Doctor recommended concerta-I know nothing about it

amother

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 7:51 pm

I was at the pediatrician today with dc. dc has been complaining of headaches. doctor had discussion with dc and dc is having difficulty in school with certain subjects that are boring to her, she has difficulty focusing during those subjects and the night before a test such as chumash she realizes she's missing notes, she cannot study by herself and part of the material to her is like she was never taught it.

anyway, she is an overall creative child, has her positive strengths, but definitely add, including anxieties.

doctor recommended concerta and I know nothing about it.

anyone know whether it is safe, has any side effects, it is addictive.

I nearly burst into tears at the doctor's office, but after reading on this board how some children turned into well adjusted functioning children after being placed on meds, I feel maybe she'll do better.

any advice would be appreciated.

TIA

toastedbagel

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 10:54 pm

concerta is ritalin that has been formulated in a such a way that it releases over an extended length of time, so you have to take it maybe once or twice in the day instead of more often like the original ritalin.

being medicated with ritalin or concerta can work wonders for a kid who is ADD, or can overmedicate them, or can just be the wrong medication. I had two brothers on ritalin (and later concerta), for one it made all the difference in the world in his behaviour as he was extremely ADHD and uncontrollable before that, and he settled down. For the other one who the issue was more spaciness, absent minded-ness, social issues - I don't think it really helped him.

The best thing to do is read up on it, speak to people who have used it and liked it, used it and didn't like it, or refused to use it, and as with any big medical decision, get a second opinion. Getting a second opinion does not mean that the first one is wrong, it may agree with the first opinion, it just means that before you put your child on a long term medication plan, it would be good to have more input. Many doctors will ask for input from teachers in the form of a written questionairre before putting a child on this sort of medication, just to make sure they are treating what they think they are.

amother

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 2:09 am

My son has been on it for over a year now. He is doing great. The teachers had noticed more of the ADHD than I did at home and I basically felt I needed to listen to them plus the evaluators since I wasn't in the classroom with him to determine myself. He is in second grade.

He did develop a tic in his throat that is very annoying to him. I was told that Ritilin and Concerta don't really cause tics but do bring them out early in those susceptible in the first place. He was put on another med to conteract the tic but so far has not helped.

In the beginning, he also had trouble sleeping sometimes so I am careful to give it really early in the morning. I also felt his appetite was lessened during the midday hours but he still ate well morning and night.

It is hard to tell if the side effects are really worth the benefits or not. I know he's doing great but the only way to tell if the drugs are the reason is to stop them and wait and see. If he's doing great, I don't feel it is right to take away the one thing that may be helping him. His self confidence is really up now that he's doing great in school and his patience is lengthened. Tough call.

amother

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 2:17 am

As a teacher I have taught many children on these kinds of medication. My advice is:
Speak to the teacher and find out what she says is happening in the classroom.
Make sure it is a specialist (who specialises in these things) who is prescribing the medication. Sometimes it takes time to find the correct dosage.
Sometimes it is anxiety that is causing the child not to concentrate and not an ADD.
Monitor the child for any side affects. On concerta some of these only show after about 2months.
Tell the teacher your child is on this medication and ask the teacher for regular feedback. (I sometimes have to complete a form every month for some children.

Good luck and hope this helps.

Tamiri

Sun, Nov 22 2009, 7:19 am

I am going to guess that you are in the U.S. OP, since you mentioned the pediatrician prescribing. In the U.S., they are allowed to do that. It doesn't mean the ped knows what he/she is doing. Ritalin/Welbutrin/Concerta (there may be more but I am not in the loop anymore) need to be given to a child AFTER that child is diagnosed professionally with the ailments these meds are supposed to treat. It's not responsible to give the meds to see if they will help. That is my opinion.
What we observed with Concerta: diminished appetite, difficulty getting to sleep at a normal hour, even when given early in the am. What is good about Concerta is that if you don't give it, the kid can be normal for a day. The med acts on the day given.

Mommy3.5

Sun, Nov 22 2009, 4:35 pm

amother wrote:

Please Please take your son to a Neurologist. It is a VERY rare side effect of ridalin, but some people developed Tourettes syndrome. Which causes uncontrollable tics. My friend has one child who developed tics after taking ritalin, She was told she was crazy, and its not possible, she kept her son on it as the dr told her it was not possible, He was later diagnosed with touretts, and told it was the ritalin.

Thinking it was so rare, she gave it to her next child, who also developed tics, BH she recognized the symptoms and immediately stopped the medication, the tics pretty much cleared up completely, but the child has a few effects and the older son suffers greatly.

momoffive

Mon, Nov 23 2009, 2:42 pm

Not to question the pediatrician, and not to disagree with some other posters, but after a neurological workup, your safest bet is to head for a competent psychiatrist. Only someone in this medical specialty should be prescribing these meds - many pediatricians will NOT do it and for good reason. Relief Resources can refer you to a good center near your home.