Hello - I have a 16 1/2 year old son with ADD/ADHD and also various other dx including Tourett's - however very mild tic's and other symptoms for several years. His school and us ( parents ) have decided to address his ADD symptoms, after being off of all meds for about 2 years. For reasons of not wanting to have increased Tic's - we have just started to investigate Strattera, and will probably start this week sometime. Looking for success or failure stories of other teen's. Preferably in the 16 / 18 year old range.

Thanks

I have a son that just got off Adderall XR because of failing grades and also side effects. It wasn't helping so we quit. We had a script callled in ffpr Strattera but never picked it up. We tried the route of a vision therapist. She works with ADD/ADHD kids also. She list her proffession as a behavioural optometrist.She is wonderful. She believes my son was possibly misdiagnosed with the ADD, and she believes he was positively misdiagnosed with his LD.

This is not a quick fix for my son but it will (hopefully) change his life forever. I have read ALOT on this and not one article, opinion, or statement was negative.

I wish I had more advice to give you, but my son was just so sickly looking on the meds,and he lost so much weight so darn quickly, that we couldn't take it. He had low D's in all 4 classes. Since stopping the meds. he was more alert than he had been in a long time. We did start him on the Gingko Biloba 3x/day and fish oil(omega-3 1000 mg.) 1x/day. He has in 4 weeks time brought up all his grades to mid range C's. His teachers have all passed on to me that he is participating more than he ever has, he is alert, focused, and doing quite well for the first time. He is more alert around here also.

I do not envy you in your struggle, as I have walked that road, and am still finding my way. I pray this is our answer. I hope you find yours. My son by the way is almost 16. Freshman in HS. Sweetest boy, heart of gold, a little immature for that age, but he's my boy http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif He also has that middle child syndrom on top of all else. Poor thing http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

Good luck ans wish I could give you more info, but I just don't have any.

Susan

Hi - Thanks for the reply. My son is dx with Ld as well and goes to a private school her in Ma. for learning dissabilities that is a one of a kind school as far as I am concerned. Mostly for kids that are NOT gifted. There are several kids trying the optomitrist route and even a few that were traveling to wash dc to visit with a guy there that specialized in LD kids. My son has farily profound motor planning and right brain hemisphere issues and no doubt about it. ADD is only one of his dx but it is amazing how he manages to compinsate for his area's of weakness. His personality (especially with the girls ) and fairly decent athletic ability have helped as well. He is a cute kid and the teachers and students like him. The constant theme during his school years has been inability to focus and keep attention as well as some class clown and interuption issues. We tried many meds over the years including some that I feel may have contributed to his LD problems. Those were for explosive behavior issues,which are now under control. He has been med free for 2 years and very minor tic's exception of some eye blinking. SO..... we hesitate to use meds again but are encouraged by the option to try a NON stimulant for the ADD, to see if he can have a chance to be more successful in school and hopefully make it to college. His motor skill deficiencies will most likely keep him out of the trade's - for making a living and his I.Q is not that of one in the high end professions. However his personality will get him somewhere in the life OF that I am sure ! So we want to help him to help him self all that we can and thinking that College not only will help him in this area, but as a social learning experience as well.
I may be asking an awful lot from a drug that we have not even started yet but hopeful none the less.
Will keep you informed as to the success or failure.
thanks for the words.
AD

I have heard alotof good things about Strattera form on here. I will be naxious for you to update me with hopefully the success for your son. I hope this works for him especially, and then for you as parents.

Good luck and will wait for an update http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Susan

Hi. I am 16 and have been on strattera for over a month now. It has been doing great things for me. I can concentrate more in class and at home. But i have been having some very very strange sexual side effects that are really freaking me out. It seems that my penis has shrunken, just to name one. I am wondering if this will be permanent or if it will go away once i stop taking the medication. Please anyone else that this has happend to will you respond with any information you might have. Thank you.

Eric - I am happy to hear about the concentration issue but not to happy obviously about the other problem. Look back on the site for some other guy that had sexual problem. Not with shrinking but with ejaculation problems. I will let you know if I hear anything. Problem is for me I do not know if my son will share that kind of information and I hate to mention to him for fear of putting the thoughts into his mind ahead of time.

AD

Eric : Read the one just below mine. " Adult males on Straterra "

AD

HI! I am a 17 year old girl, also from MA. I was diagnosed with ADHD by a qualified psychiatrist last summer, and my diagnosis was confirmed last November when I took the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)test and found dramatic clinical differentiations between my abilities and my performance. I have been on NUMEROUS different medications. Here are my results:

-ADDERALL XR: No major results; side effects of anxiety
-STRATTERA: No results; experienced minor seizure-like symptoms - specifically, minor black-outs: not being able to see for a minute and getting dizzy or lightheaded (now on separate anti-seizure meds)
-RITALIN: Good results, but only take in the evening for studying and driving since its effects are short-lasting
-CONCERTA: The most effective medication I have been on for ADHD to date

Strattera was only approved and put on the market a few months ago, and is more directed at adult ADHD. If you have a 16 y.o., I would more likely recommend trying your child on Concerta or Ritalin because it is hard to say Strattera's effects - and I personally experienced some very bad effects while I was on it (though my family has a minor history of petty mal seizures). My psychiatrist was very bothered by the effects of Strattera and upon hearing of my reaction, immediately took me off of it because of its short time on the market and also she said it has not been in numerous tests. Also, I don't quite believe that Strattera has a 24-hr effect because I still seemed to be restless and unfocused in the evenings while taking it, not to mention I had difficulty getting to sleep. I don't know anyone else who has taken Strattera, though, and this may be because it is so new. My family and I did some research online and found that, as my psychiatrist mentioned, there have been very few tests administered to finding the side effects of Strattera. So if you can, try other meds before directly going to Strattera. GOOD LUCK!