What med to start? | ADHD Information

I started with strattera.  It takes a while to kick in but you don't have the ups and downs of a stim.
Be sure you insist that the Dr ramp up slowly, there is a ramp packet you can start with and give it the full time to decide if it works or not. 
How long does it take to notice a difference? What do you feel are the negatives?If you had a very young child with prototypical ADHD that was effecting school, home and family negatively, what med would you start with first? We are seeing the doctor tomorrow to discuss our options and I would like to hear some experiences from others before making the choice. We tried 5mg ritalin/2x day, but found it to be too much up and down. We are looking for a lasting medication that can get him through school and most of the day, with the least number of side effects, of course. Strattera takes 6-8 weeks to start working and see a change, Stims usually take 1-2 days to see a change. There is no one med for any one type of adhd, there is no "typical" ADHD. It is trial and error, but most kids start on a Methylphenidate med, as that is longest used and safest option.

we strtaed with stimulants, but if I did it again, would probably go with strattera too. we are using Strattera currently with my daughter after trying many, many stims. She is having no side effects (but everyone is different).

We noticed a difference the first week and it just kept getting better as we ramped.

Negatives (not too many for us), would probably be that for kids with a lot of hyperactivity it probably doesnt calm as dramatically as a stimulant does. There is no up and down as it is a med that builds we love the 24 hour coverage and we keep that more even by splitting the dose. It takes a good 4-6 weeks (after hitting target dose....go slow) to see optimum effects, but you will see results sooner.

Stimulants you will see results immediately. Some of the longer acting ones help with that up and down. Negatives are hard to know, the most common are loss of appetite, insomnia mostly, others see rebound or "crashing" as the med leaves there system and this can be mild to moderate, for some moodiness or crankiness, for us it was excessive silliness. Not everyone has the same experience, no way to know until you try.

Diane V39511.4472916667I guess by 'typical' I mean-there is no question that it is ADHD. NOT trying to generalize. My husband has ADHD as well, so the apple didn't fall far...just looking for the best option for my little guy.

Our major issue is hyperactivity. So maybe strattera wouldn't help as dramatically in this situation?

I love this forum. Now I don't feel like the only parent out there looking for help and advice.

the thing about trying stims is you can make a decision fairly quickly whether or not it's "for him". Plus as Edbson says methylphedinate meds have been around a long time. If he did well on Ritalin other then the short release, Concerta may be a good choice. It's a 12 hour methylphedinate med.With Concerta, do you see as much of an issue with insomnia as with ritalin? Edbson I am glad to see you fielding these questions. 
I think since your child is only 5, I would try the strattera first and add some occupational therapy.  Checkout the crawling thread. 
Then look into diet changes.  I started with dyes, MSG, and asparatame.  Restrict white sugar and find the things sweetened with cane juice.  Keep a log and see how it goes. 
Lots of physical activity will help alot, make sure he has a place to climb and swing and help him make forts in small places.  All these things will help him know where his body stops and yours starts.
YES Concerta can affect sleep, all stimulants have that risk.Strat DD help DD with her bit of hyperactivity really well. She is Innattentive, but sometimes has hyper moments. What do people think about Concerta vs Strattera considering hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention as the major concerns. Hyperactivity is number one on that list-but lately aggression is an issue (related to the hyper IMO).