Our son takes concerta AND guanfacine (tenex)-this helps relax him and control impulsive behaviors.
I also wonder if the dosage of concerta is correct? I would try changing the dose before switching the med.
We tried ADDING strattera to his concerta so that he was medicated 24/7 BUT strattera made him depressed and gave him suicidal thoughts when he was only 8! So we stopped strattera immediately.
From my understanding, strattera seems to help those who are lacking in the focus department, not the hyper and impusive areas.
thanks for the input bethann. We decided to increase the mg. on his concertafrom 27 to 36. yesterday was the first day,so we'll see how it goes. What exactly is tenex?It is a blood medication that helps relax the person. My son's dose is VERY low. He takes 1 mg BUT you can split it in half for .5mg, which is where we began.
BTW we didn't last long at 27mgs. My son ramped up to 72mgs quickly - fast metabolism. He is currently at 104mgs and doing GREAT, puberty and all - which gets in the way of the meds effectiveness!!
I am here if I can be of any help!!
Thank you so much bethann. I appreciate the info.My son has been on 27 mg. of concerta for 4 months now. Although it has helped somewhat with his hyperness,it seems to have made aggression and impulsivness worse. His thereapist just starting working with him and reccomended switching to strattera thinking the non-stimulant meds. would be a better fit for the agression. Went to Dr. this morning to discuss and she reccomended upping the mg. on the concerta instead. But she sis give me a 30 day sample of the strattera if I wanted to try instead....now I am so conflicted. Does anyone have any pros and cons to offer about strattera? jaystelz40560.4851851852I think some people just don't respond well to stimulants. That's how it was with my grandson. He tried concerta and it made him very aggressive. He is now taking Tenex, which has helped a great deal with his hyperactivity and impulsivity. He's also better able to to focus, mostly because he is not as hyper and impulsive. Each type of stimulant has a different response with each person. It is very individual. There are many: concerta, adderall, ritalin, focalin, and more. I would go with the increased dosage. A 30 day supply of Strattera will get you no where. That is very dosage sensitive. You slowly increase your dosage, until you reach the correct dosage. Then you see the results. I recall it taking 2 months just to get to the right dosage. And you don't just stop taking it; you dose down. Are you with a pediatrician?? You should be with a child psychiatrist as they specialize in medication management, and it sounds like you might need a specialist to get to the right place.You don't need a referral to a psychologist. They just talk. You need a referral to a psychiatrist. They medicate.Thanks for the input. We are currently with his pediatrician but we has started working with a family therapist who is going to do a referral to psych. for him,it's just going to take some time I think. We decided to go with the increase to 36 mg of concerta and see how he reacts to it.thanks again for the input.