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Post by caggy on Jul 31, 2004 23:30:47 GMT -5
I also wanted to add but forgot, my son did not have any bad side effects of strattera. My daughter had moodswings for the first several day. All side effects went away within a week or so.
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 1, 2004 6:59:35 GMT -5
Jessica, Welcome! I would be very concerned about raising your son's dose to 50mgs. Strattera is very weight dependent and raising it over what his target range is is not going to help. It might cause more problems. When he started losing weight the doctors should have reduced the dosage accordingly. If he is now only 35lbs, his dosage should be between 18mgs to 27mgs (30mgs if necessary). Being on too high a dose can cause mood problems just like what your son is experiencing now. If he keeps losing weight, i would really start thinking about trying a different medication. If you find that it is not lasting as long for both your son and daughter, I would suggest doing split dosing. You can give your son 20mgs in the morning and 10mgs in the afternoon.
For your daughter her target range is 22mgs to 34 mgs (maximum). So the 18mgs is too low for her and may not be effective. Try raising it to 25mgs, if it doesn't work try 30mgs. You can go up to 35mgs. If it does not last 24 hours again, you can try split dosing higher in the morning and a smaller dose in the afternoon.
Trust your instincts, I would not increase your son's dosage to double what his maximum target dose is.
Also if you find that the stratt alone is not enough, you can try adding a stimulant or trying a different stim altogether. If he did not do well on Concerta, you could try Adderall XR which is a different family. You could also try short acting Ritalin, or Ritalin LA, Focalin or Metadate (which are in the same family as Concerta but has different delivery systems) Kids react differently to all the different meds. Does not mean he did not do well on one stimulant he cannot be on other stimulants.
Concerta did nothing for my son, Adderall made him too emotional but Ritalin (shortacting) seems to be ok for him. He is even able to eat on ritalin. He did well on strattera for 9 months but it still was not enough for the attention.
I have learnt that you should always question the doctors and do your own research on any and all medications. Some doctors are not as well versed on the meds as you would think and most just think that strattera is like a stimulant where you can just raise it when it is not effective. It is NOT the same as stimulants and is weight dependent.
Good Luck.
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Post by Nichole101 on Aug 5, 2004 18:39:48 GMT -5
Hello everyone I am new to the board, I just found out my daughter had ADHD 4 days ago! Reading all the good things and the tips is going to be a big help!She will be taking her frist dose of Straterra saterday she is 5 1/2 will be 6 in dec she will be starting out with 18 ml and she is 47 lbs.
Liz is very hyper over the top hyper and school starts in about 3 1/2 weeks I hope this works, I am happy to hear this med does not make them a diff person.She is so funny and fun to be around.. I cant wait to find out how fun she will be when she can slow down a bit!
Should I right from the start give it too her at night for the frist 2 weeks?? She has sleep problems so I never know when she is going to fall asleep.. so should I give it too her around 11pm ?
Then after the frist 2 weeks when you start giving it too them in the am does the time change effect them in any way?
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 6, 2004 7:53:29 GMT -5
Hello everyone I am new to the board, I just found out my daughter had ADHD 4 days ago! Reading all the good things and the tips is going to be a big help!She will be taking her frist dose of Straterra saterday she is 5 1/2 will be 6 in dec she will be starting out with 18 ml and she is 47 lbs. Liz is very hyper over the top hyper and school starts in about 3 1/2 weeks I hope this works, I am happy to hear this med does not make them a diff person.She is so funny and fun to be around.. I cant wait to find out how fun she will be when she can slow down a bit! Should I right from the start give it too her at night for the frist 2 weeks?? She has sleep problems so I never know when she is going to fall asleep.. so should I give it too her around 11pm ? Then after the frist 2 weeks when you start giving it too them in the am does the time change effect them in any way? Nicole101, welcome. For your daughters weight her target range is minimum 25mgs and 35mgs for maximum target dose. So the right dose is somewhere between. To avoid the initial side effects, you should give it to her at dinner time with food (always with food to avoid tummy upsets). You could keep her on 18mgs for 7 nights, and then raise it to 25mgs (target) giving it at night for another week or so. If she does not have any side effects, you can then switch to morning dosing (breakfast time with food). Remember it takes 4 to 6 weeks on TARGET dose to see consistent results. Good Luck
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Post by Beverly on Aug 6, 2004 20:02:34 GMT -5
HELP! My 12 year old son started Strattera in February after 5 years of success on Adderall XR (before that Adderall). He is on 40mg of Strattera and 25mg Adderall XR, he is 69 pounds. It has been horrible.
He takes it once a day, in the morning. Has anyone had better luck taking it a lower dose twice a day?
Any input, please. We have been seeing a therapist since June, seeing a Child Psych in September. He was away for 5 weeks and just came back last Sunday and leaving again this Sunday and I am eating Xanax like they're Tic-Tac's. I can only explain his behavior as similar to what it was before meds, but with him 12 and a bigger vocabulary.
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 6, 2004 20:23:36 GMT -5
HELP! My 12 year old son started Strattera in February after 5 years of success on Adderall XR (before that Adderall). He is on 40mg of Strattera and 25mg Adderall XR, he is 69 pounds. It has been horrible. He takes it once a day, in the morning. Has anyone had better luck taking it a lower dose twice a day? Any input, please. We have been seeing a therapist since June, seeing a Child Psych in September. He was away for 5 weeks and just came back last Sunday and leaving again this Sunday and I am eating Xanax like they're Tic-Tac's. I can only explain his behavior as similar to what it was before meds, but with him 12 and a bigger vocabulary. Welcome, First of all, if you haven't, read the 1st and 2nd post at the beginning of this thread. It will tell you exactly all you need to know about strattera. For his weight of 69lbs, his target range is 37mgs (minimum) and 56mgs (maximum). If he has been on 40mgs since Feb, and it is not helping, then it is possible that he is not on the right dose for him. You should try raising it to 45mgs and see if there is any improvements. Give it a few days. If you still don't see any improvements than raise it by another 5mgs to 50mgs and see. You can go up to 55mgs. There are a few who have done split dosing. The reason is strattera did not last the entire day for them. So by giving a the higher dose in the morning and a smaller dose in the afternoon, it extended the effectiveness. But if the 40mgs is not helping your son, splitting it is not going to make any difference. You need to get the correct dosage for him. 40mg is probably too low for him. Good Luck.
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Post by Beverly on Aug 6, 2004 21:52:14 GMT -5
My understanding is that it only comes in 25mg and 40mg. Is there a 5mg? This is why we are going to see a Psych instead of having the pediatrician deal with the meds. That would be nice to know. The thought on splitting the dose is that my son is a rapid metabolizer-before he went to the Strattera/Adderall combination, he was on 40mg of Adderall XR which I understand is extremely high for the weight he was at the time, 62 pounds. I did not request the combo-he needed a dosage increase and the pediatrician refused unless we did it this way. The stims worked on him, this was OK for the first 6 weeks and then BANG!
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 7, 2004 6:27:22 GMT -5
My understanding is that it only comes in 25mg and 40mg. Is there a 5mg? This is why we are going to see a Psych instead of having the pediatrician deal with the meds. That would be nice to know. The thought on splitting the dose is that my son is a rapid metabolizer-before he went to the Strattera/Adderall combination, he was on 40mg of Adderall XR which I understand is extremely high for the weight he was at the time, 62 pounds. I did not request the combo-he needed a dosage increase and the pediatrician refused unless we did it this way. The stims worked on him, this was OK for the first 6 weeks and then BANG! Beverly, strattera comes in 10mgs, 18mgs, 25mgs, 40mgs and 60mgs. If you want to know if your son is a supermetabolizer of strattera, there is a test that can be done. Checkout the Leaflet that comes with the meds or call Elly Lilly and they can tell you all about the test. You have to mix and match the different dosages to get the dose you want. For eg. if you need 45mgs, then use two 10mgs and one 25mgs = 45mgs or go to the nearest ie. one 18mgs and one 25mgs = 43mgs etc. etc. The difference between Adderall Xr or any other stimulant and strattera, is that stimulants are not weight dependent but Strattera is. Even if you use strattera in combination with Stimulants, the strattera still needs to be at the correct dosage level for your son.
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Post by Beverly on Aug 7, 2004 9:37:54 GMT -5
I went on the Strattera website after I got your reply last night. I did read the entire leaflet when he went on it in February but it went in one......you know the rest. The pediatrician hasn't said anything about there being a test to see if he metabolizes it quickly, do you know what it is called? The pediatrician keeps telling me he is on the max for his weight so I will re-address that issue with him. We all have to keep ourselves educated because pediatricians cannot know everything, they deal with too much. Thanks for all the info-I won't last until September so I am hoping we can play a little with his meds before then. This morning he is wonderful-yesterday he was off the wall from the moment I picked him up from my ex-mother-in-law's. Thanks again.
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 7, 2004 10:56:14 GMT -5
I went on the Strattera website after I got your reply last night. I did read the entire leaflet when he went on it in February but it went in one......you know the rest. The pediatrician hasn't said anything about there being a test to see if he metabolizes it quickly, do you know what it is called? The pediatrician keeps telling me he is on the max for his weight so I will re-address that issue with him. We all have to keep ourselves educated because pediatricians cannot know everything, they deal with too much. Thanks for all the info-I won't last until September so I am hoping we can play a little with his meds before then. This morning he is wonderful-yesterday he was off the wall from the moment I picked him up from my ex-mother-in-law's. Thanks again. Beverly go to this link: pi.lilly.com/us/strattera-pi.pdfLook for a paragraph under Metabolism and elimination -It states: Atomoxetine is metabolized primarily through the CYP2D6 enzymatic pathway. People with reducted activity in this pathway (PMs) have higher plasma concentrations of atomoxetine compared with people with normal activity (EMs). For PMs, AUC of atomoxetine is approximately 10-fold and Css.max is about 5-fold greater than EMs. Laboratory tests are available to identify CYP2D6 PMs. Coadministration of Strattera with potent inhibitors of CYP2D6, such as fluoxetin, paroxetine, or quinidine, results in a substantial increase in atomoxetine plasma exposure, an dosing adjustment may be necessary.You should read the entire document as it gives the clinical studies, etc. Just because your child is on a higher dose of Adderall does not mean he is a supermetabolizer of strattera. If you can get a hold of the May 2004 Issue of Reader's Digest. There is an article "Making Medicine Safe" Pg 115., where they specifically mention super metabolizers - if a person has multiple copies of a gene called 2D6. and they specifically also mention Strattera becoming the first drug with a message on its label informing doctors they could test patients to determine their version of the 2D6 gene. It is a DNA test. Also go to the following links, which shows studies on using a higher Maximum target dose of 1.9kg/mg and 2.0kg/mg. The current recommendation by Ely Lilly is between 1.2kg/mg (minimum) to 1.8kg/mg (which is in their leaflet). Here's a study using 2.0kg/mg. pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/110/6/e75Here's one using 1.9kg/mg. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11642475Hopes this helps.
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Post by Beverly on Aug 7, 2004 12:02:40 GMT -5
Thanks so much. I'll check them all out.
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Post by seaborg on Aug 10, 2004 18:13:27 GMT -5
My 6 year old son has had very limited success with Straterra so we are taking him off the drug. Our story went like this: * Given his weight, his prescribed dose with 40 MG. We ramped him up to that using the starter kit provided by his doctor. * While on the medication he only experienced slight benefits from the drug in the areas of moodiness, concentration and cooperativeness. The one benefit is that he lost about 5 pounds (he had a bit of a gut). My wife thought that he didn't change a bit but I saw some *slight* areas of improvement. * He did tell me that he felt different but couldn't fully articulate how, but he did say that is was a bit easier to think. * Initially he did experience side effects of sleeplessness which only made his daytime moods worse. He also had upset stomach and sleepiness during the day within two hours after taking the medication. * Because of the slight benefits, the doctor recommended boosting his dose to 60mg. Now the side effects are worse (sleepiness during the day, moodiness, and upset stomach) and he doesn't seem to have much or any benefit. He says that he is cranky and the poor guy looks like he mad and sad at the same time. * Overall he has been on the medication for 2 months and generally my wife and I are disappointed that the drug did not work for him and slightly angry that he has been through so many side effects that ended up hurting our family lfe and his well being. * We are in the process of ramping him down. * I would strongly suggest to anybody considering increasing the dosage to try splitting up the medication as recommended here first. Particularly if your child is experiencing side effects. Good luck....
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Post by Wendytro on Aug 21, 2004 20:59:26 GMT -5
WOW! I could use some advice. I'm very impressed with all the information from everyone. My husband and have done foster care for 12 years now. We've had our share of children with ADD/ADHD. I've seen some medications work for some and different for others. We have two grown children and have adopted 5 children through foster care. Our 8yr. old has been a puzzle. I'll do my best to keep this short. We've tried Adderall XR, Concerta, both seemed to send her into rages/crying. She has delayed speech and language. Both these medications made her almost stutter. She would try to say a word and it would laaaaaaaaaag. I talked to her pediatrician, he said give it a chance each time. We did. The new problems we saw didn't go away. The school started to send notes home daily. Her O.T. the person who approached us and asked us to have her evaluated for add, called and said she was moving backwards. We took her off meds and made an appointment with a behavioral health pediatrician. She did some testing and asked many questions. We saw her 3-4 times and she asked that we try Strattera. She started her on 18mg, then went to 25mg. then 40mg Each time she increased her meds I didn't see a difference. She asked that we give her the mediacation at night. She said the medication causes upset tummys. We did that after dinner each night. We saw her again, she asked if we could see a change. We couldn't. I forgot to mention after we took her off the stim. meds her speech went back to the way it was and her rages stopped. Since school got out for the summer, we decided we really didn't see an improvement and took her off the strattera as well. We tried it for about 5months. I just couldn't give it a rest. I kept reading reading and read some more. I found this web site. After reading millermom info and others too, I'm thinking I might have found the problem. We ALWAYS gave her her medication in the evening. The Dr. never ever said to give it in the am. Could that be the reason we never saw a difference? I've read so many of you give meds morning and after school? Any other suggestions? I should also say she weighs 54lbs and never lost any weight on the Strattera.
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 22, 2004 9:31:36 GMT -5
Wendytro, welcome to the site.
The reason people give it at night is to reduce the initial side effects of the ramping up period. Once ramped up it should be given in the morning. Your child is sleeping right through the effectiveness of the meds. You could always try giving her in the morning. Her correct target range is 29mgs (minimum) to 45mgs (maximum). But I wonder if your child is being diagnosed correctly. It would be good if you could have her evaluated by a Pediatric Neuropsychologist who could look for other Learning Disabilities which could look like ADD.
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Post by jenj1928 on Aug 27, 2004 22:24:55 GMT -5
new member here! I'm excited I found this board. My 8yr ds has adhd and anxiety disorder. We have been bouncing around with meds for 18months or so. Last summer we tried Strattera with no success. Actually I'll admit I didn't give it a chance. ds was then 47lbs (now 52lbs) and dr gave him 25mg to try. after the first day of slight headaches and the second say of extreme headaches I said no more! we went back to stim meds...at last weeks follow up since metadate seemed to be doing little for him the Dr was excited to covince me to try strattera again. He said last year he had minimal success with it but this year he as been to several conferences and there is a "new way" to use this med. He just said he wanted to start with this low dose of 10mg and wait 3 weeks and go from there, that there was a small window and we had to find it (being the right dose) he was much more confident and really wanted to try this with hopes it may address the anxiety as well since we are not yet treating that with any meds.
So I'm hoping this "new way" works??? a bit confused on what was old and what was new??? he did say to give it to him in the morning.... we did on t-w-th with no noticible side effects or good effects either for that matter, not that I expected any. Well today -friday-was different. for some reason it seemed to "hit" him today. He was groggy and tired all day. and for a kid who we had to fight to go to sleep at night he was in bed at 8:30. at bed he begged me to not give him the meds in the morning that he didn't want to be so sleepy. So I gave it to him tonight!?!?! I'm hoping it was the right thing to do?? Since it's not yet up to his max dose I was hoping it was okay since he did have a dose at 7am today. I hope to see him not sleepy tomorrow. The package insert said pm was ok. what is your take on this? BTW- he is also on 10 mg zyrtec and flonase at night.
I'm glad to be here and open to your ideas/suggestions and help! Thanks!! ~Jen
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Post by sportsmom on Aug 28, 2004 8:10:58 GMT -5
Jen WELCOME ABOARD I think what your dr is telling you is before they would just give you what they thought to be the correct dose and see if it would work when in fact they are finding you have to ramp up to the correct dose. I guess you could say I am assuming this just because of reading about this on this board . When my son started strattera we just jumped in and was trying different doses for about 4 months untill we found the one that seemed to be the best (at that time is was 40 mg.---we just upped to 50mg after a year at 40). I have to give my son his strattera at night because it makes him sleepy--in fact in class he would almost be asleep so we have our dose at suppertime and if we are not home around 6-7 I have a bottle of his meds with me so he can take it---I really try to keep it at the same time everynight (just from past experience it seems to work better at the same time). I hope all goes well for you!! p.s. My son also takes 10 mg zyrtec and flonase at supper as well---I feel like a pharmacy at supper time LOL something for everyone LOL
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 28, 2004 8:56:12 GMT -5
Jen, you should read the first post on this thread. It really gives you all the info you need to know about strattera and would go a long way to helping you make it as successful for your child as possible. The initial side affects will go away after ramping up. If your child is having side effects ie. tiredness etc, then it is better to do the ramping up at night. It is very weight dependent. So find the right Target dose is important. Consistent results comes after being on Target dose for 4 to 6 weeks (this does not include the ramping up period). So read up on the first post on this thread and good luck. I have no idea what new way your doctor was talking about, maybe he learnt what we had known all along. I know I had to "teach" our peds about strattera and it's quirks. However, if there really is a new way, I would appreciate if you come back and share the info with us so we can help other members.
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Post by jenj1928 on Aug 28, 2004 9:24:50 GMT -5
I did read that first post, several times on several different days!!LOL!! I just didn't know if there was something drastically different from when the meds first came out and if any new studies showed any better success rates one way or the other. I do agree with the prior post that before we tried right at that target dose and now he wants us to start low. He did mention something to the effect of "with stims if it's not working you go up with the dose and with this you can go down and find the right dose as well." I'm sure with a new med it takes time beyond the official med trials to figure out what "works" and our kids become part of a more ongoing trial.
I am concerned that his mood as has seemed to change a bit, he is normally very silly, but I do think he was very lethargic yesterday hence the reason for changing him to night time.
after reading these posts I am suprised he asked me to keep him on the 10mg for 3 wks and then we will up it. How would you ramp it? not that I have enough samples to do it, I only have enough 10mg caps for the 21days, but I would be interested in knowing. And I dont' want to sound critical in any way so please don't take it that way, but how has this been figured? do you work with/for or as a drug rep? is this just parent trial and error over time? My Dr is very interested in using this drug and seemed very confident that taking the "new approach" would work to ds advantage. I do think the difference of lowering and finding the target instead of always raising was a big issue for him.
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 28, 2004 9:32:21 GMT -5
No, I am not a drug rep or anything like that. My son was on strattera for 9 months. We learnt the hard way by sharing info amongst a group of moms who started out with strattera when it first came out. We started this website to keep track of strattera and to share info with each other because it was so new and to help other parents from the pitfalls of starting strattera without the right info and thus getting alot of failures. Also we wanted to help other parents with advice/info/support on all other ADHD meds and issues. And we are not affiliated whatsoever with any drug companies. This is strictly a site to help each other through a very tough road. I am not sure what your doctor is trying to do. I found it easier on my son if I started on a low dose ie. 10mgs for 2 nights, then increase by 5mgs every 2 nights till I got to his target dose. It was gradual in terms of dosage but fast according to timeframe (ie. 8 days). He was great. He did not have any major side effects except for being tired but not tired enough to even stop him from playing. His mood was wonderful, even cleaned up his room just because he wanted to That has never happened before and has never happened again, sigh! From previous experience of others - it seems the moods get worse if they are on too low a dose for too long. So keep us appraised on how you do, and what is the new way your doctor is talking about. Maybe there is something we don't know. Good Luck
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Post by Eliserose on Aug 28, 2004 11:47:38 GMT -5
HI Mayleng, I read your post about your son cleaning his room on his own and had to laugh. WHen our dd was on her Strat trial at around week 2-3 on low target dose she was so sweet, lovable and kind, and she spontaneoualy cleaned up the basement playroom after her friend had been there to play. I was astounded and so hopeful at that point that Strat would work for her.She has like yoru ds never done that again..... Sounds like Strat affected your son the same way it did our dd. I wish so much it would have worked for her. Thanks for all your words of widsom to all of us out there. Nancy
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 28, 2004 11:59:57 GMT -5
HI Mayleng, I read your post about your son cleaning his room on his own and had to laugh. WHen our dd was on her Strat trial at around week 2-3 on low target dose she was so sweet, lovable and kind, and she spontaneoualy cleaned up the basement playroom after her friend had been there to play. I was astounded and so hopeful at that point that Strat would work for her.She has like yoru ds never done that again..... Sounds like Strat affected your son the same way it did our dd. I wish so much it would have worked for her. Thanks for all your words of widsom to all of us out there. Nancy You are most welcomed! Wish I could be more of a help. I wished you had been successful too. My son wanted to cuddle with me all the time during the ramp up. Maybe I should give him Stratt to see if he would clean his room again on his own. ;D
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Post by AmyJean on Aug 29, 2004 17:13:07 GMT -5
Hi everyone. I'm brand new here and SO HAPPY to have found such wonderful, in-depth info. Thanks!! I would REALLY appreciate any input right now- I feel desperate. Our family life is deplorable right now and I am absolutely fried.
My son is 5 and has severe ADHD. We started Aderral XR in March (7.5mg) and it controlled his hyperactiveness & impulsivity amazingly well, but caused major meltdowns & tantrums several times a week. Psych. recommended we try Strattera. We started Strattera On July 2, while still on Adderall. Here is the summary:
7/2 - start at 10 mg in am. 7/7 - increase to 18 mg in am. Was very disagreeable, moody, irritable. 7/27 - stopped Adderall to see if mood improves. Remained somewhat calm & focused in mornings but got VERY wild in afternoons so - 8/2 - switch to 10 mg am & 10 mg pm. He had two great days (only 2) then back to hyper,angry, defiant, impulsive. 8/14 - increased to 18 mg in am and 10 mg in pm. 8/29 He remains hyper, impulsive, irritable & defiant, all day. Seems as bad as before any medication.
8 weeks total. 7 weeks since starting 18 mg. 4 weeks since switching to 20 mg. 2 weeks at 28 mg.
He weighs 38 pounds. From what I've read here his range would be 21-31. Since his initial dose was a little low, could it really be I have to give this ANOTHER 6 weeks to know if this would work? Kindergarten starts next week! I was hoping & praying this would all be ironed out before then.
Any advice? Please help! Thanks.
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 29, 2004 18:35:59 GMT -5
AmyJean, I would give him another 2 weeks on 28mgs and see how he does. Consistent results comes 4 to 6 weeks after being on Target Dose. He has only been on target dose for 2 weeks. Also try giving him all 28mgs in the morning and see if it helps.
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Post by AmyJean on Aug 30, 2004 16:58:47 GMT -5
Thanks Myleng. Not what I wanted to hear, with Kindergarten starting soon, but I will stick it out. This has been the longest summer of my life!
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 30, 2004 17:12:14 GMT -5
Thanks Myleng. Not what I wanted to hear, with Kindergarten starting soon, but I will stick it out. This has been the longest summer of my life! I know AmyJean. Finding the right med is tough. Take heart that it is only kindergarten and not higher grades your child is going into. You will still have time to find the right one without impacting school work too much. I hope this is it for you. One of our members was just about to give up on strattera for her son, and it just clicked one day. She was glad she waited it out. It might happen for you too.
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Post by Wendytro on Aug 30, 2004 17:45:23 GMT -5
Thank-You Mayleng! I appreciate your dedication. We have decided to give Strattera another go. I have always given Bre her meds in the evening. Since reading and given your advice I will continue with the ramp up then start meds in the morning. I have to say I'm a bit confused as to why parents are giving Strattera in the evening even after they've found the target dose? Is it true there sleeping right through effects?
I have another child 5 almost 6 entering Kindergarten. He is very hyper unlike Bre. My kids are adopted so they aren't biological siblings. My son is on Adderall XR 10mg he's been taking this dose for about 6 months now and doing well. He still has some outbursts and trantrums but don't we all! I was wondering if anyone has tried Montessori Schools? He was in a developmental preschool program and rec. speech therapy for 3 yrs through the public schools. Last year we decided to try the Montessori School. I heard that this helps adhd children because it really hands on learning? He is on target, he's a little behind but not much. This isa very expensive school. but worth it if it helps. Has anyone any experience with Montessori Method? I
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Post by Mayleng on Aug 30, 2004 17:52:00 GMT -5
Wendy, Montesorri schools can be suitable for some but not others. Most ADHD kids need routine and structure to be able to do well - I don't mean being punitive but some structure is needed. Then again not all Montesorri schools are created equal too.
Good luck with the strattera.
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Post by AmyJean on Sept 3, 2004 7:15:35 GMT -5
Mayleng, thanks for your advice. I tried the full dose (28mg) in the morning, instead of splitting it, and he immediately did much better!
Splitting worked better for us with the smaller dose, but with the larger dose, I guess he needs the whole thing at once to see positive results. It's so confusing and such a guessing game trying to get this tweaked just right, but hopefully there will be a big payoff. We have had 4 realtively great days.
THe only problem: he falls into a dead sleep around 11 am, but at night is not tired at all. So I may try giving the full dose at night. I'm just afraid that by the next afternoon it will be wearing off. I guess I can only try. 4 days and counting until Kindergarten starts!
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Post by Brenda on Sept 3, 2004 7:57:05 GMT -5
Amyjean,it might keep him up if you give it at night.My daughter could not take it at night because she would not fall asleep until 10:00 or 11:00 and then she would wake alot during the night.You could try and see.Good luck with Strattera.
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Post by Mayleng on Sept 3, 2004 8:08:35 GMT -5
Mayleng, thanks for your advice. I tried the full dose (28mg) in the morning, instead of splitting it, and he immediately did much better! Splitting worked better for us with the smaller dose, but with the larger dose, I guess he needs the whole thing at once to see positive results. It's so confusing and such a guessing game trying to get this tweaked just right, but hopefully there will be a big payoff. We have had 4 realtively great days. THe only problem: he falls into a dead sleep around 11 am, but at night is not tired at all. So I may try giving the full dose at night. I'm just afraid that by the next afternoon it will be wearing off. I guess I can only try. 4 days and counting until Kindergarten starts! AmyJean, Brenda is right, it might have the opposite effect of waking him up throughout the night, if you give it to him at night now. Also if given too late, it might cause him to have nightmares. Plus he will be sleeping through most of the effectiveness. But if you want to try it, then try to do it at around 4pm with food. You might want to change it to morning dosing again, once his body gets used to the 28mgs. Good Luck
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