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ADD evaluation for Steven
Topic Started: Sep 15 2008, 04:21 PM (129 Views)
Cabann
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His appt. today was at a Community Psychiatry Associates office and his doctor was really nice. She spoke with Steven and I for almost an hour..asking us both questions. From my understanding from what she has said, Steven does have quite a few signs of being ADD. She gave us some behavior modification tips, that we need to try. I need to keep a journal of his behavior for the next two weeks. She also wants Steven to keep a journal and write down what he is doing when he losses concentration. He wasn't thrilled about that because he doesn't like to write. Also his one soda a day is no more. He has been cut off.

I have a few questionnaires to fill out as does his teacher. The doctor found Steven to be very bright as with a lot of ADD kids. The reason he is so advanced in math and science is because those two subjects require a lot of reasoning and keep the brain active. As with being able to play two instruments. But during reading the brain isn't as active causing him to get lost and lose his concentration.

We go back again in two weeks and the doctor will talk with Steven alone and do some extra tests, she will then speak with me alone (hopefully I can get Steven's dad to go) and then us together as a group. She asked me how I would feel about medicating him. I told her my feelings and my reasonings on it. SO she gave me a name of a medication that works well with ADD children and doesn't zone them out. Strattera ( atomoxetine..which is a not a controlled substance). I will need to do some research on it.

Oh and on a bright note, she is going to be placing a call to the insurance company to see if she can get them to cover the med that we were denied. She thinks the two problems could go hand in hand. So for now I need to check on him every couple hours during the night for the next couple weeks and find out when he has an accident. I have a good idea but it needs to be at a consistent time for a couple weeks. Then I need to wake him up around that time until he learns how to do it himself.


Oh yeah, on our next visit we are going to sit down together with Steven and write an IEP request form for the school so they will work individually with Steven on his reading. He is always placed in the advanced reading class and he always struggles. When I complained about that last year his teacher stated she has to keep him challanged . I always felt like she was setting him up to fail. At least now, with an IEP, Steven will be able work at his own level.
Edited by Cabann, Sep 15 2008, 04:25 PM.
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Jolie Rouge
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YEAH ! At least you are getting some progress...
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Ravenlost
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Sounds like good progress was made today!
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psimer

Check out Strattera. It's one of the newer drugs for ADD. And good for her to get his other med approved by your insurance.

Keep after him to keep his journal. He will need to show his doctor something. Even if it's just a check on the times he looses his concentration and a check besides what he was doing. She's going to need some guidence from him.
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Cabann
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psimer
Sep 16 2008, 01:46 PM
Check out Strattera. It's one of the newer drugs for ADD.

WOW, the side effects of strattera for children is scary. I am not liking the sound of it. Not one bit.

I have to do something to get him to stay on task. After his evaluation yesterday, I let him stay home instead of sending him back to school for the last couple hours. His teacher was kind enough to have all the classwork he would be missing plus his homework ready when I picked him up. Well he sat down at the kitchen table at 1:30 and didn't finish all that worked until after 8. He missed practicing his instruments again and he is suppose to do that daily.
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psimer

Every drug has side effects. What you need to do is to keep an eye on Steven and see how he reacts. He is not suffering from any sort of mental illness so chances are he will not have suicidal thoughts. And since he isn't sexually active we don't have to worry about that. Plus his doctor is going to start him out on the smallest dose possible. I would be more concerned about him not eating that anything else.

But you need to give it a try. They list all of these side effects but you can get the same side effects from almost any drug that affects your brain chemistry. Be sure you let Steven know about the side effects as well and that he is to tell you if he has any of them.

I am the queen of side effects. If a drug has one, I am going to react. But I also look up the side effects and I keep track of how I am feeling so I know if a drug is working or if the side effect is temporary or not. Most side effects diminish as the drug gets into your system.

Give it a chance. The worst case is that you decide it either isn't working or there are too many side effects. The best case is that Steven can suddenly concentrate and he gets his self esteem back at school because he can do the work.
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Cabann
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When Steven had that virus a few years back, at one point his doctor prescribed him an anxiety med to help calm him down. He had every side effect that the drug had to offer (halluncinating, uncontrolable crying, and weak muscles...remember they were already weak). That drug (I can't remember the name of it) only lasted two doses. Shoot the night I had to rush him back in because of the halluncinations, he was seeing red dragons in the doctors office. Lets just say the doctor didn't think twice about taking him off that med.


Now for strattera as soon as I read it could cause suicidal thoughts I knew I didn't want Steven taking it. Maybe I am gun shy since Dustin's issues. Believe me it was no picnic to hear your child say he just wanted to drive his car into a tree or having to take a knife away from him. I do not want go through that with my 11 year old.


These side effect don't scare me:

Common Reactions to Strattera in children and teenagers
Mood swings
Tiredness
Dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Decreased appetite
Upset stomach



These do!!!

Serious Reactions to Strattera
Suicidal thoughts and actions in children and teenagers. Watch for the following signs in your child or teenager during STRATTERA treatment:
anxiety
agitation
panic attacks
trouble sleeping
irritability
hostility
aggressiveness
impulsivity
restlessness
mania
depression
suicide thoughts
NEW Mental (psychiatric) problems in children and teenagers:
New psychotic symptoms (such as hearing voices, believing things that are not true, being suspicious) or new manic symptoms
Severe liver damage
Heart-related problems:
sudden death in patients who have heart problems or heart defects
stroke and heart attack in adults
increased blood pressure and heart rate
Serious allergic reactions (call your doctor if you see swelling, hives, or experience other allergic reactions)
Slowing of growth (height and weight) in children
Problems passing urine including:
Trouble starting or keeping a urine stream
Cannot fully empty the bladder
Edited by Cabann, Sep 17 2008, 03:04 PM.
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Tina
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Cabann
Sep 17 2008, 03:01 PM
When Steven had that virus a few years back, at one point his doctor prescribed him an anxiety med to help calm him down. He had every side effect that the drug had to offer (halluncinating, uncontrolable crying, and weak muscles...remember they were already weak). That drug (I can't remember the name of it) only lasted two doses. Shoot the night I had to rush him back in because of the halluncinations, he was seeing red dragons in the doctors office. Lets just say the doctor didn't think twice about taking him off that med.


Now for strattera as soon as I read it could cause suicidal thoughts I knew I didn't want Steven taking it. Maybe I am gun shy since Dustin's issues. Believe me it was no picnic to hear your child say he just wanted to drive his car into a tree or having to take a knife away from him. I do not want go through that with my 11 year old.


These side effect don't scare me:

Common Reactions to Strattera in children and teenagers
Mood swings
Tiredness
Dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Decreased appetite
Upset stomach



These do!!!

Serious Reactions to Strattera
Suicidal thoughts and actions in children and teenagers. Watch for the following signs in your child or teenager during STRATTERA treatment:
anxiety
agitation
panic attacks
trouble sleeping
irritability
hostility
aggressiveness
impulsivity
restlessness
mania
depression
suicide thoughts
NEW Mental (psychiatric) problems in children and teenagers:
New psychotic symptoms (such as hearing voices, believing things that are not true, being suspicious) or new manic symptoms
Severe liver damage
Heart-related problems:
sudden death in patients who have heart problems or heart defects
stroke and heart attack in adults
increased blood pressure and heart rate
Serious allergic reactions (call your doctor if you see swelling, hives, or experience other allergic reactions)
Slowing of growth (height and weight) in children
Problems passing urine including:
Trouble starting or keeping a urine stream
Cannot fully empty the bladder
Cabann,

Go to BBS and send a PM to heartlvrs. Her son was in on the clinical trial of strattera. She can tell you anything and everything you ever wanted to know. I talked to her about it when they were wanting to try different meds with Michael.

I think she's still on vacation now, She planned to be gone about three weeks... but when she gets back I'm sure she would be glad to talk to you.

It's always good to know everything you need to know about the meds, but in most cases those severe side effects are extremely rare.
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psimer

I agree. Get it from the horse's mouth. I take anti-depressants and have been on a few that really whacked me out. You never know how you will react when you take it. But you should be totally informed. There is a site called crazymeds.com and you can also check it out there.
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