ADHD meds side effects | ADHD Information

Well....we've been seeing a psychiatrist all along.

In the beginning of his treatment, Michael was taking 54 mg Concerta in the morning and 5 mg short-acting Ritalin in the afternoon.  Things were great until a month or so when he seemed to be having trouble again.

The doctor added more short-acting Ritalin - 10 mg twice a day....I'm beginning to think that the extra Ritalin is what's causing the phobia.

I have a call into the psychiatrist to see what he says - I'm just not comfortable with my son taking the Risperdal.

Thanks for your input!
I personally wouldn't want my child on anything that caused a form of psychosis. There are up sides and down sides to all meds. Some meds can trigger latent other disorders, and stims can. I'd want him off the Ritalin and all stimulants until the psychosis went away rather than adding the Risperdal--I agree with you. He may have something other than ADHD, misdiagnosed (common), or he could have these symptoms due to the stimulants. Even if the stims are helping him in some ways, imo, psychosis isn't something I'd want my kid to experience. I'd maybe go for a second opinion on the diagnosis and the meds. I would never give a med to a child who had such a severe side effect to it. I'd be afraid it would only cause more problems. Good luck.have you tried the fish oils/omegas too?  i recently came across an article that specifically noted that premature children tend to have lower levels of the omegas/dha/efas in their brains.

i think i posted it somewhere on here (can't remember where though exactly) --- it's all just research at the moment and might be of no use at all but you could look into it.  if you check out the alternative/complementary thread they have loads of info on fish oils/omegas etc. etc. and if you take it just in addition to the meds etc. i think it could possibly be helpful.... ?
Yeah...I'm not comfortable about this at all.  I do feel very confident that ADHD is an accurate diagnosis for my son and the fact that the meds made such a difference confirm that to me.   He was born 11 wks prematurely and I know that fact put him at higher risk for many problems, including ADHD.

I'm leaning towards asking his psychiatrist to lower the latest Ritalin level and see what happens.

Would have to clear the 2nd opinion with the ex-husband...thanks again to everyone!
Hi there, folks

I'm new here....my 13 y/o son was diagnosed with ADHD in Sept 2005...concerta & short-acting ritalin have made such a difference for him.

Recently, he has developed a significant phobia with insects...we discussed this with his psychiatrist in addition to some issues with impatience (that part wasn't new - things seemed to improve in that regard with the ADHD meds and now became challenging again for him).

Anyway, the doctor said he sensed "rigidity" in Michael and prescribed Risperdal - said he'd need to take it for 6-12 months.

I dunno...I'm feeling uncomfortable with this....noticed "psychosis (abnormal thinking) listed as a side effect for concerta and ritalin.

Is there anybody out there who has experienced anything like this?  What are you doing with it all?

Thanks
The phobia you describe is a reported side effect of Concerta/Ritalin.  Rather than adding Risperdal, I would seriously consider removing the stimulants and see if his phobia disappears.  Risperdal is a heavy-duty med that I'd only want to use if absolutely neccessary.  If the psychiatrist doesn't listen, I'd highly recommend a second opinon.  Good luck. SmallMom38847.2010648148What type of doctor? You may want to get a 2nd opinion.