Concerta stomach pain | ADHD Information

My dd is on 27 mg of Concerta daily, and complains that her stomach hurts.  I know that some stomach pain is a side effect, and of course we deal with the daily "temper crash" which lasts about 15 minutes, but the med really helps her.  We have tried everything.  Feingold, Omega oils, worked at first, but the ability to pay attention always wore off after the first few days.  Concerta seems to be the magic pill for her, but is there anything I can do to alleviate the side effects.  her Dr. put her on prilosec for 5 days to see if that would help, but I dont really think it did, and I don't know if I'm comfortable with treating a side effect from one med with another.  she didn't have the stomach aches at first, they developed after several months...or she finally complained then.  I'm wondering if it is med related ibs.  They definately stopped ofter we stopped the meds for a while, but not being on the meds is worse.  I don't give her concerta on the weekend, and her stomach is somewhat ok.  I wonder if some if it is anxiety caused by the medication, too.   She says that sometimes she feels shakey.How long has she taken Concerta, and how long do the stomach aches last? My niece had stomach aches the first week on Concerta, then none. I think it could be a little anxiety, but I'm not sure what to do about it..I think i need to take her to another doc for a 2nd opinion.  I like her ped, but she's small town, and very reluctant to try alternative methods.  She flat out told me that feingold didn't work, and then said that the other dr in her practice is religious about it with her son.  (It probably would have worked if I had stuck with it.)  and I've read so many neg things about adderall, that I'm scared to try any new meds.

I would urge you to take your daughter for an evaluation with a board-certified child psychiatrist.  Not only will that give you insight into the anxiety issue, but it will also provide cutting-edge knowledge of psychopharmacology.  I think it's unusual, BTW, for medical doctors to embrace alternative methods -- their training just doesn't cover that. 

I did a little googling and discovered that the patch will deliver methylphenidate, which is the same ingredient as Concerta and Ritalin.  I couldn't tell if it is available at this point.  The website sources said the patch would have the same side effects of appetite suppression and insomnia. 

 

We just took our nearly 13-year-old son off of Focalin XR because he said it made him feel as if he had "butterflies in my stomach" all day long.  He has co-morbid anxiety, and stimulants can exacerbate anxiety.  Does your daughter have anxiety?

Our pdoc also told us that stimulants can cause stomachaches, and there is a new patch stimulant (he thought it was Adderall) that might alleviate the problem.  Just a thought . . .  

This may be a dumb question but do you think the patch would still effect appetitie?