Hi.This is the first time I am writing on this site and am thrilled that other people have the same questions and situations as me.I have a 10 year old son who was dx with adhd at age 5.He had no success with ritalin but was great with adderall until a few weeks ago.He started to get insomnia and very poorly in school.A generally nice kid he was negative and not focused.I took him to a new neurologist the beginning of March and he suggested Straterra.My son started on 18mg then 25mg.The school and we at home were having such troubles with his attitude and lack of concentration that we were able to move him to 40 mg 3 days ago.He is not cooperative and obnoxious many times.He is eating much better now and sleeping but when does the focusing come back with this medicine.He has been in trouble every day this week due to talking in class.Any feedback would be wonderful.Thanks so much.

Our 10-year old started a week or so ago at 25 mg for 4 days then moved to 40 mg. He's doing quite well (fingers crossed). He seems to be getting to sleep earlier and eating a bit better than he was when taking the Adderall. The experts say it takes a least a month of Strattera to see valid results, so I'll update our experiences as we go. It'd be helpful if you and others would do the same. This is such a new drug, we need to learn from each other.

walleyek,thanks for your feedback.I certainly will keep posting my son's progress.

I wish you good luck with the strattera. My 8 year old son has been on it for 4 weeks. At the 31/2 week mark I was ready to call it quits but his doctor recommended a 10 mg dose increase over the next 7 to 10 days for a total dose of 35 mg. He only weighs 57 pounds. Though we have seen some positive effects (calmer in the am, and a higher frustration tolerance ie: it doesn't have to be perfect, he doesn't always have to win or beat the next level in the playstation game!) he is not as focused and continued phone calls from the teacher he can't settle. I took him to church yesturday and he was climbing out of his skin. Veerryy fidgety!! I'm just not sure this is the right med. for him. I've decided to give it to the end of the week and if no better we're going to either switch back to the concerta or possibly talk to the neurologist about maybe doing a low dose of each if this is recommended.

To CMMG: I understand exactly what you are describing.Our son is 57 lbs and so we went with the 40mg.Although he is doing better with the anxieties he has little to no focus in school.I feel like I have a personal relationship with his teachers.He is so antsy and has little desire to do his schoolwork.He has become so obstinant.But we are going to hang in there at least another 3 weeks and hope for the best.Thanks for writing.

My 12 yr old son just started using straterra yesterday. I asked how he felt and he said fine, but tired. He came home from school - went out to play for a little while, but after an hour came in and fell asleep .. (never happens), I woke him to see if he wanted to eat - he did, (rare) he ate, sat with me on the couch, was very calm we watched tv he went to bed at 8:30 (NEVER happens),all in all he seems calmer, not as moody, and much nicer to be around - however this is the first day... after reading through most of the posts I can't help but wonder what is in store the next three weeks... I am only concerned at this point with the sleepiness, I am reading that it will subside, I hope so.. he is switching from 15 mg of adderall xr ... I appreciate any comments/feedback

Hi! I have a 10 year old son, weighs 70lbs who is taking Concerta 54mg. This was recently changed because the Adderall XR 30mg made him miserable. He was not able to channel his frustrations in any way but anger! We've put him back on the Concerta 54mg for his ADHD and for the anxiety and what seems to be slight depression, he is taking the Concerta, and at night takes 40 mg of Strattera. The doc suggested we try both, get him some counseling and possibly ween him off the Concerta. We've been on this medication for 1 week now and just w/the Concerta and strattera, he is doing very well. My son is severe ADHD so the Strattera at 40mg, is supposed to help him get through puberty (and his raging hormones), help him deal w/channeling his frustration and the Concerta does it's job in school. He can finally focus again. It's only been 1 week on the Strattera, and every day is a new one, but I've seen good results so far. I'll keep you posted. Hang in there. ADHD isn't fixed overnight, in our case, it hasn't been fixed since he was 3. We've been battling this for almost 8 years now as he will be 11, April 1st. Good luck to you!

My son was very sleepy during the first several days but that has since subsided.He is eating well now which was an issue before and sleeps well now as well.He is however very stubborn and giving my husband,his teachers,and me a hard time doing his homework and staying on task.We see the neurologist in a few weeks so I hope by then he is showing some progress with this medicine.Thanks for writing.

RhondaBradshaw,Thanks for writing.This is a wonderful website.My son was only on adderall 40mg a day and was miserable several weeks prior to starting straterra.We are in our 2nd week and holding our breath as he is getting into trouble for constant talking,or easily getting annoyed.He is nowhere as easily annoyed about everything as when he was on the final weeks of adderall.I wish you the best of luck and keep in touch.

Momofzak, I think you will see better result if you apply behavioral management together with Straterra as Straterra alone is not going to be enough to help any kid. My son is going into 5th week of Straterra and he is in much better mood, does not get angry as easily and very pleasant most of the time. He does not have much behavior problem before though he can be a little stubborn sometimes. Now, he is more willing to listen to reasoning and accept consequences.

We are using various methods (short-term and long term goals and reward for each goal)to motivate him and celebrate any improvement he has made. An example of short term goal: he will get a new Bionicle if he finishes all his school work in class for one whole week. Now, that is tough as completing all school work daily is a big problem for him! Long term goal: he is given a check for every single thing that he does well, e.g. practicing piano without getting angry, finish all his food, being extra nice to his sister, complete his homework quickly. His goal is to collect 100 checks together with his sister's help and we will get him the dog that he has wanted for a year! I remove a "check" if he does something really bad as a punishment, but I try to limit punishment as he gets discouraged. Somedays when he wants to give up on this goal as it is too difficult, I will find things to give him "checks" and he purks up again, I do not let him give up his goal.

I am still working very hard with my son as his performance in school is still not consistent. I am sharing my experience with you as I hope this will help your son. Good luck.

Today is day 3 on 25 mg of Straterra, so far so good, but I can tell it is not enough.. he goes up to the 40 mg on Friday, I am a little nervous about it, sounds like such a big increase. But he seems to be more calm, and he doesn't get irratated as easily or angry. He is definatley more pleasant.

I noticed alot of the posters made reference to appt's with a neurologist, my dr has never made that suggestion, why do you take your kids to see a neurologist, what do they get from it.

I also really liked the idea with the rewards system that was posted, think I will try something like that at home.

Hi JeffRMom, Thanks for your suggestions.I have attempted to use some behavioral management as this behavior with his homework is new to us.He was always very cooperative doing his homework.I have not tried the chart as this approach was not always successful for us but I am willing to try again.Today was better.He supposedly only had one difficulty today.Each day we hope will get better.Thanks again.

Hi Rozie, we took our son to a neurologist originally when he was 5 yrs old for an official dx.We have another son who is 16yrs old with add without hyperactivity so we saw some of the signs and symptoms.We took our 10yr old to a neurologist recently as he was having a terrible time on the adderall suddenly(insomnia,easily irritated,etc)for another evaluation.Our pediatrician recommended our son might not have adhd(he does according to neurologist)and if he does he may be on the wrong medicine.So hear we are trying straterra.Good luck to you and thanks for writing.

Hi Momofzak - My son was on adderall XR also prior to starting the straterra - I noticed that he was easily upset or irritated too, but always considered that a personality trait. Since he has been taking the Straterra, (day 4), I have noticed that he is alot calmer, doesn't get upset or irritated as much. So I hope that this med is the answer. I have often felt that our pediatrician wasn't doing enough as far as evaluations and just providing information. He determined my son as add by a form that myself and his teachers filled out.. I have to make sure that I schedule reg appts with our dr., but he doesn't do anything more than a reg physical, is that normal??

I also wondered if insurances were covering Straterra yet, I checked the web for my insurance company and it is not listed yet. Is this med expensive?

Thanks for all your help ..

hi Rozie, the pediatrician generally gave us a prescription for the adderall and occasionally weighed our son to monitor his weight.The neurologist dx Zak via the same route as you with a list of symptoms and behavioral traits listed by my husband and I. We just spoke to our neurologist and explained our concern if straterra was the drug of choice.He told us to wait a little longer as we are entering week 3(week 2 on the 40mg).Hope this helps.Good luck.

Originally posted by Rozie:
My 12 yr old son just started using straterra yesterday. I asked how he felt and he said fine, but tired. He came home from school - went out to play for a little while, but after an hour came in and fell asleep .. (never happens), I woke him to see if he wanted to eat - he did, (rare) he ate, sat with me on the couch, was very calm we watched tv he went to bed at 8:30 (NEVER happens),all in all he seems calmer, not as moody, and much nicer to be around - however this is the first day... after reading through most of the posts I can't help but wonder what is in store the next three weeks... I am only concerned at this point with the sleepiness, I am reading that it will subside, I hope so.. he is switching from 15 mg of adderall xr ... I appreciate any comments/feedback
my son is 12 and has adhd. we tried adderal, concerta and now he is taking strattera which he has been on for 5 weeks and we are having great results. he is paying attention in school, he made the honor roll, he is nicer to be around, and he is not making quick decisions without thinking to do the wrong thing. now he thinks about his decision and does the right thing. although in the past two days he has developed hives and i am hoping it is not an allergic reaction to the medicine. good luck

To Slammatina,Thanks for writing.It's encouraging.I guess we will wait it out and hope for the best.

This is my first posting:

Does anyone have a specific nutritional plan for their ADD or AD/HD child?

What foods should/or should not be eaten??

hi rozie I am from central pa. as well. My 10yr old has be on Strat. for about 5 weeks now not seeing much improvement other then better eating, and sleeping. Even this past week he has been sick almost every day with vomiting. We go to the doctors on Fri. don't know what is going to happen. I hate to see him back on stims. but he is not doing well in school at all right now the teacher say he has went downhill see he has been on this med. I was really hopeing for better results with this made an I guess I still am. It good to be able to talk to people in the same boat. Oh my son takes 60mg was moved to that amount on March 1st from 40mg.

My son is twelve and has been on Strattera (40mg) for about 6 weeks. The only difference we have seen is better eating and sleeping. This week we received calls from school complaining about his behavior. We called his Dr. and he switched him back to Adderall XR (30mg). He was on this prior to the Strattera with okay results. I had high hopes for Strattera but, unfortunately, it didn't work for my son.

Hi, I am very excited to have found other parents going through the some of the same issues that we are! mumufzak & rozie - how are things progressing on strattera?

My daughter (noticed there are not a lot of "girls" being discussed) is 8 years old and we started on Strattera 2 weeks ago. We started with 18 mg for 4 days and have settled at 25 mg. My daughter only weighs 52 pounds. She was dx ADD a year ago. We started with Concerta going through 18 mg, then 36 mg - it just stopped working. We then switched to Adderall XR - after several months and raising her dosage twice - it too seemed to stop working. But with the Adderall she emotionally "fell apart". The Adderall kept her up - she was only getting 6-7 hours of sleep a night (even though we were putting her to bed 3-4 hours earlier - she would lay there, wide awake!)and she lost 9 pds and had zero appetite. Things fell apart at home and school. She became very nasty, moody, was unable to focus in school, became very fidgety and impulsive. . . she also became extremely depressed - she tells us she feels "sad" inside and she would cry for long periods of time for no apparent reason. She seemed to lose interest in the things she normally enjoyed - it is heartbreaking.

Her eating has improved on strattera and she is sleeping an average of 9 hours a night now. Her mood seems better but she is still having focusing issues at school. I am hoping that this will improve over the next couple of weeks. We have noticed several "tics" she had have come back full force since starting the strattera. She is very oral - constant lip licking and shirt & hair chewing. Her Dr. has also prescribed zoloft to help with the depression and "tics" (OCD tendencies). We are suppose to start the zoloft next week after she has been on strattera for 3 weeks.

Is anyone else dealing with depression with their child or been prescribed anti-depressents??

Hi Laners, about 4 days ago our son had such a meltdown in school that we took him off the straterra.He's behavior was obnoxious and horrible while on the straterra.He had no concentration or focusing and was so rude it was unbelievable.Now we have him on Concerta 36 and he is thank goodness a new child.He is not in trouble at school and relatively polite once again.We are so happy to be off the straterra but hope it works for others.

I wanted to share a very positive story about Strattera. I am a mother of a 6 year old that was recently diagnosed with ADD (no hyperactivity). We have been struggling with ADD for almost two years. I had reached rock bottom when I continued to have to pick my son up from school because he wasn't doing his work and spending our afternoon basically homeschooling. My son was burnt out on work. His self-esteem was in jeapardy. He realized he couldn't keep up with the other children.

I was against medication for the last two years. I spent thousands of dollars on threapists but I feel was to young to grasp the concepts that could help him with school. I am very conservative when it comes to drugs. I don't beliveve in much medication of any kind or even soda with caffine.

I sat in his class and observed how hard he was trying and how hard he struggled. We decided to give my son Strattera since his education was at risk. I expected to see results within one to two weeks. We saw results the first day. For some reason, he had immediate results - I realize Strattera isn't suppose to work this way. Our lives have completely turned around. My son completes all of his work in class. He follows directions and listened to the teachers. We are at week 6 with very little side effects. He had a few tired days. His pupils are dilated at times and has had a few stomach aches. He is feeling fine overall. I keep a daily log on how he feels to that I can track any trends.

I know that this is just the beginning. I pray for all the parents that have this challenge. Please stay as hopeful as you can. I know my son is trying to hard as he can. These kids are trying twice as hard as the other kids in class. Don't let the grades or teachers get you down. I would like to hare from others that have had sucesss with Strattera.

Dear Hopefulmom,I am so pleased that straterra is working for your son.I had high hopes for this medicine for my son but it was not successful.Best of luck to you and all of us with wonderful children with add or adhd.

We are about begining of week 5 with our 8 year old son. Prescribed for inattention with some impulsivity and hyperactivity. More at school than at home. Tried Ritalin but it made him VERY hyper. SO far the Strattera seems to have calmed him down. Some tiredness when he hit his full dose. Loss of appetite particularly in the evenings - thank goodness for a good breakfast - but also seems to be craving less high sugar snacks. Maybe there are different etiologies of ADHD behavior that respond best to different medications.

My 7 yr old son started Strattera about 4 weeks ago, and I also have to say that the only positive changes I've seen are better eating and sleeping. I too feel like I have a personal relationship with his teacher. She's ben sending home notes almost every day about how bad his behavior is, etc. She's been excellent so far, but I'm sure it's beginning to grate on her nerves.

I had heard on other threads that they can use Strattera in conjunction with other meds. I am definitely going to ask about this at our next appt on Tuesday. He was on Concerta and it seemed to work well, except for eating and sleeping. He lost too much weight. He only weighs 43lbs, and that's after gaining 3 lbs. He's 7 1/2, so I don't want him to lose too much more weight. Has anyone had any experience with this combination??
Thanks

I need advice. My son started Straterra yesterday for the first time. He had been on Adderall XR for 3 years, but did not work as well as I thought. The doctor only started him on 10 mg in the morning for 2 weeks then 10 mg in the morning and evening. Well, after yesterday and today, I don't think I will be giving it to him anymore. I actually have a sore throat from hollering at him so much. He did stuff that he hasn't done in years, he was standing up on my counter tops, running outside in the rain with no shoes on, telling me to shut up, just being rude disrespectful and hyper. I had to lock myself in my bedroom. It got soo bad this afternoon, I ended up giving him a dose of his Aderrall. I just could not handle it anymore. Is this normal. There is no way I can send him to school tomorrow acting this way. I won't even be able to make it to work and they will be calling me to come get him. He is 10 years old and weights about 50 lbs. Is 10 mg too low of a dose and should I ask his doctor if he can stay on the Adderall XR until the Straterra is at an effective dose.

Sorry to be so long, but I do not have anyone else to vent my frustrations on.

Thanks!

Thank you to everybody that has posted on the new drug strattera. This is my first time that I have needed to post. I have a 13 year old son that has been on strettara for 2 mo. He was doing wonderful up until yesterday. He improved in all his classes at school the teachers have praised this new medication over and over. Josh went from 30% and 40% in all his classes to 78% and above. In Science he has gone from a 42% average to 100%. WOW! There was no side effects other than the first week when he was tired all the time but that straightened out. I had his pupils checked they were normal infact his vision improved on the Strattera. Then Yesterday I recieved a new perscriptin from the pharmacy with in 20 minutes of taking it Josh is dry heaving, headaches. It subsided last night in fact he seemed fine most of the night. Then this am he got up and was fine again until he took the new batch of meds. He started dry heaving again splitting headaches for about 2hours. I called the pharmacy its the same medication 60mg. and I called the Doctor. We have an appointment this am. Has any body had any of these delayed reactions to strattera? Or reations to a new batch of strattera recently?

My 10-year old has been taking 40 mg of Strattera for almost 5 weeks now. School has been going pretty well, sleeping/eating have improved. A bad incident happened this weekend. We traveled for a family wedding. My children were watched at the hotel by their grandmother for a few hours while my wife and I attended a hockey game with the rest of the wedding party. My daughter (6) opened one of my son's pool toys thinking it was hers, and my son went into a manic rage. His grandmother tried to calm him down and he started swinging his arms wildly and managed to strike her next to her eye. Grandma called us on our cell during the hockey game and reported that our son was out of control and hit her. My wife asked to speak to him and told him he was in trouble when we got back. He became so paranoid that he ran out of the hotel without his shoes or jacket (23 degrees). We came back from the game and he'd been missing for 30 minutes. A bit later a police car pulled up and my son was in the back seat. My son told the police his grandmother hit him and he became scared and ran. Needless to say, something like this has NEVER happened with our son. I'm very concerned about Strattera causing a level of rage so high, it can be dangerous. When he was taking Adderall, we didn't see manic outbursts. Strattera is so new, I need to talk to someone to find out if rage could be a side effect of the drug. We've already decided to discontinue Strattera if another negative event occurs similar to this one. Any similar experiences out there?

Does your son have a history of behavioral problems?

Certainly his impulsivity has gotten him into trouble, but before the Strattera he never became so out of control as to hit someone. I'm seeing a temper level now that I haven't seen before. The jury's out on Strattera at our house. We're hanging in there hoping another such episode doesn't occur. If it does, the Straterra is history...

ttrimper, Strattera does not work immediately like the stimulant type drugs, it may take a few weeks for it to have its full effects. What is your child like without any meds? He may need to continue his adderall till the strattera kicks in. You would need to consult your MD about this. Don't give up on the Stattera yet.

walleyek- We had an experience of similiar nature, but not as severe. My son has been on it now for 8 weeks, but this happened about 3 weeks ago. My 6 year old was with his grandmother, and he wanted to bring these huge toy blocks home. She knows that I don't want them over here. So she said no. He wigged out. He cried hysterically the whole trip home (10 mins) and slammed the car door. He ran up to his snowman that he loved (made it with Dad), and he physically attacked the snowman. He hit it so hard that he knocked it over (It was a BIG snowman). Then he really freaked out and cried uncontrollably for 45 min. Very strange behavior. We haven't seen anything else like it since. I am keeping an eye on him though. He is a very gentle and happy kid. He NEVER behaved this way before. Could be strattera or could just be growing pains. Hard to know.

I am 28 yrs old and have been on straterra for a short period of time. At 40mg I am having major side effects that I am wondering if anyone else has. I have serious hot flashes where I sweat. Sometimes it is a cold sweat with chills. I have not seen anyone else write about this so I am a little alarmed. This happens throughout the day. Another side effect is nausea. I actually have thrown up a couple of times. I have a nauseous feeling most of the day,too. I have also had times where I can get really mean and very irritated. I don't have some of these side effects, I have them all and pretty regularly. SO does anyone know if this will pass with time? I am supposed to go up 40 more mg soon. I have gone up before but the side effects got worse, so I went back down pretty quick. Can someone tell me if they have these side effects, too? Thanks!

My 6 year old daughter freaked out after being on strattera for 3 weeks and hit a teacher in the lunchroom after being reprimanded then she defaced a wall when she was serving in-school detention. At first she seemed more manageable on strattera, but it seemed to wain. She had lost 5 lbs. and complained of headaches and stomachaches. I think strattera had a play in her violent behavior as she had never done anything like this before. We took her off meds and are trying nutritional amendment. She does tend to overreact to criticism but we are working on this with lots of patience and role-playing.

New2Strattera,

I'm also an adult female, 38 btw, who has the problem with sweating. It seems that now I sweat buckets when working out. At first I had chills. Now the sweating has set in. I've only been on Strattera for a 1 1/2 wks.

Today I've noticed pain in my eyes when looking at my pc or bright light and I have a slight headache. Also, I seem to be a bit impatient and irritable now. Earlier, I thought the birds were singing a melody for me from every tree.

Now I feel grumpy and anxious.

Oh well. Tomorrow's another day.

So we're not the only ones seeing behavioral degradation on Straterra? This is the only place I've seen mention of a connection. My 11-year-old son's in-school behavior has gone downhill rapidly since the changeover. I'd like to have something more than apocryphal suggestions of a connection before I go back to the neurologist.

Richard

Richard, Please email me at walleyek@attbi.com. It sounds like we have been through very similar experiences with our sons. I need to make a change ASAP, as the Strattera has changed his personality. Jeff

Thought I'd jump in here after reading all these many posts! I posted a while back when my son (11) started Strattera. Today marks 4 weeks and at first I thought things were going to be better but his performance and behavior at school has gone downhill very fast. He is much better at home though. Much more calm, can take consequences better, sleeps better and it just seems to be helping his impulsivity and personality all around -but school? Nope! Doc today suggested either 10 more mg of Strattera to make 50 a target dose (he is 90lbs) or try Focalin. I don't like the idea of the "fast acting Ritalin" so I'm not sure what we will do besides back to concerta...BUT I've read here that some are doing Concerta AND Strattera and I am definitly asking Doc about that. Since DS has had some anger issues and pre-adolescent "attitude" I'd like to keep on with the STrattera to help him with those aspects and then the Concerta for school help and then maybe go back to trying just Strattera during the summer where school work is not so pressing...hoping that by school in August it is in his system good and will help him daily. It is just strange that many of us here noticed good changes at first then down hill...I just wonder how long you have to give this drug before you see the evening out? Know what I mean? We can't wait thag long during school as he is at risk of failing English. Not doing classwork and talking constantly in class is his biggest problem.

Zak has been off Straterra for approx.2 wks now and on Concerta. He also had a personality change for the worse on Straterra.He is back to his normal self again on the Concerta.He gets antsy around 8pm but that is to be expected.He is regaining some friends again who he was mean to on the straterra.It is a pleasure to have our son back.

Hi, thought I would give an update on my 8 year old son who has been on the strattera since 2/14/03. He was started out at 18 mg. for 4 days then a target dose of 25 mg. Unfortunately the 25 mg. dose after 4+ weeks did not seem to be helping too much so we increased and he is now taking 36 mg a day in the AM. So far so good, the teacher says he is getting his work done in school, but some impulsiveness vocally. I should mention he also has tourettes and aspergers as well as adhd. So it seems it goes into the brain and out of his mouth with no filter in between! Overall he seems better and we are coming up on 8 weeks on this med, but I'm still hesitant to say we've found the right one. I don't know little stuff still bugs me. I'm not ruling out a possible low dose of concerta on school days if things don't even out soon. I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this or not but I thought I would throw it out there my son is complaining of EYE PAIN. Has anyone else heard of this in connection with the strattera or just with ADHD in general? He has complained of eye pain in the past when he was not on the strattera, but tonight it seems worse that any other time. He says they don't burn or itch and they don't appear overly red, he just says that they (the eyeballs themselves) hurt. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you!

i am new at this message board thing,but i am at my wits end. we have been using stattera for atleast 2 months. It has been a night mare. iwas sold on it by being told the the mornings and nights would be better.My son who is 12 was taking 108mg of concerta a day. It was o.K. but the mornings and evenings were wild. the meds didn't work the full 12 hrs. we were told that it would build up in the system and would be a more even day. We spent the first 3 weeks in a whirlwind. We were told to be patient that it seem to talk a little long then first told. they finnally up the dose to 60mg. It seemed to work ok in the morning but afternoons were wild. At 6 weeks i place calls to the nurse only for them to tell me to be patient again. i tried to tell them that they just didn't understand. I had to keep an eye on him 24/7. Then he burn his leg .3degree burns .Called Dr. they put him on 60 mg straterra and 54 mg concerta. He is not sleeping ,not eating and he has lost 5 pounds. He only weighed 74 to begin with. I reduced it to 40mg straterra. A little better. But we need some help.

i am new at this message board thing,but i am at my wits end. we have been using stattera for atleast 2 months. It has been a night mare. iwas sold on it by being told the the mornings and nights would be better.My son who is 12 was taking 108mg of concerta a day. It was o.K. but the mornings and evenings were wild. the meds didn't work the full 12 hrs. we were told that it would build up in the system and would be a more even day. We spent the first 3 weeks in a whirlwind. We were told to be patient that it seem to talk a little long then first told. they finnally up the dose to 60mg. It seemed to work ok in the morning but afternoons were wild. At 6 weeks i place calls to the nurse only for them to tell me to be patient again. i tried to tell them that they just didn't understand. I had to keep an eye on him 24/7. Then he burn his leg .3degree burns .Called Dr. they put him on 60 mg straterra and 54 mg concerta. He is not sleeping ,not eating and he has lost 5 pounds. He only weighed 74 to begin with. I reduced it to 40mg straterra. A little better. But we need some help.

CMMG, I think you should take your son to a Ophthalmologist to have his eyes check out as people with narrow angle glaucoma should not take Strattera. The eye pressure will build up and that may be the cause of his eyes hurting. I am unable to provide more info but you may want to search the topic of Narrow angle glaucoma and read up on it. Please be cautious and take him to a doctor soon.

Webedes, my son is on 2x18 mg of Strattera and his doctor instructed us to give them to him in the morning. I have noticed that his good improvement in attention has actually gone away with his target dose of 36mg. So, I have changed and give him one 18mg in the morning and another 18mg after dinner, I have also supplement him with fish oil and he is back to doing much better in school. I can't say for sure whether the spliting of med into morning and night or the fish oil has helped, but it does work better now and I am sticking to this routine as long as it works! So, you may want to try to stick to his target dosage but split it up and give it to him two times a day instead. Good luck to you!

I just stopped taking strattera after 3 months. I also had a big problem with sweating all the time, especially at nighttime. I became extremely depressed even though I am taking Wellbutrin. I also did not notice any difference in concentration.

Originally posted by SpaceChick:
New2Strattera,

I'm also an adult female, 38 btw, who has the problem with sweating. It seems that now I sweat buckets when working out. At first I had chills. Now the sweating has set in. I've only been on Strattera for a 1 1/2 wks.

Today I've noticed pain in my eyes when looking at my pc or bright light and I have a slight headache. Also, I seem to be a bit impatient and irritable now. Earlier, I thought the birds were singing a melody for me from every tree.

Now I feel grumpy and anxious.

Oh well. Tomorrow's another day.

JEFFRMOM- Thanks for the info. I have a call into his pediatrician about seeing an opthamologist. I'm also going to look up info. on the narrow angle glaucoma. I never thought someone as young as my son could have anything like this. Thanks so much, I'll keep you posted.

My son, 12, has gone thru Ritalin, slow release Ritalin and has been on Concerta since the beginning of the school year. In December, his pediatrician and therapist recommended Celexa as well due to depression possibly caused by puberty. At our last pediatrician visit she suggested he try Straterra as it would work for both problems. He will be starting on Friday (4/18) as the following week is spring break and he will be home just in case of physical side effects. The Dr. recommended we slowly taper off the Concerta and Celexa while increasing the Straterra dose. We have this planned out over a 3 week period. I'll keep an update on our progress.

One thing the Dr. did say was the Straterra can cause sleepiness, so my son should take his dose just before bedtime. This may be an idea for some parents whose children are having problems with fatigue.

I've noticed many people giving Strattera at night to try to combat the sleepiness. Strattera is not a 24 hour drug. The half life is 5 hours, meaning at 5 hours the dose is as high in your bloodstream as it will get. After 10 hours there is a 25% concentration in your bloodstream. Strattera should be given in the morning or as divided doses morning and afternoon. The sleepiness will go away after a few days. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/idea.gif

------------------
Mom of a wonderful "Tigger"

For all of those who have had a negative experience with Strattera, I do hope you consider reporting it to the FDA Fedwatch group or have your physician report it. Your experiences need to be documented to help future users of Strattera. You can either call the FDA for the forms or get them through there web site. Someone mentioned informing the manufacturer (Lilly) of the adverse effects. You can do that to, but it will be more effective, if the FDA is notified of adverse effects. This may help out which children should be taking Strattera and which should not.

My 8 year old son has been on Strattera for 4 weeks now. We too saw results in the first week. He was extremely tired the first few days and his appretite has been down, but not so much that it's a problem. He has had a great deal of improvement in school, home and friends. We too have also experienced these "mini breakdowns" fits of emotion, crying and anger (though thankfully no violence). It has happened 3 or 4 times. We are hoping that they will subside once he is used to the medicine. Has anyone else had this happen? Did the outbursts go away? I really feel like Strattera has been our answer. I hope we can continue to use it.

My 8 year old son has been on Strattera for 4 weeks now. We too saw results in the first week. He was extremely tired the first few days and his appretite has been down, but not so much that it's a problem. He has had a great deal of improvement in school, home and friends. We too have also experienced these "mini breakdowns" fits of emotion, crying and anger (though thankfully no violence). It has happened 3 or 4 times. We are hoping that they will subside once he is used to the medicine. Has anyone else had this happen? Did the outbursts go away? I really feel like Strattera has been our answer. I hope we can continue to use it.

We have had enough, I feel horrible for even changing medications and putting my son through this, this past month and a half has been horrible for me and my son and his teachers while he was on the straterra, he is back on adderall xr today I hope he gets back to his old self.

I definatly see a trend here in the posts regarding violent behavior, to me my son was getting worse and worse - he was better off on no meds at all. Good luck to the rest of you, I hope straterra works for you..

Dear Hopefulmom:

Of all of the postings that I saw regarding children using Straterra I was most eager to respond to yours. My 8-yr. old son is now in his 3rd week of taking this med. (graduated up to 25 mg.) following unsuccessful tx with Zoloft. These are his first encounters with meds. for hyperactivity - since adverse behaviors at age 3 we tried everything from dietary restrictions, homeopathy, behavioral therapy, spinal manipulations and cranial sacral therapy! While each had its benefits we still fell short of managing his impulsivity and loud, disruptive interactions at home and school. Thusfar I have seen some of lethargy (initially) described by others and a brief spell of depression (rare in this child) in response to anxiety. However, overall I remain hopeful as I witness him exhibiting more "normal" responses to situations and better sleep habits. Due to the sleepiness that came with the start of the meds. it was suggested by the doc that we administer it at night. Don't know if we'll switch back to A.M. dosage as it seems as if it wears off by 1:00 P.M. this way.
I was wondering: 1)When do you administer dosage for your 6-yr.old and 2) Are there periods when you observe it decreasing its effectiveness?

Just curious here, just what time of day does your child take the strattera. We were advised by the pharmacist and doc to take it at night.... He is on day 3 here after being on adderall Xr for 2 years and adderall for 2 previous years...

Originally posted by mommtothree:
Just curious here, just what time of day does your child take the strattera. We were advised by the pharmacist and doc to take it at night.... He is on day 3 here after being on adderall Xr for 2 years and adderall for 2 previous years...

I am giving him 25 mg. at approx. 7:30 following a good dinner. I will, however, explore reintroducing it in the morning at the end of this week once summer school lets out so I can monitor him. I want to see how he manages before the start of school in 3 weeks.

HI ALL
im 36 been on adderall for 1.5yrs (60mg day) and we're tapering off and introducing strattera. so far ive only noticed it makes me thirstier (been on for 3 wks ) i was concerned it would have zoloft/paxil type side effects since it works in a sim manner (on a different neurotransmitter) but its ok...im not sure why im switching...it was my idea, but as far as im concerned adderall saved my life

I am a 27 year old male and have used Straterra for a couple of months now and I am having tons of problems like you were mentioning plus MORE! I thought it was the Lithobid, but from reading all these complaints and side effects from everyone else, I think it is the Straterra.

Ever since the first day I started taking Straterra, I got random cold chills and sweats and my whole body seeming to heat up or cool down or random parts of my body doing the opposites like my face is really hot and red but my arms and hands are freezing.

I also sweat insane amounts! It just POURS from my body, even at times when I am hardly doing anything and in very nice air conditioned areas. It is very embarrassing! It just keeps coming and coming!

The strangest side effects have to do the private areas. Whenever I use the restroom, I can shake and shimmy all I want but when I zip up a lot more pee just comes out of my penis for no reason and wets my pants. This happens almost every time now that I've been on Straterra! I didn't even really realize it was a side effect until I read that other people on here have that problem, too.

Also, it is harder to get my penis to stay hard when I want to be sexually active. I come to the point of what should be an orgasm and everything happens as it should but it almost HURTS instead of being fun like it should. Then for a little while afterwards, it feels like my bladder is going to burst and I really just WANT to pee to get it out of me. It's almost like the blue ball effect.

I think these are all horrible side effects that should be listed on the Straterra website and made known to customers by the doctors that prescribe them and on their commercials. I have never had any side effects that were this huge with other medications besides slight dry mouth or shaky hand and that was only when my dosage was too high. The bad thing is that I'm only at one pill at 40 MG a day and they want to increase the dosage! I definitely am getting off of this medicine ASAP!

Chester
whaddyawannado@aol.com

Originally posted by new2straterra:
I am 28 yrs old and have been on straterra for a short period of time. At 40mg I am having major side effects that I am wondering if anyone else has. I have serious hot flashes where I sweat. Sometimes it is a cold sweat with chills. I have not seen anyone else write about this so I am a little alarmed. This happens throughout the day. Another side effect is nausea. I actually have thrown up a couple of times. I have a nauseous feeling most of the day,too. I have also had times where I can get really mean and very irritated. I don't have some of these side effects, I have them all and pretty regularly. SO does anyone know if this will pass with time? I am supposed to go up 40 more mg soon. I have gone up before but the side effects got worse, so I went back down pretty quick. Can someone tell me if they have these side effects, too? Thanks!

I want to respond to both KTEIS and chester

First kteis, I am curious as to why you are switching form adderal to Strattera? I had to switch from Strattera to Adderal XR because the Strattera side affects. So far the Adderal XR seems to be doing well however it seems to wear off too soon for me. I am going up to 20 mg from 10. Only the second month I've been on it. Just wondered if you had any helpfull points on Adderal.

Chester, STOP taking the Strattera!!! I did and the side affects went away immediately. I had the same problems you are talking about. Two days off of it I was back to being a normal man again. I have switched as you see above no side affects thus far.

Originally posted by momofzak:
Zak has been off Straterra for approx.2 wks now and on Concerta. He also had a personality change for the worse on Straterra.He is back to his normal self again on the Concerta.He gets antsy around 8pm but that is to be expected.He is regaining some friends again who he was mean to on the straterra.It is a pleasure to have our son back.

Back to his normal, watered-down self again, on Concerta, eh? Careful...

I'm 25 now, but was force-fed Ritalin when I was younger as many children are. It sedates you -- stims have an opposite affect on people with ADD, which I'm sure is not news to you.. He gets antsy around 8pm because it's wearing off...and I guarantee he hates it. It's a tricky thing, finding that careful balance between just-enough and too many milligrams of Ritalin or other stim-based meds.

You can't take them forever.. Doctors have told me that stims past age 21 have been known to induce various forms of psychosis... So what happens at age 21? The patient has to start over - start learning to cope with it/compensate for it after years of just brushing it under the rug with meds. I'm on Strattera now - the only non-stimulant based med out there for this I'm told..and I don't think it works very well -- even after a month and a half of being on it.

Sucks. There is no right answer.. Ritalin helped me through school, but it also watered me down and left me back at square one when I was told I couldn't take it anymore. I guess I would use stims for kids until they're old enough to understand that they need to learn to cope themselves -- learn to adjust/compensate on their own...maybe age 12? 14? At the dawn of adolescence? Who knows.. Point being that by just throwing meds at it, you're avoiding a crucial developmental stage....like stunting the growth of a person's own disciplines..this is why you're back at square one when you stop taking it. You go back to where you were at age 5 - unsure of your unpredictable impulses and how you'll handle them...only by age 21 (or later), you're already in your new job after college or in some other fend-for-yourself situation and may not be able to screw up - no room for errors. Whatever...I could write a book! :-)

I just get resentful when I hear "back to his normal self again"...it ISN'T normal...it's sedation. We are who we are BECAUSE of the ADD. It molds our personalities...makes us spontaneous, funny people. Fun to be around. Don't put a muzzle on that -- learn to deal with it. Your kids won't forget having to take meds. They might resent it or resent *you*..and it even presents its own stigma that they'll later need to overcome. Almost contributes to the feeling of being "broken" and the need to "take something to fix it" - discouraging one's own confidence of being able to cope on their own -- a setback in the longrun..

Choppy and all over the place like a true add-er. Take it for what it's worth! ;-)

I'll tell you what else...

"back to his normal self again" makes me think of that sigh of relief the parent breathes because things just got easier to manage. Don't take the easy way out...it's just another thing that the child might look back at in resentment. Overmedicated and under-nurtured.

tsk tsk tsk

make no mistake - I understand that he probably needs it to function...it's such a fine line like I said. I guess best thing to say is be sure you're going to a good doctor. many tend to just write a prescription and be done with it. i was lucky enough to go to some of the best doctors in the country...amazing insight.

it's funny - i've had a lot of push-back on the whole psychosis after age 21 thing as it relates to stim-based meds, but it's proven -- documented! Doctors who still prescribe it either don't care, don't know any better, or don't know how else to deal with it. Remember - this is also a business they're in. Not knowing what to do means you're not going to be coming back to pay that co-payment anymore... This is why Strattera is being heralded as a godsend...it's another chance for the conscience-minded doctors (who know about the stim-induced psychosis) to try again at treating someone.

I'm sure someone will come back and say "hey i'm over age 21 and take stims".. to that end I have this to say: look at all the people who post on these boards and say they take adderall (or whichever stim) but ALSO say they take wellbutrin or some other anti-depressant...or other drug for something *else*..

hmm.

i'd just rather not take the risk given all the documented cases out there. go ask your doctors.

:-)

back to work.................

ledbyte

Hey New2strattera and Spacechic...i am 22 years old and just started Strattera. I feel many of the same side effects u guys described. My mouth was really dry but that seems to be getting better i been on 40mg for about a week now. When i first take the pill i feel confused and i get sweats and my body feels tingly/chills. This feeling usually goes away and then i feel somewhat normal.I try to time it so it hits me before i start work so i take it like 7:15am and by 9 the effects start to calm down. I have to do a lot of filing in work (i work at a law firm) i dont know if i would have the patience and lack of frustration if i wasnt on the drug. I did have this feeling of frustratedness and do get mean at home sometimes but its something i am trying to control.. I can see how little kids might react badly to this because many times they dont stop and think and tell themselves that its the drug making them feel this way..they just act out. This drug was tested and marketed to adults so maybe thats why..?? I reaLLY Dont have anything to compare this drug to since this is my first time taking medication for ADD. I was disgnosed when i was about 13 and made it through HS and 4 years of a university ...but i struggled. I was hoping to give this a shot to see if i could do better of it would make a difference...i havent decided yet its a little too soon to tell. My parents asked that i try for at least i month so i will carry out unless i really feel too ill when taking it. But anyone feel free to write me and i will keep u guys posted as well.

Thanks,
Nick

Dear Ledbyte:

Liked what you had to say. I would suggest you put a new thread out there so people can see what your thoughts are.

G

Thanks - I have started a new thread.

Ledbyte

My 8 year old son has been on Strattera since March. He had fatigue and stomachache first week or two then some moodiness. Symptoms have subsided, he had the best report card he's ever had this last grading period. He is calmer, more fun, still a little intolerant but he's starting to make some friends. He feels good about himself for the first time! IT is so good to see him playing with friends and there is no fighting or telling him to "STOP". We couldn't be happier with the results from Strattera. A few things we found were that he needs to eat a good meal with medicine or he gets very ill, there is some rebound in the am before he takes it and it took about 2 weeks before we noticed a difference (actually I think I noticed a difference within the first week). This is his first med and it took a long time to convince me this was the route to go, but I'm so glad I did, for his sake. I do have concerns about the potential "male" side effects that have been discussed on this thread. I called Lilly and they said they are looking into it, they are midway in a 5 year study, so I'm hoping they will have answers. I sure like the idea of non stimulant drugs. I would really like to hear from others with their experiences with strattera.

My 8 year old son has been on Strattera since March. He had fatigue and stomachache first week or two then some moodiness. Symptoms have subsided, he had the best report card he's ever had this last grading period. He is calmer, more fun, still a little intolerant but he's starting to make some friends. He feels good about himself for the first time! IT is so good to see him playing with friends and there is no fighting or telling him to "STOP". We couldn't be happier with the results from Strattera. A few things we found were that he needs to eat a good meal with medicine or he gets very ill, there is some rebound in the am before he takes it and it took about 2 weeks before we noticed a difference (actually I think I noticed a difference within the first week). This is his first med and it took a long time to convince me this was the route to go, but I'm so glad I did, for his sake. I do have concerns about the potential "male" side effects that have been discussed on this thread. I called Lilly and they said they are looking into it, they are midway in a 5 year study, so I'm hoping they will have answers. I sure like the idea of non stimulant drugs. I would really like to hear from others with their experiences with strattera.

I am new to the board and so late in posting a reply, but I want to strongly encourage anyone whose child has had a manic episode or suffered depression in response to stimulant and/or anti-depressant medication (including Strattera) to consider having your child evaluated for Bipolar Disorder. ADHD and Bipolar Disorder have several symptoms in common and can occur together so getting an accurate diagnosis can be complicated. However, it is also very important because medications which help ADHD kids can be very detrimental to BP kids sometimes causing mania, suicidal thoughts or attempts, etc.. The earlier accurate treatment can be given, the better for the child and his/her long term quality of life. There is so good info on the differences between ADHD and BP Disorder on the NAMI website: http://web.nami.org/youth/notadhd.html . Differences between the two are also discussed in detail in the book The Bipolar Child by Papolos and Papolos.

On a personal note, my 6yo daughter has been on Strattera for 8 weeks now and we have definitely seen improvements in her concentration and ability to settle down. Happily there have also been no bad side effects other than a little sleepiness the first week or two. However, she continues to have rages, act out aggressively with kids and camp counselors, doesn't have any close friends and complains that the other kids bully her (makes me so sad!). For this reason, I am meeting with her psychiatrist again soon to discuss the possibility of BP or some other co-existing disorder.

Hope this is helpful!

Tanya

[This message has been edited by TBDEAN (edited 07-23-2003).]

Originally posted by new2straterra:
I am 28 yrs old and have been on straterra for a short period of time. At 40mg I am having major side effects that I am wondering if anyone else has. I have serious hot flashes where I sweat. Sometimes it is a cold sweat with chills. I have not seen anyone else write about this so I am a little alarmed. This happens throughout the day. Another side effect is nausea. I actually have thrown up a couple of times. I have a nauseous feeling most of the day,too. I have also had times where I can get really mean and very irritated. I don't have some of these side effects, I have them all and pretty regularly. SO does anyone know if this will pass with time? I am supposed to go up 40 more mg soon. I have gone up before but the side effects got worse, so I went back down pretty quick. Can someone tell me if they have these side effects, too? Thanks!

Originally posted by new2straterra:
I am 28 yrs old and have been on straterra for a short period of time. At 40mg I am having major side effects that I am wondering if anyone else has. I have serious hot flashes where I sweat. Sometimes it is a cold sweat with chills. I have not seen anyone else write about this so I am a little alarmed. This happens throughout the day. Another side effect is nausea. I actually have thrown up a couple of times. I have a nauseous feeling most of the day,too. I have also had times where I can get really mean and very irritated. I don't have some of these side effects, I have them all and pretty regularly. SO does anyone know if this will pass with time? I am supposed to go up 40 more mg soon. I have gone up before but the side effects got worse, so I went back down pretty quick. Can someone tell me if they have these side effects, too? Thanks!

Hi There! I am 29 and I just started Strattera about 6 days ago. I am having the same exact side effects including the cold sweats and the increased irritability. I am supposed to increase to 40 mg but have not yet due to the fact my insurance will not cover the medicine so I am still on samples from the doctor. I think I feel more focused but have bouts of nausea and the sweats mostly in the morning. Are you still taking strattera and have these side effects gone away. I feel very tense as if I want to punch something thus far. Any advice would be appreciated.

Originally posted by MomOf4:
All of our kids have been taking Concerta...3 for ADD, and 1 for severe ADHD. Recently my husband, who also has ADD, tried Strattera (80 mg), with great success. So, we've been trying to switch our 14 year old over to Strattera, since it would be SO much easier at camp, etc. Our doctor has found, in his practice, that his patients are only reporting success with Strattera after using it for at least a month, and often taking higher dosages than originally recommended. So, we've had our 14 year old son (the one with ADHD) on Strattera for about 5 weeks now, along with his Concerta. He just returned home from a week at a service project, and I noticed that he hadn't taken his Concerta...only the Strattera - and I was hearing glowing reports of his behavior from the youth group leaders! He is on a much higher dose than I've seen mentioned here - 120 mg (he weighs 135 lbs). Has anyone else heard of using these higher dosages?? We are feeling tentatively hopeful...he is off to camp again this week, and I didn't send any Concerta...and so far nobody has called me to have me come get him!

Originally posted by MomOf4:
All of our kids have been taking Concerta...3 for ADD, and 1 for severe ADHD. Recently my husband, who also has ADD, tried Strattera (80 mg), with great success. So, we've been trying to switch our 14 year old over to Strattera, since it would be SO much easier at camp, etc. Our doctor has found, in his practice, that his patients are only reporting success with Strattera after using it for at least a month, and often taking higher dosages than originally recommended. So, we've had our 14 year old son (the one with ADHD) on Strattera for about 5 weeks now, along with his Concerta. He just returned home from a week at a service project, and I noticed that he hadn't taken his Concerta...only the Strattera - and I was hearing glowing reports of his behavior from the youth group leaders! He is on a much higher dose than I've seen mentioned here - 120 mg (he weighs 135 lbs). Has anyone else heard of using these higher dosages?? We are feeling tentatively hopeful...he is off to camp again this week, and I didn't send any Concerta...and so far nobody has called me to have me come get him!
test

GREAT MED.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! I have a 15 yo who has been on various forms of ritalin
since he was 8 and has been fairly succesful even though he is way up the spectrum on impulsivity. He is at military school and I wanted to try Straterra for the dosing schedule. At first he was sleepy(a week) and had nausea but after that it has been AWESOME. It gives him control 24/7 which is great for teens and will be helpful with dating and staying up later. I was worried about the attention but so far so good. The best part is that his personality can come through with control. Alot of times ritalin zombied him. Good luck to everyone.

momofzak:
Strattera made him mean?? I have not heard of it doing this to many people however I started taking strattera about a week ago and I really feel like throwing everybody down the stairs and yelling cuss words for no particular reason. An hour after taking it I get very tired and nap for 30min then I am very spacey for the next 2 hours then after that I just hate the entire world and wish everyone and everything would go away. I don't think strattera is the med for me, I was taking beCalmd and Omega 3 which seemed to help a lot more than Strattera. Since I havent been taking it long I was hoping these negative effects would wear off, how long was your son on it, did the effects ever lessen?

sunny darkness.My son was on Strattera for about one month.It was like he lost his inhibitions re: respect,kindness to others,he would tell people for no reason that he wanted to hurt them which in 10 yrs he never ever would have thought.He was a different person.He was sleepy in school for the first week or so but that ended.We thought at first this was going to be the drug of choice but it wasn't.He is now doing well on Concerta and able to focus again.He is a child who is back to enjoying his friends and hobbies when he was not before.I realize that many people are doing well with this drug but I guess I is not for everyone.Hope this helps and take care of yourself.