Straterra with no ADHD | ADHD Information

Hi everybody ... I'm new here with a question.

First a bit of background:

I'm 32 and I have ADD. Therefore, I am not one, obviously, who does not "believe in" ADD or who would live in denial if my kid had ADD.

That said, my kid doesn't have ADD, I'm pretty sure. I have a number of reasons to think that, and I won't go into them here, but as one who has lived with it and who has finally after many years figured out how to live without Adderal ... I'm sure he does not have ADD.

However, his mom -- my ex -- is sure that he does have it. She got a psychiatrist to diagnose him and prescribe Straterra. She has had his general pediatrician adjusting dosage up and down every couple of weeks for almost two years.

I have an appointment to get him re-evaluated tomorrow.

My question for you all is ... if he does not have ADD, and he's been on Straterra for two years and moving the dosage all over the place (between 15 and 40 mg, once a day as well as broken up to twice a day), what would the effects be? Might the Straterra be causing some of the stuff that his mom wants to attribute to ADD (or autism or turret's, depending on the day)? What might the effect be on his long-term health?

Any insight would be most appreciated.

Robert

The only insight I can give you is that the wrong med or dose of med can cause ADHD symptoms to increase in an ADHD child. I do not really know the effect on a non ADHD child. My daughter has co-existing anxiety an the wrong med or dose of med sends this through the roof. A non ADHD'er may also have the potential for incerased anxiety with meds I would think.

I am surprised a psychiatrist has misdiagnosed him. I realize people are over diagnosed a lot, but seems that the parent (your ex) the pediatrician and psychiatrist are all on the same page. I think a re eval is a good thing to be doing. He needs to have correct treatment whatever diagnosis he has or doesnt have. This starts with a solid diagnosis.

Welcome to the board.