Terrible Heart & Throat Pains after taking Strattera

[jb24]

I am a 24 year old female and began taking Strattera 6 or 7 months ago.  It seemed effective at first, but was wearing off so we increased from 80mg to 100mg a little over a month ago.  A few weeks ago, within minutes of swallowing the pill, my heart began to hurt very, very badly  (my throat, too) that basically incapacitated me from doing anything and left me trying to vomit it out.  This chest pain lasted for about 1.5 hours.  I assumed I must have taken the medication in under 24 hours from the previous day's dose.  Two additional times, I also encountered immediate throat pains and headache, which I also assumed were due to possibly taking it in just under 24 hours from the last dose, since I do drink plenty of water with it since the first negative reaction.

But yesterday changed my mind!  At the beginning of a 2-hour drive, I took the Strattera.  Within minutes (probably 2-4) of swallowing it, my throat began to feel funny/unpleasant.  Within two more minutes, I horribly desired water to get rid of that feeling.  Thank goodness a rest area was one mile away, but that one mile seemed to take too long with the growing throat pains.  I got another bottle of water and proceeded to the bathroom stall to vomit.  The taste of the pill was extreme.  And my heart began to, or many already was, hurt.  After five minutes, I knew I had to keep driving, so I returned to my car, holding my heart.  It was actually difficult to drink the water... I could only have little sips or my heart and throat would hurt more.  I also had slime building up.  But for 45 minutes I drove in silence as my heart and throat took turns in what might qualify as the most terrible pains.  It was like they were both tightly contracting and then slowly releasing.  My heart would tighten and then expand with a few seconds of relief while my throat would be tightening and then expanding with a few seconds of relief while my heart would begin the cycle all over again.  I became very weak and deep breathing was impossible for those first 45 minutes.  For the next 45 minutes (so now 46-90 minutes after taking the pill), the pain began to let up very little by little.  I swore I would never take another 100mg Strattera again, as I had waited at least 24 hours before taking it.

After those 90 or so minutes, I was still weak and it was difficult to talk.  I called my doctor and spoke briefly with the nurse, who had difficulty hearing my now very soft voice, to explain what had happened.  Since it was difficult to hear me, she only briefly said that it is not common to have heart and throat pains and that I should discontinue taking it.  I should add that I was pretty much fine the rest of the day, with only some throat pains due to throwing up.  And today I am perfectly fine, just scared about it all.

Can you tell me anything more about this reaction?  Can I have a heart problem?  Or have had a heart attack at 24?  Any feedback would be appreciated as I am very nervous right now, and also do not know what I should do about replacing the medication.  Thank you.

[kimstagram]

I’m also a 24 year old female prescribed Strattera at 40 mg. Almost immediately after taking this medication, my throat and stomach would start burning so badly that I would be put in a fetal position until I threw up this medication. The pain would continue for another hour or two but I never had heart pain. Just very sharp stabbing pains in my stomach and esophageal regions.

[momtofourboys]

This is what I could find on the web about this medication. it soesn't say anything about what you are describing, however to me it sounds like you are having some sort of reation. call your doctor or pharmacy and ask them.
my son had a reaction,(allergic one) to a shot to prevent RSV and the type of reaction he was having wasn't seen before/
good luck here is the article
Mcihelle

Safety Information

In some children and teens, Strattera increases the risk of suicidal thoughts. A combined analysis of 12 studies of Strattera showed that in children and teens this risk was 0.4% for those taking Strattera compared to none for those taking a sugar pill. A similar analysis in adults treated with Strattera did not reveal an increased risk of suicidal thoughts. Call your doctor right away if your child has thoughts of suicide or sudden changes in mood or behavior, especially at the beginning of treatment or after a change in dose.

Strattera should not be taken if you or your child: are taking or have taken within the past two weeks a medicine for depression called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI); have an eye problem called glaucoma; are allergic to anything in Strattera.

Tell your doctor if you or a family member has a history of high or low blood pressure, increased heart rate, heart or blood vessel disease or structural heart defects. When on Strattera, tell your doctor right away if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting, as these may be signs of heart-related conditions that may be life threatening.

In rare cases, Strattera can cause severe liver problems. Call your doctor right away if you or your child has itching, dark urine, yellow skin/eyes, upper right-side abdominal tenderness, or unexplained "flu-like" symptoms.

Tell the doctor about any family history of or if you or your child: has bipolar illness (manic-depressive illness); or has suicidal thoughts or actions before starting Strattera.

If your child develops new psychological symptoms such as abnormal thoughts/behaviors and/or extreme elevated or irritable moods while taking Strattera, you should report them to your child's doctor right away.

For male patients, call your doctor right away if you or your child experience priapism, a painful or prolonged erection lasting more than 4 hours.

Other rare but serious side effects include: serious allergic reactions including swelling, hives, or other allergic reactions; problems passing urine; and slowing of growth in children. As with all ADHD medications, growth should be monitored during treatment although height and weight data for Strattera measured up to 3 years indicates minimal, if any, long-term effects.

Tell your doctor about all prescription and nonprescription medicines that you or your child takes, including vitamins and herbal supplements. Do not start any new medicine while taking Strattera without talking to your doctor first.

Tell your doctor if you or your child is pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.

In children, the most common side effects were upset stomach, decreased appetite, nausea or vomiting, tiredness, and drowsiness. In adults, the most common side effects were constipation, dry mouth, nausea, decreased appetite, dizziness, problems sleeping, sexual side effects, problems urinating, and menstrual cramps. Most people in clinical studies who experienced side effects were not bothered enough to stop using Strattera. Strattera has not been tested in children under 6 years of age or in geriatric adults.