How long would it take to temporarily come off Strattera?
Hey guys,
I've been taking Atomoxetine for 5 months and I'm thinking of trying a different med because it isn't stopping the ADHD for me.
I've been thinking it would probably be best to come off Strattera before I try the new med, firstly so I can be sure that whatever happens is caused purely by the new med, and secondly so that I can see what changes the Strattera actually caused.
How long did it take you guys to come off it (how quickly did you lower the dose)? If I wanted to start taking it again, would I have to wait another 6 weeks for it to work, like I did the first time?
6 replies
It takes about 5 half lives to clear 95% of a substance from your system. A quick google says the half life varies from 5-21hrs, so even if you’re on the slower end, a week should do it.
If you’ve been on it for a very long time then your CNS may need more time to get back to baseline, but you probably don’t need a perfectly clean slate to assess if a new medication works for you. Plus, switching from a nonstim to a stimulant is a totally different class of drug and you should feel the effects of a stimulant fairly quickly.
Just make sure you time and dose correctly to avoid messing up your sleep.
Great, thank you
That's clever, I didn't realize you could calculate it like that! I guess we just need to know the threshold dose now...
Took me several months. I had the worst luck with that stuff and went on vyvanse instead.
I think like three months to wean myself, and I was only on it for like 9 months total
I had to forcedly quit 80mg Atomoxetine for several weeks because I couldn't fill my prescription due to an ingredient shortage and surprisingly I didn't experience any side effects that I could notice...
Oh, that's good to know, because i'm also on 80mg and I took like 6 weeks to get that high
Beware, YMMV