Recently we found out that one of the girls has ADD without hyperactivity. According to her IEP evaluation she should be making straight A's easily but it's been a struggle to pull off C's in some classes especially MATH. It's very mild but she still would need medication to get through school. Our pediatrician has put her on Straterra with his first reason being that her case is mild and Straterra is a non-stimulant ADD med unlike the other meth based ones. She has been on it for a week now and we have definitely noticed a positive change at home. Hoping once break is over we can see how well she does in school. The one con I have found is it is VERY expensive. But we are willing to pay to keep her on Straterra if its working before going to a generic meth based medication. Just wanting to hear any pros and cons others might have. Thanks!

It's been awhile since I've been on here but wanting to say "Hi" to everyone and wish you all a very Happy New Year.


........... Kris & Co. ...........

Hi, Kris. Nice to see you back!

I don't have any experience with ADD meds and I hope you get some feedback. The boards have been quite slow over the holidays.

Sharon
13 year old b/b/b + 17 year old son

Thanks Sharon! Yes I kinda realized the boards have been slow. That's ok I didn't need a whole lot of answers immediately since we've already started her on it but was curious as to what other have experienced. Hey I posted a new pic of the girls in the photo forum you'll have to check it out. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

........... Kris & Co. ...........

Wow, Kris. The girls have grown up so much. At one time, they had different hair cuts and now they all seem to have let it grown out to a longer length. They are adorable! And your son is not a little boy anymore! He's huge!

Sharon
13 year old b/b/b + 17 year old son

I have 2 boys with ADD (one with hyperactivity and one without) although we have not tried Stratera. They are both on 10 mg of FocalinXR.

I have seen huge improvements in my son without hyperactivity with the Focalin with almost no side effects. With my hyperactive son we have also seen improvements but not to the same extent as his brother. We have also seen more side effects with him - decreased appetite, more anger issues/moodiness. However, it definitely does help him focus on school work. I have been recently researching Stratera to see if we should try a different medication with him.

Jenni
mom of triplets (12) plus one (6)

Thanks Jenni. Our pediatrician said he has had alot of luck with Straterra. Today was Kourtney's first day back to school from break and I am very curious to see how this all works.

........... Kris & Co. ...........

Kris

I do not have much info but did try one of my boys on it and it did not work for him. Know that it is a good one though when you find the right fit and many kids- and adults - benefit. I have 3 boys with ADD - the third of which was just diagnosed. I am having a hard time digesting it! No wonder I feel scatterbrained

Good luck!
Suzanne
Proud mommy to Seamus, Brendan and Casey 4/17/00

Thanks for answering Suzanne! This has been very difficult for me to accept. I couldn't understand why it had taken so long to figure out. The Dr. and the school said that it wasn't that uncommon though for girls with ADD w/o hyperactivity. It's often put off as a maturity issue. Until this year that's what we thought to until her sisters starting excelling and she started struggling. Her IEP evaluation just confirmed it for us. Her self esteem was very low. She has been so receptive to all of this and even seems relieved to KNOW she is VERY smart and with medication she could do better in school. I hope this is the right medicine for her.

The ped also gave me a list of some books that would help also:

Parenting with Love & Logic books
All kinds of Minds- Melvin Levine
The myth of Laziness-Melvin Levine
Look out world here comes life - Melvin Levine
Attention Deficit Disorder Intervention Manual for parents by
Stephen B. McCarney

Good Luck to you. I hope this year brings you some peace of mind.

........... Kris & Co. ...........

My oldest was on 80mg Straterra and I think it worked great. He just got to that point that it started not working for him (about 2yrs into taking it). He isn't a triplet, just the older brother, however, I think one of his triplet sister's is showing "signs" of ADD...just like he did...and at the time we wrote them off to him being an only child for 5 1/2yrs, moving, changing schools 3x in 2yrs, etc. He was finally diagnosed in 4th grade and Straterra worked great for him for a few years. We've since bounced around in meds, especially since he's now almost 14yrs old and 160lbs. He now is on Vyvance 30mg and we're looking at increasing dosage, as he doesn't feel a difference. Good luck and hope it works!

Shaena
mom to Brenden - almost 14yrs old
Kaitlyn, Jenna & Connor - 8yrs old

Thanks for sharing Shaena. Right now Kourtney is on 40mg. She began taking it Dec. 23rd and did a phase-in starter pack to her current dosage. She has a Dr. appt. tomorrow so he can see how she is doing. I am able to look at her daily grades online and she is still bouncing around a little but I'm hoping that will even out. They have only been back in school for 2 weeks so it's hard to tell yet. I'm just glad to see her becoming happy again. Her self esteem and the frustration from not doing well in school was worrisome before she started the medication. I see more confidence in her now.

........... Kris & Co. ...........

Kris, I would think that her teacher would notice a dfference.

I have worked with students for 21 years now and I can see huge changes in students when they are on or off their meds.

I am glad that you are willing to give the meds a try.

The hard part is that kids grow and mature and the doasages have to be changed quite often. But if you are on top of it and keep in touch with her teachers, you should be able to tell when dosages need to be looked at again.

I am sure your daughter will be much happier, now that she will be able to focus better. She will be able to hear the lesson, get the assignment and hopefully stay on task long enough to complete the work.

mom to:
Ryan 32 The Lawyer
Jason 30 The Chief Meteorologist
Chris 30 The College Student
Tim 30 The college grad

I love hearing their versions of their childhood memories!!