Thanks for all of the advice. To answer some of your questions, My daughter has always been quiet and shy at school and around other people. When she was at home she was very hyper, would run through the house like a mad woman, scream and yell for no reason, constantly fight with her 2 sisters, ect.... Then the last month of school this year her teacher stated that Kristen was having trouble concentrating, would have to be reminded to finish her work, and would figit a lot. Now even though she was shy at school, she had lots of friends and recieved all M's on her report card ( M's are for Mastered) so academically she did excellent. As far as her appetite and weight loss, She eats fine she just doesn't want to snack as much as she use to. The other big difference is her sleeping. She was always the last to fall asleep but now she will stay up watching T.V or just laying in our room in her sleeping bag and just talk until 1-2am. She is 100% better behavior wise and she loves to be around myself and her dad but as far as her siblings and other kids she could care less.
Any med that causes a social kid to be anti-social is not something I'd want my own kid on. I'd want a different med. No med will help socialization. Social cluelessness is usually ASD, not ADHD, but, if your daughter was social before Concerta, then maybe it's just not for her, and she has ADHD after all. You can check by seeing a good NeuroPsych. Asd kids have social issues mostly. Some of this adhd isn't adhd at all. It is missed asd.this might help you with the dr visits. i wrote this, and some have added to it, but you might find it helpful for your daughter and what to ask the dr. kind of a check list to go off of.
I posted this answer and thought is'd be a great new thread. So please feel free to add any more information you can think of.
how many children does the dr see for adhd.
how the dr screens for adhd or other l.d.'s
what kind of opinion the dr has on adhd (lot's of dr's don't like to med younger children)
how many times the dr wants to see your child a month (meaning does the dr want to drain the pocket book)
how the dr deals with emergencies (can you call the dr if there is a problem of will they just tell you to go to the er, my son's dr let's us call him at home with any problems)
how long does it take to get in for a follow up, you don't want to wait for several months.
how does the doctor deal with refills, do you have to go in to pick up a rx or will they do refills on one script, does the dr charge you to pick up a script for refill.
how long has the dr been in practice and how long the dr has been in practice with children
what kind of training qualifies them to work with children.
what doctor fills in or takes his calls while the dr is no on call.
will the on call dr make you go to the er or can you call the dr yourself.
hope this helps. I always go overboard with the questions to ask. Remember, you are choosing the doctor, the doctor doesn't choose you. You will be employing this doctor to give your child medications if necessary, so you can ask the dr anything you want until you are satisfied. Be smarter than the doctor, remember, you are just as smart as the doctor, you just chose a different career path.
My daughter will be 7 years old soon and I noticed the same thing with her when she takes Concerta. I am glad you mentioned it because I forgot to discuss with my doctor. I have been feeling sad to lose happy and interactive side of her personality when she takes concerta, even just 18 mg. Please let me know what your doctor say. I will post my discussion with my doctor too.
I posted here last year about the same issue, when my DS was 7. The past school year we cut down his meds quite a bit. He was on 20mg long-acting Ritalin and we cut it to 10mg short-acting for school. He is much happier. He is not as well-behaved, but he is happier. He is quite smart, so even though he is missing more of his schoolwork b/c he loses attention... he is happier and more energetic and friendlier. It is a delicate balance and a difficult choice. Good luck.
Mom2Bean
Oy, we have the same issue. Only dd isn't on Concerta any more. We switched to Ritalin LA. Seems more antisocial for sure than she was off meds. A tad bit more anxiety. MomtoBean that is interesting what you said about balancing the behavior vs. academics. I worry about dd because she is appx 50th percentile on the IQ measurements, so I worry about her ability to compensate. Do we give her higher dose so she can learn, or lower dose so she won't feel so isolated. If she doesn't learn, her self-esteem will suffer. If she has a higher dose, she is more anxious, isolated, and lower self-esteem. What a crappy choice!My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD about a month ago. She was put on Concerta 18mg. Within 48hrs we started noticing a difference in her. She was more calm, well behaved and wanted to be hugged and loved on again. THe only thing I am questionable about is that she is sometimes isolated. She will have friends and cousins over and she will be in her room coloring instead of playing with them. She will not sleep in her room anymore, she has to be in our room in a sleeping bag. Her appetite has changed but I think she will benefit from that. She was a large 6yr old weighing in at 90 lbs now she is down to 81 lbs. I am just concerned about her being a "loner". AmyWhat was her behavior like before? Was she really very social? What made you take her for a diagnosis of ADHD? Does she show other outward signs of anxiety now, other than wanting to sleep with you? Did she not like being touched? How does she do in school? Does she have friends there?MomWI38903.6596990741I would discuss these concerns with your doctor and it sounds like she needs help with socialization skills. Socialization skills is a typical thing with our children. It is always harder on parents.Jillette38903.7488078704Stimulants like Concerta can exacerbate anxiety. You should check in with her doctor about this.
You should also mention the weight loss to the doctor. That is a huge weight loss in a month, even for an overweight child.