 |
 |  |
Straterra, Clonadine (Blood Pressure Issues) and Side EffectsNOTICE: The following posts are taken from the Christian ADHD List. The names, e-mail addresses and locations of all parties involved have been removed to protect their privacy. The posts have been used with permission, but are copyrighted by ADHD of the Christian Kind. Right now he is not on any meds, but am considering Strattera. has anyone had any luck with this? I also subscribe to a newsletter about ADD research etc.. and theres a successful study that has the kids take 50 mg of zinc sulfate daily that seems to help... havent tried that yet either. it's not practical to say yes or no on Straterra as all kids are different in how they react to meds. My daughter's doctor said she was pulling all of her ADD patients off of straterra because they were falling asleep in the classroom. Something to think about. We tried Straterra with our daughter and her moods were unpredictable so we discontinued it. There are many other choices, so if Straterra doesn't work, don't despair. It takes some time to find the right meds. Hope this is helpful. We are on our second (I think) week of strattera and I have heard that it takes awhile for this drug to work. My son seems to be doing well as far as focusing and I noticed that right away. He's not that hyper anyway, but is it too soon for it to be working with his concentration? Also, He seems to have blow ups about mid afternoon everyday. Does this have a wear off effect or time? He is still building up his dose. Right now on the 25 mg and we will go to 40 next. Just curious as to whether he would need an afternoon dose or if this isn't due to the drug wearing off. He is also on clonidine for rage and anger. He takes it during the day. He still has angry blow-outs (when he's not falling asleep! ). I don't know what to make of this. Seems like there should be something that would calm them that didn't make them sleepy. I have had similar problems myself. Have tried herbal things and xanax and didn't notice much of a calming effect, but I would be sooooooo sleepy. If anything, I would become agitated because I was so tired, but wasn't in a position to be able to sleep at that moment! Any thoughts guys? Clonidine is usually what is given to our adhd kids when they have difficulty going to sleep at night. Part of your son's blow-ups I'm sure are because he is so sleepy from the Clonidine. Depakote, can also have a calming effect. It's also an anti-seizure drug. Also, what herbal remedies have you tried? I've heard that Kava Kava has a calming effect, as well as Valerian Root. You might want to get him off of the Clonidine, and try something else. Thanks for the advice. He has always had rage attacks. That's why he is taking the clonidine during the day. He just came off of risperdal, and we are substituting the clonidine for that. I am unable to find kava kava and a pharmacist told me he thinks they pulled it off the market because it was causing liver damage. I am taking valerian root myself and I find that it does make me very sleepy and does very little for calming me. We haven't tried depakote yet, but I will keep that in mind. The doc says that he will adjust to the clonidine and that it will not make him so tired after a while? Any thoughts on that? WEBMASTER NOTE: Kava Kava was temporarily removed from all store shelves in 2004 because of a scare caused by some deaths in Europe. Kava has been found to be safe and is a great anti-anxiety herb. Valerian is recommended as a sleep aid. As with anything taken, check with your dr. and pharmacist for drug interactions and safety issues. I highly recommend finding a natural dr. who supports the use of natural treatments for ADHD as most main-stream physicians will not only NOT recommend herbs and supplements, but resist their use. Looking for a younger dr. who was trained in natural medicine at medical school can make a big difference as well. Like I said before, I was only familiar with the Clonidine being used at night time. I'm gonna be honest with you, another reason I took my son off of the Clonidine was because I found out that it actually lowers one's blood pressure, and that is what makes a person so sleepy. My son is currently on Concerta, and his nights of sleeplessness have dramatically decreased since he went off of the Adderall. My son had problems with rages, but we discovered that alot of his rages were due to frustrations with his learning disabilities. Once we discovered what some of his triggers were, then we could better address the problem. He also saw a child psychologist for about 6 months for anger management. I would highly recommend this, if you haven't tried it. It's very important though, to find a counselor that specializes with kids like ours. Hope this helps. My son still has periods of anger and frustration, but not the extreme rages that he used to have. How serious is the low blood pressure issue? I always thought that was a good thing! We have also tried concerta. Stimulants make him rage even harder. He is getting some sensory therapy right now, so we are hoping that will help him stop seeing the world as the "enemy attacking" him. He just started and it is too soon to say, but if we could get his sensory systems organized I hope some day to be off all the rage meds, but the strattera really seems to help him focus. Isn't it frustrating sometimes? It can be so difficult to figure out the right combination of meds and therapies that work for our kids. It's also frustrating because we see them struggling and just "angry at the world". Some people may not agree with me, but all I know is that it has worked for me. I began to pray in a different way for my son. It dawned on me one day (lightbulb moment, I guess), why do I have to just accept his adhd and all of the behaviors and stuff that go along with it. So I began to pray that God give my son an inner peace and joy that he's never had before, and I consistently acknowledge that God is more powerful than those behaviors and attitudes, and in Jesus name take authority over them. I've asked the Lord to take away the anger and unhappiness and restore my son. I'm telling you I have seen a change in my son for the better. I don't expect that my son will never become angry or frustrated, I just know that the incidences are a lot less and a lot less extreme. Again, I realize people may not agree with me, and I certainly respect that. I will be in prayer for you and your son. I feel the need to jump in & stick my nose in for a second. I've dealt with the issue of high blood pressure as long as I've ever had regular checkups (started @ 18 while preg). My blood pressure fluctuated and skyrocketed while on B/C pills. I'm off all meds that can cause high BP but my pressure still has to be treated with daily meds to get it down. I learned a lot about blood pressure over the last 16 years and believe me, you don't want it to be high OR LOW. It is a form of heart disease. It can cause heart damage if left untreated for a long period of time. If it's a medical condition that needs to be treated to help reduce the blood pressure, then it's to get it down to the "normal" range (120/80 for an adult). If it's too low, then your heart is not working hard enough to pump fluids off your body and needs help to get it back up to the "normal" range. Also, with low BP you tend to not have as much energy. OBVIOUSLY this is what the Dr's are going for with our precious ADHD kids, but at what future cost? Just be careful with the blood pressure issue, it can become a lifetime battle in & of itself. That's just what we need...ANOTHER issue to deal with...it'll help take the focus off the OTHER 1001 issues we're already working on daily. grin I'd recommend that you ask your Doc to explain the issues of blood pressure and don't leave until you're satisfied with their answer. I went untreated for 13 years because I didn't think it was a big deal. The last 3 years have been better with less headaches, but I think the damage is done. I can't get it under control. Of course, if I didn't have a stressless job like Payroll, and wonderful, perfect children at home, I may not have any issues...but I wouldn't have a life either. THEY are what keep me going. I didn't mean to sound like a downer, but I do want you to take it seriously until you understand it better. Also remember that Doctors are just "practicing" medicine. Which means they have an educated guess rather than just a guestimate. Much like we are just "practicing" parenting...will we ever be perfect? No. Will Doctors? No. ONLY GOD! Amen!!! I totally agree with you on the blood pressure thing. Something about using this drug, just made me very uneasy. Maybe this sounds irrational, but I had this terrible fear of my son's blood pressure dropping too low and something happening to him. That's why I stopped it. I have learned to go with my gut instinct on things. If it doesn't feel right, then don't force it. I can totally relate as to the stress factor. I'm sure most moms can. Thanks so much for your input. Definitely go with that inner voice that tells us there's something not quite kosher with the situation! I believe it's that still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us and telling us what's right and wrong. I must commend you for going with it and STICKING with it. I've had in-laws and out-laws GRIN that I've had to fight back telling them that I may or may not be right with going against a doctor, but I don't think the doctors really know OUR child the way we do. I'm still skeptical about my 11 yr old being ADHD. I'm not sure he deserves the title. He has some of the symptoms, some days more than others, but I think his stems from a dysfunctional mother (not me, his DNA donor) and anger with the lack of understanding what he did to cause her to treat him the way she did/does. He used to suffer with feelings of abandonment, but over time we've been able to teach him that the feelings are normal, but the understanding of it is not. Now that he's been with us as a stable family for more than 6 years, he feels that he's loved, but we always have to reassure him...which I think every parent should do with their children anyway. His teachers will probably disagree with me, because he loves to give them a hard time. I say we need some ADHD teachers, put all the hyper kids in their class(es) and see who's left standing at the end of the week! HAHAHA Maybe a new reality show for FOX that could actually be realistic! Hey, thanks guys for this discussion! I read your e-mails earlier today. Tonight my parents came over for supper. My dad was extremly tired and couldn't figure out why. Well, as they were talking I found out he had just started Clonidine yesterday. Thanks to your e-mails I shared what you guys had said. The doctor had not even told him to check his blood-pressure, even though he has a history with meds lowering his blood-pressure too low. (did that sentence come out right? lol). Anyways, thanks for giving me knowledge and being helpful in possibly avoiding a uneccesary disaster. Has anyone out there ever had their child react violently to strattera? My son is having a horrible cycle right now. Could it be that the strattera is making him worse than usual? _____ was on Strattera for over a year and seemed to me that he got worse and worse, very slowly though. I have read (think I mentioned it before) that it is in the same class as Effexor (antidepressant). My husband is on Effexor and cannot miss one dose or he has HORRIBLE withdrawal effects. After I found that out I started giving _____ one every OTHER day to wean him off...he has had none in over a month and is doing so good. He is on the Concerta and Clonidine (at night). That strattera scares me. It didn't make that much of a positive difference anyway....I'm sure for some it is a Godsend though. My son has only been on Strattera for about two weeks now, and it seems like during the day it is a big help but by evening he starts to freak out a little. Just like this evening, I was taking pictures of him and his brother - when I went to put the camera up he flipped - he thought I didn't get any pictures of him. Instead of asking to see them, he went beserk. Very disrespectful - calling me stupid, horrible, ugly, meanest mom in the world. I didn't react well either, so it's another night of guilt. When we talked things over he just broke down in tears and said he was the worst boy in the world. It was so sad! It does seem to me that by the time the Strattera wears off that my son is much more emotional and more likely to snap. Is that what you mean by your son acting violently? My son acted that way on Adderall - just mean, grouchy, and onery. Hopefully we aren't headed down the same road again with the Strattera. Keep us updated and I will keep you in our prayers! Yes, my son is acting in the very same manner... I got exactly the same words from him during his rages too! We also experienced this with adderall. My son is taking clonidine during the day, but it doesn't seem to do anything for his anger. Need all the prayers I can get. Thanks! Someone (I think) has told me that strattera didn't "wear off" like other drugs...like it was good for 24 hours...but I wondered the same thing, cause the evening seem rough around here.... I had my son on Strattera last school year for 1 marking period...I will never put him on any kind of meds again. It was horrible. His grades went down, he became very mean and violent. Then as the med wore off he was very depressed. I swear children need love and attention but they don't need meds. It took me a long time to actually try the meds but I'm so glad he is off. I'll just deal with him the way he is. God made him special for a reason. I think you are right, the Strattera is supposed to work 24/7. My son has refused to swallow it so he has been letting it dissolve in his mouth - so he gets a big dose of it right at first and then it does wear off. He took it the right way today - swallowed it - so yeah! We will see what happens. My son is also on the Tegretol for his rages, and I think it has helped A LOT. These new little breakdowns - I don't know where they are coming from. Maybe the stress of the holiday and then the stress of going back to school - doesn't take much to set him off. This morning he was just a doll - so happy - and after I dropped him off in his classroom, I went to talk to another teacher, walked back by his room, and there is was throwing a huge fit - makes no sense whatsoever! He totally lost it over not wanting to do his work. His special ed. teacher said she wouldn't think it would be the Strattera doing this, but who knows. Unfortunately, when my son "attacks" me with his words and screams at me I have a hard time dealing with it. I just feel like my blood is literally boiling. It makes me sad that that is probably what he is feeling too. Hope your days get better......by the way... how long did you say your son has been on Strattera, and how old is he? My son is 5 and in kinder, and takes 25 mg. a day. I think he has been on it a little over a month. I think I originally posted it being two weeks, but I meant to say that the tantrums have been really bad the past two weeks. He is 11 and taking 40 mg a day. His focus and school work performance have been excellent on it, so its hard for me to take him off, but if it is causing fits, I'll have too. My son has been taking Strattera for almost a year now. He doesn't seem to have the "rages" that I think you are saying your son's are having, but there are still ups and downs with every medication he has taken. And he has bad days and good days. The only thing I like about Strattera is that he is not losing weight anymore. That was a big problem when he only took Adderall. He is 9 (weighs 51 lbs.) takes 100 mg. Strattera a day along with 30 mg of Adderall XR per day. So far, so good. _____ started strattera (is the right way to spell it, or is it two r's instead?) today. He's almost 5. Wondering if any of your kids had somnolence with it. Could it just be his body adjusting to it. I gave him the first dose at about 12:30 pm, and by 7 PM, he was asleep in the car on the way home from supper. Granted, he does usually go to bed between 7:30 and 8, and he did go swimming today . But, while we were at the restaurant, he was extremely quiet (as if he was sick) and highly unusual for his hyperactive self, and wanted to go home. Is this OK? Of course, the dr. gave it to me today and we are on the holiday weekend now. I'll call him on Tuesday, but would appreciate any thoughts in the meantime. Sounds like he had a busy day ! One of the side effects is drowsiness. My son was drowsy on it at first too, but not anymore. He has been on it for a year now and he is 10 years old. My son, who is almost 6, has been on Strattera for about 7 months. He was sleepy at first also, at least when he was at home. We started it in the middle of kinder and none of his teachers ever commented about him being sleepy in class - I think it just calmed him down enough to behave throughout the day. But even after 7 months, if you get my son in a car for a long drive he will usually dose off. I just think with him being on overdrive most of the time - that it can't hurt. He still has no problems going to sleep at night and sleeping 12 hours. Naps in the car are usually a good thing for us - that means no fighting with our 2 year old little brother! Anyway, hope that helps. My son was also sleepy at first. I thought that the med. was to strong till the doc. told me it could effect him that way for about two weeks until he adjusted to the new med. "Give it some time, he has to adjust to it before you can tell if it will work for him. it can take up to two weeks, but you could see improvement in as little as a day or two." That's what my son's doc. told me. Unless you notice a severe reaction to it I would just give it time. My 7 y/o daughter had the exact same reaction to the Strattera. She only had one dose. The doctor changed her to Concerta 27 mg and it has helped her immensely without putting her into a catatonic state! My 9 year old has started taking Strattera. Have any of you had any experience with Strattera? I like that it is not a stimulant so it does not wear off - it keeps him pretty even. But - as with any medicine I want to know if anyone has experienced side effects or problems. I have used Strattera in the past. It was one of the drugs that didn't seem to help our son. If you see results that is good. Another example of how not every drug works on the same child. My son tried it at age 9, he is now 11, and started to say about committing suicide...needless to say, he isn't on anything anymore.....Some children need meds but I strongly feel not all of them do...It's a really hard thing for a parent to make that kind of decision... My daughter was on Strattera for approx 5 months. We saw a huge increase in moodiness and "melt downs". She was also tired all the time!! I took her off of it after that as I felt it was affecting her too much emotionally. Now it may have been hormonal as well, but there was a marked difference in her abitity to control her emotions!! In addition...it was an all out BATTLE to even get her to take the pill. She cannot swallow medication...psychological I think!! I will say that I did see a difference in her attention span while doing school work during that time. It did help her focus. I will pray you have better results!! Every kid is different!! I had heard of some great results with Straterra and that is why we tried it!! Hi, I don't post much, but have learned a lot from all you great parents. I felt I had to get in on this one. My 14 year old son with Adhd takes Strattera. He has improved a lot with his inattention. BUT, we put my then 9 year old on it and had horrible results. He was angry, depressed, cried all the time. Yelled, screamed, said he would kill himself, etc. Talking to a friend whose son had been on it and had the same results, I learned that it has that effect on several kids. I then read some of the info she had got in OK city at a meeting of some sort and the "bad" side effects were much larger in kids under 13 or 14 or so. The school counselor at my younger son's school said that in age groups under Jr. High she has seen the same results. I know everyone is different, but I thought this might help. My 6 year old son has been on Strattera for about a year. He also takes it with Tegretol for his moods. My experience with Strattera has been an extremely positive one. My son is a completely different kid. In fact, I had a long talk with his teacher today, and they have decided to pull out the aide that is in his class because he no longer requires any kind of support. She said he is a happy, bright, wonderful little boy!! This is my child that was getting restrained last year - he was spitting, hitting, biting, you name it. What a difference a year makes. I believe it was prayer, maturity, and the medication. I have heard all the concerns about the suicidal thoughts and it did worry me, but I would give Strattera a try for several months before you can see how it will affect your child. My son is very hard on himself but I do not believe it is because of his meds. He has never talked about hurting himself. Every child is different, but we are doing really well on Strattera. Oh, and we have not really experienced any side affects. He was drowsy at first but that went away -and it has never affected his appetite or moods. Keep us updated! My son is 11. The neurologist put him on Strattera. He told us to watch him closely. He stated recent results have stated teenagers on this med have become more moody and suicidal. Naturally I did not want to put my son on something like this when he already has mood issues. I took him back to the psychiatrist and was told it was not a drug that the psychiatrist has seen as affective as other drugs and the psychiatrist also stated information about suicidal teens on this drug. Besides in the time frame we had him on it we did not see much results. You may want to get more information from your doctor. However like any drug each kid may have different side effect then others. What may be safe and work great for one kid my work opposite for another. On top of this we're still homeschooling all three kids, and trying to adjust to having an ADHD child in our family. (We adopted my cousin's daughter after she abandoned her, and have had her for almost 2 years now. She turned 11 last month.) I thought I had become a patient mom until I had this 11yo for about 3 or 4 months and the honeymoon wore off. Praise God, she is improving when it comes to not lying as much and sneaking to get away with disobedience, but she still constantly disobeys when it comes to doing what she's told and getting side-tracked. A lot of this is due to ADHD, but it's still very hard to deal with. Although I'm sorry to hear you're all going through the same type things, it's nice to know we're not alone. As far as medicine, I'm no expert, but the foster program had her on adderall and stratera and neither worked very well. She was switched to Concerta and takes 50 mg, which works much better and doesn't seem to have bad side-affects, although she is more in touch with her emotions on the medicine than off, and cries more easily when she's in trouble or watching a sad movie. She isn't depressed, though, and seems content. This still doesn't bring her to a "normal" attention span, though, so I've wondered lately (especially during frustrating times) if more would work better or if we're about at the maximum dosage. ?? "God, bless us all with your grace and patience for these often frustrating, but beloved children, who desperately need to see your love lived out through us. Be BIG in us, Father. Be BIG in me!" My son has been taking Strattera for the past year. We recently have decided to take him off of this. We have noticed an improvement in his moods. I originally had thought that the Concerta he was on was causing him to be grumpy. But after having him only on the Concerta and off the Strattera for a few weeks, I have noticed an improvement in his moods. He seems a lot happier and not as angry and grumpy. Every med. works different for each kid, so I am not completely against anyone giving their child Strattera. But for my child it wasn't the right one. I also have a friend whose child was on Strattera and also had mood problems and was very aggressive and had a lot of nightmares. It is not a fun thing to try to figure out what meds work for your child. But it is well worth it when you see him learning and progressing in school--and happier. Thank you to all who have responded to my email regarding strattera. Thankfully my son has not had any issues so far with strattera and he has been using it for about 7 months. It has helped him tremendously - but I am thankful that you are willing to share your experiences. I will be more attentive to issues you have raised if they come up. It is nice to be able to come to this group with concerns and get so much feedback. |
|
|
HOME
Site Map
What's New
E-mail Lists
Archives
Articles
Bible Studies
Resources
Education
Links
Search
|