We just increased my son's adder dosage to 15mgs and put him on the cr. What changes should I expect from the taking it twice a day? He's out of school today and it's already started. The bodding everyone around threatning his sister and not wanting to listen. :cry: I don't know what else to do.

I have never heard of CR. But, in my own experience ADDerall XR made my anxiety and Irritabilty even worse. I only took it once a day and I had an awful time falling asleep at night.

maby it is xr it is the controled realese. I'm worried what effects it will have on my son.

My 14 yr old son was on 15mg adderall xr for 1 mth - dr upped to 25mg after 1 mth I couldn't take it anymore - moody (crying over his most favorite thing to do - play ice hockey ) quit playing hockey and high school lacrosse, started getting violent when he felt we were "bugging" him, no appetite. He couldn't get out of bed 2-3 days a week. Was this helping his academic situation??? Not at all. He has now been on 60mg Straterra for a week - WOW! what a difference - he has made it too school everyday - actually has been up and ready to leave the house before me. Did homework 2 nights this week for the first time in months. I know it's a trial and error thing w/ meds - but what a set back that was!

good luck kathybrokar - don't let it get too far gone!

Strattera made D. very violent we had him on it for 1 month and he cracked 2 of my ribs and punchend me in the back of the head in a tempertantrim. Can't go back to that. unfortunatly he ran out of meds at school and the pharmicy didn't have any in. HE has been off meds for 8 days now and his attention is not good but he is not arguing with me as much and not threatning his sister (i'm going to hit you if you don't shutup) as much so I don't know if the meds are making things better or worse

So Strattera makes him violent as well as the Adderall? Have other stimulants been tried as well, like ritalin? Sometimes the side effects are different for different stimulants.
Your Dr is the best person to talk to, of course.
Drs do sometimes combine a low dose stimulant, to help focus and impulse control, with small amounts of other drugs to help with the anger that stimulants can exacerbate, especially in children with co-morbid ODD - my Dr mentioned this during one of the talks he does for his patients on ADD issues. The particular drug he mentioned was a mood stabalizer caller Risperdal. You would have to see an expert, I should think, to diagnose and prescribe this type of drug, as it's not something an average Dr or pediatrician would see.
It must be very frustrating to see improvements in some areas undermined by problems made worse by the medication. It's a difficult position to be in.
Regards,
Greg

yes Greg it is frustrating. with my son i don't know if it's really the Straterra working well or just the Adderall XR gone! it's only been a week. he has had a very good week too! no agruments - and actually pleasant to be around. if it starts looking like the Adderall we will go off.

Kathy - what kin d of pharmacy is out of meds for that long??????

Hockey Mom:
My doctor says it can take weeks for Straterra to build up in your system and show optimal results. With it only being a week are you sure you have had enough time to review the effects. Straterra can have side effects just like the Adderall and Ritalin. One possibility could be that your son just needs a milder dose of a stimulant. Some adults/children only need as little as 5 mg and some get aggressive and their ADHD symptoms worsen if the doses are to high. If you find your son gets bad results with Staterra talk to your doctor and maybe he would try your son with Ritalin. Let us know how things are going.

Definitely could be too early to tell if it really is the Straterra working. The Adderall did take a while to set in with side effects so it's possible. But if I see the same things happening I will speak with the dr. She said there are some kids who just don't do well with any meds - and he could be one. A friend of mine just recently had both of her daughters diagnosed and they are both on Concerta and have been doing wonderful - no side effects at all. They are also a little younger and girls so there are not the same hormonal challenges going on as well.

He did have a little set backat the end of the week at school - got in trouble for something (threw a bottle cap) and they want to punish him with 3 days of In School Suspension- (means sitting in 1 room all day with no class changes - doing school work) - 3 DAYS? Tell me what kid without a diagnosis could do that? The biggest problem is - I work in the school where he attends!

I thought he had very good teachers - however they were not quick to contact me when things were looking bad as far as failures - they still have no comments now - just that he has been missing too much time and make not pass the year!

Thanks for all the advise - we are keeping a close watch on things and taking one day at a time - it's a long road ahead.

Have a great Mom's day to all the Mom's out there - we deserve it!

Concerta is a long acting form of Ritalin.