My 7 year old son

[Mamativa28]

Hello, I'm new to all this. My seven-year-old is having a rough time. He is starting to hit and be aggressive to his peers and his help at school. He is on medication called statera.. and I feel like it makes him more aggressive. The doctor has recently put him on Zoloft. Because they think that he doesn't know how to express his emotions and he may have a form of depression as well as ADHD. I feel like the statera is making him more aggressive then he normally is. Ive told the doctors but I get told let's try lowering it. Witch does not work. I feel lost and a bad mom 😢 💔.

[DewsMom87]

Hello Mamativa,

First, Welcome and awesome job reaching out! Second, you're NOT a bad mom. It takes a lot of courage and strength to be a mom let alone a mom with a child with ADHD! You can do it for the little man!

I haven't had any experience with strattera but my son who is also 7 had the same effect with Adderal. He was very angry, impulsive, and couldn't express any feelings unless he was yelling, hitting, you name it. This started when he was 5 almost 6. Our first doctor said try it for a little longer. Still didn't work. Eventually we got another doctor and she is the best. We have tried 3 other medicines before stopping on Concerta. Hes been on it for 4 months with very minimal side effects. He sees a child physiologist and has a therapist for behavioral therapy.

My son also has a general anxiety disorder and mild depression. He's not on any medication for it. We go to family therapy. A lot of it was due to a bad kindergarten year. He had very low self-esteem. This school year has been much better and he has improved greatly. He luckily has an IEP. Its not perfect and it never will be but its better than it was before. My point in all this is its a lot of work, trial and error but you'll get it.

If you don't think that medicine is working, you tell that doctor you want it changed. If not switch to another doctor. I'm wondering it this is a regular pediatric doctor? If it is, try seeing a child physiologist. You'll get more accurate help.

I hoped I helped a little. You are strong and you got this!

[Mamativa28 in reply to DewsMom87]

Yes I will not put my son on Adderal because when I was on it as a kid and it made me mean and feel werid😒....thanks I know I'm not a bad mom I just feel that way. I wanna be able to fix it for him. I wish there were actual support groups around and actives for the kids to do at it like once or twice a month!

[Cjkchamp]

I’m been where you are. The doctors wanted to put my son on Zoloft and we said no. That’s when they said we could try broad spectrum micronutrients. They worked wonders for my son. I suggest you look into them. There are two companies, Hardy Nutritionals and True Hope. You’re trying to help your son, that doesn’t make you a bad mom! Stay strong!

[Idontgetit]

Hi, I'm new here too and my son takes strattera. If the dose is too high for him, yes I have noticed more agression. At the right dose, which is usually by their weight it really helps my son. My son is also on biphentin during the day to control his impulsivity to hit or react with negative emotions. I question myself all the time, its really not easy. But from my short experience on this site, it's nice to know you are not alone!

[Hidden]

First of all... you are not alone! There are many of us here that know exactly how you feel! Hugs from me...stay strong mama! We too had the experience of med reaction in the form of anger and aggression.(and that is one of the hardest things to go through.. seeing your child change from happy to raging anger, aggressive, no control) If you don't already have a children's psychiatrist on board, I would say now is the time to consider finding one. It is a real trial and error roller coaster to find which meds and correct dosage works best for your child. We have also seen some good results with natural supplements....

L-Theanine, Magnesium, Spectrum Needs (which is a broad spectrum micronutrient), and Omega 3 fish oil. Recently we started with PS (phosphatidyl serine) and feel we are starting to see good results with that also. Our psychiatrist specializes in functional medicine so she prefers natural supplements, but doesn't hesitate to prescribe prescription meds if needed.

[Mamativa28 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for breaking the natural supplements down!!! I'm definitely one for natural!!! Hugs back to you from me!! I swear alot of parents in my area have no clue how to handle a hyper kid let alone all the other problems that come along like I'm not doing anything to help him...I wish they could walk just 30 mins in my shoes.

[Janice_H]

Hi, one of the side effects that my 12 y.o. son had when on Straterra was mood changes. He was easily upset by minor things, was quite rude and seemed more aggressive than without the medication. He is on a new medication now (Ritalin) with minimal side effects.

Zoloft is very effective for depression. I take this myself and have only dry mouth and some difficulty dozing off in the middle of the night. It does not cause any other side effects.

Be persistent about what you want for your child. If you do not want him on a certain medication, advise the doctors you need a different option.

[Elijah1]

If aggression showed up after the medications were started, ask the doctor which one may be causing it, if there is a connection.

[Mamativa28 in reply to Elijah1]

We know it was stearra because that y they put him on Zoloft to help with the aggressive behavior. Witch didn't work, so they are taking him off of it.

[Hidden]

State rate made my son more aggressive . Now is on focalin and is also on a mood stabilizer Lamictal which has really helped

[Mamativa28 in reply to Hidden]

How long has he be on foalin

[Hidden in reply to Mamativa28]

He's been on focalin and lamictal for a few years now