strattera

Hi Amy, my son, 13, was also on Concerta and we switched to Strattera. The Concerta did the same thing to him - irritable, terrible mood swings, temper, temper, temper! So did Adderall. I don’t know about the 24 hour thing but my son is DEFINITELY much calmer and nicer on the Strattera. It’s supposed to take anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks before optimal results appear. My son has been on it for a little over 2 weeks and we’re very pleased with it so far. He says now that he is noticing that he can focus better and just plain feels better. He’s eating and sleeping normally which he didn’t do on the stimulants. Strattera is definitely worth a try. It might be a life-saver for you. You can give it to your child morning or night - doesn’t matter. Mine likes it in the morning because when he takes it at night, for some reason, he gets a tummy ache the next day around noon. It also makes him sleepy but I think that side-effect is wearing off. Good luck!!!!

Ann

we tried Strat and it didnt’ work for my 8 yr old DD….a lot of Dr’s who have pts on Concert are wanting them to try Strat. Lauren had tummy pains, vanished appetite (lost 4 lbs in 2 wks) and her behaviour at sch worsened - I only had her on it for 2 wks…couldn’t bare the thought of keeping her on it for another 2 wks to complete our first 30 day “trial” of using it.

Loves, good luck, if the Concert is wearing off - what about up’g the dose!? Have you asked your Dr about this - bec my friend’s son is on Concert and they’re up’g the dose to get him thru the late afternoon evening time frame.
S

The 24 hour thing is true. My son and I switched to Straterra. It takes about a month for Straterra to build up to an effective amount, and then a daily pill keeps you at that level. We had no problem acclimating to it, only a little sleepiness the first two days, but some people have had more severe problems.

The reason my son switched was to be able to have focus first thing in the morning so he could dress himself and focus in the evening so he had more than an hour to do his homework (the Adderall wore off one hour after the bus dropped him off from school). I wanted to be able to take an evening class and be able to study. I hope it continues to work for us because neither one of us wants to go back to the way it was.

I started Staterra one week ago today. (I am 39 y.o. and have 4 kids) I started at 40 mg for 4 days,then 60 mg (where I am now) for two weeks, then up to 80 mg. I have been experiencing stomache ache similar to morning sickness, head aches, and a real afternoon slump in energy. I can’t keep frm yawning! Today, I actually feel better. No headache, and only a hint of a stomache ache this morning. I am not sleeping real well at night, I awaken about once a hour after midnight. :( I am thinking as my body acclimates, I will feel better. Like I said, I do feel better today. I do feel more focused. Will see what happens in the next few weeks.

Like your son, my son was on Concerta,[ 3rd change of meds since August,] the others made him feel more irratable and more tempermental . So now we are trying the Strattera. Monday in A.M.- I gave him the initial 40mg, it made him a little tired, so we tried giving it the night before. He felt more sleepy-this apparently got him in trouble with his last period teacher!.[ That and being defiant to him-but this has occurred before the meds change!] Is it better to give the night before or the morning. I am really confused about this.His doctor did suggest giving it in the late evening but my ‘nurse hat’ kicked in and I couldn’t see if this would sustain him through the next day of school. I have searched the data base on strattera but nothing gave me any good input . I really want to give this a good try. Any input from other parents who have maybe got pased the ‘sleepy episode’, if there is an after ,that is! would be very grateful.