meds | ADHD Information

I would discuss this with the prescribing physician.

Eight months is definitely long enough to determine whether a med is not working.  We have trialed some stimulants for as little as a week to determine the med or dose is not right.  What dose is he taking?

You should also be aware that Ritalin and other stimulants can make anxiety (OCD is an anxiety disorder) worse.  How is your son's OCD being treated?

 

     Does anyone have any suggestions on how long a certain medication should be tried before it is determined it is just not working. My son is an 8 year old with moderate to severe ADHD and OCD. He has been on Ritalin for 8 months and it seems like his behavior is worse and he has a more difficult time focusing. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated     the doctor agreed with me and is taking him off of the ritalin. he said that he would further evaluate him after he was completely off the medication. no, no one has ever suggested aspergers to me before. i looked it up and he does have many of the symptoms, however, i notice many of them while he is on ritalin. i will definitey keep it in mind. thanks!!     Thanks for the advice! He is currently taking 20mg Ritalin ER and 10 mg Ritalin in AM. He is also taking 15mg Ritalin in PM. He is taking Lexapro 10mg daily to treat his OCD. The major things that I notice are that the meds only seem to last 3-4 hrs (even the ritalin ER), that the rebound periods are very difficult due to his hyperactivity, and when he is on the meds his is very spacey and antisocial.

Has he ever tried Concerta? It may last longer for him. 8 months with stimulants is certainly long enough. I only give them a week, but many suggest a month. Stimulants don't have to build up in the system, so once you are past the adjustment period (which is about a week), what you see is what you get.

Anti-depressants on the other hand, those build up in the system, and generally take about 8 weeks before you see the full affects.

Definitely speak to your doctor.

    I have discussed this with his physician and inquired a to whether a different medication would benefit him more. His physician was unwilling to change his medication at that time. I wanted some advice from other parents who may have dealt with similar situations to have a better idea of whether my concerns are justifiedARe you sure he has just ADHD? That would be one reason the Ritalin made him worse. Other stims may do the same. Do you think there's maybe more going on? Who diagnosed him?

You are most definitely justified, and if his doctor isn't listening to your concerns then you need to find a new doctor. My sons doctor, and my doctor, would NEVER just brush my concerns aside. You should be a team, working together to find the best possible results, with the least amount of side effects. My doctor doesn't even like "moderate" improvements. He said he likes to see the "WOW, this is amazing", and if he doesn't, he keeps trying things until we get there.

A child should most definitely never get worse on medication. That's just not acceptable. No medication works the same way with everyone, and the beginning is almost always a trial and error process because there is just no way to know if a med will work for that person or not without trying it. An 8 month trial with a med not working, is totally not acceptable.

When my son was on medication his doctor had me checking in weekly (by phone) to see how things were going. If they weren't going well then he would make adjustments. They never went well so it's a good thing I was able to check in often
My doctor is the same. I check in monthly, but I can call him at any time (even at his home) if I am concerned about something and he will adjust my medications accordingly.

I would contact the doctor again and if he isn't helpful, I would move on. Just my opinion of course, but he should be there to help, not just throw a med. at you and expect you to stay with it regardless.

Good luck!

    We are going back to the doctor today. He was diagnosed by the same psychiatrist we have seen since the beginning and yes Colin has several issues including learning disabilities and sensory processing disorder in addition to the ADHD and mild OCD. Thank you all very much for your advice!!!

[QUOTE=proud mom]    We are going back to the doctor today. He was diagnosed by the same psychiatrist we have seen since the beginning and yes Colin has several issues including learning disabilities and sensory processing disorder in addition to the ADHD and mild OCD. Thank you all very much for your advice!!![/QUOTE]

With the learning disabilities, sensory issues, AD/HD and OCD, has he ever been tested to see if he has Aspergers?

Let us know how the appoitnment goes. I hope he helps you!

[QUOTE=proud mom]     the doctor agreed with me and is taking him off of the ritalin. he said that he would further evaluate him after he was completely off the medication. no, no one has ever suggested aspergers to me before. i looked it up and he does have many of the symptoms, however, i notice many of them while he is on ritalin. i will definitey keep it in mind. thanks!![/QUOTE]

 

I'm so glad he agreed with you. Good job mom I hope he can get the help he needs now!