I am looking for some input on the new med Strattera. We just started my 8 yo son on it about a week ago. So far, I have noticed that he is eating much better and able to go to sleep at night. But I also that he is more emotional in the evenings. He doesnt want to go to school (he has had perfect attendance for 2 years now). He seems to be clingy. It almost seems like he is unsure of himself. I know that the Strattera takes 6 weeks to level out in there system and I wondered if this was normal adjustments or if it was something else.
Another thing that i wanted to ask about was the epison salts bath. I have read that it is soothing and will help them relax. Could anyone explain to me how that works?
Thanks for your help.
Jodi
***LETS TAKE OUR MESSAGE BOARD BACK, NO LONGER RESPOND TO BALL OR ANY OTHER NEGATIVE MESSAGES ABOUT OUR PARENTING CHOICES. WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN, NO ONE ELSE.***
Epsom Bath
i also read about the Epsom Bath here, and tried it on my son (he was having trouble falling asleep after starting on Adderall Xr). Anyway, the bath didn’t work for him but he enjoyed it though. I also tried giving hot/warm milk before bed and this seems to work much better. It seems calcuim in the milk turns into a kind of sedative when it is heated up - that is what I heard. It worked for my son. I guess that is why when you can’t sleep they say to take warm milk.
Good luck withthe strattera. I would like to try my son on it but the insurance will not pay for it until I try him on stimulants.
Let us know how it goes
Re: Epsom Bath
My son used to have problems falling asleep when he was on regular Adderall. He would be up with bad dreams until about 1 AM. It was exhausting for everyone. I found that giving him GABA about an hour or so before bedtime made it so that he could fall asleep naturally. It worked the very first night. GABA is an amino acid found in regular foods, and is a mild relaxant. You can find it where vitamins and food supplements are sold.
Re: strattera
My 8 yr old DD tried Strat about 2 mons ago - it was a nightmare for us. I called Dr after first wk of taking it w/ concerns about her non-eating, tummy pains and behaviour (worsening)…..he said to give it the full *30* days to take effect. I said OK. I called him back a wk later (so 2 wks now on Strat) and said that behaviours were worse and she’d lost about 4 lbs from not eating lunch or dinner anymore (maybe a nibble here and there but certainly not even half of either meal).
We took her off immediately. We’re trying ritalin now - and the moving to Concerta if we get up to min Concerta dose which is 18 mg.
Loves, good luck, sounds like it’s working well for your son - just going thru the “growing pains” of it.
Keep us updated!
S
Re: strattera
I just wanted to update you on David as of 3 weeks into the Strattera. Things are going great for us. He is eating and sleeping much better. He doesnt have the melt downs that he had on Concerta. He is able to stay focused on his homework with out the battles that we had before. I spoke to his teacher and was told that he has improved both with academics and with his behavior.
All of this has been a great relief. Giving him a nonstimulant med is also a great releif. Thanks to all for you input!
Jodi
Straterra needs some time to work out. You really can’t tell much about how it’s going to do in a week— you’ve done the hardest part of getting acclimated to it. My son and I both use it, and have had very good results. It really took about a month.
I don’t know a thing about epsom salt baths except that they’re nice on skin that has been exposed to too much sun or as a foot soak. This is something new to me.
Agree about the posting. He is now answering his own posts, so he is all happy to have a friend to talk to that thinks just like him. He made up Lucy so that he could have a girl friend too. That, or he is a transvestite and Lucy is his alter-ego. Whatever turns him on as long as I can skip it.