worried mum

[lisa1276]

hi i do hope you can help me i have a son who is just 11yrs i have had an on going concern for the best part of a year now he is taking concerta for adhd and it does help a lot with most of the behaviors when he wakes up though he is extreamly hyper active and oppositional i have also noticed that the bones behind his ears are a lot bigger and pronunced he has also been losing hair for quite awhile i dont know if these things could be related i have taken him to the doctor who did fbc, liver and kidney function blood tests and they came back okay he also gets headaches mostly at night they only seem to last for a few minuits and are never bad enough for medication he has some caffe au latte patchs and had a mri scan 4yrs ago and that was fine i brought this also to the peadiatrions attention and he said he has not got nf1 or nf2 and there was no need to scan his brain again, please could let me know your opinion on what could cause the things above and should my
doctor be doing any thing else i am very worried  

[lisa1276]

MANY THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION IT HAS PLAYED ON MY MIND THAT IT COULD BE SIDE EFFECTS OF CONCERTA AND I  WILL SPEAK TO MEDICATION NURSE ABOUT THIS IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU JUST TO CLARIFIE THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR THE BONES BEHIND HIS TO GET BIGGER? I WAS WONDERING IF THIS MIGHT JUST BE NORMAL GROWTH AS HE IS HITTING PUBERTY, I WOULD OF ASKED HIS PEADIATRICIAN BUT HE ONLY SAW HIM ONCE AND DISCHARGED HIM AFTER THE BLOOD TESTS WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR OPINION

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

Methylphenidate (Concerta), like all drugs, has side effects. Regarding your son's clinical presentation, headaches and scalp hair loss has been reported as adverse events of persons taking methylphenidate.

Severe adverse reactions to watch out for which would necessitate drug cessation include the following:

- fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats
- feeling light-headed, fainting
- increased blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, chest pain, numbness, seizure)
- fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash
- aggression, restlessness, hallucinations, unusual behavior, or motor tics (muscle twitches)
- easy bruising, purple spots on your skin.

If any of these happens to your son, consult his pediatrician.

Suspected cafe au lait spots are, by themselves, not diagnostic of neurofibromatosis.  It would be best to observe if any symptoms related to this condition would emerge.

If you have any questions regarding your son's condition, you should talk to his pediatrician to help you understand what he is experiencing.

Hope this helps.