Re: Re: Anyone have experience with Stratera? [1 Attachment]

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Thank you Tricia,

After all the posts to my question on Stratera I think when we go back to see my son's dr on Wed. I'm going to ask that he be taken off of Stratera. It worked really well when he was put on it when he was 10, but I just don't think it's helping him anymore.

When he was little he didn't do well on Ritalin or Concerta and Adderall only helped very little. My son's dr says AS kids don't do well on stimulant meds which has been our expereice. So I'm not sure what else he could give him. I hope we can find something else that might work. ne

From: Tricia <bright4homeschool@...>Subject: ( ) Re: Anyone have experience with Stratera? [1 Attachment] Date: Sunday, November 7, 2010, 10:26 AM

My oldest son, now 18, was in a seven year trial for Stratera even before it was on the market.

He started the medication when he was 6. He was diagnosed with AS when he was 2.5 and ADHD when he was 3. From 3-6 he was on one med after another. Everything seemed to work for a short period of time, then we'd have rebound. As a last resort I entered him in the Stratera Study. It was the answer to our prayers. He after two weeks on the med my son was a different child. He went for a pre-test in math working on the 1st grade level to the 3rd grade level in math in only 2 weeks. His IQ also jumped 10 points in the same 2 weeks. I thought we finally found the solution to his hyperactivity, meltdowns, and inablility to focus. It did nothing for the Aspie quirks, but that was fine. My son's Aspergers traits was easier to live with than ADHD constant running and temper tantrum meltdowns.

All went well on Stratera. My son was a straight A student (we homeschooled). He did all his schoolwork independently starting in grade 4 (he used a computer based curriculum). And I was extremely happy with the results over the next six years.

Then puberty hit. My son's blood pressure started rising, and he began uncontrolled weight gain. Prior to puberty, he was in the 10th percentile for weight and height (remained steady since birth). The advent of a deeper voice and onset of facial hair also began the onset of agitation, the increase of weight to the 95 percentile in less than 5 months.

Others moms with children in the study saw similar weight gain. Some of the boys started showing signs of agression. By this time Stratera was on the market. Friends with ADHD who saw the remarkable progress my son made over the past 6.5 years had convinced their pediatricians to put their children the "wonder" med.

Half of them had similar weight gain experiences as their boys entered puberty.

Ultimately I decided to withdraw my son from the study. I felt it was necessary for his health. Twice I received calls to reconsider putting him back into the study because he was in the study from the beginning and they wanted data to follow these kids through young adulthood. We decided against it. My son is now taking Concerta and doing well. He went on to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and is in his first year of college studying Computer Networking.

I do not regret the time my son took Stratera. It helped him during an extremely difficult time of our lives. It allowed my son to learn to control his impulsivity and reach his academic potential. Over the years, I counsel those who ask to give it a try, it may work while their child is young. It may even be good for some adolescents. I have one friend who began taking Stratera when he was 16 (when it first came on the market) and remains on it successfully with none of the adverse side effects. He is now in his mid 20s.

FYI, I couldn't wait to try my second son, ADD only, on Stratera after his older brother's wonderful initial success. He came off Concerta (I was particularly concerned because he was not gaining weight and Stratera is not an appetite suppressant) Stratera had absolutely no effect on my younger son's ADD symptoms. It did nothing to improve his ability to focus and his school grades decreased while On the Stratera. He could barely write his name during the time he was on Stratera. Finally I made the decision his ability to focus was more important than his lack of appetite, and we went back to Concerta.

Final word, educate yourself and be your child's advocate. Know the side effects of any and all medications your child takes. If something isn't working for your child, or you do not like the apparent side effects he/she is experiencing, try something different. What works beautifully for one child, may not be the answer for another. And what works today may need adjusting or even need to be discontined as your child's body grows and changes.

Hope this helps.

Blessings,

Tricia

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My son used to take Stratera and they kept uping his dosage. He has ADHD non-hyperactive but not AS. The Stratera didn't seem to help or make much difference so now he's not taking it. My 6yr old daughter has Aspies and ADHD, she started with Metholyn and now she is on Focalin. The Focalin really helps with her ADHD. It's supposed to last about 10 hours. Buy the time she comes home from her wrap-around services it has worn off and she's hyper as heck. The only side effect that we have come across is a loss of appetite during the day, she'll eat in the morning and I try to get her to eat something/anything in the afternoon. By dinner time she is hungry and then she will have a light snack before bed, like a piece of cheese.