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loloteheOK, some folks have asked why I was taking atomoxetine. It was part of an experiment.
Brand–name “Strattera”, the drug is taken to relieve symptoms of ADHD. It’s been described to me as something that "makes that constant buzz in my head go away.” Fair enough.
We wanted to know what it would do to someone who did not have ADHD. According to the fact sheet on this, this is something you shouldn’t take if you have glaucoma, high blood pressure, or if you’re currently taking an MAOI. So I’m in the clear there. It does have a black-box warning for liver damage, but that’s two in a million, so I’m willing to risk it for science. Monkeys and rats will not self-administer the drug and it is not a listed controlled substance. That’s funny, so you could go get some without a prescription.
I was taking 25 mg, once a day, for six days. I took the first one at eleven AM but after that, I took them at four PM. It is important to only take one every twenty-four hour period.
The first day is the weirdest. The back of my head tingled for about an hour and I had trouble focusing on things. My time sense was a little messed with, but that’s only because I was working on an Excel sheet here at work and then realized it was two hours later. I guess it helps people concentrate, huh?
Some people report a drop in temperature while the stuff kicks in, but I didn’t notice it until the third day. Granted, I was at home that time and not wearing my “Mr. Rogers” sweater that I putz around the house in. The other times, I was at work or outside smoking.
One thing Strattera will do is dry you out. You MUST drink water when taking it and you’re going to drink a lot of water. Your appetite goes to hell, but you don’t get all jittery like with Ritalin or any other “legal speed”. I would suggest it for people trying to loose weight just because you don’t want to eat but you do want to drink a lot of water. You could also get a lot of exercise on this stuff. Dancing while on it is a complete trip.
Alcohol is a waste of time because you won’t get a buzz and if you do, it’s gone fifteen minutes later. You are awake and sober. By the same respect, I had no trouble getting to sleep while taking it. You say, “I’m going to sleep now,” and you go to sleep. I woke up refreshed.
Your hearing will improve slightly, or maybe it will just be harder to ignore things. On Saturday, my third day of taking it, I was ready to throw a brick through my neighbor’s head. I would say that the drug had made me irritable, but it was more likely the thumping bass coming through my walls. After a couple hours of that, you’d be ready to kill as well.
I did not play any video games during the experiment. I probably should have, just for science’s sake, but I didn’t. Supposedly, coffee and cigarettes will ‘tweak’ the effects to a greater extent, but I didn’t notice anything.
There are no withdrawal symptoms (at least, not after six days) to speak of and my liver is fine.
In other news, after finally getting the files imported into a usable format, I’ve got a draft of my new video done. I still need to clean up that center part. Damn.
Brand–name “Strattera”, the drug is taken to relieve symptoms of ADHD. It’s been described to me as something that "makes that constant buzz in my head go away.” Fair enough.
We wanted to know what it would do to someone who did not have ADHD. According to the fact sheet on this, this is something you shouldn’t take if you have glaucoma, high blood pressure, or if you’re currently taking an MAOI. So I’m in the clear there. It does have a black-box warning for liver damage, but that’s two in a million, so I’m willing to risk it for science. Monkeys and rats will not self-administer the drug and it is not a listed controlled substance. That’s funny, so you could go get some without a prescription.
I was taking 25 mg, once a day, for six days. I took the first one at eleven AM but after that, I took them at four PM. It is important to only take one every twenty-four hour period.
The first day is the weirdest. The back of my head tingled for about an hour and I had trouble focusing on things. My time sense was a little messed with, but that’s only because I was working on an Excel sheet here at work and then realized it was two hours later. I guess it helps people concentrate, huh?
Some people report a drop in temperature while the stuff kicks in, but I didn’t notice it until the third day. Granted, I was at home that time and not wearing my “Mr. Rogers” sweater that I putz around the house in. The other times, I was at work or outside smoking.
One thing Strattera will do is dry you out. You MUST drink water when taking it and you’re going to drink a lot of water. Your appetite goes to hell, but you don’t get all jittery like with Ritalin or any other “legal speed”. I would suggest it for people trying to loose weight just because you don’t want to eat but you do want to drink a lot of water. You could also get a lot of exercise on this stuff. Dancing while on it is a complete trip.
Alcohol is a waste of time because you won’t get a buzz and if you do, it’s gone fifteen minutes later. You are awake and sober. By the same respect, I had no trouble getting to sleep while taking it. You say, “I’m going to sleep now,” and you go to sleep. I woke up refreshed.
Your hearing will improve slightly, or maybe it will just be harder to ignore things. On Saturday, my third day of taking it, I was ready to throw a brick through my neighbor’s head. I would say that the drug had made me irritable, but it was more likely the thumping bass coming through my walls. After a couple hours of that, you’d be ready to kill as well.
I did not play any video games during the experiment. I probably should have, just for science’s sake, but I didn’t. Supposedly, coffee and cigarettes will ‘tweak’ the effects to a greater extent, but I didn’t notice anything.
There are no withdrawal symptoms (at least, not after six days) to speak of and my liver is fine.
In other news, after finally getting the files imported into a usable format, I’ve got a draft of my new video done. I still need to clean up that center part. Damn.
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Date: 2005-08-24 08:16 pm (UTC)As an amusing side-note (very darkly though) the same shrink who prescribed the medication to me, as well as the Wellbutrin I was on at the time (bear in mind this was part of a college-mental health facility) was fired the next year and lost his license for, oddly enough, over-prescribing medication to students.
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Date: 2005-08-24 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-24 09:50 pm (UTC)