Stopping Stimulants with Success?

[Mmagusin]

Has anyone tried removing all stimulants from medication protocol for ADHD and only use alternative meds, like Guanfacine or Straterra, with success? I’m thinking the meds actually might make him more aggressive, defiant, etc.

[Onthemove1971]

Thanks for sharing. I am not sure if your child has tried a different stimulant or not. But Guanfacine really helps our son with mood and focus. The bigger issue for us is impulsive behavior.

So instead of eliminating could you switch? I am also not sure if your child is seeing a child psychiatrist, if not I would really start there.

Good luck.

[Delphine_Hats in reply to Onthemove1971]

My son has tried simulant and non stimulant medication. He's been on Strattera for a while now and he's less impulsive and aggressive or at least he tries to control it better. Give it a try but be prepared to really at least 6 weeks to see changes with Strattera. It's gradual.

[Maryca1974]

For us- the stimulant (methylphenidate) was the last thing we added, because the mood swings were the biggest issue. But even after years of therapy, he couldn’t physically control his impulsiveness. That’s where the stimulant helped our son gain some control.

[Klmamma in reply to Maryca1974]

Did it actually help with the impulse control? I keep reading that meds don't help much with that.

[Maryca1974 in reply to Klmamma]

It helped him with impulse control- he already knew the strategies to use when he was upset, he just could t stop and think about it when he was upset. He’s still working on organizational skill and completing tasks- I wish there was a drug for that

[Klmamma in reply to Maryca1974]

We have years of therapy under our belt too and go through periods of ok and are currently in a not ok period 🤦‍♀️. Thank you for sharing. I'm going to research straterra now.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Klmamma]

Yes..Yes for us. The Ritilin has really reduced most impulsivity for us.

[anirush]

We can't do stimulants, too much aggression. We use Straterra and Guanfacine for one and Bupropion, Guanfacine and generic Seroquel for the older teen who has lots of anxiety and depression issues along with the ADHJD.