lasthope

Hi
My son started Ritalin at 7 in the 1st grade...he has ADHD/Impulsivity...is very bright but could not get his work done, called out and had difficulty reading social cues from other kids. He took straight ritalin with the lunchtime dose until 5th grade when he didn't want to go to the nurses office as the kids make fun. also he was rebounding at lunchtime on the playground. So we switched to concerta...basically the same as ritalin...long lasting. for the most part it worked through the middle of the 7th grade and last March we hit the wall. It was if the Concerta was having the opposite effect(can happen in puberty)
Now we are starting Strattera 60mg and 15 mg of Ritalin only in the morning. Our son was never a sleeper...even off meds...once asleep he was in a coma but often from the time he was 7-8 he would lie awake until all hours. I just thought he wanted to be up...since he said he still needed to "play".
The first day off Concerta and just on the Strattera he slept like he was catching up on 10 yrs sleep. Didn't realize that it took a long time to work into the system so the first day at school was awful...basically he was on no meds. I added the ritalin sort of like a strong cup of coffee as he is groggy in the morning. He absolutely did not want to be back on the concerta...one day we gave it to him because of exams and homework and again he didn't sleep. Now that he is getting rest his hyperactivity seems less. The afternoons are still tough with school work and we will have to see what the Doc feels for fall and the workload of the 8th grade.
I know this is a long answer to your question but I think I would either cut the dose of the long acting or figure how you can do the two times a day and have the nurse do the noon dose and let it be worn off by after school. We did that for several years...when they are little it isn't the same problem as when they are bigger. Some feel that hyperactivity can be outgrown..unlike ADD. From our experience sleep deprivation magnified our sons hyperness so you get caught in a vicious circle. His talking is also a bit less which helps.
I worry about the long term side effects of Strattera listed by some of the older boys and men who are on or have tried it. For right now though we are going to try it through the summer. The past number of nights he went to bed willingly and fell asleep in under 10 min
Hope this helps

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worriedMOM