Strattera -- nasal decongestant??

[Rich Wales]

I've been receiving treatment for adult ADHD for almost nine
years now. Recently, my psychiatrist had me try the new ADHD
medication Strattera. I've been using Strattera for about a
month now, and (so far, at least) it appears to be helping
me considerably.

However, I've been noticing an interesting side effect which
doesn't appear to be mentioned anywhere in the literature.
A couple weeks after I started taking Strattera, I realized
that I was breathing much more freely through my nose.

I've had chronic nasal congestion, postnasal drip, sinusitis,
etc. for almost my entire life. The main symptom has been a
"stuffy nose" clogged with thick, sticky, dry mucus. Doctors
have tried several allergy drugs on me over the years (such
as Vancenase, Flonase, and Claritin), with absolutely no
success whatsoever. Sudafed has also never worked for me
at all. Humibid (guaifenesin), in high doses, seemed to give
some relief (modest, not dramatic). The only things I've
tried in the past that really seemed to help were nasal
sprays such as Afrin and Otrivin; these clear up my nasal
congestion fabulously, but of course they can only be used
for a few days at a time.

But, as I said, it appears that Strattera is clearing up my
nasal congestion dramatically -- in addition to the ADHD
relief for which it was originally designed. The obvious
question in my mind is, WHY?

Strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. I under-
stand that norepinephrine promotes vasoconstriction, which
in turn would reduce nasal congestion -- but I had assumed
that Strattera would be acting primarily or exclusively in
the brain, not elsewhere in the body. Is it expected, or
plausible, that a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor might
relieve nasal congestion via vasoconstriction?

Since I've been on Strattera, I have noticed a decrease in
appetite and have lost some weight -- presumably a good
thing, since I'm moderately overweight (current BMI = 31
and falling). I haven't cut out any particular kind of
food entirely, however -- just eating less in general --
so it seems unlikely that my reduced nasal congestion would
be due to elimination from my diet of something I'm allergic
to. Nothing else I can think of has really changed in the
last month, so it seems to me that the freer breathing has
got to be related, somehow, to Strattera.

Any other ideas about why Strattera might be unclogging my
nose? Also, might this provide a clue to the underlying
cause of my chronic nasal congestion?

Rich Wales ***@richw.org http://www.richw.org
*DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. My comments are for discussion pur-
poses only and are not intended to be relied upon as medical advice.

[iowacookiemom]

The relief from nasal congestion which I've experienced
with Strattera has not happened with any other medication I've
taken for ADHD -- or, for that matter, with any other medication
I've taken for anything at all, other than the Afrin / Otrivin
variety of nasal sprays (the ones you can only use for a few
days at a time because of the "rebound" effect).

Wow, this is interesting. Since taking Strattera Henry has needed his
allergy medicine, including his Nasonex decongestant, much less. I'd
attributed it mostly to our move to a different climate, but thinking
back he has needed it less all spring (he started Strattera in January
when he typically doesn't need allergy meds).

Interesting!

-Dawn
mom to Henry, 10