fiddlejig - I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Our son also developed tics on Concerta. We were told that any of the stimulant meds, such as Adderall will give the same results, so I don't blame you for being scared. Our son is now unmedicated and we just use various strategies, working with his teacher in order to help him. Our only other choice was to continue with the stimulant and add another med to help control the tics. That may be a choice for you. We didn't feel comfortable, so if you do try it, I would be interested in the results.
You can vent here anytime. I hope the MD has some good news for you. One thought - rather than trying all of the meds, can you get your MD to refer you to a ped neurologist for some additional testing and medication consultation? They might have some different suggestions. Much luck to you.
I am so scared and frustrated with these medications. We started on concerta July 03 and in Jan 04 the tics started. We were told they were transient and would go away. They got worse and we stopped the med before school let out in June. In July 04 the tics had diminished, but not disappeared and we saw a neurologist who told us they would go away. We started straterra right after that. My DD slept in the middle of the day, for the first time in years and we had little to no effect in terms of attention. So, my dr. put her back on Concerta saying if the tics came back we could try adderall. The tics did come back with a vengeance only 8 hrs after the first dose.
The adderall scares me for some reason. Maybe it's because I don't have any other options if this doesn't work. I have looked into natural remedies, but can't seem to find anyone that says they work. Sorry to vent-just sitting here waiting for the MD to call me back to talk about this while my un-medicated daughter is off trying to concentrate in school.
niney-thanks for your posts. It is definitely a heartbraking scenario we are all placed in...I will keep your advice tucked in my back pocket if it comes down to it. That is our last med to try. My only aversion to the adderall is because of the stimulant. I hate watching my daughter twitch and it just doesn't seem worth it so she can spend more time on math...thanks for the good thoughts sent our way.Fiddlejig
Trying to decide what to do with your child's meds can be soooo stressful and confusing I know. My ten year old was put on concerta earlier this year and he did not have any great improvements in fact the meds seemed to make him more angry. I gave him supplements during the summer which I noticed changes for the better. I was going to continue with the supplements when school started but my son asked to be put back on meds ( I think he was tired of taking so many vitamins and supplements). He is currently taking adderall XR 10mg in the morning and regular adderall 5mg in the afternoon around 4:00. I'll tell you, the adderall has made a huge difference with his behavior and acedemic performance at school. I am hoping that he does not build up a tolerance any time soon because I am so happy with the combination of meds. He is still irritable from time to time but that just his nature. I hope this helps, I just wanted you to know that adderall can have positive effects and that some meds work well for one person but not so well for others--unfortunetly we have to experiment with our kids, which, at times can have heart breaking effects. Bekah
nineyrsofstress38252.3526967593Fiddlejig--We must of been posting around the same time, just read your reply to krobb about not using Adderall because of the tics associated with stimulants. I just wanted to say that I wish you and your daughter the best of luck with your new dosage of straterra. BekahMy 7yr old son also developed tics on stimulants. They did go away after we stopped. He's currently unmedicated, too. I was thinking about trying Strattera, but I have read some reports that it has caused tics, too. Just something to watch.
thanks Krobb for your reply. I just got off the phone with the MD a few minutes ago. The adderall isn't an option right now because of the tics/stimulant effects. She opted to try a higher dose of straterra - we were on 20mg, now going to 25- ?is there higher? I read on this board that someone gave the straterra at night to avoid the sleepiness and I think we will try that tonight.
On the neurologist note, been there done that. They were no help. My DD is the inattentive type and we mostly need help with math strategies and length of time reading. I just can't stomach the tics anymore, and we didn't want to go the haldol route at all either....here's hoping the new dose works! Thanks again