2 Non-Stimulants? Success?

[PrettyGrey]

Hi all…

Stimulants don’t work for our son. Psych NP is adding in a low dose of Qelbree to the Guanfacine 2mg ER that our son already takes (had weird increase in vocal tics and hyperactivity with upping to 3mg ER).

Has anyone used these in combo and had success?

[Hidden]

I am sorry I have no insight on those 2 meds together, but I do know form reading here on this forum from other parents that Clonidine is also used for ADHD and the thing with Clonidine is that it’s also used in alleviating tics and Tourette syndrome. Maybe you already tried it and didn’t work… I don’t remember exactly those posts so I can’t tell if Clonidine was the only treatment that children were getting or if it was on top of other ADHD meds.

Have you already tried and failed with Atomoxetine? My son had terrible tics on stimulants, but equally he has had a history of tics even before medication. He hasn’t had any tics since on Atomoxetine, his mood is good and anxiety stopped. I mean I watch him recently that he drags one leg- you know like gangster rapper (he doesn’t know that they do it in prisons because they had shot wound etc, well I don’t know why they do it either😄). So I am watching him now and asking about it- he likes hip hop so maybe that’s why he does it. I do hope it’s not again tics…Luckily that’s not a tic that has a lot of impact on his life, even if it is a tic…

[amewhit]

We tried all stimulants with no improvements for over 9 months. We took a break over the summer, and in the fall we started guanfacine. Tenex - short acting. We take 1mg at night and .5 in the morning. It was the first drug that worked at all and it helped with impulsivity and a little bit with focus. It helped him to think before reacting. We still needed more help with the ADHD and mood so we added Strattera. I was very skeptical because I read crappy reviews on Strattera. We went super slow. His therapeutic dose was 60mg. We did 10mg for 2 weeks, then 25mg, then 40mg. So it took about 6-8 weeks. With each dose increase, there were side effects like stomach ache and headache, but they only lasted for a couple of days. I would also say he was more irritable for those two days after increase. We weren’t getting any benefits and I was about to quit. But we pushed on and went up to 60mg about a week and a half ago. All of a sudden it worked. His mood has improved so much that he’s able to focus better. I think he suffers from anxiety and depression although he’s diagnosed with DMDD and ADHD. I think the DMDD symptoms were stemming from anxiety. Quelbree is the new Strattera so you may ask your doctor about the differences. I would recommend not giving up until you get to the therapeutic dose unless you have horrible side effects!