justamom (like there IS such a creature tsk tsk) - welcome!
So - who diagnosed and prescribed the Focalin for your daughter? I'm curious - as Focalin isn't always the first choice. Though for combined type it should work fantastically.
Starting low and climbing until it works is usually the best way to do it. Many MDs tend to go high and bring it down until the side effects subside - which to me is totally backwards. It's best to avoid the side effects if possible - it keeps you from worrying and daughter from having some troubles with sleep and eating, and other various small but annoying side-effects.
Sometimes the help is subtle. She may be finding most of the help in school - where you'd have to ask the teacher if it appears she is focusing better. I would ask either way - it's a good way to keep an eye on the way it is affecting her.
Good luck to both of you!
I don't know that this med will work so well as we have just started our journey down the road and we will also be using the therapy tool as well as I do believe that the combination of the two WILL give my child the tools she will need to re learn skills lost due to ADHD and get her where SHE wants to be which is focused, doing well in school, forging new friendships, and giving her a sense of not feeling "broken". I feel that their is a whole new world out their for her that she is really excited about seeing. Thanx for all the POSITVE posts, as we are encouraged..........
I'm very glad that you are so encouraged mom!!
The decision to mix therapy with meds will probably be the wisest decision you've made to date. It makes SUCH a difference! The meds take away the ADHD fog and give your child the ability to stay on topic - when she chooses to. The therapy gives her the tools that ADHD took away - the things all other people learn just living life. It's great that cognitive therapy can give us the training that's nearly instinct to the rest of the population. I almost forget that I have ADHD and think I'm normal - until the days where I sit at my locker at work trying to decypher what the *&)#!!! my combination is... LOL!!
Things will look up fast. You should be seeing results pretty soon - and they tend to add to each one before it so it's an accumulative thing.
Best of luck to you!! And your child!
Hi Everybody! I am very excited to share with all of you a great pharmacy where I have just received my medications! I was able to order Adderall with no prescription and they ship very discreetly! I can recommed http://www.trustedonlinepharmacy.com to all of those who are looking for this medication and really needs it. Buy meds like: Adderall, Adderall XR, Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, Demerol and more without prescription and best of all at the best cheapest prices and special discounts! Glen, daughter was diagnosed by psch-nurse specialist @ local hospital's child behavioral clinic. Why is Focalin not a "first choice" med? She said that their were less side effects, and thought it would be a good med to try because of the side effect thing. Anyway, med is fast acting so immediate results if the dose is right. 5mg-nothing. Tried 10mg and teacher sent home a "GOOD DAY" in agenda book, but daughter had bad stomach ache all day today. Lots to sort out---I'm on ADHD information overload---but we are on the road..........How does improving concentration help when the child learns differently. Are you not just trying to make them be how and do how you want them to?[QUOTE=oldtimer]How does improving concentration help when the child learns differently. Are you not just trying to make them be how and do how you want them to?[/QUOTE]
oldtimer - it's obvious you don't truly have an idea of what ADHD does to a child.
With ADHD the child CANNOT concentrate at times! It bounces from total lack - to total focus and not much in between. If it's not totally engrossing the child simply cannot keep concentrating.
The whole idea of educating a child is to prepare them for the world as young adults. Without being able to concentrate there isn't much of an enjoyable world for a child is there? When a child is given ADHD meds - they can now anchor themselves to a point in time WHEN THEY WANT TO. It doesn't force them to concentrate - but allows them to if they wish. BIG difference in what the propagandists here wish people to believe. The meds simply remove the barriers - the child must decide what to do next. That's where therapy comes in - to train the skills the child then needs and hasn't learned due to ADHD.
Does that help?
[QUOTE=justamom]Glen, daughter was diagnosed by psch-nurse specialist @ local hospital's child behavioral clinic. Why is Focalin not a "first choice" med? She said that their were less side effects, and thought it would be a good med to try because of the side effect thing. Anyway, med is fast acting so immediate results if the dose is right. 5mg-nothing. Tried 10mg and teacher sent home a "GOOD DAY" in agenda book, but daughter had bad stomach ache all day today. Lots to sort out---I'm on ADHD information overload---but we are on the road..........[/QUOTE]
It just hasn't come up as a number one choice in the discussions I've had with people here and in other forums that's all. It always seems to be tried when the other meds haven't succeeded. Thanks for letting me know that it works so well!
Daughter is 11, did your son have any side effects with taking Focalin, either the short acting or extended release?
My son has had a slight decrease in appetite at lunchtime on Focalin XR. But he makes up for it in the evening (and because of some other meds, he is not underweight).
Welcome! I hope you find the information and support you're looking for.
I'm really not sure why Glen would say Focalin is not a "first choice" med. It's tops in my book, and my 12-year-old ADHD son (who also has anxiety, tic disorder and migraines) has tried most of them. Concerta made him feel flat and inhibited, Adderall gave him terrible facial tics and Strattera gave him full-blown migraines. Focalin XR is a refined version of Ritalin that is supposed to cause fewer side effects. That has certainly been our experience. I feel as if it helps my son concentrate without squelching his personality. My son started at 10 mg Focalin XR this fall (because he was already up to 5 mg short-acting Focalin last spring) and then he moved up to 15 mg Focalin XR about a month later. He's on a med vacation right now because of winter break, but he'll go back to Focalin when he returns to school in January. Your doctor is right to start low and work up. It's really the only way to make sure you get the most benefit for the least amount of med. Stomachaches may be avoided by taking Focalin with breakfast, not before.
Good luck! You may feel on overload right now, but by reading and learning, this stuff will soon be old hat. Glad to have you aboard.
SmallMom, have been giving the Focalin xr after breakfast, I've read some posts where stomach ache thing will subside in about 3 weeks in those that did post. I hope it's just an ajustment thing. I also want a med that keeps the personality of my child----love her just the way she is!!! We also will do the med breaks on weekends and vacation. Lots of info in forum, been reading for a while before my first post. Just don't like the "Trolls"
That is true -- some side effects do subside with adjustment. I hope that's the case with your daughter. How old is she, by the way?
Yeah, the "Trolls" are no fun -- I try really hard not to respond to their posts, but sometimes their outrageous lies just get to me and I have to refute.
not really strange when you thing about the way either works. The immediate release version is absorbed quickly - and stays working at full dose until it's gone. The XR version releases half - then a few hours later the other half. It's not a perfect release system and many find a "drop-off" in between or the meds don't last as long as expected. Many mix an instant with the XR to give it a "boost" so you don't find the drop-off. The doctor should be kept appraised of any changes in feeling or affect.My daughter started with immediate release Focalin and had good results. The doc switched her to the XR version due to compliance reasons, and it didn't work. Very strange.Just started Focalin XR right before Christmas break, took daughter off for for the holiday break as I didn't think she really needed meds while on vacation. I'd like to know if anybody has had issues getting feedback from teachers on how their meds are working for their kids. We are trying to get the meds right, but getting poor communication from school,It is difficult to get feedback from teachers for a few reasons -- they're busy, they're dealing with lots of other kids and they don't always know what we parents and their doctors are looking for. Is there any way you could provide a quick checklist that the teachers could fill out quickly at the end of each school day and hand to you at the end of each week? Some doctors have blank ones you migth be able to use or adapt. Just a thought . . .
SmallMom, Thanx, will give your idea a try