MED SUGGESTIONS

Amy - posted on 06/11/2010

We are switching from concerta to strattera due to my son's difficulty sleeping. So far it's been working well, though he's struggling a bit more with completing tasks on the strattera. He hasn't been turning in homework or finishing his assignments in class. So we're upping his dosage to 60mg through the summer, and if he continues to struggle with some of these issues, we'll add in a shorter term ritalin so he can focus in class AND sleep at night.

For the moms afraid of the stimulants, I know where you are coming from. I'd encourage you to try it for a month (maybe when school starts up again?), though. It was one of the toughest decisions of my life to put my son on Concerta, but I'm SO glad I did. It's what his brain needed! His frontal lobe just isn't functioning normally, and it needs the stimulation to work correctly so he can control his behavior and focus on assignments.

I AM happy the strattera is working well enough to calm him down at home over the summer though. I do think we'll end up needing the ritaliln during the school year. I'm hoping this combo treatmen is just what we need to reduce the overall amount of stimulant he takes to acheive the maximum benefit.

Katy - posted on 05/20/2010

Talk with your Dr as soon as possible to get the dosage/medication corrected. He may also need counseling to help with the mood swings.
My son was diagnosed with ODD/ADHD when he was 6, started taking Concerta all the way to age 10 (with appropriate dose increases). He topped out for his weight/dosage level with Concerta, so we switched to Adderall XR. He had horrible side effects: nervous ticks, jumpiness, hearing things, over-emotional - he would cry if you disciplined him in the most gentle way. So we stopped the meds & he was doing well until this past school-year started.
So, since he had grown more, we were able to put him back on Concerta at the same dosage he was on when we had to switch. It worked wonderfully this time!
*note: my son is no longer medicated as we are now homeschooling so he can learn to live a medication-free life

Katey - posted on 05/19/2010

My son started on Straterra, then switched to Focalin before we finally started Aderall- this one works best for him. I questioned the Drs about this switching around thing-they all agreed that you have to just keep trying until you find the right drug at the right doseage.

Crystal Lynn - posted on 05/19/2010

they all have side affects especially the loss of appitite and not sleeping thing. mine were on adderal xr and it worked ok for a year or two then it stopped and are now on vyvanse

Nicole - posted on 05/19/2010

My 8 1/2 year old has been on Concerta for about a year now. He eats nearly nothing at lunchtime, despite having him pick what we pack for his lunch. BUT he eats two - three full bowls of oatmeal in the morning as well as a decent sized dinner with the family, and "second dinner" a bit later, about an hour before bedtime.

I like the idea of milkshakes, thank you for that one, Karen!

My son was diagnosed about 2 1/2 years ago, and I've noticed that there are just times when it seems like the meds aren't working as well, times when he's more moody than others, times when his appetite is better than others. One thing I've slowly realized is that it's easy to expect complete consistency when we have them on a med, and forget that they are still little humans. My other two kids have mood swings, varying appetites, varying levels of obedience and behavior fluctuations. That's just normal, I think. (I have all of those too! :D )

What I watch for is when it gets to be a full week where we are seeing regular outbursts, inattention, or even a big increase in appetite. Those are signs that it's time to adjust his meds.

Jessie: We had our son in counseling sessions as well as medication, along with behavior modification techniques. I have to say, the meds have made the most difference. I think it's because kids with ADHD already *know* what they're supposed to do, but they just can't control the impulsivity and tend to make poor choices before they can think through the consequences. The meds aren't a miracle cure, but they certainly seem to help a lot with calming them down enough to plan ahead a little bit more.

I hope I've offered some helpful words, and not just cluttered up the discussion board! :D Have a great day, everyone!

Geni - posted on 05/19/2010

My (almost) 10 yr old Aspergers/ADHD son has been on Concerta 54mg for over 3 yrs now. Last November, we tried him on 36mg, just to reduce meds, & he was fine while at home for C'mas break. BUT when he went back to school, couldn't focus, so his dosage went back to the 54mg. If your son's focusing in school is good on the 10mg, then I wouldn't change it.
But mood swings? Yep... that was my son, too... he was on Risperadol for years for "leveling his mood", but taken off after awareness of long-term side effects - that's when his behaviors really went south! We refused to put him back on the Risp. but instead, is now taking a very low dosage of Guanfacine, in fact only 1/4 of a 1mg tablet. We have to cut them into fourths, but is just enough to take the edge off for him, without making him sleepy & we can most def tell if/when he hasn't taken it!

Karen - posted on 05/19/2010

We have a 7-1/2 year old on 36 mg of Concerta. We just recently switched from Vyvanse. I think he's eating better with the Concerta. We do push a big breakfast and will fill his lunch box with "goodies". We do give a half sandwich, but I really stock chips, cookies and other delights hoping for him to eat the calories. He eats a normal dinner and then has a milkshake or bowl of cereal every night around 8:30 - at the suggestion of his doctor. I have noticed some strange "ticks" that I think come from the meds. He's constantly clearing his throat and I've read this is a side effect. BUT, he's doing so much better in school and the Vyvanse caused serious mood swings and tears for no reason. Finding the right medication can take time. Our doctor is really on our side so he's always willing to meet with us to discuss our options and listen to our concerns. Good luck!

Kim - posted on 05/18/2010

My son is 7 and we started out on Ritalin then changed to Concerta 9mg, then to 18 mg and now we are on 27 mg....And we have a winner for now! He's concentration has improved dramatically with each increase and he's by no means a zombie...He says he can control himself and we don't have near as many outbursts. As for the loss of appetite, my kido may not eat much of a lunch but then eat two dinners. He's always been a picky eater (He has some major food allergies also)...today he may eat a cereal bar for breakfast and then tomorrow, he may want an apple, oatmeal and a granola bar. It varies from day to day and his doctor and dietary consultant are completely okay with the changes. There are so many different medications on the market these days, just talk with your doctor and see what they suggest. Just don't forget he's yours and you have the right to say yes or no to their suggestions. I fought medication for 11 months, I tried everything there was from herbal remedies to breathing exercises! Nothing helped. We were lucky, we found the right medication for him pretty quick. Keep your chin up and don't give up...he's soooooo worth it!

Shellene - posted on 05/16/2010

I have a 10yr little girl that has simptons of ADHD. First classified with that but after many doctors and various medications it was discovered that she has PDD (Progressive Developmental diorder) a form low form of Aspergers. Anyway she has been on 50 mgs of Vyvance for about a yr now and I feel like it was a good discision after all the meds that I have tried for her. There is always a possablity of appitite loss but I would look into some thing differant when it comes to the mood swings, exspecially if he has been on it and that perticular behavor is new. There is nothing harder then making the dission to put your child on meds to help them get threw school like "normal" (for lack of a better term). so the one thing I always think is the few the side effects the better for the child. I hope this helps a little.

Nicole - posted on 05/13/2010

straterra is the same as concerta..what we consider a stimulant is actually to them a relaxer..

Nicole - posted on 05/13/2010

my oldest son has the same diagnosis as your daughter but hes on concert and prozac..

Nicole - posted on 05/13/2010

sadly we have 4 with add and some times it does seem like that maybe he needs his meds adjusted???some times weight gain and getting older makes it so they need there doses upped..

Aletha - posted on 05/11/2010

my son was taking concerta also. He did not experience tha mood swings but he did have a loss of appetite.He took the medication for two years after awhile it seemed as if it was not working also.So I took him to the Dr. and he changed the medication and the dosage.He is now on Medidate 60mg.

Sara - posted on 05/10/2010

My son was just put on Intuniv and it seems to work well for him. It is a non stimulant so no appitite issues. He loves his new med cause he said his head isnt as foggy.

Jessie - posted on 05/10/2010

My son is 9 yrs old and the perscription was change to 36mg. Family doctor suggested a psychiatrics????? I hate labels (ADHD, ADD, etc). Has anyone seen any improvement with therapy along w/meds?

Shelly - posted on 05/09/2010

my daughter, 7, is on Straterra 18mg for over a year and Risperadol 0.5 mg. 1/2 tab @ 4pm and A whole @ bed. She acts the same way as your son. My daughter is diagnosed as ADHD & ODD. We are looking at switching but I might see about an increase. Either way I know there will be a change with her meds.

Mary - posted on 05/09/2010

My son 15 switched from Concerta to the Daytrana patch. So far this has not affected his appetite too much. I have him eating 3 meals a day, which is an improvement over Concerta.

Karen - posted on 05/08/2010

My son was on Concerta and lost alot (well alot for a 10 yr old). The doctor switched him to Adderall and it mad a big difference. Unfortunately one of the side affects is the weight loss. TRY giving it to him a little earlier in the morning with a breakfast then he may have a light lunch and by dinner time he will hopefully have it out of his system so he'll eat good for you :) I had to get up with my son @ 530am w/my son but it did help.

Jennifer - posted on 05/08/2010

My son has been on Concerta 54 mg for 4 years. The loss of appetite has improved with time. He is doing great in school and I don't feel like he has lost any of his personality. I think combining his meds with therapy has been a big plus. He started with it in 4 th grade and now is in 7th...I'm pretty much only dealing with normal teen stuff now.

Shelly - posted on 05/08/2010

my dd age 7, is ADHD & ODD. right now she is on Straterra 18mg. and Resperidal 0.5 mg, 1/2 after school and 1 whole @ bed. Psych Dr. is talking about putting her on concerta. IDK if I want her on a stimulate. She has been having more tantrums that are getting physical. She's hitting, biting, and pushing both of her sisters. totally defiant to her elders but is good in school. So i'm trying to figure out what meds to try. She has a med check on tuesday. Any ideas?

Amelia - posted on 05/07/2010

How old is he? and maybe it is time to change.
My son has change meds lots and this last one has been incredible and lasted for 3+ years. We have been happy to have him on the time release daytrana patch and his appetite increased and mood swings decreased. Now at 13 we are just starting to think it may be time to up the dosage or change back to the oral meds. I will be sad if that is the case because this has been wonderful

Nicole - posted on 05/07/2010

How old is your son? I am just concerned that possibly he's not on the right dosage. My boys are on Vyvanse and they seem to do well on it,they say it doesnt give them that speedy feeling as the other meds do. However my 8 yr old daughter is on Concerta 54 mg and it has been working for her after the switch from Strattera which didnt work at all. Make sure your seeing a psychiatrist and not just a family doc or pediatrician. Psych's are trained specifically for those types of meds and can best diagnose and treat this disorder. Good luck hun!