Hi, I don't have experience with those medications -- -but it sounds to me like you are trying to go against your GUT feeling on this. so, i would stick with my gut....which sounds to me like - if things are working just with the Intuniv, then stay with just that. just my 2 cents. by the way, if it's working, why was the Dr. suggesting to add the Concerta to the equation?

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hello

i wanted to ask, did the intuniv at any time mess with your daughter's appetite? my eight year old son has been taking concerta since april and i'm happy with it. just one thing. it messes with his appetite sometimes, but not always. so i asked the doctor if it was alright to take him off the meds on weekends and she ok'd it. i immidiately noitced that his appetite comes back full blown on the weekends. other than that i'm very happpy with concerta. his teacher noticed a difference right away in his behavoir his first day on concerta. he's now getting student of the day awards and received at the end of the school year most improved student compared to all the time he wasn't on any meds. i think you should give concerta a shot. let her take it after she eats breakfast, that also makes a difference. and try giving her a break off the concerta on the weekends, that is if you do see that it is affecting her appetite. hope this helps. good luck.

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@Elizabeth-I'm not really sure why he added the Concerta. I was a little shocked since I think she has been doing so much better. I guess he saw something that I must have missed. I agreed to try it at least for a week to see what happens. School doesn't start until next week so I'm glad it was changed before the start of a new school year.

@Cicely-Since she started the Intuniv, she has been eating just fine. Before, when she was taking Vyvanse and even on the Adderall, she would just pick at her food and some days she'd eat, but most she would just pick. The first week on the Intuniv I thought she would eat us out of house and home. She just couldn't get enough food! Now, that has leveled out and she eats normally. 3 meals a day and a couple of snacks. She has grown like you wouldn't believe in the last couple of months too! Last month she grew 1/2" and gained 5 pounds. One other thing to be aware of with the Intuniv, my daughter slept A LOT the first couple of weeks. That seems to be one of the biggest concerns among parents who have children on Intuniv. That wore off after a couple of weeks and is not a problem at all now.

I have had her on the combo for about a week now and everything seems to be good so far. It does appear that she is able to think better and asks really good questions that she couldn't before. I was really worried about her moods, her appetite, and her sleep. When she took the narcotic meds before, she was extremely moody and I mean NEVER happy. It went from crying to screaming to just looking sad all the time. Since she came off of those and started the Intuniv, I felt like I had my happy carefree little girl back. She has been logical, sensible, and her ability to focus (which has been a major problem) is much better. Her only complaint is her stomach hurts, and I remember that as a side effect from the narcotic meds before. It didn't last long though. I have to take her every month for a follow up so I figured I would give this a try since the doctor recommended it and let him know what I decide when I take her back.

Thanks you guys for the feedback.

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My 8 year old is on the combo. I never wanted my child on medication, period. We had him on diet restrictions for two years which worked. However, with the choice of teachers he would have in school, I knew he would not have a successfull year without some "extra help." After lots of research, I started with Concerta. It seemed to be the safest of the medications. It's effectiveness wore off after a while. Then the Intuniv came out. It was brand new and I was very nervous about it, but it seemed safer than Adderall or Vynase or any other choices (in my opinion.) Because Logan's doctor seems to be a "pill pusher," I have learned to take more control of our conversations and prescriptions. It seems she always wanted to up the dosage or try a different medication. She wanted to start the Intuniv with Straterra. I wanted to start with just the Intuniv. Just give a shot, see what happens. It helped control his aggressiveness, but he still lacked focus. We then added the Concerta. It has been an effective combination. He's been on 3mg of Intuniv and 36mg of Concerta for about 7 months now. We now realize that the Concerta's effectiveness didn't wear off, it just didn't control his aggression.

When he started the combo, he was very sleepy. He would fall asleep on the way home from school. A couple times he fell asleep in class, but his teacher understood what was going on. He appetite hasn't seemed to be affected. At times, he does seem to eat a little lighter, but it's not anything that seems worrisome.

I intend to stay with this combo for as long as possible. Let us know how your daughter does.

Sherry

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