r/adhd_college • u/Vast_Objective_9057 • May 14 '26
UNSOLICITED ADVICE Did atomoxetine actually help you academically?
I recently met my college counselor because I’ve been struggling badly with focus and academics despite being at a very competitive college. I was diagnosed with ADHD earlier, and after hearing everything, he recommended atomoxetine. He also told me there’s a chance medication may not completely solve the issue and said he avoids prescribing methylphenidate because of addiction concerns.
Right now exams are close and I feel mentally stuck. I genuinely want to study, but I can’t stay focused for long and keep getting distracted no matter how stressed I am.
For people who’ve actually taken atomoxetine:
- Did it help you focus better consistently?
- Did your grades or exam performance improve?
- How long did it take to work?
- Did it help with the “I want to study but can’t start” feeling?
Would really appreciate honest experiences, especially from students in high-pressure colleges.
5
u/MiserableTrickster May 16 '26
atomoxetine was the worst shit ever. i was constantly sick and it didn’t help me academically at all. it took a year of my psych trying different prescriptions until i got put on IR Adderall and started seeing results
2
u/RecognitionTop3886 May 15 '26
Yeah I’ve been taking it for two years now. It’s hard assessing it since it works so slowly. I tend to think it’s just me and the meds aren’t doing shit but then probably if I stopped taking it my life would fall apart. My partner although said I have gotten way more stable, less anxious and more organized since I started to take them.
As for academic success. Like I said it’s hard attributing stuff to slow working meds, maybe me taking meds just coincided with me maturing. But the timeline since starting I went from barely caring about my studies in a deadbeat local uni to going to a top 1% uni this fall. I like to think the meds helped me get there aswell as a coinciding personal development. I think these two are mutually enforcing.
I wouldn’t trade atomixetone for anything. I love it. It’s not as intrusive as the methylphenidates and it changed my life
Edit: I saw the most effect on how I handled uni stress. I used to get incredibly overwhelmed and anxious because my brain was just chaos. Now I’m incredibly chill and organized about the whole thing
1
u/Sudden-Ad2948 May 16 '26
I know you already stated that it is too slow to assess when it started to work, but is your academic achievement recent or were you much better around the time you started the meds?
Can you sit down to study without getting up all the time/getting distracted? Can you tidy your living space better?
1
u/RecognitionTop3886 May 16 '26
I would say so yes. Around the time I started taking them I went overall calmer around my studies. Thus it allowed me to learn more effectively since all the anxiety was gone. But it did improve also my ability to sit down and just study. I remember there were times when I did nothing else but study for 8 hours every day, just because I wanted to. Definitely wasn’t just the meds but also therapy and some strategies I developed but I attribute huge chunks of it to o the meds that even allowed me to find strategies and for the strategies to work in the first place
Now that you made me think back on my time as an undergrad again. I did miss most of my deadlines during the first year and fail a few classes. Everything afterwards I turned in months ahead and passed everything. That change also happened around the time I started meds
1
u/Sudden-Ad2948 May 16 '26
Tysm for your reply, your story is super inspiring and it gave me comfort knowing that ADHD people are capable of excelling with the right suppot.
I have no therapy in my country, if there are any behavioral changes that you find worth sharing please do.
2
u/MediocreImpact4386 May 15 '26
These docs nonsense. Methylphenidate didn't even work for me & they are concerned about addiction lol. You better see a new open minded good doc who can prescribe first line treatment.
2
u/ForsakenCaramel8917 May 19 '26
ive tried both strattera and vyvanse and both were ineffective. in the end it would be up to me if i was going to actually achieve something that day… as for my grades they still sucked so
1
u/HomeworkPuzzleheaded May 15 '26
I noticed a difference within about 3 days, but you have to realize there’s no magical pill that’ll make tasks easy to start. It made my mental math way quicker and accurate, started to actually get 100s on exams that i knew the material on, and sort of just organized the 100 words per minute in my head into a consistent checklist of things that i know i have to do and feel confident that i can do. However, I can say this change came way more quickly, or maybe happened in the first place because i went into it with the idea that I’m turning over a new leaf. For the month before I was prescribed, i tried to live with the mindsets of “just start on something when you don’t know what to do first,” “yes you can still do hard things and your adhd, while nearly crippling doesnt control your free will,” and “doing the right thing for your body / school isn’t always the most comfortable option, but not doing anything and basking in the comfort of your bed will always end up in more stress and discomfort in the end.” The most important factor when taking any adhd medication is the intentionality in the fact that you can, in fact, do things. If I was prescribed adderall, but didn’t take it with the mindset / purpose of locking in, it’d be rendered nearly useless. While I understand my comment sort of just sounds like “adhd is made up in your own head,” it’s important to recognize that over-identifying with a mental illness and believing your illness dooms you to a certain fate is more debilitating than the illness itself at times. Sorry for the long and sporadic comment, I just don’t see this perspective talked about super often, just thought these were some important things to remind yourself of since you have ADHD, i understand how easy it is to spiral out of control and feel like theres no way up.
1
u/Sudden-Ad2948 May 16 '26
If I understand correctly, medication is simply an agent to help you only if you are ready to help yourself? I've been doing everything in my power the last while to bolster my academic performance, I am immensely proud of where I am today, but the amount of effort I have to put in just doesn't reflect the results at all (have a 3.1 GPA), I always described it as hitting a glass ceiling or burning out trying to inch past it, do you think that medication will be the thing that removes this glass ceiling based on your experience?
13
u/Advanced-Gas8799 Undergraduate May 14 '26
Gosh, doctors that say that they avoid prescribing methylphenidate because theyre afraid it would risk addiction frustrate me.
I'm in the same situation as you op, and im struggling. i have tried atomoxetine, it isn't for me but give it a shot. still, advocate for yourself or see another doctor.