertise prescription drugs to the public.

Well it appears the pharmaceutical industry has paid and lobbied their way to have that law changed, because we continuously keep getting direct advertisements on television, radio and magazine ads. These advertisements have tremendously increased their profits.

Now a days all I'm getting on television is "Do you suffer from adult ADD", Ask your doctor if Strattera is right for you". Now they are targeting adults as well as children.

It's getting to were consumers are telling the doctors what prescriptions they need, when it should be the other way around.

Direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs should be banned.

The FDA's not doing anything about it; is this because they get so much money from the drug industry? Why doesn't the DEA step in?

We have exposed the risks, dangers and deaths of children caused from psychostimulant drugs used in the treatment of childish behaviors.

Since the dangers of psychostimulants have been exposed, the drug industry needs a way to continue cashing in on ADD and ADHD.

This is why Strattera, the new heavily advertised drug has been advertised as the new non-stimulant drug.

Federal health officials are preparing stronger warnings for some antidepressants used in children after new analyses back a possible link to suicide.

I am no chemist but when you compare antidepressants and Strattera they sure do look similar, and I sure hope we don't find out the hard way, Strattera is linked heart failure or suicide.

Here are some of the Side effects according to
the makers of Strattera, Eli Lilly and Company

Stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, constipation, fatigue, loss of appetite, dry mouth, dizziness, trouble sleeping, menstrual cycle changes, or mood changes may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these serious side effects occur: decreased interest in sex, difficulty urinating. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: weight loss, unusually fast heartbeat, severe headache, blurred vision. An allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist

Below are emails from around the country, sent to us by people who wanted others to know about their personal experiences, (side effects caused from using Strattera, Ritalin & other drugs used to treat ADD and ADHD.

My child is 15 years old (boy), he experienced rapid heart rate with Strattera; 60mg.He was only on it for about 2 to 3 months. His doctor immediately took him off this medication.

She has now prescribed Concerta 18 mg; I purchased the prescription medication but I am afraid to let him start taking it. I think my son’s main problem is focusing and paying attention. He does eat many things with sugar, which I think is part of the problem.

My 7 yr old son has been on Strattera for about 6 weeks now, and for about the past 3-4 weeks he has had bouts of anger, violence, hitting and screaming I can only assume it is the medicine, if there is anyone else who has experienced this, I would really like to hear their story.

I am a fifteen year old that diagnosed with ADD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and have been through Adderall XR previously for treatment; I have recently been switched to Strattera. I am in the upper dosage level at 80 mgs per day in the morning. As far as the side effects go, I have had some very odd things happen. On my first dosage (40mg), I experienced a much-defined euphoria and felt very wired like a stimulant would produce. I could not keep from smiling while random thoughts shot through my head. This effect slowly reduced itself over the next few days but was very peculiar indeed. Besides slight stomach discomfort, the only other side effect that I see as serious is Strattera inducing a very sleepy state. I have been unable to resist taking a 2 hour nap daily even after a 10 hour night’s sleep. I see this as a problem for kids that would be starting Strattera during the school year.

My son started a beginning dose of Strattera today. He broke out in a rash around his forehead and ear He was very listless and tired. He will not get a second dose.

My 5-year-old was prescribed Strattera for her ADHD. The longer she was on it the more she vomited. At first if, we gave it with milk, she might be OK but as time went on, she vomited daily. Now we need to find a different drug but we are scared. She will not be able to handle first grade without some kind of help

My 13-year-old son could not take Strattera due to the fact it gave him daily stomachaches and nauseous ness

After about 4 weeks on Straterra, (25mg for a week and then 40mg thereafter), and easing off of Adderall from 10mg to 5mg and then none, my 10 year old son (about 70lbs) became very tearful and morose and began to obsess about death - what happens when we die, what if there is nothing there, what is there, what is the purpose of life... He could not stop thinking about this and crying for two days. He also, at this time, became very tired and fatigued and felt that he had no energy to do anything.  We had no deaths occur in our friends or family, but he did watch "Patch Adams" a movie in which a doctor's girlfriend is shot by a psychotic person.  He's seen this type of event before on TV and in his computer and video games, but for some reason this deeply bothered him and he could not stop thinking about it and became very tearful.  I decided to stop his Strattera for awhile to see if this would help, and I will talk with his pediatrician.  Originally, after about a week on Strattera, my son became much weepier and everything seemed to upset him to tears.  I thought this had mediated somewhat until his thoughts of death.  As a clinical social worker/therapist with a history of mental health work, I've became experienced with perceiving symptoms and helping clients sort through their experiences with symptoms especially with medications, so I tend to rely on my instincts and this has served me well in the past. This is for your info and anyone who may benefit from our experience.
Cincinnati, Ohio

Tiredness - very pronounced during the first days of taking it, and also when the dosage was increased,

Headaches and Vomiting

In my 8 year old daughter on 40 mg/day for about a month now, I've noted:
Bad dreams/mild nightmares frequently Possible easy bruising Marked decrease in appetite with weight loss.

My 12-year-old son started taking Strattera in March (he weighed 131 lbs.). By June, only 3 months later, he was down to 105 lbs. He has no appetite whatsoever. We have to watch him very closely to make sure he eats something each day. That is the only side effect we have noticed with Strattera.

He had an upset stomach the entire time he took it.  We tried it for about a month and then gave up

Severe mood swings, easily frustrated, easily angered, Unable to get control of emotions

I just started Strattera about 4 days ago and although I'm finding my concentration is better. I am sicker than a dog all day long until it wears off. Does this go away in time? I am also taking Paxil and Wellbutrin at the same time? Could this be the problem? 38-years-old.
Portland, Or.

My co-worker just told me he was up all night with his 7 year old grandson who seems to have had a reaction to his ADHD medication. The child was up all night and was hallucinating. The grandfather reported the child finally fell asleep at 6:30 this morning. I asked what medication he had given him and he showed me a bottle of Concerta. He said he would not give the child any more of the medication.
Fl

My son is 9 years old and was on the 18 mg. for 4 days, and he was unable to stay awake. His school went on a field trip Roller Skating, and he slept on the bench. His doctor advised us to take him off the Strattera, and to try Concerta.

Facial spasms in my eyes and mouth, nausea, lake of appetite, hair is falling out, little pimples on my scalp, hard to use the bathroom, migraines, no sexual desires, I’m to sleepy, this pill has not helped me in anyway and it has caused to many problems for me...I’m disappointed and very mad with the side effects, it is very embarrassing!!!!!

My son was started on Strattera 8 weeks ago and after 3 weeks we decided to take him off. He not only went from 58 pounds to 52 pounds in two weeks, but was exhibiting very strong tics eye blinking). He was diagnosed with Tourrette's Syndrome within those 3 weeks due to the blinking and other things we had seen over the years. We were later told that 'Strattera was marketed to help ADHD children w/Tourrette's Syndrome so it couldn't possibly be the Strattera that brought out the tics.’ I don't believe it though. Since he's been off of Strattera he hardly shows the tics.

Hi,
When my son was in standard one they wanted to put him on Ritalin and I was totally against it but was pressured by the school and the school clinic in allowing me to think that my child would be stupid and not pass any standard and that I was doing my child injustice.  But at that time I did not have enough info on Ritalin but my gut feeling was telling me this was wrong.  My child also did not like taking this tablet so the teacher had to give it to him in the class and see that he swallowed it in front of her. 

Anyway then I heard that she was giving my child’s tablets to someone else who was also on Ritalin and I did not like this because I was paying for something that I did not want anyway.

I then took my child to another doctor, which agreed to take him off and the school was not happy and my child did not do well and they kept him back and then the teacher said that she was tired of teaching him which had a great affect on my child and now today he is 22 and still the effects of school and does not want to learn at all needless to say he dropped out of school in std 7 because all the way the teachers wanted Ritalin and when I refused they actually gave him a hard time instead of working with him. And now I am trying to prevent this happening to some friends that I know who teachers here just believe in Ritalin.  I read an article when one social worker was saying that it is OK to give your child Ritalin and when I phoned her she was not available and never phoned me back because what she is doing is so wrong.

Ritalin has affected my child emotionally, in behavior and self esteem because of the teachers’ attitudes towards him because of my refusal and then being labeled in class.

I can remember remembers the sleepless nights and nightmares that he used to have. He also used to have difficult in breathing because he used to be frightened because he would say his heart is jumping - like
heart palpitations.

Hart palpitations - Dizziness - Lethargy - Extreme appetite loss - Rise in body temperature - Chills

Texas

My daughter started taking the 25mg capsules with no problems, but after 4 days she took the 40mg capsules and began having sleeplessness.
CA

I am a 38 year old female with ADHD. I have tried Strattera, starting at the 20 mg dose. The only thing Strattera did for me was to help me sleep at night. I could lie down at night and fall to sleep within 10 minutes. Without Strattera, it normally takes me 1 to 2 hours to fall asleep. After talking with my Doctor, we decided to up the dose to 60mg. Still no, change during the day we then up the dose to the max of 80 mg. What I can tell you was at this dose I became very tired by 3:00 in the afternoon. After day 3, I believe my immunity system was down and I became very ill with what I think was the flu. I ached all over and could barely get out of bed all weekend. I had no strength and my husband had to take care of the kids. All I wanted to do was sleep. (That’s very rare for me) I am a healthy 112 lbs female who also works out. Needless to say I never took Strattera again.
Utah

My son was on Metadate for 2 years, before I said enough with the drugs. He didn't grow an inch the whole time, but 1 month after he was off the medication he went from a size 6 to a size 12 in a 2 month time. No one told me about this side affect, until I read it on the web months later! He also, could not get enough to drink and would be very emotional. Then, hen the pills would wear off he would be ten times more active, to the point he would hurt himself. The only side affects I knew about were not being hungry, upset stomach and headaches. I was told the medication was safe and the side affects he was having was part of ADHD, which I now find out that to be untrue.
PA

Insomnia - Our doctor has us give my son melatonin to get to sleep at night. Lack of appetite- If takes meds before eating
Inability to control himself when not medicated, which is worse now, than before he ever took it the first time I also suspect stunted growth because his younger brother is almost as big as he is.
NC

6 Year Old on Strattera
My son is still currently using this medicine, but I will be asking today that he be taken off it. The problem is that 1st Grade will start in 4 days, and I know he can't handle it without some help. First on Ritalin, he became ever increasingly angry and his mood swings were terrible. Now on the Strattera, his mood swings are worse, he is hitting, spitting, kicking his teachers, saying he wants to die, he throws up every day, is listless all morning if at home, can not ride in a car while on the medicine because of the dizziness and vomiting. He has lost 10 pounds over summer break, but he continues to grow taller. He is as tall as kids in 3rd grade, but he continues to lose weight. I have had to leave work 2 times this week to get him from his learning center. (Kicking and violent behavior, like a mania craze they tell me. He won't respond to anyone and makes animal grunting sounds.) I can't lose my job. I am at a loss as of what to do. Do I keep trying out new meds on him like a lab animal?

Loosing control of his bowels.

Lethargic, decreased mental alertness, emotional liability.
Nebraska

I am a 21-year-old college student and side effects I have seen while on the medication are worse cramping during my menstrual cycle, and loss of appetite, which has lead to loss of weight. Besides, I remember when I started it 4 months ago, the first day or two, I experienced light-headedness, and I was a bit shaky. However, what followed was extreme clarity and confidence. Although the minor side effects and an increase in sexual appetite I have found Strattera to be such a great help, I have never felt so confident and happy. I just know now, that regardless of the fact that I am not hungry, I must eat. For menstrual cramping, I just make sure that I have Midol or Advil with me.
Illinois

I was on Strattera for a week. I got the feeling of a high just like marijuana. I did not like it because I knew it was some new useless medicine they do not know anything about. When I got off it the next day, I felt dizzy. I have never stopped feeling dizzy 6 months later. I also have panic attacks and become depressed. I feel there is no end to this and I have to live with it because some uptight executive at Lilly wants to make more money.

My daughter took Strattera for about a month.  She became very hostile and angry while taking it.  She is normally very docile and happy.
TX

My 10 year old has been on Strattera for 1 week and has had some side effects I did not see when she was taking Concerta.  She has had bouts of a rapid heart rate, stomach cramps, lack of appetite, and mood swings. She also is experiencing extreme tiredness in the afternoon.  Do these symptoms subside after she stabilizes on the medication?
Georgia

Our son just a few weeks ago had a severe reaction to Strattera medication. Between thirty to forty minutes after taking the medication he began to vomit, was dizzy, lips swelled, we had a hard time keeping him conscious, body temperature dropped...skin felt like ice to the touch, blood pressure rose. We first called an on-line nurse, who advised us to seek immediate medical help. Our children's pediatrician was on call so we took our son directly to her. We stayed several hours at her office where she could continue monitoring our son. She allowed us to leave, only after the blood pressure had dropped to what she determined as a safe level. It took a couple of days for this drug to work its self out of our sons system.
CA

The medication caused a rash covering her body.

Severe constipation:  Able to go to the bathroom with less frequency but very hard stools causing bleeding. Supplementing my regular diet with high-fiber cereal and fiber supplement during the day helps but does not totally relieve this problem.
Texas

1. pressure and tingling of the head followed by blurred vision, 2. Dizziness 3. Excessive tiredness 4. nausea 5. headaches
VA

I just started taking Strattera . It feels like some of the drugs I did in the 70's.It makes me speed, is this one of the side effects?
TX

My grandson, age 9, has been on Strattera for about 3 months. He has lost so much weight that I worry for his health. He has had a fever this week, even though he had been on antibiotics for a week due to a foot injury. He has black circles under his eyes and is lethargic. The very problem the drug was supposed to fix evidently didn't work, because he was kicked out of summer school for the same reasons he always got in trouble during the school year-- not doing his work and being belligerent.
Indiana

Constant Stomach Aches

Tired, Dry mouth, Loss of appetite

Anxiety, Severe depression, Irritable, Anger, Loss of appetite. My son complained of feeling as though he was floating. He said that everything goes quiet around him.

I recently tried Strattera for my treatment of ADD because I have high anxiety and my doctor didn’t want to risk putting me on a stimulant.

These side effects could have even been tolerated possibly had the medication given my symptoms of ADD a great relief but it did not. I found this medicine didn’t help my ADD any, and they even cost me $170 a month to take. The bad outweighed the good in my experience with Strattera.

Hope this helps

BLOOD IN BOWL MOVEMENTS, HEADACHES AND LOSE OF WEIGHT (15POUNDS) ACHES IN LEGS AND ARMS.
LOUISIANA

Two of my three children were given Straterra upon the medication's release. Both of them had violent outbursts (unheard of from either of them), severe nausea, headaches, and horrible mood swings. Upon discontinuation of this medication, all of these symptoms were gone.

My children have used many of the ADHD medications to control their symptoms, this was, BY FAR, the worst. Since they are teenagers, they were very able to convey the information to us, so we could act quickly and remove them from the medication immediately

I am a 50-year-old female recently diagnosed with ADD. I was started on Strattera at 25mg. Into the second week I started suffering extreme fatigue where I needed a 2-3 hour nap mid day. Was extremely moody often breaking into tears over small things. Suicide became a constant threat; I tried to stay on the medication with my strong desire to be able to focus better. I have since stopped taking Strattera

My daughter is 9 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD about six months ago. She was put on Concerta first for about 2 months, it seemed to work at first, then it seemed to not work at all after that. Now she is in Straterra, she has been on it for about 3 weeks. I started to notice her acting different I didn't give her her pill for 2 days to see if my feeling was right and then gave her her pill after a 2 day break. When taking Straterra she has severe mood swings and is very hateful. She was better not taking it.

My daughter has recently put two of her children ages 9 and 13 on Strattera.

The nine year old girl was not having any behavioral problems, was having some learning problems, only in the sense that she was not at the top of her class and her mother had to work with her everyday on homework.

The child after constant talks and work brought her grades up. She is laid back, not hyper in personality. At best when in social situations becomes animated and again at best could be emotionally hyper in some not many situations. But because she behaved like a dumb blond her mother wanted her on drugs.

I have pleaded with her for the test, physical, such as blood test, EKG. and none have followed.

So, she got the drugs for her and now she is even more passive and in a situation where she should have some life an animation she is also passive.

She used to love to eat and now at her most vulnerable point of physical development is on Strattera. Now she does not eat. Not just less. Hardly, anything.

She has lost weight and that makes her mom happy She says she is more focused and her grades stayed high. The drug can't be given the credit because she was not on it long enough.

The 13 year old was on Adderall XR probably from 7-12. He had a personality change then and it grew as time went on. It was hard to measure entirely, as we did not see except every other weekend. He never had hyper behavior as a child. He was very focused. He wanted attention from someone.

I am sure in a divorce situation, with a stepmother who was young and had another agenda, drugs were a good idea. What the school says goes. he complained bitterly of nausea and sickness, became very angry inside, and gained a lot of weight. Insomnia was the worst.

Sleep deprivation is a terrorist technique to break the human spirit, but it is ok in children. In summer it is not such a big problem, but during the school year it is ok. So, because he was lazy, and liked talking in class, and didn't do homework, he was put on Strattera as it would make him focus. He made the choices voluntarily, and usually responded to attention and personal desire not to fail.

So the Insomnia is still present and that is ok. He has the stomach problems again and it makes him sick. That's ok to. In reading this I think you can see the willingness of American Parents to accept the schools assessments as a disease is a reason and they are not at fault. It relieves them of the understanding of what children are and what is natural and normal. It relieves them of assuming their roles as parents. None of these two needs to be assisting the school in its annual budget plans.

One absolutely is not a contender for the drug particularly at her age. The other needs legitimate counseling in behavior and relieving him of his anger and the causes of such.

The 13 year old is above the growth charts for his age and after reading the articles on the side effects of these drugs, particularly the first one, and EKG is a definite twice a year. he plays sports and I am afraid he will have a heart attack like the others that have died. I did not know about that.

I am powerless to save them. Unfortunately, for every article about the truth and promotion of ADHD and so on, the articles and exposure of this farce are not as loud nor as reported. the medical profession lacks the intestinal fortitude to fight it.

The government has taken hold and that should be your first clue that it is not good.

In one of the remarks from one of the parents I read a doctor appeared to want to fight the school, but elected to succumb like the parents.

A M talk shows are the only place you hear the negative side told. I am powerless to help my grandchildren.

It is sad and frustrating.

I have taken this drug for 4 months, for the last two months I have been experiencing these side effects at an increasing rate, and daily. I have been taking 25 mg every morning, with food. Increase in blood pressure and pulse, stomach upset, abdominal cramping, dizzy spells that are incapacitating, insomnia, HA, difficulty urinating, flushing and hot flashes...on and on...I will be discontinuing this drug as I cannot live with these symptoms, and in my line of work I could be a danger to myself and others. The dizzy spells come out of the blue, and not only scare me...but render me unable to do much until they pass. I even have dizziness at night when I roll over in bed, it sends the room spinning........my blood pressure two days ago, during an episode of dizziness and narrowed vision, was 183/110....my blood pressure has never been that high, even under stressful situations.....NO thank you ! I will call my MD today for further advice, but this drug is definitely not for me !

I've been on Strattera for 3 days now and this is what I've felt so far: Blurred vision, dizziness, lethargy, appetite loss, rise in body temperature, chills. I'm hoping this goes away.... does it? The first 2 days I was at work and when the effect hit, I was like in a sleepy, slow mo stage. I wanted to fall asleep about an hour later and within a few hours I had chills. Very weird experience. I used to take Wellbutrin and that never happened. I am on 40 mg for the first 4 days then to 60mg. We'll see!

ADD in CA

I have spend some time reading all the posts on this site and am appalled that so many children as well as adults have had such horrific side affects that could potentially be life long problems.

I have 2 children who were forced on medication through the school system. My oldest is an honor roll student (throughout all of his education) and refused to continue with the drugs and has done very well. My youngest being 7 yrs old now was on it for 8 months. I tried telling the doctors and the school that there were problems. i.e., vomiting daily or several times a week; angry and aggressive; severe mood swings; obsession with death and dying; increased heart rate/palpitations; dizziness; tired all the time; loss of sleep; night terrors; hallucinations; headaches; arms, legs and chest pain; listlessness; nausea; loss of appetite; severe weight loss and the list can go on.

Our child has never been angry, aggressive or hostile prior to taking this drug. He has always been a very bright happy and curious child and very active. All of which are very normal not ADHD. ADHD as I'm discovering is a medical FRAUD! Those interested in learning more about this please refer to the following book: "The Hyperactivity Hoax - How to Stop drugging your child and find real medical help" By Sidney Walker III, M.D. This is well worth the $6.00 this book costs and could save your child's life!

These doctors and teachers would not listen to our complaints that the medication was causing serious health problems. Finally my husband and I took it upon ourselves to look into the the whole ADHD issue and were shocked to discover that the entire diagnosis is a FRAUD. Literally thousands of real medical problems both serious and minor can cause hyperactivity. This is something the medical professionals and educators keep from you and instead they push drugs on your kids to "calm them" and force them into conforming to what they want them to be. Stifling their creativity and intelligence. They falsify IQ tests and brain wash the parents into believing their kids are simply stupid and need special ed. This way they can keep them out of the class room and into a special ed class room where they don't have to deal with them.

Well we are much wiser now and have removed our child from all drugs. Our child had previously taken Adderall; Metadate, Strattera; Clonidine; and Zoloft. The psychiatrist and psychologist told us that the Clonadine and Zoloft would calm him because the Strattera wasn't really working, but yet they wanted to keep our child on the Strattera? Why? The other drugs simply knocked our child into unconsciousness or made him more hyper than ever not to mention increased the heart rate to a deadly level!

All though it has been recommended to not remove your child from these psychotropic drugs without the advice of your doctor, DO NOT for your child's sake let the doctors convince you to keep your child on these drugs a bit longer. That's what we did and why our child was on it as long as he was. We will never make that mistake again and we are speaking to every parent who wants to listen and to any agency or government officials who will allow us to! We are also writing about our experiences and hoping to help the millions of children in this same predicament.

Advice: Be well informed and act accordingly!

Regards, Ed & Beth
North Dakota

My 16 year old son started with Ritalin at age 5, and began using Adderall in 8th grade. In 9th grade we tried Adderall XR and we had no problems. We recently met with our doctor and was prescribed Strattera to try out for 18 days. The trial package contained 4 40 mg and the rest 60 mg. He tolerated the 40 mgs but seemed a little sleepy. We are on day 2 of the 60 mg. As I write this, he is sleeping whereas normally he would be up. I am calling his doctor tomorrow and taking him off Strattera for good. I see no benefit in this drug

Would like to post regarding my son's side effects on Strattera. He is 9 1/2 and has ADHD and has had great results with Concerta. However, his suppressed appetite and low weight tempted us to try Strattera
for the summer.

After approximately 7 weeks (4 of which were taken along with Concerta) he began being plagued by thoughts of death: fear of dying; worry about "road kill"; worried about the world exploding and everyone dying. He said he had lots of thoughts running through his mind and emotion you could feel happening at once. He cried that he wished he could just go back to how he used to be before these thoughts started.

Well I have given you my view on Strattera, if you choose to give your child a lethal psychotropic drug masking the situation instead of addressing learning, attention or behavior difficulties. That’s your choice.

Sincerely,
Lawrence Smith

You can post your Strattera Side Effects on our ADHD Message Board