teens with adhd and hairpulling | ADHD Information

YUP!! My daughter developed trichotillomania on Concerta also. Pulled eyelashes and eybrows. It was AWFUL. We took her off and I had her taking Desipramine off label for a while fairly successfully. No pulling, no tics (she also tics from stimulants), no anxiety at all, actually a wonderful mood and great sleep. Not enough focus once school began this year. We then went back to stimulants Daytrana (patch). She did not redevelop the trich, but was ticcing and not eating at all. We are now using Strattera. So far, it's the best overall med we've used. It took a while to settle into it and we amped slowly. Her anxiety is basically gone, no pulling, tics have lessened. they were gone then we did a trial of adding Provigil (stimulant) and immediately she was pulling and ticcing terribly, we gave up after 4 days. The pulling stopped right away, but the tics have been slow to diminish this time. Her ADHD sympotms are not as "controlled" as on a stimulant, but her personality is intact and her moods are fairly even keeld (as even keeled as a hormonal teenager can be) and she eats and sleeps normally.

New to the message board. Need some support. Mother of 13 y.o. with great mood swings and anxiety. ADHD, big difference while on Concerta, up to 54mg by now. Dr appt tomorrow-want to change med as she is pulling her eybrows and now eyelashes as well as not sleeping hardly at all. Constipation/urinary problems. Maybe I can deal with her dancing through everything instead of all these possible side effects. We've been on meds since second grade. brother grew out of it by fourth grade. I like the support i'm reading and encouragement to hug them when you want to run and cry.

Any one care to comment on hair pulling as a side effect. Or oppositional as a possibility vs 13 y.o. being disrespectful and needs discipline. somethings it's hard to know how to deal with it all. But now I'm really wondering if we've been in the middle of med side effects all along...