Medication side effects | ADHD Information
Hi Cindy!
I too am experiencing the exact thing as you. We tried Strattera and it worked for about a month and we were thrilled. Then as quickly as it worked, it stopped and all the rage, arguing and not listening reappeared. We too are at a loss of what to do.
My 6 yr old son was diagnosed in January. He too was expelled from preschool and was suspended in the first semester of kindergarten!
Email me and I can fill you in on the rest.
Kathleen
God bless you Gramma Kate...Hello,
Just wanted to say hi, I have been reading the posts now for a while and I must say I feel very, very, greatful. My son is 13 and recently diganosed with AD/HD. They have put him on Strattera. First 18 then 25 and on Sunday we are going to 40. However, I didn't have any of the anger, or bad mouth, or rage and still don't. Kyle's problem is he just kept getting worse and wrose grades until he is now getting all F's.
However, Kyle is a awsome kid, he has been dancing since 4 and is still tapping and doing Jazz and Hiphop. He did all the sports. He just can't focus. However, with this drug, we are finding that he is getting sick, but there is no pattern to it. It is not everyday, nor everyother day. He takes it in the morning, but getting him to eat a big breakfast is really hard and I think if he doesn't eat enough that is what makes him sick. So we are going to have him start taking it with Dinner. Since this drug has a senitive compound to it, it should effect his sleeping I hope.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hi, and that I feel very lucky to only the the problems we do, however, I still feel very frustrated at times also.
Thanks
Debbie
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this board and to dealing with a child with ADHD. My son is 4 years old and it breaks my heart to put him on medication, but he so clearly needs it.
He's a fairly normal 4 year old except he's like Tigger. Bouncing around all the time. He does get angry at things, as any 4 year old does when he doesn't get his way. But his episodes of anger are easily controlled by talking him through the situation.
We had him on Adderall and it worked great at first, but as time went on he became more and more aggressive. When he got angry at things it was turning into an all out rage. He actually got expelled from his daycare program! We stopped the Adderall and the episodes of rage went away immediately. We started him on Concerta today and the rage came right back. (poor kid)
Has anyone else here had this sort of reaction to medications? If so, have you found any meds that aren't producing so much aggression as a side effect???
HELP! We have no idea what to do to help our son.
Cindy
Hi Cindy.....its so hard and heart wrenching when you feel helpless to help your child, especially at such a young age. Did you have your son tested by diagnostician team to confirm that he truly has adhd. Its very complicated to assess a child at age 4 and if the adhd medication is agitating your son even more, sometimes its because the child is misdiagnosed, the dose is too high or too low or there might be other things going on besides adhd in which case, with other disorders, adhd medications would cause agitation. I'm not suggesting that there is other things going on but your best bet is to consult your sons physician and work with him closely. Also, in combination with medication, getting a behavior modification plan would help tremendously. At 4 years of age, children don't have very good reasoning skills and as parents, its extrememly frustrating to try to figure these things out on our own. However, please know that you are not alone and the fact that your such a caring mom that is trying to help your child, eventually you will find the right treatment plan but sometimes its a long hard journey. If you have aol, there is a message board that is a fountain of information that I discovered which you might find very helpful. Below I have provided the link. Han in there mom. Its not easy. Feel free to email me anytime.
In Europe it is forbidden to give meds like those to under 8 year olds...
I think it should be forbidden everywhere
Imagine getting the side effects when you are 4...you wouldnt know what happened to you...
brrrt38049.6959606481
Brrrt,
what types of medications do they use for young children with ADHD in Europe?
Thanks!
Cindy
It is forbidden to give medication to young children with ADHD...after 8 years of age they can give Ritalin and other meds...it is just not done to give toddlers meds...hi cindy
i would like to say you are very lucky to get a diagnosis at 4yrs,my son is 8 and i have only just got a clear diagnosis.
we as parents woosh we got such an early diagnosis then perhaps we would of had a four year head start on how to help him.
i have as yet tried no medication only two sessions of the cranial head massage if anything we feel this has done nothing.
good luck
Hi Cindy, Just read your problems with your 4 year old. I can sympathize with you, as my son was like Tigger, too at that age. He is now 12 Yrs. and diagnosed with ADHD, however, we have tried several different meds since he was 7 and it always appeared at first, a miracle drug, but as time would pass, he would become very moody. My husband and I decided this year to take him off of meds and let him be who God made him. We refuse to medicate him to appease his teachers (meaning he is very quiet and controlled on meds) but academically no change. We have now worked with the school and he is getting shorter assignments, so that so much concentration is not necessary. Before you continue giving your son more meds, I recommend The Ritalin Fact Book, written by Peter R. Breggin, M.D. I read it after we stopped our sons medication, so this book was not what made our decision for us. It was a real eye-opener. After reading posts on this message board for the last several months, I am appalled by what doctors are prescribing to our children. I take Paxil (anti-depressant) and have for several years and I would never put my child on one. I know your doctor at this point has not prescribed high dosages of anything to your son at this point, but I'm just saying beware. Doctors do not always have the answers and the answers are not always found in a pill. Good Luck. Sandy
Strattrea
Positives: Feel stress free, concentration great, brain stopped racing, did not worry as much
Negatives: My Johnson stop working, started ejaculating before I had an orgasim, weird almost painful orgasim.
Needless to say I'm a guy and anything that messes with my sex life is not worth taking. It pisses me off because other than sexual side effects I felt the best ever
Grama Kate38075.7571180556Dear Cindy, I must have erased my message to you. I have a son, adopted, who has been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, and Pervasive mental delays. I have so much to tell you. I did this ALL Wrong,!!! He started at 3 yrs. being medicated, the meds being increased each time he got more nasty and out of control, showing angry outbursts, he DID NOT HAVE before on meds. Yes ,he too got kicked out of a "little Angels Preschool" hitting, kicking, the teacher and kids, - when the Dr. didn't know what to do, increase, decrease??? I was sent to a psychiatrist for medical expertise, Well the more Ben acted up , the higher the dosages, he was given. he is now on concerta 54, ( after working his way up from adderal, etc,) and on resperdal 1 mg, ( which is for schizophrania, which he does not have, but since the concerta takes 12 hours to wear off, he was not eating, or sleeping, and the resperday conquers that. He was put on a 12 hr. kiddie cocaine, since he acted up so after school. I have since learned, that that is common, as these children use up all their good behavior at school, and melt down, at home, There is too much to tell, I found a web site beCalmed, (and I am not selling this, ) but ordered it, you give it along with their meds, they do not push you into buying at all, but it is a site for alternative ADHD Meds, It has virtually saved my sanity. I gave Ben 1/2 pill am, before school along with his drugs, and 1 whole one at 2pm, when he came home, - he is going to a special education pre K, tho he is 6 1/2, They stress behavior mod, are firm, fair, and so darn nice . But even tho Ben was great in school, even on the high meds, he still had trouble attending to task. WELL I decided this weekend to take him off all drugs, (which I can do, as many of us take them off for weekends or vacations, )and just use the beCalmed.
Cindy, still not done, do not know how to use this message board, I guess. Anyway I have had such a nice child this past three days, I know the meds, were causing the melt downs, and anger, and he was good at school because he was expected to be.
I am going to keep him off all drugs, and just use the beCalmed for a few weeks, to give that time to work. There are others out there too, so you know I am not trying to sell you anything, just look up alternatives to ADHD drugs. I also give Ben extra 25 mg, B6 and 25 mg B-12 and 1/2 an adult cal, magnisium pill as these are usually needed for ADHD kids,
I hope you do not go the route I did, and just increase, when I am fully convinced he did not need an increase but to get off of them. I wish you well, ps, I am a 66 year old Grama who has fostered over 47 children with special needs, and adopted this one mainly out of love and because he was so "bad" I was afraid for his future if I didn't keep him- Grama Kate