Stopped taking Strattera

A few days ago I decided to stop taking Strattera. Strattera is the medication I started taking a week before for Attention Deficit Disorder. My doctor allowed me the freedom to make my own judgment on the dosaging of the medicine and the freedom to decide to stop taking it at will.

While I was on the medication, I was in severe depression the entire time. Because this was also the time I was severely depressed about the possibility of having electro-shock treatments or being institionalized, I couldn't be sure whether it was the medication that was the cause of the depression or my own concerns about my future.

So, I decided to stop taking the medication and seeing if things changed. Within a day, the majority of the depression was gone. But in its place, I became quite hyperactive; I couldn't sleep, my mind kept racing. I tried walking for a couple hours, but that didn't help me fall asleep. Eventually I finally did sleep, and when I woke up I was again severely depressed, but not quite as bad as before. I still felt hopeless, but not entirely so. I haven't gone back on the medicine yet, I don't think that I will, I'll continue to monitor myself.