Coming off of strattera.

[Guest ase01]

I had been taking strattera for about 2 weeks and the side effects were horrible. I couldn't take it so I stopped. I was having terrible mood swings(i'm bipolar by the way) and it just wasn't helping. The question I have is how long will these effects last? I have been off of it for days and am having terrible mood swings.

[AirMarshall]

How high is the moon?

If you are a normal metabolizer, the half life is about 5.5 hours and it should be out of your system in about a day. If you are a slow metabolizer the half life is about 21 hours and it should be out of your system in about 5 days. That's the physical pharmacology.

If the Strattera is really the cause of your mood swings, there is no way to predict what your moods will do, other than to say that generally things should stabilize with time. YMMV.

Be sure that you pdoc is aware of the severity of your symptoms. He may want to adjust your meds or add something to get you through this rough patch. Try to keep the other things in your life under control....eat right, sleep regular, avoid cigs, alcohol, get a little exercise and sun each day.

I'm sorry you feel so bad. Strattera has been helpful to me. Let us know how you are doing.

a.m.