I’ve been taking this medication for just over a year and it has improved my life significantly, but I just can’t explain exactly how or why. All I can say is that I have much less anxiety, and more motivation/energy than I used to. I’ve tried looking up this medication but I just don’t understand the science behind it. What is it actually doing to my brain?
Comments
Hey there. Nurse/paramedic here.
So your nerves use a few chemicals to talk to each other. One of them is norepinephrine, which plays a role in alertness, focus, and stress in the nervous system. It has other roles in the cardiac and vascular systems.
When two nerves want to talk to each other, one of them releases a chemical, and the other one takes it up. The space between them has enzymes that destroy these neurotransmitters to prevent them from overaccumulating, and the nerve sending the neurotransmitters will also take some of them back up to save for later.
Strattera prevents the first nerve from taking norepinephrine back up, so there is more in the space between the nerves for the second one to take, which increases the effects of norepinephrine listed above. The enzymes still destroy some of it, but there is a net increase in the amount available for the second nerve to relay to the brain, which should offset any lack of norepinephrine causing the symptoms you experience.
Strattera messed a lot of people ip so hard they still prescribe it
Im glad it worked well for you though
You brain needs chemicals in order to transmit data in your nervous system.
You brain has built in housekeeping so aren’t chemicals all over the place.
The problem with adhd is that you don’t have enough chemicals.
The meds basically throw a wrench into the cleanup system leading to more available chemicals for your brain to use in the nervous system.
Now your brain works again and you probably feel a lot better overall.
[removed]