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Home › Articles › Special Needs Kids › Strattera

Strattera

Another Weapon in the Fight Against ADHD

By Heather Johnson Durocher

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Before giving her 8-year-old son the newest medication for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Cindy H. felt helpless much of the time. Drug after drug that her son tried brought on various side effects, from lethargy to extreme loss of appetite to vicious mood swings. Even worse, she says, was what happened when the drugs wore off. "It was awful – he was 10 times worse than he ever was when he was on the meds," says the Florida mom.

These days, however, Cindy says she's seeing a whole new boy. Colton has been taking Strattera, the first new drug in three decades for treatment of symptoms of ADHD, which includes inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. FDA-approved since 2002, Strattera is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, which is different from the standard medications used for ADHD in that it is not a stimulant.

Beyond Ritalin
"It's a new medication which may offer clinical advantages for some children," says Dr. Andrew Adesman, director of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "Strattera has a potential and promise, and undoubtedly, there will be some children and adolescents who are going to respond more positively to this medication than stimulants."

Cindy considers her son to be one of these children. After seeing Colton struggle on stimulant drugs, she couldn't be more pleased with his progress since starting Strattera. His moods have leveled out, and both his sleeping and eating have improved dramatically. She's also noticed a change in how he interacts with others. "He seems like a normal child," she says. "With the other drugs, I don't know if it's because they were stimulants or what; he seemed to be not as outgoing – he would have a tendency to play by himself. With this drug he's more social."


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