Stattera causes tics? | ADHD Information
Recently I've been seeing some posts that Strattera seems to be causing tics. Anyone else notice that? I was thinking of putting my son on Strattera, because he's been getting tics with the various stimulants (dexedrine, metadate). But now that would seem to defeat the whole purpose.
My son has developed a noise in his throat since he has been on dex, but that is all. I dont know much about strattera. I guess you need to weigh up the pros and consmy son, 6 is adhd and on straterra for 3 months now, he has developed a facial tic in the last 2 weeks, I am stopping the drug and will wait few weeks to see if the tics stop..otherwsie might be testing for Touretts....has anyone out there had a child exhibit tics on Strattera...and more importantly, have they gone away with dicontinued use???? thanks
My daughter got a "fake cough" while on Strattera. She didnt realize she was doing it. We constantly pointed it out to her, she stopped for awhile but now the "cough" is back. i dont know if it is the Strattera or just being 7.
My son is also on Strattera and has never had any sort of tics.
My son just turned 9 and is taking Statterra for 2 weeks. I haven't notice any usual symptoms. I can't say it helping. He is doing better but I have been putting 150% in him. And as you, I too agonized about putting on meds and I still feel some kind of way about it. I'm going give this a try for 2-3 months and see what's doing.
[QUOTE=Cj's mom]My son CJ is 7 and has been on Statterra for about a month now. I have not noticed anything out of the ordinary, regarding facial tics. He is doing fantastic!! No night terrors(he has had them since he was 2)since he started. He does get down sometimes, but we are working on that.I agonized about putting him on meds, but now that I see how happy he is able to be I am glad I did. [/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=cocogirl100]My son just turned 9 and is taking Statterra for 2 weeks. I haven't notice any usual symptoms. I can't say it helping. He is doing better but I have been putting 150% in him. And as you, I too agonized about putting on meds and I still feel some kind of way about it. I'm going give this a try for 2-3 months and see what's doing.
[QUOTE=Cj's mom]My son CJ is 7 and has been on Statterra for about a month now. I have not noticed anything out of the ordinary, regarding facial tics. He is doing fantastic!! No night terrors(he has had them since he was 2)since he started. He does get down sometimes, but we are working on that.I agonized about putting him on meds, but now that I see how happy he is able to be I am glad I did. [/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE] Cocogirl1000
It is hard making the choice to medicate your son, but let me put it this way,if your son was diabetic, would you feel bad about putiing him on dialysis?I hope you see a difference,not everything works the same for everyone..good luck:)
Hi Javahed,
I am new to this site and I saw your post that your son has been off Adderal for over 45 days. We just took our 14 yr old daughter off Adderal yesterday. The doctor has recommend this because of being tired, headaches and not focusing. She is so different like night and day! She`s actually laughing and seems to be like her old self. She said school was ok but doesn`t know if she can do her work. She is bring it home, but that`s ok. She said she doesn`t want to go back on anything else. She was originally on Adderal until she developed a circulation problem. That`s when they switched her to Strattera. Please let me know how things are going.
Javahed- We saw no miracle change with Strattera, as far as school was concerned. I realize that every child (person in general) is different, and will react differently to medication. I wish you and your son the very best. I wish the pressure from schools and society were not to medicate, ya know? I, personally, do not think that any of this is right for children. I pray that there will be a better solution for all of this in the near future!For us Strattera has been wonderful.
My son is on 60mg per day, & while it hasn't help with all his kinetics, or really slowed his talking down, he is a much happier child on it then on stims.
I see no side effects from the meds, he actually remembers things better, if he is worries he will forget something, he writes it down in his little notebook. On Strattera he has not gotten anything below a 93 on a test, yesterday he came home with 102 on his geography exam! I never have to remind him to do his homework, I never check it anymore. He sleeps better, eats some what better. And has had some children actually call him for playdates!
[QUOTE=momandtherapist]The 11-year-old boy I am currently working with takes a cocktail of Strattera, Adderol, and Clonidine. [/QUOTE]
FOr us the Adderall caused tics, along with a bad rebound. For my son, the Strattera has really been amazing.
[QUOTE=momandtherapist]I am so grateful that I stumbled across this site today. The 11-year-old boy I am currently working with takes a cocktail of Strattera, Adderol, and Clonidine. He has tics, is underweight, is very anxious, and displays symptoms of OCD, Tourettes, ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder. In a nutshell, he is a stressed out little guy who needs help. I can't sort out what behaviors are side-effects and which are neurological. I am meeting with his Pediatrician in tow days. I think taking him off the stimulant medications is a good idea and possibly trying Effexor or Tenex. Any thoughts or experiences you can share?[/QUOTE][QUOTE=momandtherapist]I am so grateful that I stumbled across this site today. The 11-year-old boy I am currently working with takes a cocktail of Strattera, Adderol, and Clonidine. He has tics, is underweight, is very anxious, and displays symptoms of OCD, Tourettes, ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder. In a nutshell, he is a stressed out little guy who needs help. I can't sort out what behaviors are side-effects and which are neurological. I am meeting with his Pediatrician in tow days. I think taking him off the stimulant medications is a good idea and possibly trying Effexor or Tenex. Any thoughts or experiences you can share?[/QUOTE]
First of all, it's nice to see a therapist here!! My husband recently stumbled across an article (last Sunday's edition of The Washington Post) that indicated that recent studies have been done and there have been findings about possible liver damage and more. After using Adderall XR for a while, we became concerned about his weight so we went of the Adderall XR and tried Strattera. He become aggressive again and it did not work. Back to Adderall XR and he is gaining a little more weight because he 'forces' himself to eat. He is 15 and is on a good multivitamin however craves junk food (unfortunately). I have ADD myself and take Adderall XR and then regular Adderall XR when it starts to wear off and gives me excruciating headaches. However, it has worked wonders. For a time I was on Effexor but it did not help me with the ADD. My daughter is on a small dose of Adderall XR and Clonidine and it works very well. I've noticed a big improvement (she's been on it now for 2 weeks and within the past 2 days we are seeing improvement, a little bit of weaning appetite. She takes Clonidine at night.
What about Concerta for him or Focalin? Sounds like that little guy is having a rough time. He will be in my thoughts and prayers. I can only imagine how distressing it is for him.
Question: what is SID?????
My now 8 year old son has got tics from every med he has been on.Adderal, concerta, straterra, clonidine, wellbutrin, risperdal etc.... He has been diagnosed ADHD, OCD, tic disorder (possibly tourettes) Tics all go away without meds.
I tried every alternative treatment before resorting to meds, fiengold (some improvements), diet (some improvements) social skills 2X week, therapy, charts, rewards etc... only thing we did not try was biofeedback. We even had brain mapping, and many other tests. Have seen many Neurologists, Psychiatrists, Psychologists etc.....
The only thing that has been the most effective is when we started seeing a Holistic Allergist, had extensive blood, urine, stool tests. Found out he had alot of food sensitivities, leaky gut syndrome (caused by yeast overgrowth and makes the intestines unable to absorb nutrients and amino acids needed for proper brain function) deficient in many minerals and amino acids, copper/zinc ratio off. I could go on and on.
My son has never been able to breath in and out his nose, had sleep apnea, and the doctors wanted to take out his adnoids. I refused , I knew he had some form of allergies. Although the regular allergy testing (skin prick) showed nothing.
After seeing the holistic allergist and removing all the food sensitivities (which happened to be wheat, dairy, eggs, corn, 27 different things, all the things my son craves) Getting rid of the yeast in his intestines, adding digestive enzymes , supplements and EFA's . My son can breath in and out his nose for the first time in his life. He is not as angry as he was, much calmer.
It was not a miracle cure and he still has ADHD but it is more controlable. He is much healthier and happier. And when he eats something he shouldn't I can tell and he can feel the difference as well.
A great place to start if anyone is interested is reading a great book called "Is This Your Child?" by Dr. Doris Rapp. It helps with identifying and treating allergies in children, explains how to do it. A web site I highly recommend is www.thegreatplainslaboratory.com this site explains tests and research .
This is such a complicated journey for us all. No two children are alike and some treatments work for some and not others It's nice to have alot of information and experiences to gather from so we all know what is available.
taximom
Oops! Sorry I made a mistake with the website it is www.greatplainslaboratory.com
taximom
Thank you so much for everyones input on the condition of the little guy I'm working with. I'm meeting with the doctor tomorrow and I'm still not sure exactly what I am going to recommend, I am hoping he will have some ideas or a new plan that we haven't tried. As far as my guy's diet and the allergies, I appreciate the input and have no doubt that these may be playing a role, however I am bound by what this mother is willing to do for her son. Right now, medication appears to be the only solution to her. Believe me, I've tried many avenues and explored many ideas with her but it really comes down to what she can pull off that is quick and easy...a.k.a.....medication. I am not bashing her and ask that you not bash her either, for this mom and for this time in her life, the options of treatment are limited to what is easy. Someone also asked in their reply what SID is....it's a term parents and some therapists use to identify/name sensory processing problems in children. It stands for Sensory Integrative Dysfunction.momandtherapist
This boy sounds a great deal like my son. I am very interested in the plan of treatment that will be perscribed for him. I'm assuming the doctor you are referring to is a Psychiatrist. Is he undergoing any Cognitive behavioral therapy for the OCD? Are you the family therapist?
Would you please keep me posted on his treatment and progress?
I will have good thoughts and prayers for him and his family.
taximom
Hi, I have been reading the posts about Strattera. My 12 year old has just been given a prescription for Strattera. He has been on Adderall. My questions is this: Do any of you have experiance going on and off Strattera? We give him the Adderall during the week. He does not take it when he is not in school. In reading the posts, it sounds like there is a period of "getting over the side effects". Do the "side effects" repeat if you miss a day or two (weekend). How long can he be off Strattera without repeating the side effects? Thanks for your help.
My son Cj has been on Stratterra for over two months and he hasn't experienced any side effects. I guess we are one of the lucky ones....:) I do know that when taking Stratterra,it needs to be taken every day not just thru the 'school week'...according to our neurologist. Anyway, CJ is so much happier now and it makes me feel good to know that his meds are working with no side effects...My son CJ is 7 and has been on Statterra for about a month now. I have not noticed anything out of the ordinary, regarding facial tics. He is doing fantastic!! No night terrors(he has had them since he was 2)since he started. He does get down sometimes, but we are working on that.I agonized about putting him on meds, but now that I see how happy he is able to be I am glad I did.hi my name is curtis and i am on Stattera at 80 milligrams a day and on top ofthat another 1,000 milligrams a day of depakote and now im starting to haveconcerns of that muchmeds in my system And i was wondering if im overreacting or just jumpingthe guncause i looked @ december and saw 31 days which gives me a total of 31 thousand milligrams of depakote for the month and about freaked andwas wondering if anyone new of any concerns abt that much dosages for the combined meds??
curtis L34,
The dosage amounts in mg of depakote seem really high, but even little kids take a thousand or more mg of that in one day for seizures, etc. As long as it does not bother your liver (your doc should be checking that every few months at least), and you are not too sleepy, that dose should be ok, and although it is a seizure med, it can work really well for adhd or bipolar people. Good luck.
Every time I come to this site it just reminds me that I'm not alone. It's so interesting and informative to read what alternatives are out there. For instance, food allergies have never been brought up by my dr. That to me is interesting. It sounds to me that this should certainly be brought up and discussed as a possible cause of symptoms. My son is still on Tenex and doing well. I'm not so sure it's helping him with his school work but definately helping him remain calm. Good luck to everyone in finding the right treatment for your child.....as you can see, you're not alone! Happy Holidays!!My little guys primary physician just spent an hour and a half with me....hooray! He really seems interested in helping and even wants to talk to the teacher. He brought up a child psychiatrist to help with medication, and although mom was resistant at first, she agreed to a consultation. For now, Adderol is being taken away (Stratera and Clonidine will continue). Mom actually stopped the adderol two days ago and when I saw my guy today he was tic-free! I'll keep you guys posted on the latest recommendations but i'm sure nothing will be done until after holiday break. Have a great holiday.[QUOTE=Billysmom]Wow...I just discovered this website and am amazed that I'm not alone! My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 7 and was put on Straterra. It was awful for him. The medication made him angry and extremely emotional. Then he, too, developed what most would describe as "tics".....the constant throat clearing, the mouth stretching, and sniffing his hands constantly. So then he was diagnosed with mild Tourettes and switched to Adderal. It seemed to help a little bit so we kept him on it all last school year until the summer. We gave him a break from medication during the summer and when we tried to put him back on it for school it was awful.....uncontrolable eye blinking, throwing head back, chest "huffing"....very scary to watch. We immediately stopped the medication and all "tourette" type symptoms stopped as well. Now the dr has prescribed a low dosage of Tenex (high blood pressure med) and I'm not so sure that this is what he needs to be on. Can anyone else relate to this?[/QUOTE]To the mom whose child is getting started on tenex. This has helped us tremendously. no tics, no nervousness, stops the impulsivity and hyperactivity. Enough for some kids alone. Our kid needs strattera with it for the extra boost in concentrating ability. Stimulants were a disaster, lots of tics, though he had periodic tics/anxiety to start. Now just likes to chew on something, so I give him a rope necklace to mouth, that stops him from chewing his shirt.
Give the tenex a try, it can be fabulous for some kids.
quick reply to alapeds...my son has now been off Straterra for almost 45 days and he is doing great without meds..none at all! he is happier and no tic's whatsoever..he is still an active kid ..and can be hyper at times, but he is now exhibiting less of the adhd symptoms than when he was on Strat...I was also told when the tics started that it cud not be the strat as it's helps with tics and he prob had some mild form of touretts but im's sure now that was wrong...I'd strongly suggest trying some more time without meds..it worked for us..good luck javahed, I am very happy for you & your son. I wish you continued success.Hi javahed- I'm with you on the "no meds" thing! We saw our dr last night, in fact. I told him about this web site and about all the moms who experienced the same types of affects from meds that our sons experienced. He could not confirm or deny that Strattera would cause these things to happen. Who knows? However, I too am so happy that my son is not on any of the typical ADHD meds. My son is taking Tenex, which is for high blood pressure....strange, huh? It's been proven to help children with adhd to be less impulsive, less fidgety, and more focused. It's really working for my son. He's his funny, happy self. He's not sick and angry all the time. I still wish I didn't have to give him anything at all, but for now this is the best results we've had yet! Good luck to you and your son.
Alapeds- Wow, thanks so much for the information. It's great to know that someone else is on this medication and doing well. I was very concerened about it at first...even scared. We too are having good results. My son is his normal self again....happy, funny, willing to get right to his homework in the afternoon, no more outburts....etc. It's just very normal! Thanks so much for the response and I hope that your son continues to do great!!My daughter is 24 and has been on Straterra for about a month. She is picking at her face, making bad sores. A couple of days ago, I started noticing this head, shoulder movement that was kind of strange. Yesterday, I had her not take her Straterra and noticed that she wasn't picking at her face. The side effects of some of these medicines can be almost as bad as the original disorder. Yes, it might be a tic, but is also could be SID. Let your Dr know immediately what she is doing. SID needs OT, not meds.Thanks csmommy! I have already scheduled an appointment for next Wednesday.Your welcome. A friends 6 year old daughter used to pick her face & finders until they bled & she was diagnosed with SID, apppartently this is a classic sign. Good luck.
I am 39 years old and recently dx with ADHD and have suffered ALL OF MY LIFE. I've gone through 2 hospitalizations for depression and have been treated for that since I was 20. However, when I started the ADHD meds I developed tics with ALL OF THEM. My doctor recently put me on Cymbalta, a new medication treating both depression and ADHD. I have seen results insofar as my depression and a little with respect to my ability to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time. I am trying to be mindful of doing one task at a time and really, really concentrating but it can be very hard at times. I do believe, however, that the Cymbalta is helping. Ask the psychiatrist about it and do your own research. Don't give up, you will find the right med. [QUOTE=Billysmom]Wow...I just discovered this website and am amazed that I'm not alone! My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 7 and was put on Straterra. It was awful for him. The medication made him angry and extremely emotional. Then he, too, developed what most would describe as "tics".....the constant throat clearing, the mouth stretching, and sniffing his hands constantly. So then he was diagnosed with mild Tourettes and switched to Adderal. It seemed to help a little bit so we kept him on it all last school year until the summer. We gave him a break from medication during the summer and when we tried to put him back on it for school it was awful.....uncontrolable eye blinking, throwing head back, chest "huffing"....very scary to watch. We immediately stopped the medication and all "tourette" type symptoms stopped as well. Now the dr has prescribed a low dosage of Tenex (high blood pressure med) and I'm not so sure that this is what he needs to be on. Can anyone else relate to this?[/QUOTE] Hi, I have just found this site - very interesting. I took my 8 year old son off Dex 2 months ago. He was on the Dex (for ADHD) for nearly 1 year. He started to develop tic behaviour after about 6 months. He also started with the clearing of the throat then a continual cough. At first I thought nothing of it - just the remains of the flu. He then started the facial twisting and mouth stretching followed by the excessive heavy eye blinking. It seemed he found a new tic every week. The tics then progressed to shoulder shrugging then to violent head jurking. This is when we took him off the meds. Since stopping the Dex the tics have decreased but not completely gone. I am concerned as I was told they should stop fairly soon after stopping the Dex. Now he has the throat clearing, heavy eye blinking and occasionally the shoulder shrugging. The pediatrician doesn't seem to think he has tourettes. As much as I hate my son being on medication, I am concerned about him returing to the new school year without it as he is struggling to cope. He repeated his second year but this hasn't helped with his school work. He has had an IQ test and was in the average. I am not overly concerned about his behaviour although I was receiving calls from the school every couple of days - I can cope with that. My hope is to help find something to assist him with his concentration in school. The Pediatrician has suggested Clonidine (used to treat high blood pressure). I am considering this. Thankyou everyone for sharing your stories.Woolleyone- I'm glad that you found this site. It is really informative, isn't it? I'm not familiar with "Dex" or "chlonodine" but my son is taking the high blood pressure medication Tenex. It really makes a difference in his hyper activity and behavior. With the typical adhd medications my son developed the same exact "tics" that you described in your son. It was scary not to be able to help control that. My son actually told me that he was embarrased that he couldn't stop doing those things. That's when I thought, "this isn't right....there has to be another way!" So, like I said before, I'm not sure sure that this medication is helping my son accademically but physically and behaviorly it seems to help. I hope that you will have good results, as well!I'm interested that some suggest that clearing the throat may be a tic. My husband has done that a great deal over the recent years. He has ADD. He says he has a constant tickle in the throat which in the past he has seen a doctor about to see if there is an underlying cause but there isn't. It seems to have got worse in the last year. Is it a symptom of ADD then