My 13 y o son has been taking Strattera for about 2 years now. He doesn't seem to be doing as well as he was before and the doctor is wanting to change his medication. Some of the meds he metioned were Focalin LA, Metadate CD or Concerta. Can anyone tell me of their exeperiences with any of these?? Maybe someone who has tried a couple of them and had a better experience with one or the other??? Thanks!!

My Son Has Been On Focalin For About 6 Months. We Started Off With Using It As A Booster For In The Mornings To Help Keep Him Focused And Calm Enough To Get Him Ready For School. When The Level Of Concerta He Was On Wasn't Giving Us The Results We Were Hoping For The Dr. Put Him On The Focalin The Whole Day. We Have Been On Dexedrine, Concerta, And Focalin. The Best Was The Concerta. The Focalin Has Been A Nightmare. I Have Felt Like It Has Increased The Symtoms Of Adhd. We Went To The Dr. Today And I Found Out That In Some Rare Cases Adhd Can Peak At A Certain Age. My Son Is 8 And A Half. I Think The Focalin Works Pretty Good As A Booster In The Morning But Definetly Not For A Day Of School. We Went Back To Concerta At A Higher Dose. Yeah Yeah I Already Know The Results, But What Do You Do? I Am Beginning To Think That None Of These Drugs Really Do What They Claim. I Am So Overwhelmed And Only Want My Child To Have A Normal Childhood And To Suceed In This Life. Really Need Some Encouragement From Someone That Has Seen Real! Results From Medication. Is There Hope For All With Adhd?

My son used to be on Metadate. He ended up being put on Focalin in the afternoon because his meds would wear off too soon. Then we decided these meds just were not working enough for him so he was put on Concerta. He did really well on it for a couple of years but then as he got older it stopped working well for him *and he was on 54 mg.!) so he was changed to Dexedrine (which in my opinion doesn't work well at all!) He sees his psychiatrist tomorrow so I'm insisting that they try something different! He also needs to be put on something at night because let me tell you, he is an absolute terror and bundle of energy...and I mean a fireball! In my opinion though of all of the meds he's been on Ritalin and Concerta worked the best.

AngelintheSky, I know what you mean about your concern about drugs. Try doing a search on how foods can affect our children. I often speak of a story that they did on a doctor who's practise is in Detroit. She has nearly 100% success turning kids, who've been diagnosed with ADD and had trouble on medication, around by using an elimination diet, to find what possible foods and food additives are exacerbating their conditions. Most kids, I'm convinced, don't need drugs, but a healthy diet, free of food additives and sugar. Do a search on "healthy lunch programs" that have been instituted in some school districts where nearly all bad behaviors have disappeared. The first thing they do is remove soda and other vending machines.

My 4 year old son has been giving me tons of problems. I am unable to control him and he does not listen to anything anyone says. He seems to be unable to control himself. For 2 wks he has been on Adderall XR. The first week, it was a miracle. After that...I found he went right back to his old self. His dr has now prescribed him Concerta 36mg. I am just wondering....has anyone found this drug to help? I feel AWFUL with putting him on any meds but I am at my breaking point. He will hit me and his brother and has screamed and yelled hurtful, hateful things to get his way. He seems to want to behave, but is unable to control himself. Anyone able to give me a help in feeling better about the choice to medicate him?

CONFUSEDMOMI, BELIEVE ME IT WAS VERY HARD PUTTING MY SON ON MEDICNE. MY HUSBAND WAS VERY AGAINST IT ALSO. HE BASICALLY LET ME DO WHAT I THOUGHT. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. THE SCHOOL WAS LOOKING AT US LIKE WE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP HIM. HE WAS SEEN BY A COUNSELOR AT A PHYSCIATRIC OFFICE FIRST. HE HAD A VERY HARD TIME WITH THINKING HE WAS ADHD. AT THE AGE OF 5 MY SON LOST HIS BEST FRIEND; HIS GRANDFATHER. I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THAT WAS HIS PROBLEMS FIRST. THEN I STARTED TO RESEARCH ADHD AND THE MORE I RESEARCHED THE MORE MY HEART TOLD ME THAT IT IS ADHD. THERE ARE TO MANY SIGNS. THE ONLY PROBLEM HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT MEDICINE. WE HAVE BEEN ON DEXEDRINE, 1 WEEK OF RITILAN,CONCERTA, AND FOCALIN AND BACK ON CONCERTA NOW. IT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER HAD TO DEAL WITH IN MY LIFE. IT HAS EVEN BEEN HARDER THAN HAVING 2 MISCARRIAGES. I KNOW THAT IS QUITE A STATEMENT BUT ATLEAST THOSE 2 BABIES ARE IN GOOD HANDS AND NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE DAILY STRESSES OF ADHD. ANSWER YOUR QUESTION; I THINK THAT CONCERTA HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND THE LESS SIDE EFFECTS. IT IS NICE BEING ABLE TO HAVE A 12 HOUR PILL INSTEAD OF EVERY 4 HOURS. IT KEEPS HIM AT THE SAME LEVEL ALL DAY INSTEAD OF UP AND DOWN. HE IS NOT AS SHAKY AS HE WAS ON FOCALIN. THE FOCALIN WAS A NIGHTMARE. IT ONLY INTENSEFIED ALL THE ADHD SYMPTOMS. CONCERTA HAS NOT BEEN THE MIRACLE PILL FOR US. EVERYTIME WE HAVE SWITHCHED MEDICINES THE DOCTOR HAS TOLD ME WE SHOULD KNOW BY THE END OF 2 WEEKS. I HAVE REALLY LEARNED THAT ADHD IS TRULY DIFFERENT FOR EACH PERSON. IT IS A VERY COMPLEX DISORDER. MY ADVICE THAT I TRY TO FOLLOW IS BE PATIENT AND TAKE IT ONE HOUR AT A TIME. I ALSO REMIND MYSELF THAT THEY CAN NOT CONTROL THEMSELVES. ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK. SUPPORT FROM OTHERS AND A PLACE TO VENT IS TRULY A GREAT HELP. SORRY IT IS SO LONG. IT HELPS ME TO GET IT OUT. GOD BLESS YOU AND GOOD LUCK! :angel:

Please, if you haven't already, find a doctor who knows about elimination diets or do one yourself. It's very simple. Some children are unusually sensitive to sugar, food preservatives and additives. Basically, cook like your grandmother did - from scratch. Eliminate junk food, candy, desserts. And absolutely no sodas. You have to try this for a minimum of 2 weeks, but a month or more is best. Diet may not be your child's only problem, but it can certainly exacerbate and heighten problems. Children like this need a lot of attention, so they don't need to work at getting it. They often don't do well in a stuctured school setting because there isn't enough stimulation to keep them interested. Children do not need to be drugged. A doctor in Detroit has 100% success using elimination diets on children.

If a diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, etc., doesn't completely do the trick, a good therapist (not psychiatrist) or counselor could help. If they could come into the home and observe the family dynamics, that could be a great tool. Most parents are good parents, but it could be subtle things that are going on that are adding to a child's emotional problems.

The drug side effects just aren't worth the risk. My nephew now has Tourette's Sydrome after taking Ritalin for years. Please do some research on what these drugs do to the bodies and minds of children. Do some research on natural ways of helping kids that can actually cure them. Drugs don't cure anything.

My 4 year old son has been giving me tons of problems. I am unable to control him and he does not listen to anything anyone says. He seems to be unable to control himself. For 2 wks he has been on Adderall XR. The first week, it was a miracle. After that...I found he went right back to his old self. His dr has now prescribed him Concerta 36mg. I am just wondering....has anyone found this drug to help? I feel AWFUL with putting him on any meds but I am at my breaking point. He will hit me and his brother and has screamed and yelled hurtful, hateful things to get his way. He seems to want to behave, but is unable to control himself. Anyone able to give me a help in feeling better about the choice to medicate him?

See my post on the first page...

i find that ppl are too quick to reach for the pills when it comes to dealing with ADHD kids.

i have met a LOT of kids that weren't actually ADHD at all - they were just bright, active kids who didn't fit in with the schedules set by the schools and parents. and yet, these kids were doped up and told they were "not normal", that they had a "problem".

it says a lot that the actual incidence of ADHD in the population is 3%, yet almost 30% of school kids are being treated for ADHD/ADD!

i hate to say it, but bright, active kids need hard parenting. my older daughter was as bad as they get - she hurt herself and she hurt others, but i managed to raise her to adulthood and her wedding without the use of meds. she didn't graduate school, but at 14, she was making 200 to 400 USD a week doing website design and voice acting for an east indian electronics company. she is now a voice actress for an animation company and her website is a huge fan favourite. i am SO happy i didn't dope her into "normality".

yes, it was unbelievably stressful, particularly times when things got really bad (staying awake around the clock for three days until she got over her compulsion to slash herself to ribbons with a serrated bread knife - the first time it happened, the bathroom looked like something out of CSI!). but it was very, very worth it.

if only i'd known about my younger daughter, who has the REAL problem.....

The percentage of foster kids of psych meds is very high. They have behaviorial problems because they have a messed up home life, have lost their parents or any number of other tragedies. They AREN'T mentally ill and drugging them just adds to the tragic situation. One little 7 year old that we were called about awhile back, was on Trazodone! I couldn't believe it! I called the manufacturer and they said that it was NOT for children, but the stupid shrink STILL refused to take the boy off the drug! The poor kid couldn't even do his homework. Trazodone makes even adults, very sleeping and can take away all motivation.

Hi, my son changed from Adderol to Concerta last summer. He is 12, and it was he that asked to change his pill, mainly so the school kids didn't see him take it (it is a once a day, in the morning pill) The pro's was an all around better pill, he is at 63 mgs 1 time a day. The only complaint is it starts slow -maybe about 2 hrs to start working. This may be different because of metabolism. So, we get up at 5:45! no big deal. Am very pleased with it for now.

:wave: Hi I am new here but would like to share my experiences. I have two daughters and one son. My oldest girl (now 14) was diagnosed with ADHD with anxiety disorder and learning difficulties and is on Concerta 54mg and Effexor. My youngest daughter (now 13) is ADHD with agressive and impulsive tendencies (I am currently researching bipolar disorder since she has more symptoms of it than ADHD) and she is on Concerta 54mg and Risperdol 1mg 2X daily. My son (6) is on Adderall XR for ADHD with learning and focusing issues. With my 13 year old, she was diagnosed when she was 5 and was throwing knives at her sister and was very violent, and her sister was getting physically hurt. I was at my wits end. I also ended up on prozac just to be able to handle it all. I will admit I did not want to put any of my kids on meds but researched everything I could and finally decided to do a three month trial with Ritalin and we finally settled on concerta since the girls only have to take it in the morning. I find that the Concerta works wonders for both my girls but with my youngest daughter, I can notice immediately when I come home from work if her dad has not given her her meds that morning. Also I found that I had to make sure the Concerta is taken before 9am or my girls are up all hours of the night. For your piece of mind, do the research on the drug in question; ask your doctor, ask your pharmacist, do internet research. Find out all that you can, I found it helped immensely in making my decision. Hope this helps.

Karen

KARIBRADFORD, BLESS YOUR HEART! I HAVE 2 BOYS BUT ONLY ONE HAS ADHD. I CAN'T IMAGE THE STRESS YOU HAVE WENT THROUGH. I CAN RELATE SOMEWHAT. MY SON HAS A PROBLEM WITH FOCUSING IN SCHOOL. HE IS UNDER A 504 PLAN. THIS IS WHERE THE TEACHERS GIVE ACCOMADATIONS TO BE ABLE TO DO HIS WORK. I JUST GOT HIS PROGRESS REPORT TODAY AND JUST WANTED TO CRY. HE GOT 3 C'S AND A D WITH TREMENDOUS HELP IN HIS CLASSROOM.THAT MEANS WITH OUT THE HELP HE WOULD BE FAILING 3RD GRADE. HE HAS 3 TEACHERS IN HIS CLASSROOM AND IS STILL A BIG HANDFUL. I WISH THAT SOMEONE HAD A CURE OR A QUICK FIX FOR THIS. IT SEEMS TO BE SO DIFFICULT TO FIND THE RIGHT MEDICATION FOR HIM. THE DOCTOR SAID THAT VERY RARE DOES IT TAKE THIS MUCH TIME TO FIND THE RIGHT MEDICINE BUT THAT IT CAN TAKE TIME IN SOME CASES. DO YOU FEEL THAT THE MEDICNES THAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE ON REALLY WORK OR JUST ENOUGH TO KIND OR GET BY? I AM REALLY THINKING THAT THERE WON'T BE A MEDICINE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL HIM ENOUGH IN SCHOOL. WHAT IS A PERSON SUPPOSE TO DO. I AM SO AFRAID THAT HE WILL NOT GET A GOOD EDUCATION BECAUSE OF THIS AND WHAT WILL HIS LIFE HOLD FOR HIM AS AN ADULT. SORRY FOR RAMBLING BUT IT HELPS TO TALK TO SOMEONE THAT CAN RELATE. :confused:

Hi Angelinthesky2. Sorry this is sooo long, but thank you so much for the support! You have no idea how much I appreciate someone who is supportive! I can definitely relate to how you feel with your son. My son's report card said pretty much the same thing but he is only in grade 1. I am fighting to have him tested academically through the school board and a fight it definitely is. They want to do nothing until grade three and to me that is unacceptable. They have already modified his workload, but he is not eligible to other programs until the testing is done. For my oldest daughter and my son, the meds work well, but behaviour modification is a big thing to go along with it. At school, I find that alot of how my kids do depends on the teachers. If I have a teacher who is willing to work with me (who does not want my child drugged up to the point they are zombies), then there is usually no problem but my oldest daughter's teacher this year is not so co-operative and we have butt heads on a few issues. My daughter has been tested thru the schoolboard and has an IEP (individual eduacation plan) that must be followed by the teacher, which this one does not want to do. As far as my 13 year old goes, I feel the meds are just getting her by and that is why I am researching bipolar before I go to the doctors. I found an excellent article on Bipolar vs ADHD and it really opened my eyes a bit. If you are interested, you might want to do an internet search on that and give it a read. I do not have the support of my husband as far as discipline goes with my 13 year old and we just (only minutes ago) had a huge fight and he told my daughter he has washed his hands of her and that he wants nothing to do with her anymore. He had grounded her from telehone and computer for 5-9 days (can't he set a fixed amount of time???) for something really menial and I tried to get him to understand that is not going to work. This is usually the same punishment he dishes out for when she has done something really bad. My daughter has told me repeatedly that if she gets that for just saying something like "Whatever" to her dad(using a snotty tone and bad-timing) then she might as well go all the way and do something really nasty. With me, if she reaches 5 days without phone or computer then she truly deserves it because I start with half day of lost phone time then half day of lost computer time and she builds her way up. (I have to be totally unreactive when I do this) She has only reached 5 days of lost privileges twice so far and now she stops by the time she has reached a full day of each. When hubby grounds her, since phone and computer are my daughter's outlets right now, without those, she feels that it is fair game to reek havoc on her brother and sister and I have to referee all the time. I tried to get hubby to realize that he is punishing me, not her, in the long run and have asked him for his support to try things my way for a change. He refuses. You're right, I am stressed out. Some days I would rather be at work than here, but I chose to work the night shift because I can put the kids off to school and be here for when they get home. Thanks again for your support. It really means alot. I know this is only my second day here on this message board, but I feel that I have finally found somewhere where people understand what I am going through.

lol - sorry - but it's just really bizarre how many times it seems the other parent needs to be parented as much as the kids do!

i went nuts with my ex trying to get him to understand that no, nikkita canNOT stop rolling her eyes - "she's not being rude, it's the frigging tourette's, you moron!". i LOVE the ramping up thing - i did it in 15 minute increments and oh, how i used to want to laugh because she would scream and cry and beg and plead, all because i grounded her for 15 minutes from the computer, lol.

Well a bit of better news today. We went back on concerta at 180 mg. we were on focalin. That was a nightmare. He was a bit out of control. We have been back on concerta for 2 weeks and I can breathe a little more. I still don't think it is the miracle pill. Maybe I am expecting too much from these medications. Would anyone say that the medicine their children are on has completely helped adhd or just enough to get by? I am begining to think that the medications only help them enough to get by. This is sad because most adhd children are very intelligent but can not suceed to a high level due to adhd. Anybody have any testimonies of being a kid with adhd and growing up to be very successful? It would really help me.I Feel like everyday they have to fight with adhd is another day that they could have learned more. If they go thru school and are not able to learn all the information they need, how can they be successful at a high level? I know I am rambling. It is just that adhd is so complicated and I hate not being able to help my son and make it better. Any input would be great! Thanks for listening to me. It is my therapy to get through all this. :dizzy:

I have never heard of focalin or metadate. I know my son was on alot of medications. He was diagnosed with ADHD at 4 but they wouldn't treat him until he was school age, 5. He started on adderall and it all went downhill from there. The doctor's solution was to increase dosage and continue psychiatric treatment. At age 7, He was also diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome ( a form of Autism). Our son's situation was getting worse where he would act out in school, mood swings from happy to sad to wanting to destroy the world feelings. At the age of 8, he was on concerta 36 mg., zyprexa (for treatment of bipolar disorder), lexapro 10mg.(to combat the depression), he was also on time on paxil, along with bed wetting medicine to keep him from wetting the bed every night, because the medicines he was taking made him pass out! We actually turned to a product we heard about and with nothing to lose tried it and we have seen great results. My son, I'm proud to say, is no longer on medication and doesn't need it anymore. He is a 10 year old, talks like a 10 year old and acts like a 10 year old and to be honest, it is a beautiful sight to see. He said that when we took him off the medication he actually felt like a human, with feelings. He still has group sessions with his Asperger group and is doing fine. We cannot say enough about the product Reliv. It definitely made a difference in his life. I hope this helps in some way.

bjfreeman, what is reliv? would love to hear more information on it. is it a natural product or a prescribed medication?

Yes, it's all natural. Believe me, I was a skeptic at first. We absolutely had nothing to lose. He has 2 shakes a day. He has actually began to grow in height and weight (from all the meds had done to him). I figured I didn't have anything to lose since they have a 30-day money back guarantee. Within that month, was when we made the decision to take him off meds. His doctor loves the results that he sees in our son. Again, we still have group sessions with him, because right now, his mind is trying to play catch up to his body. The doctor believes it was a nutrional need he had and Reliv filled in the holes. Yeah, well I certainly witnessed that! It was just amazing how he changed, and I'm hearing a lot of people talk about this product to help with just that problem. He is still growing and growing strong, thank goodness. I started using this product on my daughter who was just diagnosed with milk allergies and I am now able to give her milk products, with no stomach cramps and constipation.

Believe me this is not a sales pitch, I have witnessed first hand what this product can do and has done in our life.

My son was diagnosed about 2yrs ago w/ADHD, I would definitely have to say concerta is a great option. He was on Concerta for the first 8 months til we got up to 54mg (which is the max for his age), we then were switched to Focalin which definitely didn't work, he had mood swings and rage (not like he doesn't have mood swings but on focalin it was very, very bad.) ;) He is now on Adderral which I'm having second thoughts about b/c of the tic's both my husband and I have noticed. Try Concerta I wish my son would still be on it it worked out great for him.
Good Luck and keep us posted.

My daughter just started concerta and was on it for about one to two weeks and then for the summer after school ended and she went to her dads, I was told by her doctor that she didn't have to take the medicine during the summer. Her dad found out that she was on meds and now is mad and says that she could have some side effects. After just a few weeks and at 18mgs can she even already have it in her body. To say that without it she will not good. Or is he just being a jerk?

please help Adeline