frustrated | ADHD Information

Thank you for your response. We went back to the doctor today (pediatrician) and they have changed his medicine to statera....I have also gone to school today to ask them to please assist me with him. He does not seem to have any anxiety problems but does lack social skills. Good, I just wanted to give you "heads up" about strattera. There is a thread on the boards with folks discussing it.
My son tried it and I only speak from our experience.

First my son is 12 1/2 - very adHHHHHHd, impulsive, silly, goofy, etc. He is successful with concerta and guanfacine as I mentioned in my post. Guanfacine controls his lack of impulse control and anxiety - it relaxes.

We added strattera because strattera builds up over time in the blood system unlike concerta that leaves the body after you get your X number of hours worth of coverage. We wanted him to have coverage 24/7. It gave him negative side effects, he became an 8 year old depressed boy who told me he wanted to kill himself.

Strattera also isn't as effective as stimulants. It seems to have more success with those who do not have impulse control, more inattentive adhd, not hyper, like mine.

You will start at a low dose and ramp him up over a few weeks to get his targeted goal based on his weight, remember that. Did the doctor mention this?

Please let us know if you have any questions and look for the thread on strattera here on these boards, it is on the main page.

I only speak from MY son's experience. Everyone is different, but if your son is hyper and impulsive, you may not find the results you are looking for.

BUT let's give it a try. Did the doctor tell you that you will not see results until you reach his targeted dosage?

Also, is the school going to help?
I have two sons, one 15 and one 7. My seven year old was diagnosed with adhd when he started kindegarten. since that time we have tried three different medications and none seem to last long enough for him to function in school. He has trouble interacting with his peers, his desk is against a wall and away from the group. He tells me all of the time the kids wont play with him because they say hes crazy. My heart breaks for him but at the same time I am so inequipped and frustrated. I feel as if I don't know where to start to try to help him. He is involved in sports and is very athletic but at times that is even a struggle because he cant pay attention. Recently, he was put on medadate(long acting) which is not lasting but about 4 hours a day and when he comes down off of it, he is very angry and emotional. I feel bad for yelling at him and losing my temper but some days it is just a enormous struggle to get him to complete simple tasks. I am at the point where I drive to work in the mornings after fighting with him to try to get him ready crying. Then I feel like when I get home it starts all over again with homework and bedtime. I feel as if I am failing him as a parent because the good times seem to be happening less and less. Any suggestions on where to begin?

FIrst of all , go to the school and discuss the desk - that needs to stop NOW. He needs to be included with the class. HE is being labeled and ostracized by the children due to what the teacher has done!!

Is he on an IEP/504 plan? If he isn't, then you need to put in writing to request an evaluation for learning disabilities. Please ask any questions about this.

Also his meds, what has he tried? Did you try to increase the dose before changing? Sometimes it is just the dose, but it could be the med also.

The emotions occur when the meds wear off is called rebound, we need to discuss this. It is as if he is being dropped hard on the floor, all of a sudden, no warning. It is very difficult for these little guys.

Who is his prescribing doctor? We use a psychopharmacologist who specializes with these meds.

I think his meds need to be worked on. Is the medadate successful for the hours he is covered? If so, then can you add a second boost - have the school nurse give it to him.

You know these stories break my heart because I went through similar school crap with my adhd son. He was NEVER excluded with his desk in the classroom however. That is disgusting!!  But we did have social exclusion.

Contact his school principal AND t eacher. You need a meeting ASAP. Also
Special education should be brought in to help him. WE also need to help him with his social skills. Do you know if they have social classes at your school, some do! Another question to ask when you call them!!

Do you think there is a co-morbid as well? My son has anxiety and a speech delay. He also has sensory integration. So he had speech therapy and an OT in elementary school. He was also on a IEP. Now in 7th grade he is on a 504 plan and has speech.

Please let us help you both!

I agree with Bethann that his meds need to be addressed. (Apparently so did the doc! ) My first thought when you said the Metadate was wearing off in 4 hours was--- if it's is working well for him during the 4 hours then just give him another dose.  It sounds like he just metabolizes the medication very fast.  My son also metabolizes VERY fast so he takes more doses per day than many other kids.  I would just hate for you to miss a medicine that is "right" for him just because it isn't lasting long enough.  It's usually an easy fix.  You may want to ask the doc about this before switching to Strattera.

I just mention this because we just switched from Ritalin to Stattera and it's a difficult transition if he has to go off of the Metidate completely. The reason is that Strattera doesn't really take effect for weeks.  So it may be good to leave him on the Metadate along with it.  Something to ask the doc about anyway...

I also agree with Bethann that Strattera isn't as good as the stimulants for hyperactivity or impulsiveness.  We ended up adding some Ritalin back in for my son (at a much lower dose than he was on) and this, along with the Strattera, seems to be working well.  But the Strattera took about 6 weeks to really take effect.

It's good that you are going to talk to the school!  It breaks my heart to read about the desk being against the wall!  Go set 'em straight mom!  Good luck and let us know how it goes.