concerta & wellbutrin in 10 year old?

[lilac]

looking for anyone with experience with a child who is around 10 taking concerta 54mg and wellbutrin xl 150mg at the same time, my stepson is, and in my experience i've only seen older children/adolescents on both. his mother has never taken him to a psychologist, just pediatrician. he had no depressive symptoms and seems really out of it after a couple of weeks on the combo. complains of stomach aches and can't fall asleep. My husband (his bio father) and I both have adhd and I am a guidance counselor so we know enough. any info would be appreciated.

[m's mom]

i would urge you to have your stepson seen by a psychopharmacologist, preferably one with lots of experience with children. both wellbutrin and concerta are medications with stimulating effects. in children these medications can sometimes have anomalous effects. a generalist pediatrician is very unlikely to know the impact of these medications. (if you want to know more about my experience with medication interactions, see my post on "adverse reactions" in the ADD partners thread.)

this is one of those times when it's really important to have a skilled specialist.

good luck!

[lilac]

thanks for the info, appreciate it greatly! i'll see if there is anyone within driving distance with that specialty. we live out in the country so finding the most up to date experienced professionals nearby is not always easy.

[inautumnforfree]

Originally Posted by lilac

looking for anyone with experience with a child who is around 10 taking concerta 54mg and wellbutrin xl 150mg at the same time, my stepson is, and in my experience i've only seen older children/adolescents on both. his mother has never taken him to a psychologist, just pediatrician. he had no depressive symptoms and seems really out of it after a couple of weeks on the combo. complains of stomach aches and can't fall asleep. My husband (his bio father) and I both have adhd and I am a guidance counselor so we know enough. any info would be appreciated.

wellbutrin CAN be used for adhd to help stimulate. in some cases, wellbutrin does NOT work for the adhd stimualtion, it isnt as reliable as other stimuants. it also can be used to help someone to quit smoking (i got the most hideous taste when smoking cigs).

SLEEPING ISSUE

when is he taking his medication? i have increased problems sleeping at night if i take it far too late in the day. for example, id take it at 2pm and by 2am i couldnt sleep. concerta can last quite a while in the body, and it varies from person to person. if he is getting concerta at 8am before school and is going to bed by 9:30pm (can remember when i went to bed when i was 10), it could still very well be in his system by the time he is going to sleep.

does he have problems sleeping when he is NOT medicated? when i was younger, i couldnt sleep very well (i wasnt medicated). i still cant sleep very well now that im in my 20s.