Straterra

[Kjs]

difficult child has had bad reactions from stimulants. He has tried two. Same reaction to both.

Bad mood, angry, scared - feels like he is on the edge of a cliff ready to jump. (his words)

New therapist thinks he would react that way to all stimulants. Suggested Straterra. He mentioned in only one time and we went on to other issues.


difficult child has seen him now 5 times. He has taken an "inventory" or assessment. Questions like

I like school
teachers like me
teachers are fair
teachers are out to get me.

LOL...hahahaha...difficult child/school. OMG Up until this very time (school seems ok at this minute) difficult child and school/teachers were like Oil and Water. OMG. He wouldn't go the other way, he would confront them over Nothing. Just because. And all teachers hate him and are never fair.
Well, he created his reputation and made sure every person knew about it. So if teachers weren't fair or didn't like him - his fault.

This school isn't like that.

I went to see therapist (his request) yesterday. Said it seems like he has "ADD spectrum" Then went on to something else. I said..wait a minute. WHAT? He said we will go over it another time. ???????

Anyway also said difficult child mind/brain never ever stops.

Straterra. Is it quick in quick out? Does it take a while?

I know I would have to go see psychiatrist for this. difficult child said no medication. But recently asked if he can give it a try.

 

[Jena]

Hi

Strattera was one of the first drugs I tried for difficult child. That was years ago when they thought she was soley adhd and anxiety disorder. She reacted to medication within a day or so it was that quick and it did not work for her. It made her more hyper and angry and moody.

I hope you have better luck with it. Why did they suggest strattera again?? because they believe it is just adhd or add? sorry not enough coffee yet

 

[Kjs]

therapist just mentioned Straterra very shortly. Because difficult child has tried two different stimulants, several different times always with a bad reaction. He seems to think difficult child would react bad to any stimulant. Mentioned STraterra is not a stimulant and maybe he would react postitive.

therapist is more into working with relaxation techniques. Bio feedback is something they have also but he hasn't mentioned doing that. I just see the machines and difficult child took a pamphlet.

difficult child said the relaxation stuff really works. therapist did it with me. I had to ask him even though we are suppose to be concentrating on what he is saying, and relaxing...my mind is going 1000 mph thinking about how much time it will take me to get back to town, all the things that I need to do today, tomorrow...I asked him how do you stop your mind from thinking of all those other things. He said you don't. you just concentrate on what is being said.

 

[smallworld]

Strattera is an SNRI antidepressant that is rxed to treat ADHD. According to our neuro and psychiatrist, it only works for about 40 percent of kids with ADHD. It is dosed by weight. Side effects include stomachaches, headaches, anger and irritability. My own son tried it and experienced two migraines in three days. Needless to say, we d/c'ed it. However, I have a friend whose 12-year-old son is taking it with positive results. As with any medication, it's a trial and error process.

 

[rejectedmom]

Strattera worked for my son but he built resistance up rather quickly (about a year) They kept increasing his dosage until it was no longer safe for them to do so and he was weaned off it and put back on Ritilin SR. -RM

 

[Jena]

we did biofeed back, difficult child thought it was a game lol. she was problem too young at the time to get it. it was about 2 1/2 years ago. she'd play with the machine. yet if your difficult child adhere's to the relaxation techniques it can be a great tool. also the i can relax cd also helps alot as well.

 

[MDL]

When my son had his EEG did they also did the IVA test for ADHD. He did both the EEG and the IVA two times - once before a stimulant and once after. His IVA results were not normal the first time - very low, indicating ADHD; his scores were much better after the stimulant. HOWEVER, the EEG showed that his temporal lobe seizures were much worse after the stimulant. It was a very good example of a drug working on one thing (the frontal lobe) while upsetting the rest of the brain. I'm new here and am not familiar with your child's background - has your son had an EEG?

 

[Janna]

Strattera didn't work well for D. It made him very manicky, something that not only the ADHD medications do, but the AD's do as well. I know it's a different kind of AD - Smallworld summed it up, but it was just bad all the way around.

BUT I have heard a few good reports. I think we stopped it immediately when we saw it wasn't working.

 

[susiestar]

Wiz and Jess both took Strattera. Jess took it for a short while and said it did help her concentrate, but I noticed her seizures were then noticeable, and lasted up to 3 minutes each. Then the pediatrician neuro got back to us with the results of the EEG and she clearly had a seizure disorder and he said to stop the strattera.

My gfgbro takes strattera whenever he can get it. For a long time he had no health ins, so he got it when he could do tree work for his psychiatrist to get a scrip, and then she would give him samples. I tried to get him to do the prescription program for people who don't have ins where the company gives them to you free, but he would not do all the paperwork. Now he has ins and takes it most of the time.

BOY can you tell when he is off of it, even for a day. I think it takes a couple of weeks to be fully active, but a pharmacist would know best.

difficult child also takes it. Has taken it for YEARS and plans to continue taking it for YEARS. It makes a HUGE difference in who he is. I realize the ADHD for him is part of the Aspergers, but it is still something that needs treatment for him to have a decent life. He doesn't notice side effects, and he has a history of migraines.

SNRI's are sometimes given as migraine prevention. My reg doctor, and a neuro I used to see both suggested them. In fact, that is why I was on effexor for a while. Wiz has at MOST 2 migraines every 6 weeks, and before his current medication combo he was having many, many more migraines.

I think it is something you might want to ask difficult child his feelings about it. And ask the psychiatrist what he thinks. It might be worth a trial.

 

[susiestar]

Wikipedia says this (and a bunch of other stuff):

Classified as a norepinephrine (noradrenaline) reuptake inhibitor, atomoxetine is approved for use in children, adolescents, and adults. However, its efficacy has not been studied in children under six years old. Its advantage over stimulants for the treatment of ADHD is that it has less abuse potential than stimulants, is not scheduled as a controlled substance and has proven in clinical trials to offer 24 hour coverage of symptoms associated with ADHD in adults and children.
Although the drug can be "felt" right away, it does not start "working properly" for 3-4 weeks time. Users should expect to feel tired and groggy for a few weeks. Eventually, the system adapts to the drug and the benefits can be felt. Users are recommended to continue taking the drug for at least three weeks before deciding to discontinue its use.


Here is the whole wikipedia article on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomoxetine

It is called Atomoxetine in other countries but that is not its generic name here because the FDA thought it was too close to tamoxifen, and it would lead to dispensing errors. I sure wouldn't want to get strattera generic if I needed tamoxifen!!! Or vice versa!!!

I hope this helps some.