TWO MEDS! | ADHD Information

Share

djsmommy,

Dyslexia to some extent is a normal in a child's development.  Ask any teacher who has taught Kindergarden and First Grade.  They will all tell ya that the 3's and E's are almost always printed backwards and that most kids grow out of it.  But if you are still seeing the problem by 2nd grade, its worth have formal evaluation.

Paul

Being on Concerta for 3 years, I am reluctant to change my child's medication to Stratterra.  I understand how a child can be on both meds at once, however, I am concerned about the specific side effects of Stratterra.  From what I have been reading the long term effects of this drug are still unknown, as the safety of the drug has only been tested for about a year.  There are concerns pesented about increased heart rate and blood pressure. There were also concerns presented about sexual functioning in adults.  There is no information on how this will affect children with sexual organs still developing.  I read a commentary on this site regarding Stratterra, and was intrigued to see that it did not help with "focus," but helped with impulsivity and hyperactivity. 

My daughter, age 10, has an ADHD diagnosis with Asperger's syndrome. She has been taking 54 mg of Concerta, however, she doesn't have the "spark" she has when not on medication.  Her personality is flat. 

Does anyone have similar experience when switching from Concerta to Stratterra?  Will Stratterra effectively treat the symptons of her ADHD without affecting her personality? Our pediatric neurologist is recommending this switch, however, I am reluctant to do so during the school year and without more information.

Any opinions on dislexic??? ( not sure if spelled right or not ) my son I noticed from his school work certain numbers and letters he writes are backwards if my son has a slight problem with dislexia couldnt that bring up a lot of answers to questions on his behavior other than ADHD --

http://www.spelling.org/free/First_seven_lessons_from_if_it_ is_to_be.htm

djs - check this site out.  It is very interesting.  There are different types of dyslexia.  Have the school test him for it.

zactly paul.  That is what i am having issues with at the moment that the MD just gave me meds and sent me on my way.  No tests for thyroid, scans of brain etc were done.  I am not saying my son does not have ADHD I just want a fully researched diagnosis.

 

I second every thing Paul said above. You really need someone who specialises in ADHD to diagnose and treat the disorder. I too started off on the wrong path and it was amazing how quickly I became more knowledgable about the disorder then my doctor was. For a few months I would go into my appointments with print outs and selections I've highlghted in books to educate my physician. Finally I found someone that was an expert in the disorder and things got a lot better.

Also for those concerned it is very common for kids to be on two different meds for ADHD.

Today I took my 12 year old son back to the doctor and he has now put him on Straterra and Concerta.My son has been battling with ADHD for 4 years now and has been on everything from Adderall to Valproic Acid...with no luck.He recently was on 25 mg of Concerta and I thought I would never make it through the month!It seemed the drug was doing the opposite of what it was suppose to do!He was out of control and I had more school conferences in a month then I did all year!I never knew you could put them on two meds at once,has this ever happened to anyone else?Please reply,I am extremely concerned.(25 mg Concerta,35mg Strattera)We are going through the same thing with my son - his doctor wants him taking Straterra and Adderall XL. This really concerns me taking two different medications. He has taken the two in combination before but then we went back to just the Adderall because the Straterra was not effective by itself.

OK - so we have tried the two before but not such as high of dosages as he wants now - it really is hard finding the right dosage and the right medication. I know that I am not a lot of help but I am at a lost just like you are but I really do not like the idea of two medications!!

Christie

I am very interested in hearing about experiences of switching from Concerta to Stratterra.  My daughter, age 10, is diagnosed ADHD and has been using Concerta for 3 years; currently she takes a 54 mg dose.  The Concerta works well with the inattentiveness and the impulsivity, however my daughter has a "flat" personality while using this drug.  Recently, our doctor suggested switching to Stratterra, however, my daughter needs to remain on Concerta until the right level is attained.  I'm reading alot about the side effects of Stratterra and I'm not convinced I want to try it, let alone give her both meds at once. 

Hello yvettevigil & Christie.  Both Concerta & Adderall are stimulants, while Strattera is not.  The Strattera is very helpful with most all parts of ADHD except focus, it is also a secondary line of defense.  The stimulants can have some nasty rebounds like anger, sleeplessness, & loss of appatite, so the lower the dose the better.  If the stims are used with Straterra, the Dr's can prescribe a lower dose, & the Strattera can offset the rebound effects. 

Right now my 9 year old is on 60mg of Strattera & we are hoping to keep him there because he is much happier on that then the Adderall, & he is very bright so his grades ae not really suffering.  If they do start to drop off, we will have to add a small amount of Concerta because he & Adderall do not mix.

I've been a member of this site for a while and I'm beginning to notice some trends.  One of them,  is the  the effectiveness of meds to treat ADHD type symptoms in some kids.  Therefore, I've come to the conclusion, that if the initial meds that the family doctor prescribes for  ADHD symptoms are not effective or cause a reaction opposite to the desired results, then a new course of action needs to be taken, immediately.

I did not like the trial and error that our family MD exercised  with our son's meds.  Neither did his teachers who had to weather the many 'adjustment' periods.   Finally, we got a referral to a child psychiatrist who was an expert with ADHD.  Positive results were immediate.   My advice (and I apologize for all of the regulars at this site that have to hear it over and over from me):  When the family doctor diagnoses ADHD, it's time to plug an expert onto the team.  Whether it's a child psychatrist or neuologist,  having that second tear of expertise to advise on a life long condition makes our decisions as parents easier to make.

Too many times, I've read where a child's condition was misdiagnosed as ADHD or that the wrong medication was given to treat an ADHD symptom.  No permanent damage may have been sustained, but the pain, anxiety and the frustration experienced by both the child and family were enough to make a second opinion worth it.

Sorry for preaching.

Paul

Okay Moms and Dads! I posted a note on the 19th that my 12 year old son was going to be put on two meds at one time and I was extremely concerned about it!He is on 54mg Concerta and 45mg straterra.Let me tell you,these last 3 days have been HEAVEN!!I have never seen my son so focused and well behaved!His teachers cant stop talking about the differences in his attitude and how much he has strived these past couple of days!I noticed a big change the first day..he actually came home and did his homework without being told a hundred times to do so,and then started on a art project that he worked on all day!I had to keep checking on him to make sure he was okay!He says he feels GREAT!I know this is just the beginning,but if this is how he will be from now on....I'm loving itI was glad to see yvettevigil's posting today.  I'm anxious to know, is the goal to eventually wean your son off of the Concerta?  Looking forward to see how this goes with both meds; keep updating. Thanks!Well week one has come and gone and so far so good! My son is doing great in school and at home. This week at school was Drug Free Week and he won first place for a drawing he did. I am so proud of him. I don't know if I mentioned it in the past,but my son John, has an identical twin brother named Stephan, who does not suffer from adhd. Stephan is an A+ student and in all honor classes.So it has been hard for John to try to keep up with him. I tell him on a daily basis,that everyone is differant and special in thier own way. This past week that he has been on both meds and has been able to focus at school and to win that award for his poster has given him a chance to feel good about himself and given him hope.I know the idea is to try to eventually ween him off the meds,but lets face it,some of us grow into adult hood still having adhd,still needing the meds. Does that make us any less better than someone without the disease?I intend to help my son be the best that he can be, with adhd or without.

[QUOTE=yvettevigil]Okay Moms and Dads! I posted a note on the 19th that my 12 year old son was going to be put on two meds at one time and I was extremely concerned about it!He is on 54mg Concerta and 45mg straterra.Let me tell you,these last 3 days have been HEAVEN!!I have never seen my son so focused and well behaved!His teachers cant stop talking about the differences in his attitude and how much he has strived these past couple of days!I noticed a big change the first day..he actually came home and did his homework without being told a hundred times to do so,and then started on a art project that he worked on all day!I had to keep checking on him to make sure he was okay!He says he feels GREAT!I know this is just the beginning,but if this is how he will be from now on....I'm loving it[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the information, I am waiting for a call from my daughters doctor tomorrow to discuss her meds.  She is 8 years old in third grade.  We started on Adderall XR and hated it - moody, emotional and angry. For the last two years we've been on Ritalin LA and it works pretty well, but I still think she's more moody on than when she doesn't take it.    She started Strattera in June and it worked pretty good for the summer.  It only took three days for the note from the teacher to come home.  Inattentive, impulsive and very talkative.  So now we are on both (25 mg Strattera two times a day and 20 mg Ritalin LA in the morning.)   Her grades are good, but she's still pretty impulsive.  I'm going to ask for Concerta and see if it helps.  

SIDE EFFECTS- The only side effect she's had on Strattera is an upset stomach if she hasn't eaten much.  I'll post later when we've made the change.

My son started on Adderall XR 10mg.  After 1.5 yrs we added Strattera 25mg and went to generic Adderall non-XR 5 mg.  This was good for 9 mo.  Over summer, I took him off all meds trying to increase his weight.  We was happy and basically functional, but irritating on many occasions.  In August, we started again with Adderall XR 5 mg and Strattera.  It was okay for a while but now he has said he wants to just go to heaven now.  He says he's "stressed out" about spelling and homework (2nd grade) and he is sometimes extremely angry.  If you decide to add Strattera please watch for depression, anxiety, anger, etc.  An adult told me it began for him after 6 mo on Strattera.  For both the adult and my son, it was like a wonder drug at first.

If you don't mind, would you tell me more about your experience with Concerta.  I'm considering asking my DR to switch us but I want lots of info on side effects, etc.

 

Thanks

Mel