Nikki~My 8 yr. old son has the same energy level, but only weighs 54 lbs. We have tried alot of medications for his ADHD and we ended up on Concerta, but with his high metabolism, he is on 54mg and an 18mg once a day followed by a 10mg focalin at 4:00. He had been on 2-54mg of concerta once a day but I switched dr. and they told me that they were very uncomfortable with the amount he was on, they said they have NEVER had anyone in there practice on levels that high!! AH did I freak!! To make a VERY long story short...Turns out my son has an extremely high metabolism and will always need the high doses, his body burns the meds. up very quick. And let me tell you, he did not get the metabolism from me, I swear I have none!!! Hope this all helps..
Tara
my son is also a "fast metabolizer" as he just turned 6 and weighs 40 ponnds and we are on concerta 27 with a focalin 2.5 in the am if we need to be somewhere that he has to be attentive, like swim lessons and in the afternoon, by 4pm we are wearing off so we can add a methylin sr 10mg if needed. the doc says for his age and weight that 40mg of the methylphenidate products is his max dosage. the focalin is an isomer of methylphenidate and is higher protein bound and therefore lasts longer with smaller dosages. maybe try that with the concerta if early morning or late afternoon is the problem. it has been a life saver for my sonMy 13 year old son has a very high metabolism! At the age of 5 we started the process with meds. He has ADHD-the hyper activity is server. So bad I had to remove him from kindergarten! The Dr. made us try everything (none of which helped) except stims. Then I requested we try Ritalin-at that time there were not many choices stimulant wise. He started on 5 mg. and shortly increased to 10 mg. The changes were like day and night-it was amazing-he actually could sit still and read a book. However, due to his high metobolism this did not last long. The Dr. sent us to a Psyciatrist-who switched him to regular Adderall (it had just been released a month earlier)-the Dr. started him on 10 mg. 2 times a day, however, the Dr. said he didn't think 10 would work and depending on results go ahead and switch to 20 mg. 2 times a day if needed. The Dr. was right and we increased the dose within the week. Of course this dose has been increased every few years due to growth-starting into his teen years we have increased 2 times in the last 2-3 years. Now at the age of 13 he takes 120 mg. of regular Adderall a day. He takes 15 mg. tabs.-3.5 tabs @ 7:15 am, 2.5 tabs @ 11:55 am, and 2 tabs @ 4:00 pm. If he gets anything less it doesn't work. He is short for his age-about 5'0" and only weighs 92 lbs., however, I am only 5'2" and 113 lbs. (Dad is 5'8" lbs. and is very large boned-like a line backer-weighs approximately 220 lbs)-so shortness is in our family-plus I have a high metobilism-never gained much weight except which is was pregnant and went up to 145 lbs. I have only run into one other person whose child is on a high dose of regular Adderall. The only side effect is a little cough-I believe this is not a tic but from dry mouth-plus some constipation. He is also on Tegretol XR-800 mg. a day-for seizure disorder.
Just thought I'd post my comments on metobolism. Oh yeah-also his Adderall usually works great, however, it is definetly effected by what he eats. I have noticed that it doesn't work to the full potention if he has high sugar content (i.e. 6 glazed donuts for breakfast) or a small lunch (i.e. 1 piece of pizza and nothing else).
Beth
I would think all these meds should be based on weight of child. Citrus and Caffeine will effect absorbtion rates. It lessens effectiveness. Cough and cold also do. Beware of what the child has while meds. in system. If I need to give any other things I give with dinner.Our son has no meds at bedtime though. We eat no starches at dinner because that increases energy levels. It is a sugar. We have that at breakfast and lunch only.We use supplements on both our kids. This gives what they lack in their diet daily. Multi vitamin, Ginkow/antioxidant. Every morning. Reading level is going up in our son the adhd one. His 2 meds are given on ful stomach only. Otherwise upsets stomach. Brent38488.3279050926Good information Brent! Can you tell me a little about Ginkow/antioxidant? I have never heard of that one. My son does take a multi-vitamin which I definetly feel is necessary since he is a picky eater. We also give him a calcium/magnesium/zinc combo. I have read several articles stating evidence concerning low magnesium can attribute to ADHD. I decided to use the combo-so he would get extra calcium as he is not much of a milk drinker. Plus the zinc to help keep him well. He has a seizure disorder-when he gets sick he usually ends up having a seizure. The additional minerals definetly help him-I saw a little change in him shortly after starting the minerals. However, one time I ran out of the minerals and didn't buy them for about 3 days. After day 1 you could tell a difference. As for eliminating different foods-we don't totally eliminate-I just recognize when something seems to make him worse. Actually, I know for sure that Red 40 has caused problems for him-one time I bought Black Cherry soda which almost instantly made his hyper activity level soar. Since then I have tried to not buy products with Red 40. During the day he is not allowed to drink orange juice as the adderall does not absorb correctly. At night I will let him drink OJ since his next dose isn't until the next morning.
Beth
My son has a very fast metabolism also. He's nine and takes Ritalin LA 40 mg, twice a day, along with Clonidine, Risperdal, and Focalin (late afternoon). He weighs 67 pounds. He's always burned up his meds fast. The Focalin is so that he can do homework, but it barely lasts two hours, so he has to go fast!Has his doctor tried Wellbutrin along with Concerta? It could help.ps, the concerta, for me makes me want to jump out of my skin at times, try to keep him busy physically. It will help a ton! Also, keep him eating every couple hours, even if it's grapes, fruit, a sandwich with whole wheat bread, whatever. It will take away the edginess..HTHI believe all these meds should be taken on ful stomach only. Here you get no choice about eating at meal time or you go to bed hungrey. A long time about all parents did it that way.When your are 18 then you get the choices. While living with us this is the rules. I believe you are correct Rachael! These meds should definately be taken on a full stomach! Breakfast is after all the most important meal of the day. As far as sending a child to bed hungry, I can't say, I really haven't gotten to that point with my daughter yet, but what I do believe is if a child is kept on a schedule they should be hungry when supper comes around. BUT if they are on a medication that makes them not want to eat, I'd definately make them eat!! lol...but that's just me. I'm trying to figure out the correct dose for myself. I'm 26, older than most of these stories' prtagonists. I've started going to the gym more lately and I've noticed the effectiveness getting less. I'm pretty sure that has to do with an increased metabolism, as I'm eating more now, too.