Has anyone had good luck with Strattera?

["B"]

I have read many different forums in which some have not had alot of effect or not positive effects from strattera..However I know"all kids are different " so i was wondering if anyone out there has had a positive effect with this medication. My difficult child has been taken it for just a short while(not long enough to c the full effects yet)...so far everything is ok No bad side effects and i think he is not snapping as bad or as quick....any positive hope out there?

 

[susiestar]

My difficult child has been on it for a number of years. You can bet if it wasn't working he wouldn't be on it. It takes several weeks (felt like years, LOL!) once you get to a therapeautic dose to see if it will work. If it doesn't, it takes quite a while to come off of it (I think docs take you off this type of medication too quickly. You can come off of stimulants very quickly, but it can take weeks or months to come off of this, just like some of the anti-depressants).

The person taking it does have to exert some self-control, work with the medicine. The medication won't do it all. And that is hard for some to see.

Interestingly, after hearing that my son was doing well on Strattera, my bro was put on it for ADHD. It helps him quite a lot also.

It is really hard to wait to see if these medications will help.

Hugs,

Susie

 

["B"]

susiestar~~wow thanks for the ray of hope!! I have been watching him closer and i can tell that he can stop himself a little quicker from snapping or stating arguments~However i know it will take more time to tell if it works well for him.He started off on 40.. Again Thanks for the hope You know we all need that.

With fingers crossed and prayers going up~Thank you!

 

[susiestar]

B - Anytime. I would not have made it through my own son's medical maze, much less been able to live with him for as long as I did if it was not for the amazing support of others on this board.

Others will be along in the next day or so. Weekends are slower. I hate to say it, but you will have quite a while AFTER you get to the dose the doctor wants you to be at. It stinks, but it is what it is.

Not sure how much you have been around, reading, but I would like to recommend reading The Explosive Child by Ross Greene and checking out www.loveandlogic.com . Personally, Love and Logic is my favorite. The website has a LOT to offer and they have books for parents and teachers, books on tape or cd, videos, all of which I have usedand gotten much help from. (and if you are going to buy stuff on Amazon, you can click to it through the site andit helps pay for the site - but you are not at all required to!).

Glad your husband and your ex are on board.

Also, you may be on quite a journey through docs, therapists, etc... If you go to the General Archives, and then to the last page, allllll the way at the bottom there is a thread titled Parent Report or Parent Input (foggy brain can't remember which!). This is just a way to help get all the evaluations, things you see, hopes, dreams, etc... down on paper. It is a format you can share, as necessary, with new and old docs/teachers/whosiwhatsits you meet. That way they can all get to know your child and be on the same page as you.

I found it was easier to work on it in a few chunks of time, rather than all at once. But it made a BIG difference when we had new testing, IEP meetings, etc...

Have a good night!

Susie

 

[Sara PA]

Be aware that often problems develop at about the three month mark. Anger is the most commonly reported reaction.

 

[DDD]

It didn't help us but there have been a few success stories around here.
Fran's son did well, I think. It's hard to keep trying out medications but they really do have different reactions for different kids. DDD

 

[KTMom91]

Miss KT did well for about three years, during middle school, but once high school hormones hit it wasn't working for her. It didn't help her hyperactivity but did wonders with her focus in school. Hubby's doctor started him on Strattera, he was 40, and it was a disaster. He was diagnosis'd many years ago as unipolar depressive, and Strattera completely wigged him out. He went from wanting to punch walls to crying uncontrollably. Even after I ramped up his dosage more in line with his weight, he was a mess. I took my spreadsheet of dosages and behaviors to the doctor, said, "Get him on Ritalin", and that's been working very well.

 

["B"]

ktmom~thanks for your respond..I was wondering if u could tell me some of the reasons why your Dr. put her on Strattera. My difficult child had been very defiant,argumentative(to everyone teachers parents friends etc.) anyway we had to do something after many suspensions and just at wits ends. So Iam praying this will help control himself from snapping he has shown improvement in school esp. with focusing. Again thanks for your post.


Fingers crossed and prayers going up!! Much Thanks

 

[smallworld]

With all due respect to your doctor, Strattera is a medication approved to treat ADHD. No where in the prescriibing information does it say that it treats ODD, defiance or argumentativeness. It does treat inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity (although our many docs say it is only 40 percent effective). Does your difficult child have a diagnosis of ADHD?

Strattera is an antidepressant so it could have an effect on mood issues. Side effects include mood swings and aggression.

 

["B"]

Smallworld~Well my difficult child is not hyper at all,but does hav the mood swings and honestly acts like he doesnt mean to snap as fast as he does- he will however debate with a stop sign, which lands him the most trouble at school. The teachers tell me it is not what my difficult child does that gets him trouble~it is what he does after he is called out about something.Example The teacher will tell my difficult child maybe go set down and he will then feel the need to tell them why he was up. THEY DONT CARE i tell him, they just want you to go sit down!!! You get the picture. I dont know I feel as if Iam grasping at straws..but from what i have been reading~try, try and try again and maybe just maybe something will be right. Whatever helps him get through school and stay focused on his work without getting in trouble I will be soooo happy.

With fingers crossed and prayers going up~Much Thanks

 

[ShakespeareMamaX]

Strattera did absolutely nothing for my difficult child.

Actually, I'm still waiting for an effective medication.

On a good note, my difficult child saw no side effects, whatsoever.

 

[KTMom91]

Miss KT's doctor put her on Strattera after the Ritalin was wearing off in less than two hours, and she was literally bouncing off the walls. Since Ritalin killed her appetite, even though she ate breakfast first, I was willing to try it.

 

[Sheila]

It's my understanding that Strattera helps attention with some ADHDers; it does little for hyperactivity particularly in young children.

But you never know... give it a fair chance (unless you see his behavior deteriorating).

 

[dcwsaranac]

I have no experience with Strattera, but wanted to share my experience with my ADHD/ODD son.

He's been placed on Metadate for ADHD and we've seen wonderous results for the ADHD. At first, we were surprised to see how bad the ODD seemed to get. It was like he was starting to think, but thinking the wrong decisions.

Doctor offered tranquilizers for ODD at the first medication review, but we felt that it wasn't severe enough to warrant tranquilizers.

We are now seeing more and more how Bug will pause to think, and we have been working carefully on behavior modification: dealing with misbehavior swiftly, but without emotion (CHiPs style - with set time-out); suggesting a he take a break if he is headed for trouble, but not yet crossed that line (self correction - he can return to the family as soon as he feels he is under control); positive reinforcement whenever he does well/makes an effort to do good; mega-rewards for defined behaviors throughout the day. Everything is black and white, we even have a behavior chart that we use in metering out tokens for a mega-reward (currently minutes on the computer for Webkins).

The combination of ADHD treatment for impulsivity and the behavior plan for ODD seems to be working well for him. I believe what he needs most of all is practice at the thinking instead of reacting, and good direction. We are considering therapy, but have been running into roadblocks there and aren't sure that it's needed just yet.

It sounds like you are seeing a similar scenario with your child starting to pause to think. I'd say take advantage of it and lock down a behavior plan. Given time, you may see some great progress.