My son drinks Mountain Dew for the caffiene. It seems to help him sleep as well as helping him focus when the meds are wearing off.
Maybe timing the Strattera differently would help. I have a son on strattera and concerta. He takes the concerta and 10 mg strattera in the morning and 18 strattera after school.Many people use an afternoon booster, this means a small dose of regular release medication (usually Ritalin or Focalin 5 mg) The smooths the rebound and gives afternoon coverage.
Why the Straterra AND Concerta? Was he taking one and then you added the second? Maybe this is just not a good combination for him.
hi everyone, im new to this message board...i have a 7 year old son that has had adhd for about 2 years now..his is currently on concerta and stratterra..i have read the side effects with stratterra and have been watching him closely.. thank god nothing and what the fda said..my 7 year old lately i just don't know what to do with him..he is out of control..he doesn't listen to anything my husband and I say...we take things away from him and he will cry for a minute but then doesn't care..he always gets angry he pushes his brother (4 1/2 year old) he yells at us..he fights with us to go to sleep..please if anyone has had these problems and can tell me what to do i would really appreciate it.. thank you
It sound to me like you might need to talk to the doc about his meds. We have a 9 year old who fights and argues and is sometimes out of control but that is later in the evening after his meds have worn off, like a rebound effect. Otherwise he is pretty good. Like I said, I would talk to the doc.
hi,
Like i said i am new to this message board (lol) my son is fine in school he is in focus and does really well..it is when he comes home that he starts and it is because his medication wears off..i have talked to the doctor about it..It's just that he pushes and pushes until like i wrote in the subject at my wits end..somtimes i just don't know what to do and that's why i decided to go online to a support group to see how other parents are handling the same situation...
voodee1739355.4850347222We have a reward system in place and that includes him having appropriate behaivior that he earns chips for that can be cashed in for tv, video games, allowance. all that has to be earned. It goes along with his weekly chores as well. I have found that a blood sugar "boost" when the meds wear off also helps alot. Also Green time or going outdoors to focus on something else or play sports or just outdoors after homework helps. Other than giving a booster pill, some doctors will perscribe tenex or clonodine for mood issues in the afternoon evenings. My doctor will not. We just deal with it the best we can.After meds wear off I think most of us experience some form of what you mention. Some medicate with a boost, some like me deal with it. If my son is getting out of hand but hasn't done anything to outragous I usually have him go to his room to calm down. At first he didn't like this raged more and after awhile learned to use this to calm down. If you take things away, I take video game time away, have him earn it back. There are some meds you can get from the doctor for bedtime I am not sure of the names but have seen mentioned here. I give my son melontonin at night. It doesn't really make him sleepy, but it helps his brain slow down to sleep (his words). I put him to bed a half hour to an hour before I would really like him to be asleep. I also have him in his room a half hour to an hour before also. If he is asleep by a certain time he gets an extra half hour in his room the next night (why sometimes it is an hour). So he goes to his room at 8 and it is bedtime at 8:30 and if he is asleep by 9:30 he can stay up til 9 the next night, but he still has to be asleep by 9:30. I know this isn't a 7:30 or 8 bedtime but if I put him in bed earlier he would still be up at 9 and we would be going at it. I found him adjusting to bed by being in his room doing something quiet or watching tv before hand helps him go to bed.
I just got onto this website tonight because I am having the exact same issues with my son who is 7. He has ADHD and ODD. I have been wondering if he is acting out due to anxiety of a new teacher, new kids in his class, etc. I just moved up his doctors appointment by a couple of weeks to see if we need to adjust meds. He did great last year in school. This year he is doing fine, but is just off somehow. Doesn't talk about school at all, is getting too physical with his sister, some of the samethings you are seeing. We just started seeing a therapist and she recommended "hoola hoop space". We also made the family sign a contract saying there would be no "angry virus" in the morning. First day was not good. Last three days are better. We will see how this week goes.
Good Luck and pass on any good advice.
Sandy
What does he weigh? What is his Strat dose, and how long has he been taking it? How much Concerta?
It is very common for kids to be on both meds at the same time, they control different things for some.
Is the behavior new? Gotta get the meds checked. I know that a lot of people do well on Strattera, but my son's reaction was horrible, and if the fighting is a new thing, it may have to do with that medication. I think you need to have the doctor check this out.