What are the side effects of a 7-year-old taking Strattera 36mg a day and risperdal 0.5 mg a day?

Answer STRATTERA is one of the newer medications for ADD/ADHD that is in a different class than Ritilan. Ritilin is a STIMULANT used to treat Attention-Deficit and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The reason they use a STIMULANT to CALM down a child(even though it sounds like the opposite of what you should do) is because in young children and adolecents, stimulants have a reverse (or a PARADOXICAL) effect on them.

Given to an adult, it would "speed" them up, but not children. With Strattera, they try to get the same effect; that is slowing down the child so they can concentrate, learn, and behave WITHOUT the stimulant (a step in the right direction I think). My guess(I could be wrong) is that the 7 year old boy is from a single parent family and is quite a handful.So the doctor added Risperdal (A psychotropic tranquilizer) to help manage his behavior and outbursts.

0.5mg. (1/2 mg.) daily is about the most that is prescribed for children. The side effects, among others are; abdominal pain, anxiety, constipation, decreased activity, increased sleeping, weight gain... The side effects of Stratteta, among others are;>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NOT AVAILABLE>>> CAN"T DOUBLE CHECK FACTS>>>>>>>>>The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember is that medication alone doesn't work miracles; it should always be used in conjunction with BEHAVIOR THERAPY, COUNSELLING AND BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES.

You can't just depend on the medication, because REMEMBER, the goal is to improve behavior, teach the child coping mechanisims, and appropriate behavior, then wean him off the meds; that should be the ultimate goal. I truly hope that I've helped answer some of your concerns. ALWAYS ask your pharamcist for a printout of all the medication that he takes, it will tell you what it's for, possible side-effects, suggested dosage and a whole lot more.

I work with children with behavior problems and I know it's NOT EASY!P.S. Check out WebMd.com; type in ADHD....drug info; hit ALL, click GO. ALSO- MEDSCAPE.com BEST WISHES TO YOU AND THE LITTLE GUY!

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