Straterra NOT Working ???
If your child his adhhhd, even impulsive due to hyperactivity, strattera is not the med of choice. It is best for those who are inattentive.
You mention that you tried concerta but had no luck. What about adderall xr? People seem to be able to handle one or the other, the meds in the ritalin family, such as concerta or adderall xr.
I wonder if adderall xr would work? It is just a thought and you will never know unless you give it a try.
My son is very successful with concerta BUT adderall made him aggressive and angry, so he couldn't handle it.
One last thought, do you think you maxed out the correct dose for you son on concerta? you mentioned it did nothing for him, but if the dose was too low, it wouldn't!
If you stop the Strattera I don't think you'd have to wait very long to start a stimulant. Some kids are actually on both together so I wouldn't think he'd have to have the Strattera completely out of his system to start the others.How long has he been on the Stratera? I don't have any personal experience with it but I know it needs to built up in the system for over a month before you see any real results.
Also, if the Vyvanse works the best then you may want to concult your doc about trying to make it work. My son takes Tenex along with his Ritalin because of the annoying side effects that he gets from the Ritalin. Maybe Tenex could be used for your son's side effects??? I don't know...it may be worth asking about. I know that it's used to help the tics that can be side effects of the stimulants. But usually the pediatricians don't prescribe Tenex so you may have to go to a specialist.
Ladies -
Thanks for responding. The Concerta seemed to be working, and the reason we switched was the aggression we were seeing. If his dosage was too low, could the aggression be resolved with an increase? Just wondering.
He has been on the Straterra for about 6 weeks, ramped up to 40 and stayed 3 weeks, now 2 1/2 at 60. But I really see NO help with it.
Also, if we stop the Straterra, how long would it take to get it out of his system to try again with one of the others?
Thanks again - T
Yes. If the dose is low you may see a negative side effect.
If it were my son, I would increase the dosage one last time before I eliminated the med all together.
Strattera made my son 7 at the time depressed. he said he wanted to kill himself. Suicidal thoughts is one of the negative side effects that people experience.
While you have him on that, WATCH him!!
Whe my son said those words to me, I just want to kill myself, we stopped that med immediatley. I called his doctor and told him. No ramping down. The doctor agreed with the immed. stop.
DS was on 36mg Concerta. We started seeing aggression that was difficult to deal with. We changed pediatricians, and decided to try Vyvanse - had GREAT results right away. I mean like went from reading See Spot Run to full-on adult Star Wars novels for hours at a time. In addition, his Lego models were on an amazing scale. It made me feel like the Concerta was not doing as much for him as I thought because we never tried anything else.
Anyway, Vyvanse excerbated a fainting/seizure thing that has been going on his whole life. He went from having one episode every couple of months to one a week. We switched to Straterra. It is doing NOTHIN for him.
I am beginning to think the aggression may just have been his beginning adolescence. We have the whole thing with body changes and interest in sex...
...and the aggression has stayed through it all. So, I'm thinking testosterone is to blame.
The pediatrician would probably go back to either of the other meds if I pushed him, so do I go back to Concerta with ho-hum results or Vyvanse and try to manage the fainting/seizure thing? What a choice...
Any comments or advice would be appreciated.
It sounds like the dose is too low. My son is 10, weighs about 90 lbs and is on 100 mg of Strattera. The doctor said it is a very high dose but that there are some kids that need a really high dose. He also takes 6 mg of Risperdall a day. If he weren't on the Risperdall, he would be hyper. The Risperdall also keeps him from getting moody.
BTW - my son is very very hyper. Without meds he can't even stand stll for more than 60 seconds while having a conversation with you.
concerta and strattera; I was taking both while I ramped up the strattera.
Strattera did not work at all for my son. It aggravated his tics, which was never supposed to happen on this med. We have seen excellent results on focalin XR. Sure you know by now that your child is literally a guinea pig until you find (hopefully) the best medication; I have heard it usually takes 4 attempts.
My son is 10, 70 lbs. He takes 15 mg focalin XR and .2 mg clonidine p.m. Sorry that your kid has to go through this.
Aggression can appear if the does is too low, it's also possible that if they are on too much, they can become aggressive. If you said he is on 36 mgs, that doesnt sound like the does being too high is an issue. Perhaps give the concerta one more try, maybe a 54mgs (the next dose up.) If that does nothing then going back on the Vyvanse while looking for something to go along with it for the seisures sounds like a logical choice, hopefully one that will turn out with some results. I mean surely there is medication out tehre that would help with his seisures. Like Logan's Mom, I am also wondering if Tenex could help with that issue. Only one way to find out...
And yes, it does seem that strattera is not going to be something that works for your child. Some peopleit helps, some people it just doesn't. It was certainly worth a try on your part. but if it hasn't helped yet, it obviously isn't going to.
Good luck, I sure hope your son feels better.
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