new here and new on concerta? | ADHD Information

    Wow, thats... interesting [QUOTE=bizzemom]Wow, thats... interesting [/QUOTE]
Oh, I used invisible ink.
Burn a lemon, while holding the paper above the column of vapors.
That will make the statement legible.
 

Does he sit on his legs at a desk? - check out how he sits at school, or at the table doing homework.  Does he wrap his legs around the legs of a chair, lean back in his chair? IF he does these things he might be affected by an immature STNR - STNR is a reflex that bothers us if it hasn't been matured by crawling enough and properly for 6 months when we are babies.

This reflex makes us uncomfortable when our arms and legs are bent at the same time.

The book Stopping ADHD can give you more information about this reflex and disorder.  The authors claim it can cure ADHD in 75% of all cases. 

Their exercises have helped me a lot, so I thought I'd share with you.  It is one alternative if medication is hard on your son.

 

I had my 12 year old son on 36mg of Concerta.  He had a few major outbursts and I would think to myself, "What am I doing to him?"  I have taken him off  Concerta and we are going to Family Counseling.  At first my son was like "no way" but we went to our first session and it actually went well.  When talking to the Counselor it was evident that my husband and I are not consistent enough, we give into him too much and a lot of other things we do as parents that you don't realize you do until it is brought to your attention.  So, needless to say we have a lot of work to do but I think it will work out ok.  My son was ok with going once he realized it wasn't all about him.  I told him we all needed to go so that Mom & Dad could learn to be better parents and that he could learn how to listen to us more.   Well anyway, I'm not saying this is the answer but my son seems much more social with us since I took him off Concerta.

 

thanks for being concerned. We went down to 36mg and he didn't really have any side affects, but he still had a major meltdown around supper time where he just wanted to argue and cry for almost an hour then came out of it and went to sleep easier then he has previous nights. We go see the dr on Monday and he is going to therapy on Saturday. My husband hit the nail right on the head when he told me not to put all my hopes on a pill fixing all his problems because I'm being let down. And I really can't see that it is helping his impulse problems?   Any suggestions?Hang in there.  It sounds like you're doing everything you can.  Keep reading on this website.  There are a lot of options and for sure plenty of support.

i had a bad experience with concerta.  i would never go near the stuff again. 

Alan

Please let us know how things are going. Yes Bump

If you are concerned about the dose, you could always ask your doctor to start at a lower dose (say 36 mg) and work up to the 54 mg if your son doesn't feel 36 mg helps. 

Definitely call the doc if you're at all concerned about anything. 

hello, my son is 11 and we're are trying medicine again for adhd, he was diagnosed at 5, we tried meds for a very short time, and again at 8. I have always had a hard time with this. Now that he is in middle school his impulsive actions are really getting him in trouble so we went back to the dr and he is on concerta again. When he was 9 he weighed 104 and was on 36mg now at 5'7" and 166 he put him on 54mg. It has only been 4 days, he had a very dry mouth the first day, that really concerned me because thats a symtom of overdose. He also tells me in the evening that he feels like he is kinda bumming. I am staying in close touch with him and what is going on but I really want to give him a fair chance to settle in to this. I would so appreciate any input from anyone who can help.         & nbsp;  
                                       Thanks

 call your dr. and get his take on it. This one is too touchy to ask us.

 I read too many things that say overdose, and some sites that claim it is a side-effect.

 Call your dr. he can tell you best.

 What is throwing me is the first day dry mouth.

That is the only mention of dry mouth you give, and that can be from anything. So it is hard to determine anything from that.

 the bumming can be from the medication wearing off.
bugzappers38670.6501736111I agree with ALL of the above.  The one thing you must always trust is your gut.  If your gut says "I'd better check on this" - then don't second guess that.  Your MD will take you in for a quick check if you phone and mention your concern.  They have to - no way they will let something potentially happen because they wanted to skip a quick appointment.  If your MD is a total idiot - call and get the next MD to see you and spell out your concern.  Your gut is your compass and never let yourself doubt the power of mother's intuition.Thanks for your replys, I am going to call the dr first thing this morning and tell him I want to go down to 36mg. Does this coming down happen on all stimulants?

To some extent yes.  Some don't feel it at all (me it's rare - sometimes on the weekend if I also skip my cuppa coffee in the morning).  I've heard of everything from a major crash after the med wears off to absolutely nothing and all in between.  Each person is different.

I notice with Adderall and dexedrine (what I take) that it "coasts" along better - that's why you need to take it a couple of weeks to get full effect.  Eventually you get a steady chemistry in the brain and the meds just reinforce it daily.  I find that I can even go most weekends without and it keeps me from requiring the occasional increase in dosage some get.  I take a "med holiday" of a week every 2 months - and it recharges my batteries.  Just don't choose a week where you need your full faculties as it tends to be a foggy week.

Just make sure to keep with your doc weekly at first - then don't miss your monthly after that.  And - GET THERAPY TOO - ok? Very important part of the full package as meds don't cure they aid.