[JoanneFromNYC]

What can you tell me about these medications? These would be for a 10 year old boy with ADHD and depression.
Wellbutrin (100mg)
Concerta (36 mg)
Seroquel (150 mg)

I was told the first is for the depression, the second is for the HD and the third is a mood stabilizer. I have also read that the last one has only been tested on adults and the long term effects on children are not known.

Thank you in advance.

[Peggy]

I can not say this definitively. But often when children are placed in a permanent home, they are slowly weaned off of some or most of their medications. My daughter takes Concerta, and it is for ADHD. She initially also took a mood stabilizer (for aggression) that she was weaned off of.

[Dianna]

What you were told sounds correct to me. One of my kids has had good success on Concerta. There is a good discussion of many of these medications in "The Bipolar Child" by Papolos. It talks about the history of the development of the meds, when they are used, how they work, and some examples of people's experience with them. Good Luck.

[lucyjoy]

I never trust any of the meds my kids show up on because they often see several doctors and it's also been my experience that if a me isn't working, instead of stopping it they just add more.

It's also common for kids to be put on meds that are not approved for kids and they're often given a higher dosage then is recommended for adults.

I'm not a doctor, but I would definately question the use of a mood stabalizer and an antidepressant together. If it were me, I'd want to know which one was tried first. If the child reacted angerly after being placed on Wellbutrin and a mood stabalizer was then added, I'd subtract both and try something else if it were truly needed. Concerta is a pretty good ADHD drug.

[JoanneFromNYC]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me. It is very much appreciated. I had never heard of these medications before and although i did searches on all three, it's hard to ask questions to a web page. (lol) That's why I asked here.
Thanks again!

[po]

concerta is for ADHD. Welbutrin I had a foster daughter put on 50mg. She had reacted negatively to other meds. My husband takes 100mg twice a day. He did not feel good and had no energy. It has helped him tremendously. That dose seems high, but I don't know what is recommended for a child that age. My foster daughter was 14 and almost 200 pounds 5 foot 10.

[Mom_Of_Many]

First thing I'd do, after you adopted your child, is to re-evaluate her with a child psychiatrist (and I wouldn't use a psycologist--my preference--because they don't understand medical psychiatric disorders and tend to harp on the behavioral---that can come later) to see what your child really has. It sounds very vague, like most adopted kid's profiles. It could very well actually be childhood onset bipolar, and, if it is, the meds are inappropriate. I have one child with COBP and Seroquel is an antipsychotic that does not work well as a mood stabilizer, because it's not (but works well WITH a mood stabilizer). You can learn more about early onset bipolar at www.bpkids.com....great site. On the other hand, it may not be childhood onset bipolar. I've never known my adopted kids to live up to their labels. They tended to be misdiagnosed by the psyschiatrists/therapists (and these are jus MY kids) and their problems/lack of problems were not what it said on paper. Seems like they label all foster kids with ADHD as a blanket cover for all behavior or problems. I'm sure sometimes it really is, but it's worth looking into completely. If the child may be bipolar, the greatest book to read, imo, is "The Bipolar Child" by Dimitri and Janice Dimitri. On the other hand, a very ADHD kid can also be Fetal Alcohol Affected without bipolar or Fetal Alcohol Affected WITH bipolar. We THINK (and can't prove) that our son has both. We KNOW he is bipolar, but since his birthmother ran off while he was in the hosptial, all we have of his history was that she took crack (he was born with it in his system). She never admitted to drinking. Although this may sound silly, we can't get a divinitive diagnosis of FAE because there is no proof she sdrank, although I doubt she said "No" to booze, if she did crack. Anyways, I'd find a good child psychiatrist I trusted (ask around) and take the child to that doctor as soon as you obtain custody to sort things out. Kind of clear the slate and see. Good luck!

[Mom_Of_Many]

Ok, so it's late and I made some typos..lol. THe book "The Bipolar Child" is by Dimetri and Janice papalous (sorry for the error). ANd the bipolar site, with is packed full of info, has message boards and chat (and many adoptive parents there) is http://www.bpkids.com Good luck Hope this helps!

[Mom_Of_Many]

Screwd up again. This time for sure


www. bpkids.org


Not good to be up at 2:51 am typing posts, I guess Don't try it!

[JoanneFromNYC]

Thank you for replying po. I appreciate it.

Thanks Pam. I always read your posts, (along with a couple of other members here), even when they have nothing to do with me. I appreciate all the time you put in around here.

[Dr. Art]

It is a good idea to find a child psychiatrist who has experience working with adopted and foster children to have your child re-evaluated and determine if the meds are appropriate. Also, over time, newer meds come around with fewer side-effects. A good assessment is important as so many adopted and foster children are misdiagnosed with ADHD.

Best of luck

[JoanneFromNYC]

Thank you for responding Art. I don't have any experience with medications an I appreciate all the advice.

[Dr. Art]

Glad to help.

Best wishes,