Raine
New Member
:.I am my own worst enemy.:
Posts: 6
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Post by Raine on Nov 20, 2003 14:56:57 GMT -5
I asked my son the other day if he wanted to try another med (he is on 54 mg of concerta) and he said YES MAM! (with exclamation) He has been on ritalin when first diagnosed 4 years ago...then we tried adderall, then i suppose that stopped working and we moved onto concerta...the concerta seemed to work for a long while but as just finishing the connors thing for on and off meds...both reports seem the same...still very high on everything. His school said that he looks PHYSICALLY uncomfortable at school, like he just cannot be still and cant focus...they dont think he's deliberately doing it but that he just cant stop. He takes his med at about 6:45am and by the time he gets home at 3:15-3:30 hes very subdued and not feeling well...half of that i think is because he rarely eats his lunch...some days ill make him eat (when he gets home) when he says his stomach is hurting and he always feels better...but nonetheless he still wants to try something else and i think its finally time for me to realize that this IS NOT as good as it gets..it can only get better--I HOPE! But what other drugs have you guys tried after trying all of these and had good results?? I mean most of the meds like focalin and ritalin and concerta all use the same med right? So wont they all have the same results? Any advice on what to try next? He also takes 50mg of zoloft and we are thinking of switching that to lexapro when this prescription runs out. (scared about that too) Maybe he needs a combo of meds but which one? I just hate to think of my DS being on so many meds... i ache  for the day that he looks and acts normal again--HAPPY!  |
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Post by Dad2Brooke on Nov 20, 2003 15:48:05 GMT -5
Raine welcome aboard, you've come to a great place for support or information. You won't find a better group of supportive folks anywhere on the web. ;D
Now back to the post...
Not to push meds but.... IMHO.....
STRATTERA
It is a non-stimulant. It lasts 24 hours. My daughter went from Concerta to Strattera and didn't lose any ground. She complained of a headache and a stomachache the first day, and had some unusual (for her) crying the next day. I have not seen it affect her appe*boob*e or sleep. She takes it in the morning.
Since then I haven't seen any side effects. She has been on it for only 2 weeks, but I like what I see so far. I takes about 6 weeks to get to full benefit, so I hope that the medicine will do even better as time passes.
You don't say how old your son is or if he can swallow pills, but it can also be mixed with yogurt, applesauce, pudding, etc.
What do you other parents think?
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Post by AnneM on Nov 20, 2003 16:01:46 GMT -5
Hi Raine!! Good to see you here.... I am in the UK and sadly we don't have Strattera here (yet) ... but from what I read and hear strattera is helping a LOT of kids. Again from what I can gather a lot of the reason for this is that it has an "inbuilt" antidepressant ... so you get the whole package in one .... My 15 year old son takes Concerta and also St. Johns Wort ... this combination works well for him ... but I have to say I do personally like the idea of strattera and the "all in one" package .... Please keep us posted and I look forward to seeing you around the board! |
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Post by Mishamom on Nov 20, 2003 17:36:31 GMT -5
Ralph....what dosage of the Strattera is Brooke on? Em's just five and 39 pounds and started on 10 mg. I'm ready to up it to 18 mg when we see the ped again on Dec 8. It's done well for her but I can see that a slight increase would be just about right. I've really liked the results on the Strattera and no worse side effects so far other than some sleepiness. Today she stayed wild pretty much the whole day. She wasn't able to do anything constructive at occupational therapy today but for the two good weeks we've had it's much easier to relax about the one off day.  |
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Post by Dad2Brooke on Nov 20, 2003 22:15:47 GMT -5
You don't say how old your son is or if he can swallow pills, but it can also be mixed with yogurt, applesauce, pudding, etc. , I am sorry I gave you some bad advice. Acoording to Strattera's website at: www.strattera.com/1_2_taking_strattera/1_2_5_take.jsp"Strattera capsules should never be broken and sprinkled on food. They must be taken whole." I am sorry for misleading you. I thought I either read or was told that sprinkling it was OK. |
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Post by Dad2Brooke on Nov 20, 2003 22:20:18 GMT -5
I have not seen it affect her appe*boob*e or sleep. She takes it in the morning. The naughty word filter strikes again. The word should be a p p e t i t e, but the filter does not like the letter sequence t i t and has replaced it with a kinder, gentler *boob*. |
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Post by Dad2Brooke on Nov 20, 2003 22:37:52 GMT -5
Ralph....what dosage of the Strattera is Brooke on? Em's just five and 39 pounds and started on 10 mg. I'm ready to up it to 18 mg when we see the ped again on Dec 8. It's done well for her but I can see that a slight increase would be just about right. I've really liked the results on the Strattera and no worse side effects so far other than some sleepiness. Today she stayed wild pretty much the whole day. She wasn't able to do anything constructive at occupational therapy today but for the two good weeks we've had it's much easier to relax about the one off day. , Brooke is on 25 mgs and started on 18 mgs on November 7th. She went to 25 on the 11th as planned. The Dr. gave me a sample pack, and it will run out in 4 more days. I called yesterday to get a prescription and told him that it seemed to be working Ok, but wanted to maybe bump up the dosage to 32mgs. Which would be the optimal dosage for Brooke's 60 pounds. 1.2 mgs times each 2.2 lbs. of body weight. He told me they don't make a 32 mg pill, that they make a 40. I asked him about over dosing, but he said that 40 mg would be OK. I got the pills, but I haven't given them to her yet. For one thing, on their web site www.strattera.com I see that they make a 10, 18, 25, 40 and 60 mg pill. Seems to me a 10 and a 25 would be a better, closer fit. I intend to ask about it tomorrow. |
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Raine
New Member
:.I am my own worst enemy.:
Posts: 6
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Post by Raine on Nov 20, 2003 23:43:11 GMT -5
LOL at the naughty word filter! ;D Thanks you guys...REALLY, it really means alot to me that i can come on here and relate to ALOT of you guys and that you ppl will actually respond to me! I have been doing alot of research on all the meds but maybe i am overlooking some--is there any others that are used for ADHD? Oh...and my son is 9 and has NO problem swallowing pills...he's just like me -- a pill-popper! I guess it just bothers me that he has to go thru unnecessary side effects if the med isnt gunna work anyway..i know...it takes time to find the right thing...but it just breaks my heart when he says to me "i wish i didnt have adhd--will i have it forever, and will i have to take medicine forever or will it go away?" Its so hard when so many ppl have such different experiences with the same meds--my child means everything to me as im sure all yours do to...i would give anything to take this from him and make him NORMAL.  OH and if i was using strattera then the lexapro or zoloft wouldnt be needed? Is that correct? Thanks again! |
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