Thank you for your reply. It is helpful. I would think that some of my suggestions have already been tried since it seems like you have a pretty good support team - but who knows?
Dealing with the anger - it could be caused by the meds or by not knowing how to really deal with the anger. Lets deal with the meds first.
My first thought is that she might be a bit overmedicated. The Clonidine use makes me wonder if it was prescribed after the stim meds to help her sleep or if it came first? If it was prescribed after the stim meds, that would be a sign that the stim dose was too high. All stim meds have a duration. If the med does not last as long as it should, then the child is typically underdosed. And the opposite if it lasts too long. Concerta should last 8 to 9 hours. If it lasting over 8 or so hours and preventing her from sleeping, that would be a definite sign of an overdose. Its pretty easy to find out what is happening. Just ask your doc to drop the dose down and see what happens.
And, then there is the opposite effect. One reason I asked you about WHEN was to see if this anger occurred more at the end of the day, when the meds might have worn off. ADHD is extremely frustrating, when the meds are working, the frustrations are less and the anger goes down a lot. Also, since kids with ADHD are very impulsive - anger is easy to come by. Here again, the meds tend to help deal with the impulsiveness. And, here again, by talking with your doc and increasing the meds, or trying a different med. Concerta is a methylphenidate which is typically used for ADD. It is not as strong as the Adderall/Vyvanse medications which are used for ADHD kids.
So, it takes a bit of detective work to figure out if the meds are part of the problem. It really means charting what is going on so that you have a time line. And then doing some trial and error with the meds. It probably is worth doing. But I also have no clue what you tried before or what the Clonidine is for. Hopefully, your doc followed the standard practice which is to go slow till you see a result, try a bit higher, and then back down if needed. If you started with only one med and stayed there - well, maybe you got lucky.
Here are several links on how to figure out what the therapeutic window is: http://www.corepsych.com/2008/10/addadhd-medication-1-of-7-tips-on-bottom-of-the-therapeutic-window/
http://www.corepsych.com/2008/11/add-adhd-stimulant-medication-dosage-the-bottom-bewitching-hours/
http://ezinearticles.com/?ADD-ADHD-Treatment---7-Tips-on-Finding-the-Elusive-Top-of-the-Therapeutic-Window&id=1257427
So, after all of that. What if its not the meds or the meds are only part of the problem. Kids with ADHD have tons of anxiety and frustration and anger. It comes with the ADHD. They need to be taught how to handle this. I know you said she was going to counseling and her psyc - but are you also there? All the good stuff they tell her has to be practiced at home. An 8 year old cannot hear something and decide to do it. It takes practice. It takes a parent who can help her notice when anger is coming on and clue her in on dealing with it - before it overcomes her. I have some very good links on dealing with anger.
The first link is from our Child Behavior forum. Even though it is aimed at a 4 year old the techniques are simple and very good. The first answer by Specialmom is the main one to read. She has many, many good ideas. But the other answers are also worth looking over. I will give you two more links on anger - but I like this because the others are a bit technical and this is very practical.
The link is :
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Child-Behavior/4-year-old-son/show/2423496
The second link is from CHADD and is a bit technical, but really covers and explains the whole anger management thing. I think you will find it dovetails nicely with the above link. it is:http://www.chadd.org/Portals/0/AM/Images/Understading/AUG01AngerOverloadinChildren-DiagnosticandTreatmentIssues.pdf
And the final link is from one of my favorite places for ADHD information. Feel free to click on the topics at the top of the page for lots more info. This link is kind of an easy overall look at what the first two said in detail. It is: http://www.additudemag.com/slideshow/42/slide-1.html
Finally, the books I mentioned in the first link were aimed at the 4 to 7 year old crowd. There is another set aimed at slightly older kids. There are a couple sets of books aimed at this age group. One is, " How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger" (Laugh And Learn). That and several more are found here - http://www.amazon.com/Take-Grrrr-Anger-Laugh-Learn/dp/1575421178/ref=pd_sim_b_7
Another good set is the," Don't Rant and Rave on Wednesdays!" The Children's Anger-Control Book. That and others in the set are found here - http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Rant-Rave-Wednesdays-Anger-Control/dp/0933849540/ref=pd_sim_b_1
Wow, I have probably completely overloaded somebody who already has a ton of stuff on her plate. So take your time. The anger stuff is really good. The medication links are really for more clarification. You only need to look at those if you want more info. If you have any questions - don't be afraid to ask. And, certainly, keep in communication with your doctors.