my daughter has been on strattera 25mg since july of 2006.She is 6 years old . and at first we tried adderall xr several different mg ,but in the end we have really liked the strattera ,because it is non-stim .I agree that it took at least 1 month maybe longer to see its effects in school ,but this school year she has had much better grades. A's and B's. ,but i feel like some days are better than others .I think you should at least give the strattera 2 months before giving up.reading comprehesion is a huge prob for us as well if you find any resources let me know.

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I read your note and know where you are and how you must feel, my son was dx at age 4 and we did not medicate til age 6, went through many nutritional changes and started a trial of different meds until we found what worked best for him. He takes generic ritalin, not extended , short acting is what works best for him. It may take a few trial runs with different meds, i did not try straterra because i only heard negatives especially form the teachers who said it didin't work, my friend's son took it and showed no improvement and she switched to somethingelse. I do alot of nutriion support as well and have read alot of books and found structure, routine and discipline in a positiove way has helped alot. We are doing great now and have seen lots of improvements, keep positive and do your research and if i can advise you to keep your child on foods that are simple and avoid the dyes, artificial ingredients, preservatives, you may see improvements. As far as the reading tests, do short practice tests and give lots of praise and encouragement, may need to talk to teachers about enviroment for testing and special needs for the adhd child in testing, does your child have an IEP that allows for this?

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My only suggestions would be this. My daughter is 8 and has been on meds since Kindergarten. Adderrall made her angry and it was just not good. Concerta was amazing but so spendy. She is on generic ritalin and it is going awesome. She is almost caught up with her class and her behavior and grades at school are doing well. She got an award at the end of the year for most improved attitude and she is proud of it.

My daughter is in special education with an IEP. Accepted on her ADHD alone. She is very smart but her ADHD is that much of a learning problem. Best thing I ever did. The smaller classroom. one on one has made the difference for her. I feel with out special education to help her she would be failing. We have been blessed with amazing teachers both in the special education and in her classroom with patience of steel and understanding. They know if my daughter is having a hard time that day and may have her run something down to the office to let her go do something and move. They give her timeouts to settle down by herself.

In Kindergarten her teacher had my daughter do something else besides "quiet" time as she knew my daughter couldnt "handle" that time in class. Indtead of forcing the issue they embraced her ADHD and let her do something else like draw or color.

It makes ALL the difference.

I struggled at first with putting her on meds. It was very hard. Now I dont like that she has to do it, but the medication has been the difference in her ability to move forward in school. It isnt hard for me to give her a pill in the morning that I know is going to allow her to be more like all the other kids in the class. It is pretty easy. In fact she asks for it. I dont do weekends and some days she has bad days when she is at home trying to read or play a game and asks for her meds. She knows the difference between when she takes it and when she doesnt.

Seeing her do well now has made all the heartache and struggles worth it and I dont regret it. I am thankful it has become easier to be at peace with what choices I made. I wouldnt go back. I feel for parents that are just entering or still in the process of smoothing things out. I know what it is like. It is hard!

Stay strong and it does get easier. It is always going to be apart of your life, but the choices get easier and the day to day gets easier too.

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My daughter was taken Focalin and then Vyvannse, with both she picked at her fingers. I am so glad to have found someone with the same side-effects. Have you found some thing that works better and stop the picking ?

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