I am unsure how today went

[crazyhouse]

We had a good day but... I'm not sure.... We went in for our psych eval today and I felt kind of rushed. I understand that the woman only has 45 min to speak with us but we were out 15 min early yes we were brought in early. Ok so she sat down and right away wanted to get ODD Opositional Defiant Disorder out of the way right off the batt. At this point I was like well I don't know he can be very defiant disobedient. (It almost sounds like I'm talking about a dog)

So as she is speaking to us she is going thru his chart like she hadn't reviewed before we walked in with the perfectly well behaved child!!!!! Then she asked about autism and I told her that we had been asked several times about that when he was younger, and she said by this time you as a parent would know 100% if he did or did not. OK so I guess not!! Then she started asking about some of the stuff she skimmed thru in the history. Illnesses Asthma, Excema, Allergies OK So she then asks about the teachers Eval and I said they faxed it over our district does not like releasing it to the parent. She says thats wrong here you should look at it At this point I still have not finished filling out the next 5 pages they gave me when I got there and now I have more to read!!!! AAAAAHHHH at this point I am a bit overwhelmed

Then she starts asking about his meds and so I tell her what he takes for what illness she then says he scored high on the parental eval and that she believes he has ADHD OK great I'm not nuts I have conformation. Whats the next step she feels a low does of strattera would be his best option OK he wieghs 48 lbs which would be suitable for a 30mgs dose but she would like to try the 18 mgs to start. OK I asked about flax seed oil and fish oil and she said there are no trials to support any benefits from these vitamins OK!! So then she says he needs to eat something that is binding like Peanut Butter!!!! ( just a reminder Jake is highly allergic and I wrote it down 4 times in all that paper work!) So she says like an egg or cheese or yogurt OK

I just need to vent I am sorry this is so long but I am concerned that this could effect Jakes asthma meds and I don't know how to find out because I have the attention span of a gnat and cant read lots of posts or med sheets. So I might go chat with the phamasist to see what he says.

Any advice opinions comments I need some feed back because I feel lost bewildered and uncertain about the whole ordeal.

[Linda]

It sounds like the person who did the eval was rushed herself and didn't take enough time with you! No wonder you feel overwhelmed!

Talking to a pharmicist is a good idea....they really do have a lot of knowledge.

[misty]

You said:

asked about flax seed oil and fish oil and she said there are no trials to support any benefits from these vitamins OK!!

.

Well, there HAVE been studies done! We have SEVERAL posted in our Omega thread here:

adhdldsupport.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=alt&action=display&thread=1168115958


You said:

she feels a low does of strattera would be his best option OK he wieghs 48 lbs which would be suitable for a 30mgs dose but she would like to try the 18 mgs to start.

Heres what I know about Straterra:

You can have results in
4 days or up to 6 weeks. Usually it is 4 weeks to see
consistant full effects. It can, temporarily, make
kids hyper and emotional and angry if they are med
sensitive.

There are also side
effects in the beginning as the liver learns how to
handle this med, the first few weeks. If you don't get
to 4 weeks, you haven't tried this med and put your
child through an ordeal for nothing.

The target dose should be at least 1.2mgs for
every 2.2 lbs of body weight. If you aren't good with
formulas, you divide his weight by 2.2, then multiply
that # by 1.2. That will give you the mgs you need to
work up to.

. A low dose has almost no effect except
moodswings, a high dose can cause rage and is a
dangerous game to play with a childs blood pressure.
This is not like the other meds, there is only one
right dose and it is completely size dependant. There
are no increased effects over 1.8mgs per 2.2 and very
poor inconsistant effects on less than 1.2mgs.

Children and adults as well need to start on
low doses. They recommend 4 days, at a starting dose, hen ramping up slowly until you hit the target dose.

In the beginnining most kids have
extreme lethargy and stomach aches a few hours after
taking this med, not things you want happening in the
middle of the day for two weeks. At night, they sleep
through this and any other side effects. Don't beleive
that you can give this on an empty stomach. I
recommend a high Carb meal! Don't let the side effects
deter you, they go away 95% of the time and only
return when they are sick and run down or very tired.

You said:

I am concerned that this could effect Jakes asthma meds and I don't know how to find out

Also, Strattera is metabolized through the cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP 2D6) pathway of the liver, and so it is possible that there will be interactions with other medications, like Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine) and quididine. The manufacturer also advises caution when giving a child both IV albuterol (which is rarely done) and Strattera, so this medication may not be a good choice for children with ADHD who also have asthma. And as Strattera can increase a child's blood pressure and heart rate, it should be used with caution in children with high blood pressure, a fast heart rate (tachycardia) or cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease.

pediatrics.about.com/cs/adhd/a/strattera_2.htm

Well, I hope all that info helped you a bit!

[crazyhouse]

Ok I read a lot of info in between Chuck Cheese and the grocery store and the pharmacist now I asked the pharmacist about benadryl I read somewhere that a child can have a reaction if he takes benadryl Jake is allergic to the world and takes Benadryl off and on, on a regular basis. It's the only thing that reduces hives within minutes or swelling (other than the Epi pen) But I can't find the reaction of the combination of the two. He doesn't take Albuteral thru IV it's inhaled and the pharmacist said there would be minimal side effects between the two but she could not find anything on Benadryl. Anybody have any answers to this one. I'm exhausted and I'm going to sleep on it!

[lostmyshoe]

Hi Crazyhouse,

I wish I could give you all the answers you are looking for. So sorry you are so frustrated right now. It seems like the person giving the psych evaluation was a bit of a disappointment to you and I don't blame you. When I had Becca evaluated I did it on my own and I recieved all of my information directly. My insurance company covered some of it and I did have to pay some out of pocket but it was worth it. It does take a lot of time and patience to go through all the steps but it's worth it in the end to get a correct evaluation and proper treatment. We chose not to put Becca on medication as she was growing and also a very picky eater already and on the lean side. She's always done very well in school academically so that was also a major factor in our decision. I'm beginning to wonder if that choice was a mistake. Becca is now having social problems in school and I am blaming myself. She is feeling like an outsider from her peers. Your not the only one feeling frustrated right now. I'm right there with you and I wish so much that I could give you all the answers you are looking for. I'm sure someone else here will also respond to your post with more good information for you. They know a lot about the meds. and allergy information. Hang in the CH. You are taking the right steps. Everything just has to get fine tuned now. Thinking of ya and just wanted to let you know your not alone. Your Friend, Dee

[crazyhouse]

Losty I wish our situation sounded as promising. Jake is a picky eater to. He also is a skinny rail but he is falling behind in school very quickly which is why we feel we have run out of time and options for Jake his behavior is so speratic and off the wall we were kind of stcuck in a rock and a hard place. We had the friends issue earlier this year but he is starting to come around and make friends because he is a big clown at school who won't sit still!!!! I know socialization is a huge role in the learning expierence but I would try to do my best to find friends outside of school if school wasn't working well for her.

[crazyhouse]

Just a little additional info in case someone would like to know. I talked to the peds Dr. today, he said that Jake would be OK on Straterra we would just have to watch. He said Straterra acts like an Antihistamine (I did not know this) so when a child gets benadryl and then another antihistamine it has the opposite affect. (usually the nose gushes) He also said I should try to take him off his Zyrtec if he is doing OK without it. My kid has 2 antihistamines that he takes everyday and then Benadryl for allergic reactions. I know it sounds like a lot but he never has had the opposite affect from to many antihistamines. Unfortunately now I have to wait until Saturday to start him on it. I would rather be safe then sorry.

Plus he had an asmatic episode today so I want to make sure he is back to normal before I start him on new meds. Thanks again for everyones help and encouraging words. Somethings you can't do on a gut instinct.

[charliegirl]

Here's wishing it works out for Jake this time! Keep us posted on how its going.

I'm glad you talked with his ped about it. Now you know what to expect and what to look for. Thats always a good thing.

[notellin]

I had a similar experience, except it was with a psychiatrist. He wanted to dx ADHD after two 50 min appointments, no testing, and a Conner's Rating Scale from the teacher. I didn't finish the eval. I thought he was making an entirely subjective determination, was not thorough, and was not listening. Then I went to a neuro-psyche who did 5 hrs of testing. I was much more comfortable with that.