strattera | ADHD Information

Yes, it is very typical for Strat to stop working after 2 years or so. It just peters out. So this could be happening as well. But the behavior you describe makes me think that the dosage is too low and that is causing the behavior.hi everyone. thanks again for your replies, it means loads. i really dont know what to do...... i dont want to put him on a higher dose incase it makes him worse, yet i know we need to sort this out . this is his 3rd specialist and i seem to be getting know where fast. im gonna make an appointment and air my views and see what response iget, although i shall probably have to wait weeks to see her !!! Going to a Higher dose is not a chopice with Strat, you either go to the Target dose or go to another med. Until he gets to a higher dose you will continue to see problems, they are a side effect of a dose that is too low. The target dose is within the range. A few mg can make a difference. my son is 10 yrs old and has a.d.d, borderline a.d.h.d. he was firstly put on ritalin and within 2 weeks was taken off of it due to tearfulness, depression, moodiness. he is now on strattera (36mg) and had been for nearly 2 yrs, in the past 10 months it has become unbearable at home, his mood swings are amazing, he has tantrums in which he never used to, when he gets in a rage he will say he wants to kill himself, and often says he feels depressed. im not sure if he knows what depressed means but he says he feels flat and no-body understands him. after reading all the posts on this forum it had dawned on me that it most likely to be stattera thats causing this. i have kept him off the strattera for a week and he is so much more happier, funnier etc, yet his concentration is very poor, also so is his level of understanding. i have tried talking to the specialist but she seems to think that the medication is fine for him. i would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice as i am really struggling, i have never been on a forum before and feel this maybe the only way i get some advice from parents who know what its like.

desperate and worn out mum x
zoeday39454.1578935185

His target dose is between 37 and 55 mgs, so he is too low, and that is why the Strat isn't working.

He should have been started at 10 mgs, and raised to target dose within 2 weeks, and kept there, not 18 mgs for over a year..thats not dosed right.

I would speak to his Psychiatrist about getting him at target, probably around 45 mgs, and staying there for a while .

edbson39455.542025463

You need a dosage adjustment. I'm sure that a dosage prescribed 2 years ago is now too low, which causes emotional issues, irritability, etc. Strat is weight-dependent. However, there's a suicide warning on strattera for children. Pull the paperwork off your next bottle, highlight the suicide warning, and hand it to your doctor and initiate a discussion. This is a pretty serious warning.

BTW, on the Alternatives board you won't get much response regarding Strattera. You need to be on the Medication board.

NoTellin39454.9143981481what does he weigh. After two years he has most likely grown and the Strattera would need to be increased.36 may still be too low. MY daughter is 13, a very small 13 ,82 pounds and she takes 54mg per day, 36 in the am and another 18 in the pm.

hi guys thanks for replying, i wasn,t sure if too many people went on these sites, its a relief to know they do.My son is just under 5 stone in weight and is 4ft 7". my sons medication has gone up 2 36 mg in the last 6 months, he was on 18mg for 1st year hen it increased to 28mg and it now that it is at 36mg. im not sure if its the medication that makes him this hard work and frustrating or if this is how he is due to a.d.d

thanku all for your replys x x

zoeday39455.2211342593

[QUOTE=zoeday] my son is 10 yrs old and has a.d.d, borderline a.d.h.d. he was firstly put on ritalin and within 2 weeks was taken off of it due to tearfulness, depression, moodiness. he is now on strattera (36mg) and had been for nearly 2 yrs, in the past 10 months it has become unbearable at home, his mood swings are amazing, he has tantrums in which he never used to, when he gets in a rage he will say he wants to kill himself, and often says he feels depressed. im not sure if he knows what depressed means but he says he feels flat and no-body understands him. after reading all the posts on this forum it had dawned on me that it most likely to be stattera thats causing this. i have kept him off the strattera for a week and he is so much more happier, funnier etc, yet his concentration is very poor, also so is his level of understanding. i have tried talking to the specialist but she seems to think that the medication is fine for him. i would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice as i am really struggling, i have never been on a forum before and feel this maybe the only way i get some advice from parents who know what its like.

desperate and worn out mum x
[/QUOTE] Strattera has a tendency to stop working over a LONG period of time. it's gradual process and most don't notice it. It does happen. It did to us. My son was behaving just like yours. I would NOT take NOT for an answer. Your specialist does know medications, but you are the mother. If the med is not working, it's not working... Period. You make another appointment and tell the specialist again that you want to change meds. Don't ask, you tell them. You print out a few articles about the med that tell you and the doc WHY. That is what I did. My son had a bad time. Check out this thread and it might change your idea on the med. I know there are several people that have the med and love it. But I know too many that it has not worked for and the drug company is being sued for a HUGE class action law suit. It's not the miracle drug first thought to be. If a med doesn't work, find one that does. Here is the link to the thread:

http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11785& PN=1&FID=1&PR=3

and here is my son's story:

[QUOTE=~ogram~]

here's my story for strattera. My son was on it for 2 years. He is now 8. the med worked great for the first 5 or 6 months, then we had to up his dosage to right around 30 something mg.s then about 6 months later, upped again to 60mg! Went well, but over time (so slowly) we didn't realize how the meds were not really working Then he started getting into trouble alot at school. So, about 4 weeks ago, we took him off it and put him on adderall 10mg XR. Night and day difference. But the withdraws from the strattera were horrific! my little 8 year old was out of school for a week, was having thoughts of people killing him and him killing himself. After 5 nights of pure hell, the thoughts slowly stopped. Now he is back to his self. with less meds and happy, and he almost never gets into trouble. This is just our story. It may not happen to any one else, but it happened to us.

[/QUOTE]

that post is from Feb. 2006, my son is now 10 and has never been better! he is on 25mg of Vyanse and doing fantastic in school. he is an honor roll student and is hardly ever in school. he is severe adhd, but NO ONE knows. With the right medication and discipline, things work them selves out. We use several methods of discipline along with proper medications. I hope all this helps you. Does your son have an IEP?

~ogram~39455.4961342593