Posted by Lasagne on August 1, 2003, at 12:42:55
In reply to Re: Straterra approval-Day 5- nmk, posted by Trena on August 1, 2003, at 6:19:12
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Hi:
My son is almost 11 and he has severe ADHD with a mood component and sensory defensiveness (aka Sensory Integration Dysfunction,something that is also common amongst autistic children.) Anyway when we first went to our doctor with our son's difficulties he first started him on Celexa, an anti-depressant. This initially improved his mood dramatically and then there was a tapering off. That is when we began stimulant treatment. The combination gave him good control through most of the day and then in the late afternoon and early evening he would start having meltdowns/emotional outbursts sometimes combined with aggressive behavior. The doctor says this is something that is common as the stimulant meds (even the slow/time release versions) wear off at the end of the day. So that is when he began our son on Clondine. It is a blood pressure med that is used in very small doses to help calm these emotional outbursts down. My son is usually asleep within an hour of taking it and we don't hear again from him till the morning. He gets a good nights rest and has a better handle on himself because of it. His insomnia was causing a behavioral vicious cycle. Recently we also tried the Strattera. At first it had good results and then it tapered off at which point we had to combine the Strattera with stimulant treatment. Overall,it has had good results on his behavior. The Strattera makes him more tolerable to handle in the morning until his stimulant med kicks in. Because of your son's age I am not sure if the FDA will allow your doctor to prescribe the Strattera. If your doctor says he will give you a prescription for it, then I definitely think it is worth a try. If his outbursts seem to be mostly in the evening I would I also consider asking if your doctor will let you give your son Clonidine. If your son's outbursts are sporatic during the day and evening then you might want to consider an antidepressant or Strattera(if permitted) in combination with the Adderall XR. I hope this isn't too confusing. It is very difficult keeping these children stabilized. It seems like we are in to see our doctor every single month. All together my son takes the following meds:
Celexa 30 mgs. daily
Strattera 50 mgs. daily
Adderall XR 60 mgs. daily
Clonidine .03 mgs. daily
Also, another thing that I have noticed with my two oldest sons (that have ADHD) is that the Adderall seems to cause a more emotional response as it wears off than the time release ritalin formulas. Yet the Adderall seems to give the best control during it's effective hours. These things just aren't easy. I too have a 4 year old son that my doctor wants to wait to treat until he is in school.> have a question for neone willing to answer. my son is on the adderol xr and experiences very bad emotional outburst with this medication. would like to try the strattera but as he is only 4 i don't know if it would work for him. just to give you some history. he is severe adhd with mild autism. he is very aggresive and hyper without medication but the adderol i feel makes him more aggresive but less hyper.would like to find a comfortable medium. please help. thanks
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poster:Lasagne
thread:133458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030728/msgs/247371.html