Strattera good stories?

suzy_Q · 09-13-2004, 04:24 PM

My nine year old son was put on Strattera over a year ago for adhd. He has done extremely well on it. His grades are improved, he has friends and most importantly he feels better about himself. There were some side effects early on fatigue and moodiness but those subsided pretty quickly. I am interested and a bit concerned, it seems all I am seeing on these boards are negatives regarding Strattera. I would be interested in hearing others experiences with this drug both positive and negative and mediocre. Because this is a fairly new drug I think it's important for us to keep the dialog going. This board has been the best resource for information of any place out there on the web. Thanks.

index.html · 09-14-2004, 04:48 AM

My son has also been on Strattera for just over a year. He has done well with it. For him, it did take a couple of months to see full effect. What it helped most with was his hyperactivity. It calmed him down enough that, for the first time, he stopped being ostracized by the other kids and starting making a few friends. I also feel that it's had a mild anti-depressant effect on him. He has stopped calling himself "weird" and has stopped saying that "being dead might be better".

We did add a low dose stimulant to it after about 6 months. The Strattera helped tremendously with the hyperactivity but we felt that he needed more help with concentration in school. (He's now a freshmen in high school.) The combination has worked out very well for him.

I think you have to bear in mind when reading these boards that you are naturally going to read more about problems than success stories. Most people who have had success with a medication are off enjoying their lives; they're not here talking about it.

myladyshyanne · 09-14-2004, 10:59 PM

My 9 year old has been on it for around 1 1/2 (gosh- I think its been that long- I know the doc said it had only been out a couple months, and some pharmacys may not have it yet). He has done extremely well on it- we noticed the change right away. Everyone noticed the change. His grades went up, his tantrums stopped (most of them anyways!). He did have to go back and have his dosage raised and remeron added for sleep- because he went through a growth spurt. And once again, his grades went back up. We ended up stopping the remeron, though, because it was making him very moody/angry/mean. Then we started a low dose of concerta (with the strattera), because he started having trouble staying focused in class again, and his old teacher had suggested trying it. I have noticed alot of depression with him, and after reading some of the posts about strattera, I was wondering if that had something to do with it- but I also know that mental illnesses run in our family- I've suffered from severe depression since I was a child. It's a miserable exsistance when its as bad as mine- and I pray that it IS the strattera, and not the kind I have-at least he would have a fighting chance to get over the low feelings then. As for the concerta, today was his first dose. He seems so happy/pleasant today! He just walked over a few minutes ago, and gave me a hug and kiss-and said "I love you mom". It feels so good to here him say that. It seems lately he's used the word hate WAY too much. I think this combination might be the boost he needed.... we'll see.

My 5 year old tried strattera too, but it didn't help him at all. I was hoping it would help- because I've always been VERY hesitant about the amphetamine path. But, I also knew his ADHD was alot different than my 9 year olds. My nine year old has problems with his attention, concentration, and inability to control urges (thats where the tantrums are). He is a little overactive, nothing real terrible though. My 5 year old- he's a different story all together.He has everything my 9 year old has-plus some! And he's more than a little hyper- We could fuel the whole world with that childs energy! He's the 7th wonder of the world to doctors, and everyone else who meets him. And I swear the child is going to be the next einstein-even bigger if he could get more control. Lately, he's been teaching himself about xrays, spines, and -god help me-reproduction. And I have no idea where he got the reproduction thing from, but I nearly passed out when he started talking about the seed meeting the egg. When I ask him where he learns certain things (If I know it isn't something we have taught, and it isn't something they would teach in kindergarden), he always replys: "oh, I just teach myself. I just know it, cause I taught myself."

Sorry, I tend to ramble!
Thanks,
myladyshyanne

suzy_Q · 09-15-2004, 10:01 AM

My nine year old also seems depressed sometimes, but depression runs in my family as well. So it sounds like we're kinda similar. He gets very down on himself, it's a very fine line for me because his behavior can be impulsive and he can be snotty but if I get on him about it he breaks down. He is super super sensitive, so I feel as though I am walking on eggshells around him. I haven't thought to attribute this behavior to the strattera I think it's just his personality, I have a similar personality

I also have a five year old but he doesn't have any add or adhd symptoms. Your story about your five year old reminds me of my nine year old when he was that age. If there is one thing I've learned in dealing with adhd kids is that they have very special gifts and I have learned to appreciate that in my son (although it's not always easy

My son is so intuitive and curious he too has great things in his future if he can stay on track and feel good about himself. Good luck to you and thanks for your reply!

myladyshyanne · 09-15-2004, 02:24 PM

It's funny that you use the egg shell term- That is EXACTLY how I describe being around my 9 year old. He's very sensitive too. And I never know when he will start crying, yelling, or laughing. For example, one day, he was smiling, laughing and talking to me- and out of the blue, he hauled off and socked his brother-then went into a fit of rage. I have no idea what happened to set him off-but generally speaking, it usually isn't much. Things just seem to affect him differently than they would others.

P.S. my five year old informed me this morning, that the earth is always spinning. When I told him he was right-that it spins on its axis, and asked if he learned it in school-his reply :"no, I just taught myself." I asked how he teaches himself- and he said "it was in my dream. I was walking on earth and it was spinning and spinning. And I was like oh-the earth spins. I knew I was right." He cracks me up!

Thanks,
myladyshyanne