I am a newbie with questions about Meds.. | ADHD Information
NoTellin and BETHANN,
My dd's diagnosis was actually stated as this, "features of Asperger's, OCD, and ADHD". That is what our pediatric neurologist said. My dd's regular pediatrician is not at all surprised by this, and her therapist also suspected it. There are some things, as Diane V stated, that are pretty much only attributable (sp?) to Asperger's. The neuro came highly recommended. To that end, I also believe, with all that I am, that my dd does have a touch of Asperger's. I am pretty comfortable with this neuro, but am still on my guard since I just met him in April.
It does bother me a lot that he says it's okay to open the Straterra capsule, while its maker says NOT to. The med is helping her, along with Risperdal having been added just recently. She is doing so well now. I just wondered if she needed a higher dose of Straterra, but now that she's had time to adjust to the Risperdal, I think her dosages are just fine.
Sometimes when using Strat along with anti-psychotics(risperdal , abilify etc) you only need half the dose of Strat. It has something to do with Strat being a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.Seems you are the right track if she is doing well!! Good for you,.[QUOTE=edbson]Sometimes when using Strat along with anti-psychotics(risperdal , abilify etc) you only need half the dose of Strat. It has something to do with Strat being a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.[/QUOTE]
Thank you. I never knew that.
[QUOTE=Diane V]Seems you are the right track if she is doing well!! Good for you,.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I am starting to think that maybe our lives can become more "normal". I am very pleased so far. But I am not holding my breath because it could just be that Miranda is having a great week. 
. No I am happy for you and hope it continues.We tried to put my son on Straterra for a while. The Dr. told us it could not be opened, or chewed. The medication can cause burning and sores in the mouth if it comes in contact with the mucous membranes. We practiced swallowing Tic Tac's a lot before he could try to take the pill.
[QUOTE=charlottem]We practiced swallowing Tic Tac's a lot before he could try to take the pill.
[/QUOTE]
That seems to be a popular thing to do. Maybe I will try that after all.
Thanks!
I am not sure why the Dr's say it can, usually they are not as well educated as they would like us to believe. My pharmacist, andEli Lilly( makers of Strat) both say Do NOT open it. The powder inside(atomoxetine) is extremely irritating and could cause blindness if it gets in eyes.A four year old has with diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, and OCD? I hope you've got a very experienced and highly educated doctor telling you this.
That said, this link should answer all of your questions about straterra http://millermom.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=general&am p;action=display&thread=1067310659
I agree with NoTellin, I think 4 is WAY too young to be diagnosed with Aspberger's. They really can't get an accurate diagnosis until the child is older. What social cues is a 4 year old missing? That makes no sense!
Be careful with all your diagnosis. I don't trust your doctor with the aspbergers so it makes me wonder about other diagnosis!
Just my opinion.
4 is quite young, however Asbergers has some fairly distinguishable traits. It is not all behavioral like ADHD. The Asbergers diagnosis would not effect your med situation anyway. It is not like bipolar. Using focus/aggression medications wont exacerbate the Asbergers.She has Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, and OCD.
I have heard it cannot be opened and sprinkled, but I just wonder why so many doctors and professionals say it is okay?
I think the doctor's tell you this because most young children do not know how to swallow pills yet. I do not know about the strattera though with the effects you mention. My son is on medidate cd and I would open it and put it in some water and use medicine dropper to give it to him. He would taste the medicine in everything I gave him and this was the only way he would do it. With a drink of something afterwards. He has learned to swallow the pills now and it is much easier.
Aaron'smom39221.6296296296I dont know about Straterra specifically, but when we were using Adderrall we would open it and I mixed it in yogurt or ice cream or cream of wheat. She didnt taste it and it worked well.Her target would be 21-32 mgs, so she is still too low.
it cannot be opened and sprinkled.
What is her DX?
Hi everyone.My dd recently turned 4. She has been taking Strattera for about a month and a half now. It was just recently vamped up to 18mg. She also is taking Risperdal .2mg once daily (for about 4 days now). My questions are: If she weighs 40 lbs., then are the dosages correct?? and... For those who open the strattera capsule, do you mix it into something, or just simply sprinkle it on? oh, and for anyone who might know: Why is it that so many people say they have been told to open the capsule on the strattera if it is not supposed to be? My dd's neuro told us to do this too. I wasn't worried until I saw so many people on here who seem to be alarmed by it. I am pretty new to all of this, and I don't want my daughter in any danger.
Thanks a bunch!
Monica
Strattera is dosed at 1.2-1.8 mgs per kil(2.2lbs) body weight.. so the target dose would be (if I figured it right....) would be between 21 and 32mg....I divided 40 pounds by 2.2, then multiplied that (18.18) by first the 1.2 (21.81mg) and then the 1.8 (32.72mg).
I don't know about the sprinkling of the med, maybe someone else can help with that. My son has never taken strattera.
My son was on strattera long ago and I read that it should not be opened because the powder is highly irritant. But I don't know for sure if it is okay to sprinkle it. I never did, so I don't have that experience.