Concerta And Strattera

I have a 14 y/o son and a 13 y/o daughter that are both on 54 mg of Concerta and Strattera. My daughter is doing very well, but my son is not good on his meds.

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My 5 yo son was on 54 mg of Concerta and it didn't seem to be working so the doctors put him on 30 mg or ritalin and that seems to be helping a little bit but he is still very hyper and still has a problem staying on task for longer than 15 mins, but he also has bipolar disorder. I never thought that they could diagnos a child that young but i am glad that i had him tested because it is helping a little bit but not as much as I thought that it would.

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First I would like to state this is only my opinion based on personal experiences and various observations. I am not a professional by ANY MEANS.

I am a 17 year old Junior at Tara High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was always suggested by my uncle, a pediatrician, that I be evaluated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. My mother was opposed to stimulant medication for ADHD; However after my parents seperated my Father, who had always done whatever my controlling mother told him to do, became more assertive and insisted that I be tested. I was indeed ADHD, and in the middle of the 5th grade I was prescribed 10mg of Immediate Release Adderall. Adderall is a mixture of dextroamphetamine, amphetamine, and the stereoisomers of these drugs. When I first took it I was amazed at my sudden ability to concentrate all because of a blue pill less than 10mm in diameter. I continued to take it for a year after. I developed tolerance and had to increase the dosage sevral times. I also had to start taking it three times a day because of the rages I would go into while rebounding from the amphetamines. This interfered with my sleep severely(how many fifth graders do you know that stay up until 2am listening to talk radio about stocks).

I eventually decided myself that I wanted to be medicated again. This came from a secret desire to lose extra weight I had put on. I was presribed 18 mg of Concerta(and I was 14 years old). I started buying extra medicine from my friends and eventually ended up consuming illegal methamphetamines. It is surprisingly similiar to the medicines that are distributed to hundreds of thousands of children each year. They even(in rare and severe cases) prescribe a medication called Desoxyn which is brand name for methamphetamine.

I had to be treated for substance abuse as well as psychosis.

I know you are probably well informed also, and I am not trying to criticize you. I just think that 5 years old is a very young age to be put on psychostimulants.

These drugs are on schedule 2 of the Controlled Substance Act for a good reason. Another thing to consider is that ADHD is more of a theory. The idea is that children with the disorder have less than normal amounts of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine(noradrenaline). The amphetamines and methylphenidate(very similiar in structure to amphetamine) increase the amount of these transmitters in the brain and inhibit the reuptake of them. This deficiency, though, has never been documented, and there is no consistent scientific evidence. Children are being diagnosed much younger now and there is a high risk of your child(especially at five-years-old) being misdiagnosed. Also do a google search on adderall and methylphenidate(concerta, ritalin, etc) abuse. You may be surprised at what you find.

Kindest Regards,

anonymous student

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Well done to the anonymous student. I'd just like to know why ADH or what ever it is called is so suddenly fashionable? Years ago a sharp smack on the back side worked miracles in getting children to behave themselves. When my two kids were young we had never heard of ADH but then if our kids misbehaved they got a sharp smack on the bum. It certainly didn't do them or me (in my young days) any harm. To have three children in the same family with this so called disorder really means that there is something difficient with the parents. Perhaps they need treatment?

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Everyone is different, even close relatives have differences, so any given medication may work for one, and not for the other.

If your son isn't doing well, then his doctor should be consulted, as he may need to try a different medication.

The FDA warns that these medications carry the risk of being habit forming, and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, headache, irritability, and anorexia.

How long has he been taking his current medication?

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