Strattera & Concerta 54mg - ADD / ADHD Message Board

RhondaBradshaw · 03-18-2003, 12:19 PM

Hi all - Just wondering if I am the only mother who has a 10 yr old 70# son taking 54mg Concerta and 40 mg of strattera a day? I posted a question a while back and have received NO feedback? Is there anyone out there in this ballgame w/me?

My son is almost 11 and taking the above meds. He has been on medication for ADHD since he was 3. Getting him off the adderall xr 30mg was the best thing we ever did for him. The child was out of control and raging mad over the smallest thing that anyone did to aggravate him. It's not very hard to aggravate a 10 year old ADHD boy. He just started 40mg Strattera on Sunday and started at 25 mg last Wednesday. I've seen some differences in him, nothing negative. He seems to cry when he gets upset now rather than beat someone or himself up. He just cries it all out and seems to be okay after that. I'd rather him cry w/angry then lash out. I'm hoping someone out there is in a similar situation. Although every child is different, I'd like to at least compare side effects that can be compared. He got passed the sleepy phase in 2 days. He is eating very well, and seems to be a little more at ease with himself and others. He played basketball for an hour yesterday eve w/out fighting w/his brother. (This is a first in almost 5 months!)I told him I was proud of that behavior, I don't care if it didn't last but one hour, that's more than I've gotten out of him lately.

CMMG · 03-19-2003, 02:46 PM

It sounds like you may have found the right combo. I have also experienced similar anger stuff in my 8 year old son when he was on the concerta. We switched to strattera 4 weeks ago and just had a dose increase at the end of last week as a "last ditch effort" with this med. So far so good. But what you have tried sounds very interesting and may be an option for us if the strattera alone does not work. I have not spoken with his doctor about this yet, we want to give the dose increase a little more time. I'm due to talk to his teacher at the end of the week so I'll no more then. He seems happier and more like a typical 8 year old boy this week so I am feeling a little more hopeful that last week. So we'll see. I was glad to hear you have had a positive result on the combo. I'll let you know if we end up going that route as well. Keep me posted on your continued results. Thanks!

becca3068 · 03-24-2003, 07:52 AM

My son has been on Effexor for over a year for depression/anxiety disorder. Well just a little over two weeks ago we started him on concerta He had shown signs of Hyperactivity so we started him on the lowest dosage of 18mg he seemed to be a little agitated and upset at times, but I just thought this this was a bad week. Well last week we started him on an increased dosage of concerta of 36mg with his 150 mg of Effexor. This week has been horrible and final come to a eruption last night. My son was saying he wished he would die and that everything was making hm angry. He was telling everyone they were idiots. For the past year I have had to deal with getting the effexor dosage to the right level and thought that things were progressing,but now I feel as if the concerta has just thrown us back in the the whirlpool. Can any one give me some insight into this since I am just starting to deal with this side of my child.

MollysDad · 03-25-2003, 05:23 PM

Molly is 8 yrs old 60 lbs 74mg Concerta - 40 mg Strattera.
We are staying with the Strattera because it seems to have a subtle positive effect on her movtivation and interactive skills. Without the Concerta though her focus evaporates - We have been on Strattera for 8 weeks now and tied many dosages and combinations.

RhondaBradshaw · 03-28-2003, 11:09 AM

Hi Mollysdad - Have you seen any strange/concerning side affects w/the strattera and concerta? My son has been on the strattera 40mg/concerta 54mg for 2 weeks now. He's had an occasional headache, and occasional stomache ache (that never really seems to slow him down). I'm only on week 2 of the strattera and know that I have to give it a few more weeks before we see true results, I just wondered if you've seen anything strange w/you child. I'm relieved to know that there is someone else on both meds because you are the first since I've been posting to be in a similar situation. Trev weighs 66 lbs and doesn't eat very well and often has emotional rages that just confuse me. He gets very angry over the smallest thing. He starts counseling April 15th and I hope we can reveal any issues w/his emotions real soon.