Is this normal? | ADHD Information

My son, at age 5 was going through a medication change and we tried one, can't remember if it was Concerta or Straterra, but one of them caused him to be awake for 36 hours.  I remember calling his psychiatrist at 4AM the second day into it so he could hear my pain!  We got through it, he is 9 now.  We have tried all ADHD medication and Ritalin LA has been the most effective for him.  Best of luck!.IMac38945.650462963No, she is taking "regular" Ritalin.  Yesterday, about 45 minutes after she had her dose, she threw up.  It just seems like everyday we are running into new side effects.  So frustrating.........Janel:

I sure wish doctors would start meds at lower doses ... when we were trying to pin down what was right for my son (12), some of the side effects were frightening, and I think it could have been avoided just by starting out with a lower number. I know there's a science behind age/body weight/med ratio, but I don't think that formula works for everyone.

Throwing up was one of the side effects my son had too, along with severe stomach aches and insomnia like you describe. Eventually we just packed it in and said forget it, it's not worth it.

Then a friend of mine who is 45 with ADHD told me that she is helped by a dose as low as 5mg a day. That totally surprised me, so we tried again with lower doses. We finally settled on Adderall XR 10mg, once a day, with none of those other side effects. The docs were sure it wouldn't be enough for him (at 120 lbs), but it was. A year later, we've bumped it up to 15mg, which seems perfect. He still has some trouble with getting to sleep, but it's much better. It was quite a frustrating journey, but well worth it in the end.

Good luck with finding the right fit with your daughter. I'm sure everyone on this board has been through it too, and we feel your pain. Don't forget those Mommy instincts are an important part of your journey now too.

PB

Jen's mom,  it might seem a little scarey and a bit overwhelming right now but don't give up.  Talk to your doctor as much as you need to and remember that alot of this is trail and error. Sometimes it takes a while to hit the right meds and the right dose.  Trust your instincts, you are her mom  and you  know her best.  Make sure that you have a good relationship with her teacher and school too because they have important feedback that you need to use.  In a few weeks when things have settled now and you  look back on this you will say that it was all worth it. Remember it is about the children and bettering there life both socially and academically.  Stick with it and trust yourself and remember we have all been there too!!!

 

The behavior doesn't sound normal to me.  I'm sure youre going to speak to the doc if doesn't settle down in the next few nights.  Sometimes we all have to switch medications because of the negative side effects.  Good Luck and I hope it works itself out.Try some warm milk when she wakes up or perhaps even before bed...I dont know if it is normal or not...but if it continues then it will be a problem..my son takes a stimulant and sleeps through the night..if he does have trouble falling asleep he asks for some warm milk and something to eatWhat time was her second dose?  It should be just temporary.She had her first dose at 7am and her second dose at school with lunch at 12:30pm.  The kind of insomnia ADHD kids usually suffer (both with or without meds) is troubling falling asleep, not trouble staying asleep.  If this pattern continues for a few nights, I'd definitely check in with your daughter's doctor.  BTW, what kind of doctor diagnosed her?  If it was a pediatrician, I'd think about getting a more thorough evaluation by a neuropsychologist.  My 5 year old daughter was just diagnosed yesterday with ADHD.  She was started on Ritalin 5mg 2x a day (today was her first day on the meds).  Needless to say, it is 2am and we are up and my daughter is WIDE awake - has been for the last 2 hours.  I know that insomnia can be a side effect of ritalin, but is this a side effect that normally goes away?  I'm worried about how she is going to be in the morning for school.  I would appreciate any info or advice.  I know she has ADHD - I definitely don't dispute that - but right now I am feeling very overwhelmed, especially with the medication.  Is all of this "normal"?The dr. that diagnosed her is a pediatrician specializing in ADHD/ADD/behavior disorders.  We normally go to a family physician but were referred out to this pediatrician for her ADHD diagnosis.  I will definitely keep a nueropsychologist in mind if things don't settle down soon.  I did talk to the pediatrician today and was advised to go down to only one 5mg dose a day (after breakfast )  instead of 2.  She thought maybe the Ritalin 2x a day was too much for her system to handle and that caused the severe insomnia.  So we will try that tomorrow because of course the dr. didn't return my call until after her 2nd dose was already given at school today.  This is so confusing because the dr has thought that the 5mg 2x aday wouldn't be enough and we would have to raise the dose in the next couple of weeks - now she thinks that that dose is to much.  I guess alot of this disease is about trial and error but that just doesn't seem good enough when we see our kids struggling.

I noticed about an hour later bedtime for my son when he was on meds.  I found that putting him to sleep that hour later helped, since he wasn't laying in bed for an hour until he got tired.  He usually fell asleep in 20 minutes or so.

Once her body gets used to the stims she should do better.