Strattera Diary.... | ADHD Information

March 20, 2007..

So here I am...writing again...this time it is write about my son's experience on Strattera and to get feel back if something doesn't sound right.

My son was placed on <S>. last Wednesday.  I was nervous all day about him going to school and being on this strange med.  What if..., What if..., What if...  so he gets home and he is completely mellow not zombie like just mellow.  He did tell me that his stomach hurt off and on but his teacher gave him saltines to help with the nausea.  Speaking of his teacher, during her break she went to the nurse and asked questions about <S> so she would know what to expect.  I gave her major kudoos for that.  The other thing that was odd about the first day and has lasted better part of the week that he has been on it is...his eyes are dialated.  He looks high but doesn't act it.  On the first day, after my dh and I watched every move my ds made that day we decided to take him out for pizza.  I can't remember the last time I finished my dinner before my children and husband.  I know it  was only one day but I swear I could see a difference.  My ds sat still ate his food, after he was finished he worked on this the coloring activity that the resturant provided but by the time he got home he was zooming all over the place.  Then he crashed and went to bed.

Since then we have had much of the same.  Comes home with dialated eyes, kind of mellow and then about 6:30 he is all over the place until his bedtime at 7:30.   Oh, and the talking...He is so talkative.  He was talkative before so I am not sure if it seems like more now becuase he is not moving at the same time as he is talking

Yesterday, was a bit different.  He seemed just like he was before the med.  He was zooming all around, eyes still dialated, then started drawing pictures of superheros and bad guys jumping off of tall buildings.  Why I mention the pictures is because he has never drawing anything like that before and all I kept thinking about was the suicide warning.  Even at school, he got into his normal trouble of talking to much, fidgeting in line, etc.

Until the next time....J~

As you ramp up and increase the dose to the target dose the side effects will go away.

I am concerned about the dialted eyes, what dose was he started on? and what is his weight?

Strattera takes 6-8 weeks to see results, so hang in there.

His target dose is 25 -36 mgs, he should have been started at 10 mgs, and then you would have avoided some side effects.

It could take the FULL 6-8 weeks to see the side effects go away. Honestly, with this reaction I would look for something else.Especially if it is causing aggression.

He was started at 18mgs and  just started 25 mg today.  Still has the dialated eyes.  He is 46lbs.

03-22-07

Day 8:

After the first 3-4 days, my dh & I thought we saw a change but now we are not so sure.  I know it takes a long time but he seems to be acting just like he did before be placed on the medicine.  Today was his first day at the higher dose of 25mgs.  He had an ok day today.  I have been in consent talks with his teacher and she says that she can tell a bit of a difference.  BTW, I love his teacher.  She changed her behavior system that she was using with my ds to include the whole class so he would not be pointed out in the class.  LOVE HER!!!!

I am just worried because he seems to be a bit more pushy then before.  My son was not aggressive at all even before the medicine.  He was extremely laid back.  On Monday, he was really nasty not physically but verbally.  I don't know if it is the medicine or if he was just having a bad day. 

The only other side affects that I have seen so far is that his eyes are still dialated.  He looks like he is high half the time.  He doesn't act like he is but just looks like he is.  I have been waiting the full two weeks to see if his eyes adjust back to normal before calling his doctor.  Everything I have read says that it could be the body getting used to the medicine.   He says his stomach hurts from time to time but he won't tell me it hurts unless I ask him.  He says he doesn't want to worry us.  I must say I think he is sleeping better through the night.  He hasn't been waking up in the middle of the night at all since being on the drug.  The other thing I have noticed is that around 5:30ish he gets really vamped up.  It is like whatever was suppress throughout the day suddenly is let out.  

I know, I know those of you with experience with <S> are saying that it is too soon to be looking for that wonderful cure/fix all.  In my head I know this is true but my heart is wanting something to happen sooner.  I just want him to have normal day at school without getting his name on the board or repeatly being given warnings.  This is truly the slowest 4 weeks I have ever lived through.  22 days to go.

 

I just don't want to give up on it if it takes so long to get into his system.  The aggression was just the one day and since then he hasn't had any signs of the aggression (like what he had on Monday).  Honestly, do you think I should contact his doctor or wait until his next appointment which is in two weeks? 

 

nsqma39164.2428356481I would contact the Psychiatrist.

I took my son off because it made him much more irritable and more aggressive, But only later to find out there was more going on with him than just adhd.  good luck!

 

Hi My doctor might be thinking of putting me on Strattera during the night time only.. I'am also on Adderall XR but when the addrall xr wears off i need something to back me up. I will go back and see him in three months he wants to not change anything at all because I'am doing so very well.

Georganna

I currently take a combination of strattera and Adderall XR, and it's fantastic.  Contrary to what Shire tells you, Adderall hardly works on norepinephrine at all (they love to cite that ritalin works only on dopamine but adderall works on both...it's an eggageration).  So the combination hits on a broader set of symptoms than the individual drugs for many people.

Whenever I have started up strattera, I've also gone through the super-mellow sedated first day, so I'm not surprised to hear your son went through it.  It usually lasts until half way through the next day, and then I'm fine.  And despite the labels saying strattera needs 4-6 weeks to take effect, it generally only takes a few days (3-4 is about right) to start noticing changes.   Generally you'll hit your full effect within 2-3 weeks, but they tell you 4-6 because some people will take longer, and they want you to give the medication a full chance (the same goes with SSRIs, incidentally). 

I will also note that whenever I adjust my dose of strattera, I tend to get a little emotional for about a week.  If you notice this in your son, don't worry overly so long as it doesn't last too long, and it's not causing any serious problems in his life.  Strattera works on a few different neurotransmittors in different areas of the brain (as do most SNRIs and SSRIs), which is why you have such a large number of possible side-effects.  Also, make sure your son is eating.  Children often get tempermental on ADHD medications because most of them cause appetite supression (including strattera).

 

Good luck!

April 16th:  Day 32 

My son is doing so great.  He has been on <S> for a little over a month.  He has not had any major side effects for over two weeks now.  All of the side effects that he had in the beginning are gone.  I can tell on the weekends that he is really calm.  I can also tell that in soccer he is more focused on the field to the point that I have had mothers come up to me and tell me how great he is doing.  (They don't know he is taking anything either.)  His school work is so much neater and he is taking his time when he is writing and drawing.  The teacher is also giving him 2nd grade work to do.  It is really amazing.  I was so concerned that he would be a total different kid.  His problem had always been his implusiveness.  He was never hyper just implusive. I think it is working to help take the edge off of his implusivness. 

About a week ago, I forgot to give him his daily dosage and lets just say I could tell the difference.  He couldn't focus on anything, he had a really bad day at school and was basically climbing the walls.  He looked at me before bedtime and told me he would never forget to take it again.

Today,  he had a great day at school.  I decided to ask him what his feelings were on taking the medicine.  He told me he was happy he was on it.  School was so much better.  He said that he was looking forward to Fridays now.  (His teacher rewards good behavior for the  week on Fridays.  He has never gotten a reward )  He also said that he liked the way he felt on it.  I am truly happy this is working for him.  He used to say when he was at his worst that it felt that his head was spinning and he just wanted it to stop.  It has finally stopped spinning.

We have an appointment with his dr on Wednesday to talk about the last month.  I am looking forward to the appointment. 

Hi:

I was on Strattera for 3 weeks with some side effects - dry mouth, nausea, loss of appetite for the first week.  Then most subsided.  About 15 days into it, my dry mouth got worst and my eyes also got dried.  I also was dizzy and lightheaded.  I also was having weaked dreams and little tightness in the chest once in a while.  I stopped taking Strattera. 

I was hoping this would work for me.  I am a bit disappointed.