Ideas about Concerta and Remeron | ADHD Information

My 8yr son was dx with ADHD about 2yrs ago. Since then have tried Adderall XR(stomache was too bad), Focolain XR seemed to help during the day have added Focolain regular in the afternoon as needed. In September we got on the Daytrana band wagaon but it was too hard to adjust and he learned how to take the patch off. So now we've been back on Focolain XR 30mg. His dr retired in January and he hasn't been able to see anyone until today due to insurance issues however I was able to maintain his meds. He has the usual effects as everyone else, sleeplessness and loss of appatite. He has lost 6 pounds in one month. His regular dr talked about giving him something to increase his appatite if he doesn't gain or if he continues to lose. Anywho, I took him to a new psy dr today told her everything that's been happening and she is wanting to start him on concerta 36mg however she doesn't think it will be enough at first and also prescriped remeron an antidpress. to help with the sleeping. I have used melantona in the past and told her that. After looking online about this drug i'm concerned if i should even get it filled. I've seen reports saying it hasn't been approved or tested on kids. Just trying to find out if anyone else has tried either of these meds and how they worked. She also seems to think concerta might not affect his hungry like the other stuff. Would appreciate any comments/suggestions.

My son was on Foculin 10mg xr in the am and again at lunchtime.  He was fine.  Then dr retired and new dr put him on Concerta.  We are now at 36mg.  While it slows down the hyperactivity, he cannot stop talking and is in constant trouble for his mouth.  I will say that on the Concerta, he eats like there is no tomorrow and has started growing again.

That's reassuring for the weight gain. Have you tried any of the antidpress. meds or does he do fine sleeping? I've also thought about trying that total transformation for behavior issues and wasn't sure if anyone else had any ideas about it. He was seeing a counseler but I didn't see any improvement. He never tried any behavior mod. or anything, just talked to him.

Remeron is an anti- depressant, one of the side effects is an appetite increase.

 

http://www.drugs.com/remeron.html

My son had absolutely no appetite on concerta....36mg or 54mg.  He needed periactin to be hungry. For nine months, no appetite, unless he had the appetite stimulant.

He is on ritalin LA, and is much better appetite wise.  He still takes the periactin, but is now hungry at lunch where on concerta, lunch was a bust.

Our son was on Focalin XR for a while - he did great on it until 15 mg was not enough and 20 mg was too much.

So, we tried Concerta - the 36 mg did not curb the impulsiveness, so we tried 54 mg.  It was too much for him, it made him angry and aggressive.  We stopped giving him that after 3 days - I called the dr and said that I refused to give it to him even one more day.  He is now on Metadate CD and seems to be doing well.

Every person reacts differently to different meds - what works for one may not work for the other.  Keep trying till you find what is right for your child.

Our son lost about 3 pounds initially, but has maintained since October.  We make sure he has a good breakfast (fried eggs this morning) before the meds kick in, he eats light during the day, he is hungry again by dinner, and gets a snack before bed.  We put him back on 2% milk, sometimes chocolate milk to get the extra calories!!