Our son Robert has been diagnosed with CAPD and has an IEP since the end of 2nd grade, he will be entering 4th grade in September. He has strong attention deficiet concerns and we were talking with our Peds office. They gave us a survey for his teacher, resource teacher and for each of us to complete. We were informed about Strattera and I would like to hear from other parents who have any experience with Strattera, especially comparative to other meds. What about side effects and did you see improvement relatively soon. Robert has a reading/writing difficulty and lots of anxiety. Do you think the anxiety issues coincide with the ADD and did the meds help the anxiety.

By Tink on Thursday, June 3, 2004 - 10:04 pm:

My husband is currently taking this and we saw a huge improvment after just a few weeks. He is a much happier person. It has helped a lot with his frustration and concentration. My husband didn't have trouble with anxiety but that may be because he is older and able to verbalize his anxiety better. I know that nausea is a common complaint with Strattera and my dh had trouble for the first 2 weeks with that. Some of the moms here have children on it and I think a few may have had to stop taking it due to that. My dh is very happy with the medication (the first he was prescribed. I hope you hear from other moms that might relate a little better to your son. Some of them have more experience with other medications also. Good luck.

By Dmom on Friday, June 4, 2004 - 12:48 am:

I have a cousin who has had a rough time. She is 9. Her diagnosis is ADHD. She lives with and has been adopted by my Aunt because there are family of origin issues. (And so, anxiety)In the beginning of the school year, she really struggled. So much so, that my Aunt and I considered pulling her from the school system and homeschooling her in my home. (She and my 7yr old dd are "best friends".) My Aunt took her to the ped (again) and they tried Strattera.

Public school ended in GA on May 21.

My little cousin GOT STRAIGHT A'S!!!!! On her end of the year report card.

Once she began to take the medication, she did much, much better, she did have some nausea, though and she lost some weight but she feels so much better about herself and about others. It has done wonders for her self esteem.

And my Aunt bought her something she has longed for....a motorized scooter!! Because she earned it with all A's.

Good Luck and God Bless.

By Karen~moderator on Friday, June 4, 2004 - 09:03 am:

My oldest DD, age 32, was just *finally* recently diganosed with adult ADD. I suspect this has been her *problem* for many, many years. She is on Strattera. They started her at too high a dose for her to tolerate, she gets hers through the VA since she was in the military, and she finally found a doctor who was willing to really listen to her. They dropped her dosage and increased it very gradually and she is doing absolutely fantastic on it.

I have no experience with ADD in children, so can't give any opinions there. I do think my 19 y/o has ADD and she is supposed to be getting evaluated soon.

All I know is that the Strattera has made an incredible difference in oldest DD.

By Lauram on Friday, June 4, 2004 - 09:25 am:

My seven year old has been on Strattera for a little over a year. He is dx with; Tourette's syndrome, ADHD, OCD, Sensory Integration disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. His biggest issues right now are the tics, Adhd and anxiety. The is some evidence that the stimulants (ritalin family) cause an increase in tics which is why we have never tried those. Strattera made a huge difference for my son. He is now able to function within "normal" range. He can use strategies when he gets "antsy" and his work his SOOOO neat now (off Strattera it is scriblle-scrabble). We actually took him off it at the beg of May because they were questioning the ADHD dx. Well, he was ok for the first week (I think some was still in his blood stream) but at the beg of the second week it was a NIGHTMARE! His work was scribble again, he was in the principal's office constantly and his strategies weren't effective. His teacher said she didnt' recognize him (I did- it was the kid before Strattera!) Anyhow, he did have trouble with some of the side effects- but only at teh beginning. THe worst was the puking in my car every AM. He had stomach aches, decreased appetite, and a little weight loss too. That's all gone too. Also, we saw a difference in 24 hours! BTW- he is a little shy of 60 lbs and takes 18 mg in the AM and 18 mg in the PM. As far as the anxiety goes, I KNOW my son is anxious because he is a very moral child and knows right from wrong and his body does CRAZY things sometimes which are interpreted by the world as "naughty." This is very upsetting for him. When he is around people who are educated about his issues, his anxiety is much better. He does have a new prescription for Klonidine when the anxiety gets acute. We haven't used it yet, but it's good to know it's there "just in case!" The dr feels that with the anxiety meds (if needed), the Strattera will work much better (because sometimes he thinks his "acting out" is the anxiety). Good Luck!