Use of Seroquel for ADHD in children

I have come to this website in the past to see what issues families are having with their ADHD children, and this is my first post.  We live in Canada, and I believe most of the medications are the same, with the possible exception of Biphentim (which I believe is sold only by the Canadian pharmaceuticals -- it was definitely a good one while our son was taking it).

Our son is 8 (weight 53 lbs), and has been diagnosed with ADHD and Impulsiveness for the past 3 1/2 years. We have gone through the gamut of medications -- started with Adderall, progressed to Biphentim, added Clonodine, swapped the Biphentim for Concerta as well as adding Strattera while reducing the Clonodine. We have recently removed the Strattera completely, and are watching anxiously at his school to see the results (his doctor does not believe the Strattera is working at all). She has said that he is at his maximum for both Concerta (36mg) and Clonodine (0.15mg). At our last appointment, she suggested that the next step would be to progress to a small dose of Seroquel in addition to the Concerta and Clonodine if things do not improve at school.

Things are not improving at the school. This has been his worst week in since last spring.

Does anyone have any experience with Seroquel? It is considered an anti-psychotic drug, and has some pretty serious side effects (I found an article dated December 7 2009 stating that FDA staff members say that the agency needs to conduct more of an in-depth investigation into the metabolic side effect for children using Seroquel). We are not too keen on proceeding with this recommendation, and are looking for any thoughts or experiences in relation to Seroquel and ADHD.

Thanks in Advance!

Anxious DADfromQC

OneorTheOther,

Thanks for your comments. I looked at the link provided, as well as in the archives, and what I am seeing is consistent with what I have found thus far: that Seroquel is used to address issues other than ADHD.

Thank you

DadfromQC,

What are the issues your son is having in school?  My son has ADHD, anxiety, and OCD.  He takes Seroquel XR for his mood swings.  I do not see that it helps with anything specifically ADHD, but it does help to keep his mood more stable.  Perhaps this is why the dr is thinking about adding it to the mix.

Thanks for the responses.

After further discussion, we found that the doctor is suggesting to add Seroquel to his medication regime to help deal with high impulsivity as well as aggressiveness, and not specifically his ADHD.  He is not bipolar, and he has not been diagnosed with OCD.  They have looked into ODD, but have not officially diagnosed him as such.  His doctor, however, has written notes for the school saying he does have strong oppositional tendencies.

Today my wife had to pick up our son at noon as he was running around the classroom and hallways, not listening to anyone, and disrupting the class as well as the lunchroom. When he is in this state, he just simply runs around, knocking things over on other children's desks, running into people, and causing a general disturbance.  When he arrived home, he told my wife that he had just felt so full of energy, and that he wanted to lie down and rest (which is extremely rare for him). 

Recently he has begun hitting himself on the head.  He also told us that he doesn't like getting so excited and energetic. We know that he feels bad after he has these episodes, and will apologize for them. In general, he is a very good natured boy who enjoys life and having fun.  His tics have become more pronounced as well (something that Seroquel may help as well).

We have removed his Strattera completely over the course of the last 5-6 weeks.  He is now taking Concerta and Clonodine.  It is obvious that he is missing some medication at this point.

Our main concern is Seroquel, and whether it is fine for younger children (i.e 8 years old).  I see that Moorekiddos son is 10, so that is reassuring.

Thanks