What's up Ady friends- I'm new to the forum and need help. My eight year old child was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago. I have been in a constant battle with my husband and family about giving him medication. Our pediatrian, at that time, was pro-meds and insisted we do the right thing. He did not listen to our concerns and got mad when we asked questions. Anyways, he started my child on adderral xr 15mg and we stuck to it. My child had a great kindergarten year but in First grade he started to slip and not finish his work. We re-tested him and found out that he was not at an average level of attention. By this time, we switched to another pediatrian and a psychiatrist for his attention. His psych increased the dosage to 20mg of adderall xr. The dosage was fine and he finished f-First grade with exceptional grades. That summer we noticed more melt downs and extreme whiny attitudes. His psych told me that it could be the side effects of the adderral xr when it wears off ( PM). He gave me the option of changing his medication and see if the melt downs decreased. We switched to Focolin xr 10mg.
My child is on Focolin xr 10mg and I have not seen any major side effects. He has been getting good grades at school but on occasion does has not fully finished his work that involved creative writing. His psych told me that there will never be a perfect dosage and I have to decide what is best for my chid. He does not have meltdowns with Focolin xr, he is happy and has a good appetite- but I think this medication might wear off faster than adderrral xr. So- what to do? Will increasing the dosage to 15mg decrease the positive effects I have noticed. Should I be happy with an average student with a good appetite or a child that might do better in school ( w/ higher dosage) and not know the effects? My child is just starting his second month of Second grade- should I wait and see what happens? There is an immediate release of Focolin ( 2.5mg) that I can give if needed after school. Has anyone tried it? For now, his homework is not so bad but I might need an exta boost later in the year. Or- do you have a better suggestion? Why can't Focolin XR stay longer in your system?
This is totally up to you and the doctor. You can see if a second dose of focalin will extend the effects; or work with a low dose, short acting stimulant to help with the rebound from the adderall. You may not get a perfect dose, but you would like to ensure the most optimal dose posible at this time. You would know pretty quick what works and what not to pursue further.