Jeez, I wonder what industry is behind THIS?
"DENVER, Colo. – Memory lapses and changes in mental functions occur naturally as we get older. But for many women going through menopause, these memory lapses occur more frequently.
A recent report offers hope for women suffering with these symptoms. In a study published in Menopause, Feb. 2011, researchers at University of Pennsylvania found that atomoxetine (brand name Strattera), a medication for attention deficit disorder, may restore organizational skills and reduce memory difficulties in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women."
A recent report offers hope for women suffering with these symptoms. In a study published in Menopause, Feb. 2011, researchers at University of Pennsylvania found that atomoxetine (brand name Strattera), a medication for attention deficit disorder, may restore organizational skills and reduce memory difficulties in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women."
Now that so many women have chosen to go through menopause naturally (or on compounded hormone therapy), the drug companies have to find a way to get us hooked again like before the WHI study. A survey shows 58% of women stopped taking HRT after the results of a major trial were published in 2002.
This sounds like an afterthought to me....
Strattera was originally intended to be a new antidepressant drug; however, in clinical trials, no such benefits could be proven. Since norepinephrine is believed to play a role in ADHD, Strattera was tested – and subsequently approved – as an ADHD treatment.
Ok, let's find some way to use it to help all those confused and frustrated menopausal women!
I've got steam coming out of my ears, Ladies!! Did you see the possible side effects? Granted, every medication has a sometimes scary list of side effects, but usually it's not the very problem you're trying to eliminate by taking the medication! Do any of these side effects sound like your typical menopause symptoms?
- dry mouth
- tiredness
- irritability
- dizziness
- sweating
- decreased libido
- increased obsessive behavior (that is the LAST thing we need)
- weight changes
- palpitations
Occasionally after prolonged use some patients have experienced slow onset mild depression, tiredness and forgetfulness while using Strattera. There were also reports of this medicine causing indications of short-term memory loss from some patients
AND....look at this! To date, the potential for abuse of Strattera has not been researched extensively. The two studies that have been performed suggest that atomoxetine has a low to moderate risk for abuse, since it has a long titration time (meaning that it may have no effect on the user unless they've been taking it regularly for days) and does not produce strong stimulating effects like most other ADHD medications. Monkeys will not self-administer atomoxetine at the doses tested. However, rats, pigeons and monkeys trained to distinguish cocaine ormethamphetamine from saline indicate that atomoxetine produces effects indistinguishable from low doses of cocaine or methamphetamine, but not at all like high doses of cocaine. Check out Wikipedia for complete info.