EQUASYM

[Cosmo74]

DS started on this on Saturday - he was on strattera 40mg before but was not doing much good - just wanted a bit of feedback on anyone who has/is using it? he started 5mg at 8am for 2 weeks then he will have 5mg at 8am and 5mg at 12noon. We think he was a bit calmer last night but not sure - how soon should we see a changed if any - and any bad side effects - the doc did tell us the side effects but also said they were very rare - Is this the case.

Any help advice greatfully appericated.

THanks

Hi Cosmo, worried no one was replying. I am just a Mum so have no expert knowledge, but my son was on equasym for a while at age 5 ( he is now on slow release). We started on 5mg after breakfast, and later added a second dose at lunch. The plan was to increase the dose if the 5mg had been inaffective. We did not need to do this. It slowed his thinking down a bit, so he could sit and listen,(3 minutes not 30 seconds), so he appeared calmer and a lttle bit logical!and gave all a window to communicate with him! His extreme curiousity was better directed and he talked constantly, full of questions. (speech delay so a minor miracle). He was jiggly/ figity rather than in whirlwind mode! The down side for our son was he metabilised it too quickly (it wore off too fast and abruptly, I think this is uncommon) and school could not cope with the sudden change and loss of skills/ thinking and return to impulsiveness (they saw it only as naughty). The books say its is an immediate medication that wears off completey as it leaves the system. However IMO there seems to be some mild beneficial cumulative affect on our son, but that may be a secondary effect from learning or feeling happier or something. Sleep and eating (Ds is needy of both!) were unaffected, although now he is on a slow release version that is active at lunchtime he has less appetite at lunchtime, ravenous by suppertime. With the equasyme it is given with or after food so child eats before medication is active. Sleep has never been affected, (he is less likely to nod off in the car in day time but can still do it!) but Ds is on lowest dose (5mg is very low dose I gather). My understanding is that dose is very child dependant ( not just size or age) and that it is normal to start very low and if no effect the specialist may increase the dose, little by little till a therapeutic level is found. So dont be disheartened if no help is seen immediatly. I rang by specialist when I had concerns. Hope this bumps it for you. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply - we did notice that DS has talking alot more - he always was a talker but now seems non stop - he is more jiggly/figity to rather than running about which means he can stay in the one place playing with something but just figits alot, we think he has calmed down and no real problems with sleep yet!! hope that continues, One definate good thing is that his appetite seems alot bettter, he was on strattera before and we really had to plead him to eat whereas since Saturday (day 1) he has actually asked for something to eat saying he was hungry- so we are managing to get lots of fruit into him. The only other thing we have noticed is that he has complained the last 2 nights of having a sore/dry throat.

Sorry the post probably doesn't read too well I am in a rush - spelling is probably terrible but just wanted to thank you for replying - I will be talking to his teacher on Thursday and hopefully they should have seen the most benefits at school as we only get home aroun 6:30pm it is probably wearing off then>

Thanks again