Hello everyone. This is my fifth month taking atomoxetine, and my third month with a 100 mg dose. I can say that life is better with medication than without medication, but not everything changed for the better.
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My impulsivity has been reduced. I ponder about this or that choice before taking it, although some days I feel myself more impulsive than others. But in general, that’s really good.
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My racing thoughts slowed down noticeably. I feel my head more silent than during the time I was not diagnosed. It’s not silent, and I “listen to” music non-stop, but I have way less voices and intrusive thoughts.
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I think I can engage in conversations more easily. I’m not in my mind world the way I was when I was not diagnosed. The negative note is that I also have ASD, so it’s still a struggle sometimes, but better to have one disorder tamed than unleashed.
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I can manage my time more efficiently. I still can be a bit impatient, depending on the day and the situation, but it’s more under control.
I only can notice two bad things:
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My executive dysfunction is still non existent. I want to do things, but I’m not able to make my thoughts into actions. And it sucks. I have responsibilities, and I don’t take care of them, no matter how much I think about taking care of them.
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Dysgeusia is a real pain, especially when you need to stop eating something you like because its taste feels disgusting somehow. I stopped taking soy milk, cow milk, milkshakes and apple juice over time. I found that eating peanut butter with atomoxetine can hide that side effect, but I would rather prefer not to have that side effect.
Anyway, this 8th of August I have my next appointment with my psychiatrist. I’m not sure whether continuing with this treatment or changing to guanfacine, considering those two negative points (especially the executive dysfunction). I’m not allowed to take stimulants, and in my country only atomoxetine and guanfacine are available specifically for ADHD.
What about you? Any tips, advice, positive experiences…?
When I was on it I found it helped with distraction, but not task initiation, and the various dosages made no difference. Given that and some of the side effects I ended up going off it.
Guanfacine handled the task initiation for me, but not the distraction.
It would be interesting to take both pills in that case. But I don’t think things work that way.
When I previously looked into that, there’s no literature on taking both. However I hear for some people that guanfacine alone is sufficient.