krobb- that's interesting that he's doing fairly well off the meds. We already know that my son gets out of control when he's off meds, so it doesn't seem to be an option. He'd ruin all his friendships as well as his education (he's in the gifted program and loves it). The tic thing is interesting--earlier he had a blinking eye thing. I tried to bring this to his attention and he worked on it and it stopped. Then it was something else, and we did the same thing. Now it's something like rolling his eyes to the side and turning his head like he's looking away. We're working on bringing this to his attention also to see if he can control it like the previous ones. We haven't really had a problem with him being unhappy, he seems pretty upbeat and happy most of the time. It's actually more when he's off his meds that he gets more loud and aggressive and angry and impulsive and unhappy with us and himself. It's really a dilemma--darned if you do and darned if you don't regarding the meds question. I'm wondering if we should try another type of meds (Adderall?). Straterra didn't seem to work consistently through the day for us. I'd also like to learn more about the impact of diet changes and supplements. Some people on this board have posted some ideas, but I'd like to do some research/reading on it first.--Marty
Marty - I'm amazed that he was able to control the blinking and such. My sons' facial tic started very suddenly. We were driving to karate and he started telling me that his eyes felt 'funny'. Watching him in karate - I was shocked at how suddenly this happened and actually thought he must be getting an eye infection. Later that night, he was in tears because he couldn't make it stop and it really felt awful. The next morning, it was still there, but not as severe, so we didn't really know what to think. By evening, it was severe again, prompting our call to the doc, who immediately took him off the meds.
At this point, we are having more luck with teaching him some skills to manage self control and implusiveness, so we are keeping on that track. No mood swings, but he was never really aggressive, it's always been more of spending 4 hours on 15 minutes worth of homework. In the first week off the meds, he even told me that it was easier to control his temper, and we haven't had a tantrum since. I think part of it is simply maturity kicking in a bit. He's 11 and there's this cute girl that lives down the street.... she likes him a lot, and is so down to earth, she won't hestitate to tell him when he's being a goof, which settles him right down!
By giving him some techniques to use in the classroom (and working closely with his teacher and principal) we seem to be moving toward something that works well for him. I hope it lasts. We are also doing additional research on nutrition, supplements and exercise.
I have a 7 almost 8 year old who started on 18 of concerta about 2.5 months ago. There was an immediate difference at school. They use a chart and at the start he was all check plus with a few checks. After about 6 weeks he was beginning to get more and more checks. Dr. decided to increase to 27. At 18 we had very little if any rebound and no sleep problems. At 27 he is hitting hard in early evening and is very hard to get to bed - also not eating as well. Some one suggested to increase again. We only juust started 27 lastw eek so it is only one week. We are going to call the doctor and seee what he says but wanted to give it some time. Any Ideas
Thanks
I don't know just that we had our daughters concerta increased probably to soon, but the rebound effect was disasterous to us and her. Unfortunately we let it go on for six months. Now we are on Strattera and in our 4th week, she doesn't concentrate as good but her mood is a major difference, very happy, a little more hyper but to see her happy again is worth everything. Not fighting as much. I think she was on too much concerta for too long. But she is 16 and was on 54 of concerta. Also, I think the concerta had quit working and I have heard that can happen. And I have heard some people switch from concerta to another stimulant each month and go back an forth with them. Good Luck.......Keep trying until you find the right fix, but also you have to give something a while to see how it works....After about 6 months of being on 36 of concerta, our 6 year old started reverting back to his old antics. Pediatrician recommended upping to 54 and this has been a nightmare. Teachers say he can't concentrate, spaces out, just like when he was not on anything. I plan on pulling him off of everything to see how he functions free.
Hi
Just a follow up. - I talked with the doctor about my son. He has been doing better this week. Dr said it can take about 1-2 weeks to have it work mosty effectily. No more hortrible come downs and nights are getting a little better. He said you need to give it two weeks before changing dose. School has been great this week..YEAH - all check plus.
Marty - wow - you guys are really going through it with concerta. We had similar issues with our son, but not as high a dose - only 27mg. However, when he developed the facial tic (he was blinking so hard and so often, he could hardly keep his eyes open!), and the ADHD seemed to be back in full, we took him off completely. That was about a month ago now and he's happier than he has been in 2 years. His focus is gone, but he's still getting by in school and we can't bear to put him through more emotional issues right now. We are trying some other things, just to see if we can find another way to help him. I'm not sure of the final path we will take, but having him happy and more functional sociallly is more important to me than straight A's.