strattera/mood | ADHD Information

My name is Letitia. I will apologize in advance if I do not make sense because I am really upset. My stepson is 9 years old and has been on strattera for a while. It has not been working for awhile but I felt trapped with it because we do not have insurance. With in the past 3 weeks, his behaivor has been progressively getting worse. My husband has been helping more with the discipline and that seemed to help for a while but he seems to react worse (or at least it seems to me)with very little respect to women. With me, it has always been a struggle to get him to listen to me because I'm the stepmom. Lately he has been throwing fits, yelling at me, and generally thinking he is the boss and being disrespectful. Additionally, he has been just point blank lying to get his way also too now that I think of it. It increase at his after school program when he had the nerve to tell the director that he did not have to do what she said to do because he did not want to. I tell him in advance what will happen if he does not listen and still he continues to disrespect them frequently.

He has a GREAT teacher at school. He has an IEP, in a self contained classroom and his teacher is very patient and puts up with alot from him and the other kids in her class which have similar conditions. She knows when he is being bad because of the ADHD and being bad just to be bad. Last week, she called me because he was being bad to get reactions from her and her aids. To understand why I mention this let me tell you that she does not call me unless it very important and she can not get the behaivor under control.
Today, he did something (too upset to remember at this moment) that he lost his free time at school. BTW, he had a good morning today. Anyway, he lost his free time. He actually mentioned to the teacher that he knew he lost his free time. She warns him multiple times about his behaivor and the consequences. He lost his free time and went to the bathroom to maybe help himself settle down. He came back to class better than before UNTIL free time started then he went to "calm down" again and this time he started throwing a huge fit and kicking and hitting things. The teacher told he could not do that or he would be sent to RTC( detention). He continued his behaivor except this time he went into a storage room and continued to kick and hit and destroy things. He was also screaming at the top of his lungs for the teacher to leave him alone. His teacher called me because she will not take that and I totally support her! He did not get sent to RTC because there was only 20 minutes left of school. Another thing, in his fit he would not even walk himself and his teacher attempted to pick him up and take him back to the classroom. However, he is 9 years old, he is tall and is too heavy to be carried when he throws his body in dead weight.

WHAT DO I DO?
He had alot of physical punishment when he was young so we do not do that. People have told me he does this for the negative attention. I tell him when he does things good but these past weeks those are rare moments.
I feel like if I let this continue he is going to physically hurt someone. His dosage of strattera can not be increased.The doctor won't split it up for me because he insists it is supposed to last all day. It scares me to death to think of putting him on mood medicine because the severity of them BUT what else is there to do?
Maybe the answer is changing his medicine but that is a roller coaster too. Ritalin is the cheapest here in Arizona because we do not have insurance. His dad and I both work (dad temporarily not working for 2 weeks) but we do not have much money, we do not qualify for state help and he continues on strattera because I work at a pediatrician's office and take the samples instead of paying (0 a month) for the medicine...

In summary, something has to change but what do I do???I feel like I am loosing my mind.

Sorry to be so long winded but I really need HELP!First of all, pause and breath!!!! i would try every thing in my power to stop the strattera! my son was on it and it was the worse thing for him EVER! long story short, get the doc to switch him to a differ med NOW. don't wait too long. watch him like a hawk when he is coming off the strattera. he could go through some serious with draws. my son did. thoughts of killing him self or of some one killing him or him being chased or dying are just a few for a few weeks. it was hard and heart breaking, and very scary. if it is NOT working now, that is a clear indication that it will not start working. get it fixed now, before it gets worse. Get the med change now, then worry about the rest later. I would talk with the dr about the cost of the meds and they will help you with the cost or get you in touch with the drug company that will help you with the price of the meds. there are many options out there that can help with the cost of the meds, but i would not worry too much about that right now, worry about finding what works first, the doc will give you plenty of samples to find what works and get him on the right med path before writing you a script. keep posting and remember that you are not alone here. My son was on Strattera when he pulled down his pants on the bus. The doctor added in ritalin LA because it helps with impulsivity. Now I know that many parents don't want to use stimulants, but it may be worth a try. Ritalin has been on the market so long it's probably available in a generic. Strattera has a half-life in the bloodstream of 5 hours. So it builds up gradually in his system. That's why it takes 2-6 weeks for any affects to show. I found that dosing ds in the morning and again at lunch helped his focus in the afternoon when he had the most trouble concentrating. If he's taking it at dinnertime or bedtime, then it is most effective when he's asleep and that's a waste.

Whoever's son he is, he has no right to be disrespectful to you or anyone else. I've found that my son needs a lot of structure and pretty narrow boundaries. He knows what's allowed and what's not and he pretty much stays in these boundaries. I don't know if your husband will agree to impose strict limits, but I'd ask him. HTH
Strattera is dosed by weight, so if he has grown any or gained he will need a different dose. At too high or too low a dose it can cause mood swings. It is dosed at a rate of 1.2-1.8 mgs per kilo.OUR NP NEVER CHECKED HIS DEVELOPMENT. HE GOT ONLY 1 TEST DIFFERENT THAN THE SCHOOL TESTING. IS THIS A BAD NP? i THOUGH 12 HRS WAS SUPPOSE TO GET DON OF TESTING WE ONLY GOT 5 HRS. THIS WAS LESS THAN THE SCHOOLS. THE CHILD COULD BE BP ALSO. i KNOW A 7 SKINNY YEAROLD ON 40. AND THIS KID HAS ASPERGERS ALSO.

I think you should switch DR's at least that's what I would do.

My son is on strattera and doing pretty good. He takes 25 mg at 8am and then another 25mg at 3pm however he also takes Risperdahl for his moods and aggression.

Strattera does not last all day some kids have to take it twice a day if their ADHD is bad enough. My son's DR explains it like this. If their ADHD is severe enough they are extremely hyper and because they are so hyper they have a faster matabolism and therefore the meds go out of their system faster. Does that make any since at all ???????

He used to be so aggressive that I would just give up and shut myself in my room and just cry.

Risperdahl is my life saver!!! And he says that he likes the meds because he likes how they make him feel. He likes being just a little more in control of some of the things he does.

He used to tell me that he couldn't control it and that he irritated himself!!!

I felt so sorry for him that that is when I finally took him to the DR and got him on meds after 2 yrs of trying to do it on my own. I thought I was the only one that it was bothering, but when I realized it was bothering him just as bad I felt terrible.

Hope I have helped any. I too am sending you a hug!!!!

OUR NP TOLD US YOUR CHILD DOESN'T NEED SE ALL DAY FOR SOCIAL REASONS. i SAY WHO CARES ABOUT THAT. NO CHILD CAN MAINSTREAM WITH A LOW IQ AND LOW READING/LANG. SKILLS. I TRIED IN JR. HIGH. I HATED IT. MAINSTREAM TEACHES TO THE MAJORITY. THAT MED MADE OUR SON WORSE HE THRU A CHAIR THRU A WINDOW CAUSE HE WAS MAD. HE COULD CARE LESS ABOUT ANY OF IT AT ALL. NO ONE REALLY LOOKS AT THE KID AND SEES THE KID THE WAY WE DO. ALL WE HEAR IS LABELS. i HEAR SEVERE ADHD CAN BE ASD ALSO. i AM CALLING THE ASD SOCIETY MONDAY.

I don't know about the Walmart's where you are in fact I think there are a few places that don't have them if that is the case you can pull them up on the internet, but Walmart's around here have came out with perscriptions to help people who do not have insurance. I have never looked to see what's on the list but I have heard that it's a lot.

It might be worth it if you just looked to see if their was any other meds on it that he could try if you are wanting to switch his med and can't for insurance reasons.

adderall also made my son very aggressive[QUOTE=~ogram~]First of all, pause and breath!!!! i would try every thing in my power to stop the strattera! my son was on it and it was the worse thing for him EVER! long story short, get the doc to switch him to a differ med NOW. don't wait too long. watch him like a hawk when he is coming off the strattera. he could go through some serious with draws. my son did. thoughts of killing him self or of some one killing him or him being chased or dying are just a few for a few weeks. it was hard and heart breaking, and very scary. if it is NOT working now, that is a clear indication that it will not start working. get it fixed now, before it gets worse. Get the med change now, then worry about the rest later. I would talk with the dr about the cost of the meds and they will help you with the cost or get you in touch with the drug company that will help you with the price of the meds. there are many options out there that can help with the cost of the meds, but i would not worry too much about that right now, worry about finding what works first, the doc will give you plenty of samples to find what works and get him on the right med path before writing you a script. keep posting and remember that you are not alone here. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Young Mom]

I think you should switch DR's at least that's what I would do.

My son is on strattera and doing pretty good. He takes 25 mg at 8am and then another 25mg at 3pm however he also takes Risperdahl for his moods and aggression.

He used to be so aggressive that I would just give up and shut myself in my room and just cry.

Risperdahl is my life saver!!! And he says that he likes the meds because he likes how they make him feel. He likes being just a little more in control of some of the things he does.

He used to tell me that he couldn't control it and that he irritated himself!!!

Hope I have helped any. I too am sending you a hug!!!!

[/QUOTE] My son just started on adderal XR and he is still hyper with a bunch of mood swings we went up to 10 percent from five and he got more agressive I am wandering I f I need to put him on a drug for mood swings and depression. He is also gifted and I have tried the reward and they were working out good but I need to narrow somethings down to get a gift because he would get points for doing extra reading around the house I dedcided to to focus on the behavior with the rewards and make reading a must because he is using reading to get his points and the behavior part is less.

Hi there! My son is also on medicationand is 9. My son is way adHHHHHHHD and easily overstimulated. He is on concerta 72mgs and guanfacine. the guanfacine helps with the overstimulation. Anyway, we had him also on straterra so that a med. was in his system at all times, however, it hated my son! It made him angry, depressed and he said he wanted to kill himself at the age of 8, actually a year ago! We immediately stopped the medication and he is now fine.

I completely understand the insurance thing. I have gone back to work -11:00pm - 7:00am for the insurance for my family, especially the meds. for DS. He is so successful on them that I couldn't jeopardize his life!

You really need to find a doctor who specializes in medication, a psychopharmacologist, and start slowly by trial and error, which med works best for your DSS and then at what dosage. It took 6 months and now we have been at this dosage for 2 years! School is good, social is better than before, believe me! No impulsive stuff

Your DSS also could be bipolar. Any ADHD medication will only make it worse. It exasperates the bipolar. You need to treat the bipolar first, then the adhd and they can be very successful!

The other thing is that adhd'ers are immature. I don't know about the negative attention thing. He is adhd and they are different! I also find them to have low self esteems because they also know they are different and keep a lot inside. It sounds like he had a rough start, you mention the physical hitting that no longer is done. That has to have an impact on this young boy also!

I also wonder if he feels different because of your two year old,even jealous and needs some positive attention as well. Kids pick up on things!

You have a lot on your plate, but I commend you for wanting to learn and to sincerely help Geoff! He is lucky to have you!

Can you find a new doctor to reevaluate him, get an accurate diagnosis, figure out if there is bipolar and begin medicating him with what really works and makes him successful daily! I understand the expense, believe me, but it will make your whole family happier, it is worth it in the end. It will also offer you DSS a better life. I once posted on another board how medication saved my son's life, and the responses that came back from other parents saying they felt the same way, and in fact that we really did!

Days can be frustrating for all of us. I just have a lot of empathy for what it must be like for these young children, how society has treated them in these short years, and will continue to if they do not get the correct help. And that they also know that there is something different about them. Mine doesn't want to disappoint me, that helps, but he also loves structure as well as being given heads up when we transition, that really helps! He might get upset at the three of you because he feels comfortable letting you know how he REALLY feels, if you know what I mean

Bottom line, Until you get him on the right medication, as well as the correct diagnosis, things will be difficult and will continue even as he gets older. It will not go away one day, it may even get worse.

Check out walmarts discount medications also!

Many regards, and much respect for you!!

Keep us informed as to how things are going for ALL of you!!

Thank you all sooooo much for your suggestions. He is only 9 and thinks he is his own boss and owns the world! He thinks he is right all the time even when he knows nothing about the situation/topic. I tell him to be open to other peoples opinions/thoughts because you could really learn alot.

Just this morning, he is so argumentative. I went to the library this weekend and browsed thru some books that told me not to argue with him and keep my cool. I tried that this morniing bit the the 3rd time I lost it. He is such a little smart ass, know-it-all attitude towards me. To him, he is not outright doing anythign wrong but it is in his tone/attitude. He would not even think of throwing the things he does for me towards his DAD! I tell him, straigt out that being sorry is good but learning from the situation is not doing it again is much better. He says he is sorry but most of the time I do not believe him! Neither does his grandpa, which I can support him. Geoff has destroyed many expensive things of his grandpa in his impulsivity. For example, he spray painted a coin machine and ruined it and said he did not know why he did it. This happened some time ago and we made him give his papa all of the money in his piggy bank which does not even begin to cover the price!

Donnie, my husband, helps when he is home but he takes side jobs on the weekends. I am the parent who does the mornings (which are the worst), the cooking, bath time and most of the ritual stuff.

I loose it so quick, lately, and I hate it when I turn like that. I try being patient. I stopped giving him options because he jumps all over options and takes them as he does not have to do it he does not want to. I tell him straight out what I want him to do. MY husband things I am being mean but he does not see the way Geoff is around me when we are alone. When I try and discipline Geoff when his dad is there, he crys to get his dad's attention and then I get yelled at because my husband assumes I am being mean. What my husband does not see before he reacts is how I tried to be patient or that his son is playing for his attention on purpose!

I hate feeling like I am the mean person but this disrespect can not continue! It is mainly directed at me, the afterschool program director and his teacher. He does not act like this towards his biological grandmother so she can not see how I get so frustrated. The lack of support really upsets me. It told his grandmother that if his behaivor does not get under control when he is 9, he will become physical one of these days. Her reaction was immediately no that won't happen. She tells me he is just being a kid but at what point do you stop coddling your kid and make them grow up and act better! My 2 year old throws less fits and acts better than the 9 year old! I don't like to tell him that but I do sometimes to make him aware of how he is acting like a baby!b I guess deep down she doesn't want to believe his behaivor can turn to that because she has had a bond with him since he was born but I have not and I feel it. He loves me and I love him but it's just not the same as with my baby. I hope I am not a bad person for saying that!

Anyways, what can I do to not loose my temper and get him to grow up a little and not act like a complete helpless baby child?

What is ASD?

I think what I am going to do with the doctor (appt is 12-22-06) is insist that the Strattera be split up first and try that. If that does not work, we will try maybe ritalin since it has a generic and may not be expensive but I am going to try and see if the mood stabilizer medicine is a last resort at least until we get some sort of insurance.