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Can Strattera negatively affect a child's behavior pattern?

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Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My son is 6 years old and has been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and sensory integration disorder. He had Adderall XR 5 mg for a while and was recently changed to Strattera 27 mg. My son has been experiencing major insomnia, highly aggressive behaviors, which involved throwing objects at people, hitting, punching people, kicking, and biting, especially adults.

As his mother, I do not believe that he has ADHD. Although he has ODD, it is a normal thing in a six-year-old. However, the behavior is not becoming better and it has actually become worst to the point where he is on the verge of being kicked out of everything.

I want to take him away from all medications, because I do not want my six-year-old on them to begin with. However, I am out of ideas and it scares me because my son could be really wonderful, but currently he is not at all.

Can you help me with any suggestions?
Answered by Dr. Sadaf Mustafa

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sadaf Mustafa is an Internal Medicine Specialist. She can diagnose and manage complex and multisystem disease. She can treat chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disorders. She can provide preventive care and routine health assessments. She can help in the management of infections and autoimmune diseases. She helps in the interpretation of diagnostic tests and imaging reports. She can do medication management and adjustment for long-term therapies.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

I would suggest not discontinuing Strattera (Atomoxetine) abruptly without supervision. However, I do think that your son is having side effects due to Strattera (insomnia, highly aggressive behaviour). Please discuss it with his psychiatrist as soon as possible and discuss tapering it off.

Also, I would suggest getting a second opinion from another psychiatrist who has a chance to interview your son face-to-face. In order to characterize which DSM criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) he fits in, I need to know about his symptoms when he is not on medications.

Was he still aggressive? Did he have repetitive behavior? How was he doing at school? How long had he been on medicines? Please answer these questions so that we can provide further assistance. Remember, you are not alone.

Please hang in there, get him to another psychiatrist.

I hope this was helpful.

Thank you.

Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At April 30, 2016
Reviewed At April 23, 2024

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sadaf Mustafa is an Internal Medicine Specialist. She can diagnose and manage complex and multisystem disease. She can treat chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disorders. She can provide preventive care and routine health assessments. She can help in the management of infections and autoimmune diseases. She helps in the interpretation of diagnostic tests and imaging reports. She can do medication management and adjustment for long-term therapies.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

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Dr. Sadaf Mustafa
Dr. Sadaf Mustafa

Internal Medicine

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sadaf Mustafa is an Internal Medicine Specialist. She can diagnose and manage complex and multisystem disease. She can treat chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disorders. She can provide preventive care and routine health assessments. She can help in the management of infections and autoimmune diseases. She helps in the interpretation of diagnostic tests and imaging reports. She can do medication management and adjustment for long-term therapies.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality
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