when is medication taken for too long?

[nickmom]

My son is 15 years old and for as long as I can remeber he has always been very unhappy & extremely angry. He's been in & out of therapy (counseling) since he was 4 years old. We had NEVER concidered medication until about 8 months ago.

My son was tired of not being liked, feeling angry, sad and felt he needed help beyond just counseling. We connected with a psychiatrist who tried several differnet medications @ first (they didn't work for my son) and then finally put him on Concerta 36mg 2pills daily and WOW - what a difference.

My son is happy, more attentive, friendly and less agitated. He is extremely happy with this medication and how he feels about himself and life.

My only concern regarding the medication is, my son has lost about 30+ pounds in the last 65 months and appears to continue to drop weight. I will admit, he was on the heavier side so he could afford to drop some weight but he's really skinny now. He's about 5'9 and weighs about 148.  

Will he continue to drop weight if he stays on this medication? How long is too long to stay on the medication? Can he be in it for long term?

When he skipps his medication he's back to his old ways...he's hyper, anger, upset, etc so I fear the thought of taking it away but also am concern if taking it for too long could harm him?

please help.....

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your son is taking quite a high dose of Concerta. There is no reason to expect that he will not continue to have suppressed appetite. It's not so much an issue of how long he has been on medication, but rather an issue of finding the best medication for him (i.e., the medication that proves to be clinically effective without untoward side effects). Stimulant medications (e.g., Concerta, Ritalin, Adderall, Metadate, etc.) all have the potential to suppress appetite. This in itself is not always a problem. It becomes a problem if it leads to persistent weight loss. Strattera is a treatment for ADHD that is not in the psychostimulant family of medications. It does not suppress appetite and is quite an effective medication, particularly for those children who are inattentive but not  hyperactive.

[tejodouro]

I am not familiar with Cncerta dosage.  You might ask the doctor if he thinks that 2 36mg pills are a high dosage.  Have you tried a smaller dosage and see if it improves the side effects?

[nickmom]

I'm still confused about how long is too long to be on this medication and will the weight loss adventually stop or at least slow down?

What is non-stimulant Strattera and how will it help my son?

[nickmom]

My son takes two 36mg pills daily in the morning....

[tejodouro]

Is he taking 36mg plus 36 mg or 18mg plus 18mg?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Suppressed appetite is the most common side effect of stimulant medication, so it is not surprising that this is happening. Often with adolescents, because of the natural increase in growth, this is not a big problem. Such is not the case with your son. If he has not been tried on the non-stimulant Strattera it might be a good alternative to the Concerta.