Dealings with Adderall,
Adderall is twice as potent then regular ritalin. Sounds like if I were you I would go to Concerta, the extended release, It is a softer medicine with the way the medicine is released, very slowly, instead of being slapped in the face with the drug all at once. Regular adderall does this along with regular ritalin. I only have my son use XR versions of drugs. Focalin XR is suppose to be very gentle to the system, They took out the side effects of ritalin and left the part that works on ADHD. Stimulants have come down effects when people are coming off them, they can get mad, irratable, just plain nasty....Hell of a road to be on wish you all the luck you can get.
Hope this helps
i had my son on concerta 36mg for almost 6 months, the only i didnt like about it is it wore off right as school ended and that meant he wouldnt do his homework. my son is 6 with adhd and odd. they just switched him to 10 of ritilan three times a day and today is his first day..
i gave him his concerta early in the am so we didnt have problems b4 school. and then he ate all night long...
i would start whatever meds you put him on about 2 hours b4 he wakes up and let him go back to sleep, this way he eats good at night, my son eats supper three times this way and then i let him snack on whatever he wants if he does this and he has continually gained 1-2 pds a month since his psych dr had us do this.
Small Mom,
You posted again, I am so looking forward to trying out the Focalin XR.
I hope it works, it will be the answer to my prayer.
You give me hope.....Your son is 12 also.....I hope we have the smooth takeoff and let down like yours.
I can only say it has been a ruff year.......We don't experience tics, but, the crashing in the evenings was just horrible with the Adderall XR, I never thought I would have my son on a mood stabilizer, but, it has stopped the moodiness and he is much happier.
Keep in touch, I will let you know what happens with the Focalin XR.
Montana Mom
Each med affects each kid differently. Unfortunately, finding the right med for your kid may require a lot of trial and error. My 12-year-old son has tried a lot of them -- Concerta for 1.5 years (it definitely worked, but then he said it made him feel flat and inhibited), Adderall XR (gave him motor tics), Strattera (gave him 2 full-blown migraines in 3 days) and now Focalin XR. LIVEADHD is right -- Focalin is a refined version of Ritalin that is supposed to cause fewer side effects. My son has been on it for school days for 2 weeks and reports no problems. He says it helps him focus -- but we have not yet heard from the teachers what they're seeing -- and he has experienced a smooth takeoff and smooth landing and no side effects like loss of appetite or not being able to go to sleep. So you may just want to ask your doctor about giving it a try.
Good luck!
Hi, I'm new here. I am a parent of a 7yr old who has been diagnosed with ADHD. I have been real reluctant to put him on meds becaused I wanted to help him in other ways..i.e..more one on one help and diet changes. It hasn't helped. When he first got diagnosised doc put him on Ritalin. He took it for about 3weeks, then I stoped it. He was focused but couldn't sleep and got tummy cramps, he also lost weight because we couldn't get him to eat. For about 2mos he was on nothing. Then I got the doc to give him Ritalin extended, that did the same as the former so i took him off that. Both doses were very low and only once a day. I expressed my concerns and my doctor change him to Adderall 5mgs. I waited about 3mos to even try the stuff because I didn't want him to go through what he did on Ritalin but finally today I put him on it because all my efforts are not helping him focus. I picked him up from school today only to hear he had cried all day and then banged his head against a pole because he "missed me"....this is not my little Zack. How do I help him????? I refuse to put him back on Adderal. What is the best med out there with out so many side effects? Please help me....I feel like I don't know how to help him. He needs a low dose med--i am already doing focus techniqes and helping him with diet and love. Help.......have you read any of the alternative threads on the message board??
Dear zackysmom,
I can relate to the frustration you are going thru. My son has ADHD as well. What about having the dr. try a short acting ritalin so you can get the dose correct, then move to the longer meds?Did your dr. tell you that high fat diets, esp breakfast will affect how the med. is released and can cause many ups and downs in the child, which was hard for my son to go thru as well as me as a parent. I was so against having him on the meds, but a family friend, who is in the medical field advised me. If you are not happy with your ped, switch to someone who deals with ADHD as this is something that doesn't go away. I read an article that talked about changing the brain chemisty in the person and once you find the balance in the meds, you can work on the behavior modifications and you and your little guy will be much happier. My son had the same tummy problems so I have him on the Ritalin LA 20mg, with an dose of 10mg of short acting Ritalin at about 1pm. This takes him thru the night and he is able to sleep with no meds. I have to give him a low fat breakfast and watch his foods, as they can affect how the meds are metabolized within the body. I wish you the best. This is my story and I hope you can find what will work for you. Don't give up communicating with your doctor. You will be your son's best advocate. It is very hard and I am trying to teach my son who is 8, steps to being an advocate for himself.
I am trying a book called "Stopping ADHD" It is an alternative to meds. I have tried the exercises in this book and they are working for me. I am having the same good effects I got when I tried meds. It only costs .00 and I think it is well worth it. I got results a couple of weeks into the exercises. I am still doing them. It is going to take me a while because I forget to do them! There are so many things I am getting done though. I can't wait to get them all the way through.
The book is designed to help children. All the pictures show parents helping the child. But adults can do them too.
[QUOTE=zackysmom]Hi, I'm new here. I am a parent of a 7yr old who has been diagnosed with ADHD. I have been real reluctant to put him on meds becaused I wanted to help him in other ways..i.e..more one on one help and diet changes. It hasn't helped. When he first got diagnosised doc put him on Ritalin. He took it for about 3weeks, then I stoped it. He was focused but couldn't sleep and got tummy cramps, he also lost weight because we couldn't get him to eat. For about 2mos he was on nothing. Then I got the doc to give him Ritalin extended, that did the same as the former so i took him off that. Both doses were very low and only once a day. I expressed my concerns and my doctor change him to Adderall 5mgs. I waited about 3mos to even try the stuff because I didn't want him to go through what he did on Ritalin but finally today I put him on it because all my efforts are not helping him focus. I picked him up from school today only to hear he had cried all day and then banged his head against a pole because he "missed me"....this is not my little Zack. How do I help him????? I refuse to put him back on Adderal. What is the best med out there with out so many side effects? Please help me....I feel like I don't know how to help him. He needs a low dose med--i am already doing focus techniqes and helping him with diet and love. Help.......[/QUOTE]