Strattera dosing for 9yo boy | ADHD Information

http://millermom.proboards107.com/

Try this site they have good info from other moms about strattera.

Hi, my 7 yo, 50lbs uses it and he is now after two months up to 25mg a day.. that is the dosage for 50 lbs.. I think your sons dose is high.. The strattera seems to be working for him except he is having stomach issues... I am having to call the doctor today about it..

At 66 lbs the target dose would be between 36-54 mgs. (1.2-1.8mgs per kilo, 2.2 lbs body weight). ( the MAX recommened dose for adults is 120mgs)Not seeing results after 6 weeks is normal. Strattera can take up to 4 weeks after the target dose is reached to be effective. At too low, or too high a dose Strattera can cause Mood swings, and other side effects. I would look at their website, www.Strattera.com, and also the millermom site under "everything you ever wanted to know about Strattera". here is the link http://millermom.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=general&am p;am p;action=display&thread=1067310659

Is 75mg too high for a 8yo 66lb boy?

YES, dangerously high dose there.

Also, it should have been ramped from 10mgs up gradually, not started at 25mgs.

edbson39034.3574537037

My son was diagnosed with ADHD and depression, and put on Strattera 6 weeks ago. He started out at 25mg for 1 week and has been at 50mg for 5 weeks. The doctor wanted him on 75mg because he finds 40 or 50mg to be ineffective. So far we have not seen enough of a change to say that the 50mg is working, but in talking to other parents and researching online, 75mg seems high for a 66lb boy. But after 5 weeks 50 mg isn't working. The doctor is concerned because at his last appt Ben was hitting himself, and is concerned about his anger, mood and aggression(this is why we are still at 50mg). But I don't think he has become more angry, moody or aggressive since the meds, these things have been a huge issue for several years and are still huge problems. He is starting counseling and seeing a tutor due to poor school performance, and sees the child psychiatrist once a month, at least until we get the meds right. We decided to address the ADHD before the depression to see if the depression symptoms improve when he is able to do better in school and social situations because of the ADHD meds.

So my questions:

Is 75mg too high for a 8yo 66lb boy?

How long until we say this medicine just isn't working?(we also tried Concerta for a week 2 years ago and saw no change with that either)

Thanks for any help. We are completely sick over all this.

[QUOTE=jellyben]

So my questions:

Is 75mg too high for a 8yo 66lb boy?

How long until we say this medicine just isn't working?(we also tried Concerta for a week 2 years ago and saw no change with that either)

Thanks for any help. We are completely sick over all this.

[/QUOTE]

Hi, I also have a 9year old son. My son was on stratterra in addition to his concerta. However, the strattera started to give him suicidal thoughts so we stopped it immediately. My son's dosage was less than your son's and he weighed more than your's. There is a formula that depends on his weight and I "believe" you need to have your dose checked. I think it may be high, but I am not sure.

I also wanted to comment on what you posted about concerta. I believe from your quote, that you didn't try the concerta for but several weeks. Did you increase the dosage? My son is on Concerta, now for 2 1/2years, but it took us almost a year to level off on the right dosage. We tried adderall but that was horrible then went back to concerta to start all over. We added the straterra so that he had something in his system at all times. It takes 4-6 weeks to build up in the blood system, but remember it is based on weight with a formula, which I do NOT remember - call your prescribing doctor or google it - if someone here doesn't respond with it -

I'm sorry for the hurting himself. Have you looked into a psychopharmacologist who knows the medications very well and could also counsel your son. We see one and he has been a godsend! My ds also takes guanfacine for overstimulation.

From what I read from the extreme home makeover star, Ty Pennington, He says that depression comes with the ADHD for him, he has the H highs, so along with the highs come the lows for him. I see that in my son. But overall, he is doing well with the help from concerta and guanfacine!

Have you also looked into having him reevaluated maybe for possible bipolar? It does exist in children - maybe start with a reevaluation from the beginning and rule out things and work on what is exact. School should be helping with these evaluations as well. Do you know the laws protecting your son?

My son is also on strattera and it has been a real issue. It took very long to have a effect and it was pretty common to have multiple mood changes; sometimes very agressive at home and yelling a lot. I don't know, but in my search to make things better, I added complementary Omega 3 and magnesium and lately he seems more quiet and better.

According to what I have read strattera is a drug that needs to be administered strictly according to weight. If the patient is not in the correct dose, he may have those mood issues many people talk about in regart to strattera. On the other side, it also takes too long to kick in. In my case I took more than two months and I am not quite sure that my son's improvements come from strattera, he is also in counseling and therapy. I am not very happy with it but I keep him on it bcause he can't take stimulants.

I wish you luck but I tell you again that I have read a lot and from very experienced and serious people that strattera has to be given strictly according to weight. If not, the results are terrible mood issues if the dose is above or below the correct one.

Welcome to the board.

Thanks for the info and for the link to the other website!

As far as the COncerta, we tried it for a week, it did nothing for his ADHD symptoms but kept him up until midnight. At that time he was doing OK in school so we abandoned meds. Now he is doing poorly in school, at home and with friends!

We are going to give the Strattera a few more weeks and then must decide if we should go up on the Strat dose or try a stimulant. I just don't get why his doctor wants to give him 75mg when I can't find anyone else who is on that kind of dose.