Our son is nearly 5 and we use foaclin xr and have not seen any side effects from it thus far.
( no stomach aches, no headaches, and has no problem eating or with his weight)
goodluck finding what works for your son
We have used all three types of ritalin and are now on strattera. He could focus on all three, but we had huge behavior problems at night with him.. We tried all the meds for at least two weeks to give them a good try.. But, everyone knows there child and what they can deal with or not. We tried behavior therapy first as well. Hi, my 6 ys old is taking Ritalin LA 10mg, and it is working a lot the good of ritalin LA is that last up 8 hours, I think he might need a higher dosage but I want to wait till december and see what happends. Unfortunately he can use the patch because he get allergic reaction of averything so I rather not even try it.i had a bad reaction to retilin,my doc said it was because i had a high metabolism,could be worst looking into it.i am now on concerta with no problems(except loss of appetite to start with but it is getting better)Craig,Since behavioral therapy did not go as planned we started our son on medication this morning. We used Ritalin LA. Within 10 minutes of taking the medication we noticed a difference....not a good one.
So far today he has had stomach pains, really tired, and is showing zero personality (probably because of the stomach pains). He is also grinding his teeth so it looks strange when he talks.
So back to the drawing board.....we will try another med. Hopefully we can find the right one!
Does this sound familiar with Ritalin?
I would try it for at least a week before deciding to go to another med. It takes a bit of time for the side effects to decrease. The grinding of the teeth however could be a tic, I would mention it to your Psych. There are other meds with smoother releases also,
It is a med to help focus and concentration, not a behavior med, so keep that in mind.
Hi CH. What is his dosage? 10 mg? My dd (7) is on 40 mg and is working great so far. She has been on it since June. Started her at 20, then 30, now 40. Haven't seen any side effects except loss of appetite. No stomach pains here. No loss of personality either. Maybe he needs a bit of time to get used to the med. Or maybe a lower dose at first. Good luck!Personally, I would not abandon the trial so quickly. Log your observations daily for a week in a spiral notebook, detailing as much as possible. Then, sit down with the doctor after 1 week to go over your observations. This will be valuable input for the doctor in making a decision whether to change the dose, or abandon this med and try another.
Medication trials are very tricky. Expect adjustments will be needed. Rarely, if ever, does a child try a first time dose and it ends up being the "right" dose. Sometimes it takes awhile for a body to get used to it. Stomach problems, fatigue, and minor tics are common and many times work themselves out.
That said, sometimes a child reacts SO negatively you have to stop the trial. This happened when my son tried Adderall. We lasted only 5 days on the trial. But his reaction was more "extreme" than what you are describing is going on with your son. Mainly rage, anger, and severe emotional ups and down.
Okiemom
okiemom38990.4483101852My son is on 10mg.
Thanks for the feedback. We are calling the doc today.
Our Psyc wants us to try Ritalin (not LA). Since my son is small the 8 hour dose was probably too strong.
Hopefully this will work!
Good luck and keep us posted.
Hang in there. What kind of doctor is your son seeing? My daughter's psychiatrist has told me that there are so many ways to manage meds that with some work, the correct med and dose will be found so not to worry. I know this part is hard. thougts are with you...Thanks Vickie!
My son is seeing a psychiatrist.