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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SLynn on January 22, 2003, at 13:19:48
Hello everyone...I have read almost all of the threads regarding Strattera. My 9 year old son has been on stimulants for the last 3 years with a lot of "juggling" medications. We started with Adderall, went to Concerta, went to Cylert, went to Ritalin and then back to Concerta. We have had bad side effects from the stimulants, but the latest during our time on Adderall were tics (head jerking, nose twitches, grimmaces, etc.). I became extremely frustrated so I set up an appointment with a Psychologist and he is thinking of trying Strattera. My son is also very nervous, high anxiety, a "worry wart", is constantly paranoid and has mood changes/depression. It sounds to me like Strattera will help with not only his ADD, but with his other symptoms as well. He has had problems with appetite (although he continues to grow tall and gain a few pounds here and there), but his biggest problem is sleep...he does NOT sleep on the stimulants. I am PRAYING that this new "non-stimulant" drug will be the answer for him. If anyone has suggestions on what to give a child in addition to the strattera for the other problems he has, I would very much appreciate the advise! We have an appointment today and I'm sure he will start the Strattera this next weekend. I am going to ask about slowly coming off of the Concerta in combination with the Stratera. My son has withdrawals when coming off a stimulant and I do not want to quit cold turkey. I will keep everyone updated as to his progress in case there are others out there considering Strattera for their child. PLEASE keep posting your progress, side effects, etc., with this new medication...it has been extremely helpful!
Posted by catmint on January 23, 2003, at 0:28:00
In reply to Strattera -- 9 year old starting meds, posted by SLynn on January 22, 2003, at 13:19:48
>>My son is also very nervous, high anxiety, a "worry wart", is constantly paranoid and has mood changes/depression.
Hi,
I'm not clear on your son's symptoms. Is he like this normally, or on stims? If so....
I'm no expert on ADD but are you sure that is the corrrect diagnosis? Has he been having these symptoms for all that time?
Is he possibly bipolar? Often, especially in childhood, ADD and BP are very similar.
Has he been to more than one pdoc?
I hope you can get him on the right meds soon.
What, may I ask were his symptoms when you first sought help three years ago?
Take care,
Amy
Posted by SLynn on January 23, 2003, at 12:31:17
In reply to Re: Strattera -- 9 year old starting meds » SLynn, posted by catmint on January 23, 2003, at 0:28:00
> >>My son is also very nervous, high anxiety, a "worry wart", is constantly paranoid and has mood changes/depression.
>
> Hi,
> I'm not clear on your son's symptoms. Is he like this normally, or on stims? If so....
> I'm no expert on ADD but are you sure that is the corrrect diagnosis? Has he been having these symptoms for all that time?
> Is he possibly bipolar? Often, especially in childhood, ADD and BP are very similar.
> Has he been to more than one pdoc?
> I hope you can get him on the right meds soon.
> What, may I ask were his symptoms when you first sought help three years ago?
> Take care,
> Amy
Hi Amy,At first, my son only showed symptoms of ADD. His first grade teacher brought his symptoms to my attention, however, she was unaware of what the problem was. He was currently taking speach classes so I spoke with his special ed teacher. She suggested that he be observed by a counselor. The counselor watched him in the classroom and suggested that he possibly had ADD and asked if we would agree to have him tested. This counselor had over 25 years experience, so I agreed. We had him tested by a child psychologist. He tested positive for ADD with no hyperactivity. All of these other symptoms-- worrying, paranoia, etc., etc. did not begin until late 2nd grade into 3rd grade. At least they were not severe enough to be noticable until then. After much reading and many doctors, I do agree with their diagnosis because the medication does work. However, the stimulants are causing other problems....no sleep, moodiness, tics, etc. I am beginning to think that the few years he has been on the stimulant medication has "made" him this way. We are currently seeing a child psychologist about all of this. He is wanting to try the Strattera to get him off of stimulant medication. I am also going to keep him in counseling....none of my doctors have ever told me that he needed counseling. I am angry about this as I feel that ADD/ADHD is very emotional and difficult on children and they need help dealing with it. I advise anyone who has a child with anything similar to provide him/her with counseling. My son really likes this guy and is opening up to him very well about his frustrations. I would hope that the Psychologists we have seen have considered bipolar as well as anything else he could possibly have. It is frustrating because you rely on the doctors so much and it is hard to "hit the nail on the head" when it comes to diagnosing these things and providing proper medication. We are in a waiting game and will have to see how it turns out. Has your son been diagnosed? What does he take for meds (if any)?
Take care,
SLynn
Posted by catmint on January 23, 2003, at 19:03:29
In reply to Re: Strattera -- 9 year old starting meds » catmint, posted by SLynn on January 23, 2003, at 12:31:17
Slynn,
Do you mean psychiatrist? Psychologists do not prescribe meds. Or does your family doctor prescribe them?
When your son is moody, how does he experience that? I ask because one of the key differences between ADD and bipolar in children is that the ADD child is more resilient after a temper tantrum while the bipolar child tends to be down for hours after. (can you recall when he was a baby, did he have tantrums)?
My son has never been diagnosed but I am sure that he has some attention deficit problems. I have been avoiding stims for now, opting instead for more holistic methods (we'll see how that goes).
I hope he gets better soon. Keep me posted.
Amy
Posted by SLynn on January 24, 2003, at 8:38:07
In reply to Re: Strattera -- 9 year old starting meds, posted by catmint on January 23, 2003, at 19:03:29
> Slynn,
> Do you mean psychiatrist? Psychologists do not prescribe meds. Or does your family doctor prescribe them?
> When your son is moody, how does he experience that? I ask because one of the key differences between ADD and bipolar in children is that the ADD child is more resilient after a temper tantrum while the bipolar child tends to be down for hours after. (can you recall when he was a baby, did he have tantrums)?
> My son has never been diagnosed but I am sure that he has some attention deficit problems. I have been avoiding stims for now, opting instead for more holistic methods (we'll see how that goes).
> I hope he gets better soon. Keep me posted.
> Amy
Hi Amy,We are seeing a Psychologists, so our doctor will prescribe the meds. He did consult with the staff psychiatrist as well and he agreed that my son would be a great candidate for the Strattera. Regarding temper tantrums, my son has NEVER had a temper tantrum. Actually, he has always been a very happy, passive, pleasing, well behaved child. He is "moody", I think, because of the stimulants ups and downs. He gets "snappy" with me but then apologizes. He is just VERY sensitive and paranoid. This is why we are hoping that the Strattera helps as it is also used for depression. My advice to you is, do NOT start stimulants if you do not have to. They can have nasty withdrawal symptoms. However, with the proper medication and little side effects, it can really help your child in school, etc. I am very excited about Strattera and am praying that it works so that I can get him off. I think his entire mood would change if he could sleep at night. I would not be able to focus either if I did not get enough sleep. Have you had your son tested for ADD? If he does have it and you are trying natural methods, I would highly reccomend counseling along with it as social interaction is usually affected with an ADD/ADHD diagnosis. Your doctor will NOT tell you that. I will keep you posted when we begin the medication. Good luck to you!
SLynn
Posted by catmint on January 24, 2003, at 13:03:30
In reply to Re: Strattera -- 9 year old starting meds, posted by SLynn on January 24, 2003, at 8:38:07
Hi Slynn,
Were you son's problems primarily at school? What sort of "problems" were they?
My son goofs off a lot according to his teacher. Not a class clown type, just doesn't want to pay attention, easily bored.
I think ADD kids need more hands on learning rather than the traditional "sit hear, be quiet, and listen" methods that our public schools offer.
I think it would be wise of you to see a child psychiatrist instead of just having your pychologist consult with one. You have a lot of concerns that should be addressed directly to the doctor prescribing the meds. YOu never know what info. the psychologist might forget to tell you.
Who suggested the Straterra? I'm not that familiar with that one. It's new right?
Sounds like a good idea to get him off of the stims. I'm glad you are so involved and trying to do the right thing for him. He sounds like a sweet kid.
I worry about some kids out there who are clearly on stims but probably shouldn't be. (tics, poor appetite, strung out look) I think stimulants are way over-prescribed to otherwise high energy, highly creative types.
Of course, there are the ones who are all over the place with no focus who would benefit.
By the way, I recall from someone on this board, that there is a website that tests for the different types of ADD and what brain chemicals are defficient in each type. I believe it is mindfixers.com.
If your son was primarily a "very happy, passive, pleasing, well behaved child," how was this a pproblem at school? Would his teacher ever allow you to observe you son in the class setting? What was your opinion of this teacher?
It's quite often not the kid I'm worried about, but some of the public school teachers that make me wonder.
Amy
This is the end of the thread.
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