concerta

[ineedanswers]

I am not a father, but I am speaking for someone who is that doesn't have internet access.  Our question is related to a father's right to have a choice in whether his child takes concerta.  He has half custody, pays child support, has his child the same amount of time as the mother, claims him every other year.  His son is taking concerta and if anyone knows about it, it basically affects a child the same way that cocaine affects adults.  We do not think that she should have the right to give their 4 year old this "medicine" just because she thinks he is too hyper.  So does anyone know if he can stop her from making their son take this.  btw, when he has his son he does not give it to him.

[Brent]

> So does anyone know if he
>can stop her from making their son take this.  btw, when he
>has his son he does not give it to him.

Unless he has joint-decision making authority, he probably won't be able to prevent her from giving the child prescription medication. He'll need to go to court and have a judge order her to cease medicating the child. An evaluation may help, but this kind of thing is always an uphill battle. :(

[Indigo Mom]

But it sounds like she went and had him diagnosed with adhd.  The only thing I can suggest is that the father ALSO give her the medication.  A child shouldn't be given such hard core medication only half the time.  (i shouldn't even say it's hard core, but i feel any adhd meds are)  Prescribed medication (even if you think she shouldn't have it) must be given when it needs to be given or it could end up being worse for the child.  

The child is 4 years old?  She shouldn't have even been TESTED for adhd yet.  She's a damned LITTLE girl, they're all hyper in their own little way.

Get this father to speak to the doctor.  Have him call a few others, too. Find out when she was in for the hyper thing, find out why she is on such hard medicine, find out if she even needs it (i doubt she does).  

You can even post on the board titled, "Dr. D".  

[Brent]

From: http://www.familyeducation.com/experts/advice/0,1183,1-18564,00.html

It's mostly "rah, rah, what a great new drug", but there is some useful info there.

There is a new form of medication used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which was approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in August 2000. The brand name of the new drug is Concerta. It contains methylphenidate, the same medication found in the the brand-name drug known as Ritalin. The difference is that the Concerta tablet has been formulated with a special drug-release system that allows the medication to be released slowly over time. The tablet has an outer coat of the medication, and then two small compartments of medication inside. When swallowed, the outer coat of medication dissolves quickly. Over the next several hours, the inner two compartments are gradually released as well. The result is that the methylphenidate medication is released gradually into the body, reaching its peak level in the bloodstream at about 6 to 8 hours after ingestion. One dose will supply enough of the medication for a full 12 hours.

Without this special delivery-system tablet, methylphenidate doesn't stay in the bloodstream for long. That's why many children need to take medication two or three times a day. Even with Ritalin SR, which has a longer duration of action than regular Ritalin, peak concentrations occur at four hours and, for many children, it has worn off significantly by the early afternoon. This new formulation in Concerta was designed to last all day, even through the late afternoon hours when children are doing their homework.

Studies that compared Concerta to a placebo showed that children taking Concerta had a significant reduction in inattention and overactivity. Studies done to monitor blood levels of the drug showed steadier levels for a longer duration in patients taking Concerta versus those taking standard methylphenidate. There are no studies, however, showing a significant difference in teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms in children on standard methylphenidate vs. Concerta. The presumption is that if the drug levels don't fluctuate as much, and it lasts for a longer time, then it will improve control of the ADHD symptoms -- but I could not find proof of this.

In Concerta's clinical trials, the type of side effects seen were similar to what has been seen for traditional methylphenidate: headaches, stomach pain, loss of appetite, and insomnia. An important difference between this and the older medication is that the Concerta tablet isn't completely digested, even though all of the medication is released. The remnants of the tablet can often be seen in the stools. This isn't usually a problem, but Concerta isn't recommended for children who have any type of severe gastrointestinal narrowing. Concerta hasn't been studied in children under six years of age, so it's not recommended for use in that age group.

Since the drug was just approved, most physicians don't yet have enough experience with it to make specific recommendations. It sounds like a great innovation but may have drawbacks. For children who have difficulty with their ADHD symptoms later in the day, or have difficulty taking medication, a once-a-day dosage may be the perfect solution. For children who have less need for the drug outside of school hours, it may not make sense to give something that lasts for 12 hours. Also, we don't know if there is any long-term effect of having methylphenidate in your bloodstream for many more hours per day.

Keep in mind that this new formulation is more expensive than generic methylphenidate. When I priced it at our local pharmacy it was about $40 to $55 more per month. Concerta comes in 18 mg, 36 mg, and 54 mg tablets.

If you are interested in this new medication, you should talk with your child's doctor, and decide together if it's worth trying.

[Indigo Mom]

rah rah?  more like blah blah.  No offense meant to you, I just have a real problem with all these "new" drugs being offered to kids.  It just doesn't seem right to me.  

Kids are friggin active.  Kids bounce off the wall.  I think the problem now a days is....adults forget what it's like to be a damned child.

[kiddosmom]

[em]FIRST:[/em]
Make sure the child is taking the medication as perscribed as advised above. It can seriously hurt a child if medications are not givin correctly. AND, his ex can have fathers butt for neglect if he refuses to give the medications as a DR perscribed.
[em]SECOND:[/em]
Have Father look in his CO and find out exactly what the orders are for the medical wording there. If Father refuses to give the child medication and she has the sole responsibility of that part, she can have him up not just for neglect, but contempt.
[em]THIRD:[/em]
If he has equal right, find out who the DR. is and get copies of the medical report. And he can then object to the DR. If Father has equal rights, then he also has the right to put a contempt against his ex for making decisions without his consent.

[msme]

First I want to agree with the poster who said that a child shouldn't even be tested for ADD/ADHD that young. I believe that the ideal testing age is considered to be around 8. It sounds more like a parenting skill problem.

My 11 yo granddaughter was on concerta for over a year & it was a God send but it did not fulfill all her needs. If she had an evening activity, we had to give her a dose of adderall to get her through.

This past summer, she switched to strattera & that has been so much better. It lasts 24 hours so she has much better control. Also it is not the same type of medication & is supposed to have less side effects. She is doing good on it. It doesn't work on everyone but is worth a try.

I would get copies of all the child's records & take them to another doctor for a second opinion & then go from there. Also it is important to find out just who made the diagnosis & prescribed the concerta. If her pediatrician did it, I would challenge that. A pediatrician or Family Practice physician is not qualified to make that diagnosis.

Good luck & God bless
msme

You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

[kiddosmom]

I do not feel that any young child should be put on an experimantal drug when noone knows what the longterms effects will be.

[Kitty C.]

My son has been on ADHD meds for 7 years, but wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until FOURTH GRADE.  JMO, but 4 years old is WAAAAAAYYYYY too young to be giving these drugs!

No child should be prescribed ADHD meds without THOROUGH testing by practitioners who are specifically trained to do so, and that does NOT include pediatricians and GP's.  Best bet is a child psychologist who specializes in ADHD and CANNOT do the actual prescribing, but can only make the recommendation to the child's regular doctor.

Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, and all the other controlled substances that are being used for ADHD only account for PART of the treatment.  Without behavior modification, parental education, and cooperation with the school, it is doomed to fail.  Strattera is the FIRST medication specifically designed for the tratement of ADD/ADHD that is NOT a controlled substance, tho it will not necessarily work for all kids, either.  In fact no one drug will.

Also, as far as not treating the child while in the father's care, any court would be hardpressed to find fault with him, since many parents will give their kids on medication a 'holiday', either on weekends or over the summer.  Many use it ONLY for school.

If the father has joint custody, and he has the child in his custody long enough for the medication to leave the system, I STRONGLY recommend getting an evaluation by a competant practitioner, NOT some GP or peds doc who takes 5 minutes to make an 'evaluation'.  My son's evaluation took ALL DAY, running him thru batteries of tests.

If the evaluation comes back that the child is NOT ADD/ADHD, file for modification based on the mother's inability to adequately parent, based on her 'perceived' need for the child to be drugged.  And make sure you have an atty. who is well versed in ADHD.  I also recommend the father (since he doesn't have Internet access) to go to any library and start reading or using the web access there.  He MUST educate himself on the issue so that he can be a strong advocate for his child.

[StPaulieGirl]

I've never heard of Concerta.  My son was on Celexa and then Paxil.  While he was on drugs, he was running around clucking like a chicken...in his boxer shorts....in the front yard.  That was three years ago.  I took him off his meds.  If he's going to act like an asshole, he might as well be a healthy asshole.  Pardon the language.

I think that it's better to drop out of the school system, rather than submit our kids to arbitrary, drug induced behavioral control.