Strattera - no appetite suppression? | ADHD Information

I wish my son had an increase in appetite. He did the roundup to 25mg. We stayed on that for about 2 or three weeks. He was losing too much weight so I took him off last week. I've got an appointment this Friday with his doctor but looking at all the other options I think Strattera is the best. I have to start over with the roundup. Today I wish we never took him off. I know it goes by weight but I'll ask the doctor if we could roundup to 20mg. At 25 he was not eating anything all day, not even sweets. And all he wanted to do was play video games , the computor, or watch TV. Not his normal self. Didn't even want to go outside to play. Any thoughts on this would be greatly accepted. Thankswhy do you think it is the best choice for him if this is how he was at the target dose? Just curious, has he tried anything else?I really don't want him on stimulants. He is at his target dose, but if he manage at a lower one then why not try? 5mg might not seem much lower, but in a child, it might work.

5mg od Strattera makes huge difference, it means mood swings or worse because the dose is too low, or not.It is common to have an appetite increase on Strat, or any norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. My dd used Strat for quite a while and the appetite increase is the only reason we stopped it.

My son has been on Strattera now since the end of May. Middle of last week we finally "weened" him off the Daytrana patch to see how strattera does on its own...would you believe my child is eating non-stop??? The doc said he'd prob have the same side effects such as loss of appetite...definitely not!

Ds was always topping the chart in height and weight until we started meds and he lost lots of weight, not taller than all the kids anymore either. He's still relatively tall for his age but his bones stick out and he's underweight so I am thrilled he's eating so well! Has anyone else gained appetite back with strattera? Do some kids actually become overweight on this med? For right now...I'm letting ds eat whenever he's hungry, which is most the time now, and trying to keep healthy food around.

BTW - don't think strattera will work by itself for school - he's not able to focus and concentrate at the school's expectations in my opinion right now, but I'm loving his better mood, less tics/anxiety, and normal silly self.

my mom and i sat down and had a talk today were going to be looking up some natrual aproches to adhd but im not sure if it will work.

i still stand by what i said about taking anybody off stratara

Hi kid with adhd,

There are links to read about getting help from the pharmaceutical companies at the main menu to this board. Ogram posted them - please check them out with your mom.

I did take my son off strattera due to the depression that it caused him. He was still 7 going on 8 at the time and said he wanted to kill himself! I immediately stopped the medication.

He takes concerta and it has helped him tremendously. He also takes guanfacine/tenex to control his overstimulation and impulsiveness.

Please check out the links at the main menu here on these boards. I also wonder if your prescribing doctor could help direct you to those who assist with these matters.

Don't give up!

[QUOTE=zjmom]

[/QUOTE]

I was starving on strattera. My doc was worried about appetite suppressing because I was underweight but I ate and ate and ate--gaining 10 much needed pounds. I craved fruit all the time [still do sometimes] for the first month.

I got constipated but that too has passed, as did the dry mouth.

It doesn't seem to be doing much for me although I'm a bit less moody [I don't sink so low]. I don't get that "numbing" and increased ADHD I always get with sedatives and anti-depressants.

After 6 weeks now my focus is a bit better [not amazing though] and I get bits more done just because I'm less moody, better fed and less unhappy.

Anyway, that's what it did for me.

If yer kid likes it--stay with it!
[QUOTE=cchdaja]I wish my son had an increase in appetite. He did the roundup to 25mg. We stayed on that for about 2 or three weeks. He was losing too much weight so I took him off last week. I've got an appointment this Friday with his doctor but looking at all the other options I think Strattera is the best. I have to start over with the roundup

. Today I wish we never took him off. I know it goes by weight but I'll ask the doctor if we could roundup to 20mg. At 25 he was not eating anything all day, not even sweets. And all he wanted to do was play video games , the computor, or watch TV. Not his normal self. Didn't even want to go outside to play. Any thoughts on this would be greatly accepted. Thanks[/QUOTE]

I've been on it for 6 weeks now. I was foggy and didn't do much for the first 4 weeks--now I get a bit more done and am a bit less moody.

It really is a bit weird of a drug for the first 4-6 weeks. Every time I jacked it up I was a space cadet.

Because I only had 40mg tabs it was really weird jacking it up but now it's stable at 80mg. I take 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at dinner which keeps the side effects down and I sleep better.

Don't know if that helps but that was my experience. Maybe give him 10mg in the morning and 10mg at dinner?
[QUOTE=Kid with adhd]If you have kids with stratara Pull them off it! Last summer i had started it i receaved 50 mg morning 25 at night and i Got light headed i even passed out and even tho now im off it all them semptems left there mark im still having it but they arnt increesing in danger anymore! and i mean what is with the cost of it! 300$ is insain that is the cost for my current one and my mom might pull me off it because of cost ... i dont know what ill do without my meds ill flunk out of school for sure

[/QUOTE]

Don't panic just yet.

I had no $$$ for my medication and my drug plan doesn't cover it.

Ask your doctor [or get your mom to tell the doc] to call the drug company that makes the medication. Sometimes they will give it to you for free [or outdated packages] if you are doing really well on a medication.

That's what my doctor did and that's how I get my meds!

I go see him when I am down to a couple of week's worth and he gets another case for me

If you have kids with stratara Pull them off it! Last summer i had started it i receaved 50 mg morning 25 at night and i Got light headed i even passed out and even tho now im off it all them semptems left there mark im still having it but they arnt increesing in danger anymore! and i mean what is with the cost of it! 300$ is insain that is the cost for my current one and my mom might pull me off it because of cost ... i dont know what ill do without my meds ill flunk out of school for sureAnyone have any thoughts on this? It scared me when he lost the weight. I probably should have stayed on strattera. We go back to the doctor this friday, so maybe we will start over with the strattera.Iv been reading aboiut natrual stuff to do for Adhd from these forems alot of it im going to try im so glad i found this place i feel like i can be well open about it here in Texas at School taking any type of medication even for add or adhd is sosially frownd apon and thats saying it nicely this form should help me with problums im having and ill be passing on a few hints i learnedWe started Jacob on stimulants at first (Ritalin Adderall XR, Adderall) and although these meds help many of his unwanted ADHD symptoms, it also caused many unwanted side affects. He stopped eating, had major anxiety issues such as not wanting to play outside, and he was afraid of our next door neighbors (whom he usually loves to be with) and he was having other fearful thoughts and dreams.

When the head neurologist at our local children's hospital (who also is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics) changed him to Strattera, it did wonders for him, and us! Of course, it about 5-7 weeks for the drug to be "ramped" to it's "target dose" in order to do it's full benefits. Overall, it looks like we got our son back... He's eating again, showing no fear about going outside to play, he goes next door to see our wonderful neighbors, it's easier for him to obey us, and doesn't have anymore unusual anxieties.

I know Strattera is not the drug for everyone who has ADHD. But as with ANY drug, it needs to be used with caution. For us it seems to be working better than stimulants. However, I know that many kids do better with stimulants than norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.We started Jacob on stimulants at first (Ritalin Adderall XR, Adderall) and although these meds help many of his unwanted ADHD symptoms, it also caused many unwanted side affects. He stopped eating, had major anxiety issues such as not wanting to play outside, and he was afraid of our next door neighbors (whom he usually loves to be with) and he was having other fearful thoughts and dreams.

When the head neurologist at our local children's hospital (who also is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics) changed him to Strattera, it did wonders for him, and us! Of course, it about 5-7 weeks for the drug to be "ramped" to it's "target dose" in order to do it's full benefits. Overall, it looks like we got our son back... He's eating again, showing no fear about going outside to play, he goes next door to see our wonderful neighbors, it's easier for him to obey us, and doesn't have anymore unusual anxieties.

I know Strattera is not the drug for everyone who has ADHD. But as with ANY drug, it needs to be used with caution. For us it seems to be working better than stimulants. However, I know that many kids do better with stimlants than norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.i started strattera 3 days ago and have no appetitte at all. i have hardly eaten
in 3 days what i did eat i had to force myself to eat because i knew i should
be eating. how long does this go on for?
rb [QUOTE=rjbs]i started strattera 3 days ago and have no appetitte at all. i have hardly eaten
in 3 days what i did eat i had to force myself to eat because i knew i should
be eating. how long does this go on for?
rb[/QUOTE]

I didn't eat for the first 2 weeks or so--then I ate myself into a coma on fruit for some reason. Still do--and put on a much needed 10lbs.

Strattera is a drug that takes 6-8 weeks to see the full benefits. Unless you are having life-threatening side-effects I suggest riding them out to see what the future brings.
thanks,
I have been reading a lot of forums so many people post negative things
about this drug i am glad to hear som people think it is worthwhile. [QUOTE=Kid with adhd]my mom and i sat down and had a talk today were going to be looking up some natrual aproches to adhd but im not sure if it will work.

i still stand by what i said about taking anybody off stratara[/QUOTE]

My whole family hallucinates from SSRI's. Does that mean no one else should be able to take them?

Strattera may not work for you but it does work for some. I've had reasonable success with it.