Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 11/24/2008

Question
Dr. Levin,
I have taking a regular dose of 100mg of Strattera for the past 3 months and have been having a problem with tachycardia. My resting HR is around 65 bpm but while I work out, such as 15 min on the treadmill, my HR jumps to 185 bpm and sometimes have I difficultly bringing it back down. Also, since being on the drug my BP has changed from 120/80 to 140/80. I have received a normal ECG recently and otherwise I am a healthy 25 year old male. My question is whether this sort of tachycardia in normal of for users of strattera and whether I can do any significant damage to my heart during these periods of tachycardia? i.e. Should I be worried?

Thank you very much for your time.

Answer
Strattera usually does not raise the BP any significant degree and neither does the pulse take a long time to revert to normal after strenuous exercise. Thus in your case, although I do not for-see any problems I would still suggest a medical check up.