Heathermomster Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 After looking around and seeking feedback from multiple sources, I took DS to a highly recommended child psychiatrist and carried all the previous testing and diagnostic work. The psych offered a DNA test to verify whether son's metabolism could process ADHD inattentive meds properly and reduce negative side effects. The tests came back good so DS started taking Strattera over the weekend. So far, we are seeing no change. DS goes to bed almost every night at 9pm and gets up at 7am. I haven't noted any more tiredness than usual or mood swings. His temperament is absolutely the same. I know the meds should not have a positive outcome for about a month. I was absolutely sick and petrified when DH filled the scrip, but so far, no harm has been done. Mothers of Straterra users, when can I expect any neg or positive side effects to kick in? Please tell me all that you think I need to know because I'm too ignorant to even know what question to ask. Blessings, ~h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Ariel Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 I am not comfortable posting on a public board on our experience with this med but if you want to PM feel free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalex Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Following this topic. My DS is on Vyvanse but Strattera has been brought up due to tics. I was told that Strattera is more like an anti-depressant, in that it can take weeks to start responding to the med. The psychiatrist we talked to said in many cases it does not work. The Vyvanse is in and out of his system with in 24 hours, which was a plus when we were testing it out and figuring dosage. I would love to hear others experience with Strattera too, if they are willing to share. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Following this topic. My DS is on Vyvanse but Strattera has been brought up due to tics. I was told that Strattera is more like an anti-depressant, in that it can take weeks to start responding to the med. The psychiatrist we talked to said in many cases it does not work. The Vyvanse is in and out of his system with in 24 hours, which was a plus when we were testing it out and figuring dosage. I would love to hear others experience with Strattera too, if they are willing to share. Is the Vyvanse a stimulant or non-stimulant med? How old is your child? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 My big girl did a trial of Strattera. It seemed great for the first week, not attentiveness for work specifically but she just seemed brighter--not smarter but like a light turned on inside. Then after a week we were told to increase the dose, and after that she started becoming irritable. She told me something wasn't right if she felt herself getting mad at the dog. So then we stopped. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 For ds negative side effects began within a week and continued to intensified from there. I hope you never see them and it helps your ds! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalex Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Is the Vyvanse a stimulant or non-stimulant med? How old is your child? Yes, Vyvanse is a stimulant and my son is 10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalex Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 My big girl did a trial of Strattera. It seemed great for the first week, not attentiveness for work specifically but she just seemed brighter--not smarter but like a light turned on inside. Then after a week we were told to increase the dose, and after that she started becoming irritable. She told me something wasn't right if she felt herself getting mad at the dog. So then we stopped. My DS had the same issue with the Vyvanse. It comes in 20mg capsules, DS does ok at half dose but was angry all the time when we tried bumping it up to 20mg. (tried twice, because I wasn't sure if we did it too soon) Doctor concluded that 10mg is the right dose for him--and he's a big boy! Can I ask what you tried next, if anything? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 My DS had the same issue with the Vyvanse. It comes in 20mg capsules, DS does ok at half dose but was angry all the time when we tried bumping it up to 20mg. (tried twice, because I wasn't sure if we did it too soon) Doctor concluded that 10mg is the right dose for him--and he's a big boy! Can I ask what you tried next, if anything? This dd was already dx'd with CAPD and was only suspected of having ADHD. The neurologist we were working with didn't think stimulants were a good fit due to a history of anxiety. Right after that we did an np eval and the result of that was no ADHD (though I still question that since she did so poorly on all the ADHD related tests). The np recommended seeing a psych for depression, and we would up treating for that and never did an ADHD med trial again. This dd has medical issues and is on other meds so I hate the idea of adding anything else, but I'd be very curious to see how she would do with a stimulant. I almost think the np was anti-hsing, saw that as a cause of dd's depression, and attributed a lot of dd's symptoms to that, instead of more carefully investigating the ADHD possibility. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Don't want to post a lot of details here but we tried it with 2 of our kids, not bio related. Both were disasters. One of the children ended up being unmedicated as the stimulants caused tics and other issues that were worse than the ADHD. The other child is now doing beautifully on Dexedrine which is an older stimulant med. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 Don't want to post a lot of details here but we tried it with 2 of our kids, not bio related. Both were disasters. One of the children ended up being unmedicated as the stimulants caused tics and other issues that were worse than the ADHD. The other child is now doing beautifully on Dexedrine which is an older stimulant med. Strattera is a non-stim med. Did either child have difficulty with Strattera or are you referring to the Vyvanse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Strattera is a non-stim med. Did either child have difficulty with Strattera or are you referring to the Vyvanse? Strattera was a disaster here for both kids. Never tried Vyanse with either of them. Dexedrine is working wonderfully with one of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 My 10 year old ds has been on strattera for over 6 months now. I LOVE it. At first I didn't see much, but we have a habit of forgetting 1 dose a month, and on those days, I see how much it helps. It helps his mood and impulsiveness the most. It helps his attention a bit, but controlling the mood and impulses helps control the attention. It took 2 tries to increase. The first time he seemed depressed, so we went back down. Then HE asked the psychiatrist to try again, and it was successful. This kid can't take regular stims (amphetamine is AMAZING, but he doesn't eat or sleep). Vyvanse made him extremely moody. He's extremely allergic to ritalin. During other med trials, we tried to target his mood and/or anxiety, and we found out that he can't tolerate or is allergic to; lorazepam, tegretol, zoloft, and something else I'm forgetting. When he tries meds, we start ridiculously low and try to slowly increase. We see negative within a few days, but it can take time to see good, and sometimes, you might not see good until you miss a dose or two. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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