Hi, my son is 8 and has ADHD, OCD, and tourettes. He is currently taking Zoloft for OCD and anxiety, Remeron to sleep and Ritalin. The problem is, we have tried Dexedrine, Focalin, and Ritalin twice and nothing seems to work! The ritalin helps him focus but he is incresingly nasty and violent when he takes it. He just got suspended from school for threatening to blow up the school. I am at my wits end and don't know what else to try - I have heard that Clonadine , Tofranil and Tenex work for ADHD - does anyone have any experience with any of those, or any suggestions? Please help!!

Hi Angel,

When a youngster has numerous co-morbidities, medicating ADHD with stimulant meds becomes a trade-off. Given the level of grief you are all going through, I'm wondering whether you would consider working with an expert.

If you have access to any of the Amen Clinics scattered around the country, they have been extremely successful in finding the most helpful med combos in complex cases. Look for books by Daniel Amen, M.D. at your public library to learn more about their approach. Dr. Amen is a board-certified child psychiatrist who pioneered using SPECT scans to pinpoint areas in the brain that are underperforming (cold) as well as the hot spots. The SPECT method can help cut through endless med trials.

Not uncommonly a mood stabilizer or an antiepileptic med will smooth out hot spots that can trigger violent behavior. (Even though your child is neither diagnosed bipolar nor epileptic.) Once the mellowing has begun, then a stimulant may be added successfully.

I urge you to consider all of your options. I know it may seem far away, but many boys start having testosterone surges around age 9 - 10, long before there are any visible signs of puberty. Testosterone generally complicates things.

Best wishes.

Angel,

The first thing that I'd want to do if he were my son is try taking him off the Zoloft. It could very well be making him manic (which would make him more hyper, more agitated, and worsen his insomnia). I'd also want to take him off the stimulants until his agitation improved. Then, I'd want to gradually try it again.

Don't do any of this on your own. These are ideas for you to discuss with your doctor.

Good luck!

I have tried to take him off the Zoloft and he had severe withdrawl - shaking, chills, vomiting, and bad mood swings. I prefer to take him off everything and start from the beginning but the Zoloft does help stabalize his mood (teary-eyed, emotional, depressed feeling) and also helps control the OCD. The Dr. won't take away the Zoloft because he's afraid that we won't be able to pinpoint what is working and what isn't if we make too many changes at once. We had an appointment today and the Dr. switched him to Straterra. I am going to try it and try to be optimistic but I am anticipating the worst. I am going to get the Amen book from my library tomorrow. I will post ASAP with any update/change....

I have tried to take him off the Zoloft and he had severe withdrawl - shaking, chills, vomiting, and bad mood swings. I prefer to take him off everything and start from the beginning but the Zoloft does help stabalize his mood (teary-eyed, emotional, depressed feeling) and also helps control the OCD. The Dr. won't take away the Zoloft because he's afraid that we won't be able to pinpoint what is working and what isn't if we make too many changes at once. We had an appointment today and the Dr. switched him to Straterra. I am going to try it and try to be optimistic but I am anticipating the worst. I am going to get the Amen book from my library tomorrow. I will post ASAP with any update/change....
Try adderal xr that might work.They have patches out to.I never heard of the other meds except for clonodine and thats not for adhd its used for sleep.

No stimulant. Wellbutrin is what you want, but i'm not sure about pediatric dosages and usages. It gives the concentration without the "zip" therefor reducing the manic phases. good luck