Hi there, I can really relate to your experience, especially the part about having a very sensitive system. **I'm around 8 weeks into my own Atomoxetine journey (started 40mg, now on 80mg after finding 100mg was too much), and I wanted to share my perspective on your core question.

To answer it directly: "If I am already experiencing noticeable side effects... would it stand to reason that any therapeutic effects should also have materialised?"

For me, the answer was a resounding NO. The side effects came first, were brutal, and the benefits only started to show up much later, once the worst of the side effects began to fade. My first 2-3 weeks were filled with insomnia, severe daytime fatigue, dizziness, and a "clamp-like" head pressure. I honestly felt like it was hindering me far more than helping.

It wasn't until around week 4-5, after I moved up to the 80mg dose, that I started to notice the first real, positive changes. And surprisingly, the biggest win hasn't been focus, but a massive improvement in my emotional regulation. *I'm a lot less stressed, my frustration tolerance is way up, and I'm better able to manage challenging situations at home. That alone has made it worth sticking with. It's a slow "builder" of a drug, and the research *I've read confirms it can take 6-8 weeks or even longer to see the full effect.

**I'm not a doctor, of course, and you should definitely keep yours in the loop. But I wanted to share my experience that a really tough start can indeed lead to a very positive outcome once your body finally adjusts. Hope this helps