appt update

It sounds like you have someone who cares and is knowledgeble but isn't on such an ego trip that she has to think she has all the answers. I would say your son is in great hands and to trust her.

Good for you and him!

My ADHD son has NEVER needed as much sleep as other kids.  and he never seems tired either.  When he was a preschooler, he always woke up at 5 am.  Now it's a little better -- he needs to be in bed by 9, he reads until 10 and then he's up at the crack of 6 am -- school day, week day, doesn't matter.  One rule we have always used with him is that he doesn't need to go to sleep, but he does need to be in his room by a certain time.  That allows him to unwind and gives us grownups some much-needed time alone.  11 pm does seem pretty late for a child your son's age -- maybe he's just adjusting to being off the Strattera.  If it continues and it's concerning to you, you may want to check in with the doctor.

Okay so every night this week has been an 11 pm bedtime and up by 7 - does my kid just not need as much sleep as you normally associate with kids???? Crazy once he is out - he is gone - but getting there.......

Just babbling b/c I am tired and wired - much like my kid  !!!

Psm - I think she really thinks that most of his behavior was Strattera related, we have not tried stims ever. I think she really feels he is not bp but doesn't want to completely rule it out. He wasn't ODD at all before strattera and he is not violent in a way where he is trying to hurt himself or others. He mostly throws pillows and screams - more to get a reaction from us. Like I said tho we will get the neuro and others involved to make sure we know what is going on - she gave me the script b/c she thinks it is worth trying one more thing but we also discussed that I might decide against it.  I am mostly just taking it one day at a time right now.

small - sending you a pm re: neuropsych - she recommended i try one in your area.

Dareboys,

Sounds as if you have a good behavioral pediatrician on your side.  She really seems to know her stuff.  Good for you!

Just one warning (and you can check this with your doc):  Strattera is an antidepressant in the SNRI family.  Just as it took 4 to 6 weeks to build up to therapeutic levels in his blood, it can take that long to totally leave his system.  JMHO, but I think it's going to take more than a week for you to get a baseline on his behavior.  And you may see a lot of worsening behavior before you see "baseline" behavior, so bad in fact that you may feel like putting him back on Strattera.  Don't!  Wait it out, as painful as it may be, because you are doing the right thing in taking him off the Strattera.  If his behavior is really unstable (like my daughter's was when we took her off an antidepressant this summer), you may actually need a mood stabilizer before trying a stimulant.  (BTW, my son is on Focalin XR and is doing really well on it, but he has inattentive ADHD and his moods do not worsen on ADHD meds.)

One final thought:  You may want to get the neuropsych evaluation before the auditory screening.  See what he/she finds before committing to that $1250 price tag.  The neuropsych may be able to put your mind at ease about needing the audiology screening at all (depending on what is found).  Neuropsych evaluations are very comprehensive (but not all-encompassing by any stretch of the imagination).

Please keep up posted on your progress.  Sending good wishes to you and Austin (and hope you guys feel better soon).

good for you, hopeully they will get to the root of the problem and a proper diagnosis.  she seem cheerful finally.  or at least like this huge heavy weight has been lifted offf of your shoulders.

hope they figure it out soon for you!!

Thanks brig I am more cheerful and hoping that he is really started down the right path. I could be better b/c my own meds have started working (the vodka has kicked in - JK )

Seriously I think knowing where to go next is a big part of taking the stress off my shoulders, it is amazing how much of this weighs on us. Of course wait until I get all these appts set up then I will start to worry again.

So we went and oops I forgot (really I did) to give Aus his strattera that morning - I know it is stored in their system but he was HYPER - even for him. He is no longer on strattera was the first decision right out of the gate. I had typed a huge list of things for his beh ped to read over so I wouldn't have to tell her in front of him and she agreed the strat isn't helping, but said it could be the root of some of our problem. She wants to look at ODD with him and wants us to get the auditory screening done so she can help us decide if it is a contributing factor. She was surprised at the cost (1250) but also recommends I talk to insurance to see if they will reimburse it. She did recommend a neuropsych eval (we knew that was coming huh ) and some therapy to help us all deal. I straight out asked her where we were going and what were we lokking for and she said that honestly bp is at the back of her mind but she doesn't want to "guess" and says he needs much further evals. At least she is honest - I really like her alot. She mentioned how alot of these conditions mimic each other and it may take some time for us to rule one or the other out (ADHD/ODD or BP). She also wants us to go at least a week no meds to get a new baseline - then have a new teacher evaluation, before I decide to use the Focalin Rx she gave us. She said she chose the Focalin since she has concerns Adderall would exaserbate his anxiety levels. I haven't decided if he is going to be taking anyhting yet.

I feel like we got some good stuff out of this appt and that alot of the info and support I have gotten here helped me know what to ask etc.

Oh and so he got really sick last night and we stayed home together today (he gave me whatever he has), he has been fairly mellow but in grreat spirits. That is something we haven't seen for a long time. I missed my gigglebox - it would be nice to have him back.

OMG - this is super long but I was trying to get it all out.

Thanks agian guys - the support has been awesome!!!!

thanks everyone - we are working on finding all the new drs now. Thanks for the support - psm - I hope so too.!!

Maybe, just maybe, the happy hyper kid I am seeing right now is really the little man I had before strattera and I just didn't know how good( ) we had it! My only problem thus far is he doesnt sleep agian - last two nights its been 11 pm! Oh well I will take what I can get - awake and happy is better then angry anyday!