1st day of concerta a nightmare (day 6) | ADHD Information

I hope that the rebound gets better, sometimes doctors give a booster of ritalin to help ease this period....you may also want to ask your doc about the patch , we have not used it but I hear the landing is quite smooth. Good luck to you, I know how hard this can be.

We started my son on Concerta about 3 weeks ago...after a week I took him off because he was crying in school for no reason and telling me he was going to kill himself although he was having great days at school. We took him off the concerta and started an anti-depressant (which he was also said to have). The behavior came storming back and I put him back on it again. He only started back on Saturday but believe me I do know what you are saying. At 7 pm me and my husband have this thing where we say what time it is and we both know what's going on. Bedtime was always the worse time of the day and now its just worse. Hang in there

Our son is on 5mg of focalin. He was on Concerta 27 mg but it made him tic and act paranoid. I have friends whose children are on all sorts of meds to counteract the effects of the other meds. One of them has been diagnosed bipolar and sees spiders in his milk. I am certainly no expert but feel it is due to years of medication. I am doing endless research on the net and through books trying to find other treatments than meds. I just read a great book called "Optimum Nutrition For Your Child's Mind". It is only available in the UK and you can order it on Amazon. The author, Patrick Holford, is against medication and, instead, advocate's having your child tested for nutritional deficiencies, heavy metals and digestive problems. If you don't properly digest your food, you can't absorb the nutrients and fats you need for proper brain function. Mercury poisoning from the way they used to administer innoculations could also be a contributing factor. We have recently seen a nutritionist who specializes in ADHD and she agrees with the author. Our son was recently tested for something called Pyroluria. It is a chemical imbalance where the body produces too much of a toxin called kryptopyrrole which binds to B6 and zinc and makes them leave the body without being used. They are very important for brain function. We had the test done locally and they totally botched it but he still tested high. We are having the test redone by a competent lab. Studies show nutritional deficits, whatever the cause can have profound effects on your child's ability to pay attention and their behavior. There is a description of Pyroluria at drkaslow.com. I think we moms need to stop taking the word of pediatricians, who know little about the complex interplay of nutrients and how vital they are to brain function, that toxic meds are the only way. They are very resistant to the idea that some people's bodies have a malfunction that may be causing them learning disabilities because they have been educated only to treat symptoms with meds rather than find the cause.

My six year old is currently taking risperdal 2x a day (for his anger), strattera 2 diff dosages (for his adhd) and yesterday we started him on the lowest dosage of concerta (because it was felt by his school that he still can't focus in class.)

we've never had much success with stimulants, in fact it seems its always been a nightmare. he had a great day at school yesterday though. he's on a color chart and came home with all greens and one yellow, imagine! but at 6 pm that night he crashed in the middle of karate. we saw it coming but thought that perhaps he was just having a bad evening and we tried to get him to join his class on the mat. (he originally didn't want to and said he wanted to quit, which is something unheard of because he raves about karate). he eventually started crying on the mat and was taken to the sensei's office where the sensei started trying to get him to calm down in his military manner. Marshall started screaming at the top of his lungs (you don't do that to sensei) and that's when i knew it was the medicine and ran in there. Told the sensei what was going on and took a different, calming route with marshall and was able to get him calmed down in ten minutes.

they say it takes 2 weeks for the medicine to start working in his system but it seems that different with marshall, ususally starting to take effect the same day. school may go great but the evenings are a complete nightmare.

i've left a message for the doctor to call me and i'm sure he'll tell me to give it more time but i want to know if anyone has had the same sort of reaction.

doctor just called and told me to give it a few more days. it seems obvious to him that marshall is one of the children who can't take the v-bond (i think that's what he said. strong accent) and he's rebounding at night. our choice is to give it a few days and try to accustom ourselves to his nightly behavior, knowing that its helping him very well in school, or if we can't handle it, take him off and be as we were.

i'm going to go cry in the office bathroom now.

azurebosque39020.5000925926my son just started Concerta 3 weeks ago. 18 mgs a day and come 3 or 4 pm he was crashing HARD! While on it, hes an angel and doing SOOOO good in school, but when it starts wearing off look out!. He was worse than when he had NO meds. Bed time was rough but this past week it has been alot ....ALOT better. But she upped his dosage yest to 34 mgs a day AND gave 4 mgs of Ritilin to give him on days where he is just totaly out of hand. I did it yest and didnt really notice any difference. I took Mac with meyest to run errands, somethign I usualy avoid liek the plague due to his behavior. But he was SOOOO well behaved, even in Walmart! He even got a toy for being so good! But by the time we got to the check out, I could tell he was winding up, slowly but surely and by the time we got home, it was all said and done. He was back to his bad behavior. This monring was TERRIBLE! He and I had it out majorly before his meds finaly kicked in. I wish you luck and feel your pain.

I am new to this so I might not be the best source of information, but we are dealing with this right now too. I think that what you are describing is called "rebounding" - when the meds start to wear off the kids come crashing back down in a bad way. It sounds like he is responding well while the med is in his system (i.e. at school) and just rebounds a little early. I'd give it a couple more days to get some consistant feedback from his teacher, then talk to your Dr. about maybe taking a short acting med in the afternoon if he is indeed responding well to the med.

My girls get really sensitive and weepy when the meds wear off (we have only been on them 5 days). I don't think Concerta lasts quite as long as they claim, because my kids are nearing melt down by the time they get home from school.

((HUGS)) Hang in there!

azurebosque wrote:

"they say it takes 2 weeks for the medicine to start working in his system but it seems that different with marshall"

Actually, the stims take effect immediately; it can take a couple weeks to adjust to the med and see if the dose is correct or if there is other tayloring that is needed. Keep a log of when meds are given and behaviors through the day. This will help you and the doctor to get the most out of the meds with the least problems.

Rebound can be very hard, but as the body gets used to the meds, it can ease and go away. You may see it again everytime you increase meds or if you take a break and restart. This is why weekend med breaks are not for everyone.

We dd was on Concerta, she had to have a small dose of short acting ritalin also after school because of the rebound. We found that to work so well, we eventually took her off Concerta (too moody and angry) and put her on Ritalin LA. She still has an afternoon dose.

[QUOTE=vickie]Rebound can be very hard, but as the body gets used to the meds, it can ease and go away. [/QUOTE]

I'm praying for this.

I want him to be able to do in school (he's very smart) and hopefully be able to attend a regular school again but i don't want it to be at the cost of my sanity and the possible alienation of his grandparents who refuse to watch him when he's going through this sort of thing. But if its temporary i think i can handle it.

we'll see how day two goes.

the doctor never mentioned putting him on a second dose of anything in the afternoon, maybe its too soon, and is it common to have a child on five medications?

how does that affect going to sleep?

azurebosque,

Five meds for ADHD alone would not be the norm (however if you have other issues like bipolar...). When a "booster" dose is mentioned, it is actually just a short acting form of the same med that is in the long acting primary medicine. For example Concerta (methylphenidate in long acting form) followed by a low dose of immediate release ritalin (methylphenidate in a short acting form) To ease the period when the concerta is leaving the body. These boosters are also used to extend the period of effectivity if the primary med does not last lnog enough (through homework or other activity).

As for the sleep issue; some people actually do better with the med in their system, as it calms the mind so relaxation and sleep are easier. My daughter sleeps better on meds than at any other time in her life. Others do best when the med is fully out of the system. Some need a second med for calming for sleep (this can be temporary until sleep habits change or long term).

I hope this helps a little.

My son was also suicidal on concerta! The doc said it is quite common on the medication and he hasnt threatened to kill himself since i took him of it! [QUOTE=Kmarq]

[/QUOTE] my dd is on 18 mg concerta. When we were trying to put her on 28 mg, she had headache and angrier. Getting medication to work is so tricky---it takes time to adjust the side effect but also it does bring out the angrier behavior at the meantime, per my doc. So, we stayed at 18mg and heavily, heavily invest the time and energy on the behavior modification with the psycologists and school. Plust daily multivitamins and omega 3 fish oil. However, it is scary to NOT to take med too---did anyone watch 48 hours (CBS) last night that talks about a mother who did not believe using meds (believes scientology) and the son is schizaphrenia and killed the mother in the end? I always believe NOT to take meds, but it is just equally scary either take it or not. if your child is saying things like"it is going to kill me" is he/she hallucinating?

Sleep deprivation can cause anxiety aggression and anger. Our son couldn't go to sleep until 11-12 at night and it would build up until he just needed a sleep! The specialist gave give advanza - a type of anti-depressant (I'm in australia not sure what it is in the states) and it would make him sleepy in 1 hour. The first night he slept for 16 hours! We were doing extensions on our house and there was a jackhammer outside his room and he still didn't wake. He woke up a new kid!We haven't given it to him for months but when sleep deprivation is a concern we give him a sliver of this and it works like a charm!!!!!! We have been down the road of bi-polar but the symtom disappear when he gets sleep and we alter meds. Something to think about.

[QUOTE=momonamission]This following is just my opinion based on what I've read. Ritalin and drugs like it such as Concerta have many properties similar to cocaine. It causes you to constantly pump adrenaline through your body and actually decreases blood flow to the brain. It can make existing biochemical imbalances even worse. The US Drug Enforcement agency lists increased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, temperature, tics, euphoria, nevousness, irritability, agitation, psychotic episodes, violent behavior, paranoid delusions and hallucinations as just some of the possible side effects. I'm quoting from a book I read on nutritional treatments for ADHD. Food allergies can do some bizarre things to kids such as extreme violent behavior. It might be something to check on. An Elisa IgG food allergy test checks a multitude of foods and lists how sensitive you are to each.[/QUOTE]

i went and bought a book on alternative methods today after doing a google search on concerta and suicidal thoughts/aggression. I'm really not too kosher on stims for him considering the experiences we've had before. They just don't seem to work. i'll give it till monday and if school proves to be a nightmare i'm taking him off.

i'm going to check into the Elisa IgG test too. thanks! :)

[QUOTE=vickie]I would take the "kill" comments seriously and call the doctor. Is this a psychiatrist managing the meds or a pediatrician? With this much going on for your son (as indicated by the use of riserdal), getting the best med combo may be hard (as you already know). Stim meds can cause havoc for some kids that have bipolar or other mood problems. Is this 18mg of concerta? How about the Daytrana patch (maybe even cut in half)? Has guanfacine (Tenex) been tried? Just some of the many options. I really feel bad for you and your son, going through this.[/QUOTE]

we have a psychiatrist managing them. We've actually been to 3 different doctors and special hospital just to make sure the diagnosis of adhd/odd were correct because i was concerned that maybe he is actually bipolar. Everyone agrees that adhd/odd is the correct diagnosis but then his psychiatrist tells me we won't be able to diagnos bipolar until his in his teens. (he's six now.) the agression is the reason we gave him the risperdal and its worked great until we started with the concerta and now you'd never know he was on it.

just talked to my sister, when i left the house today to go to work he'd had a really rough morning but managed to calm down towards the afternoon. she was even able to take him shopping for a costume and for the most part he's been manageable. I'll talk to her more when i get home. she didn't mention anymore holding down episodes so that's good.

we're starting to give him melatonin to see if it will help him get to sleep. it helped before so we're keeping our fingers crossed. i think maybe his anger in the morning may partly be due to the fact that he can't fall asleep until 12 or 1 in the morning when normally his bed time is 8:30.

the saga continues.

oh and yes, i'm placing a phone call to the doctor tommorrow to see what he has to say about the killing comments.

I have a question about suicidal thoughts, etc with Concerta. Has anyone ran into problems with social services and the like for telling a counselor/doctor that your son or daughter has threatened suicide or harm to others? I've had many behavioral problems with my son and pretty much get the idea that if I brought this up with a professional, they'd call social services and he'd be taken away, even though I strongly believe it was the meds (which we've changed). Just cuious because I love my son more than anything and am trying to do all I can for him without him being placed outside the home - my worst nightmare!!!

Hi. I have a 13 yr old dx'd with ADHD Inattentive and anxiety, an auditory processing disorder, plus he's gifted. I am pretty seasoned at the med game after years of trying various meds and/or doses and alternative treatments. We've tried many meds and Concerta is the stim we always come back to. Right now we are on a combo of Concerta/Tenex/Zoloft plus an omega 3 supplement. We've taken Melatonin before with good success, but don't need it now. I'll throw in a few thoughts on your situation:

1. Ask your doctor about a short acting dose of a ritalin based stim (Ritalin, Focalin, etc) to see if it helps with the rebound. Timing is critical to not impact sleep. All kids metabolize differently, so what one parent says works for them may not work for your son. You'll have to find out what works with your son's body chemistry. I give my son his booster about 4:00. He metabolizes short acting stims very quickly.

2. Also ask about whether or not augmenting with Tenex (guanfacine) may help. It is sometimes used to increase the effectiveness of the Concerta.

3. Has a doctor ever mentioned any anxiety disorders?? Until my son's anxiety was treated with Zoloft and stabalized, we couldn't even begin to get the stims to work. He was angry and sullen all the time

4. Meds alone are not the answer. You need professonal guidance from a psychologist in on going sessions on how to handle your child from a behavioral standpoint. Therapy has been a lifesaver for both my son and myself.

It may sound like I am just a pill pusher....but believe me, I held off medicating until 5th grade for the stimulants, 4th grade for the Zoloft. In hindsight, I waited way too long and my child suffered needlessly. I reluctantly started him on the Zoloft in 4th grade when the anxiety had reached such an intolerable level that he was a walking timebomb at home. He would hold it together at school, then come home and fall apart. Very angry, withdrawn, over sensitive and emotional, lots of negative self talk and suicidal ideation (non-specific... more generalized like "life isn't worth living", "I hate my life", "I'd be better off dead", etc) Specific suicidal ideation is more like a child saying when he is going to kill himself, how hes going to do it, etc. Take all comments... specific or non-specific... as a cry for help! In my son.... it was the ANXIETY fueling the suicidal thoughts.... NOT the Concerta.

We finally started stims in 5th grade because his severe inattentiveness and disorganization was killing him academically and it was fueling his anxiety.....he just couldn't keep up. He held it together as long as he did because he is very smart.

Good luck. Keep reading posts. You are not alone.

Okiemom

okiemom39019.2747222222This following is just my opinion based on what I've read. Ritalin and drugs like it such as Concerta have many properties similar to cocaine. It causes you to constantly pump adrenaline through your body and actually decreases blood flow to the brain. It can make existing biochemical imbalances even worse. The US Drug Enforcement agency lists increased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, temperature, tics, euphoria, nevousness, irritability, agitation, psychotic episodes, violent behavior, paranoid delusions and hallucinations as just some of the possible side effects. I'm quoting from a book I read on nutritional treatments for ADHD. Food allergies can do some bizarre things to kids such as extreme violent behavior. It might be something to check on. An Elisa IgG food allergy test checks a multitude of foods and lists how sensitive you are to each.I would take the "kill" comments seriously and call the doctor. Is this a psychiatrist managing the meds or a pediatrician? With this much going on for your son (as indicated by the use of riserdal), getting the best med combo may be hard (as you already know). Stim meds can cause havoc for some kids that have bipolar or other mood problems. Is this 18mg of concerta? How about the Daytrana patch (maybe even cut in half)? Has guanfacine (Tenex) been tried? Just some of the many options. I really feel bad for you and your son, going through this.

well the weekend was interesting. Saturday morning was not so great but he was fine in the afternoon and evening with only minimal tantruming. He was fine enough that my sister was able to take him costume shopping. there was no holding down in the afternoon/evening.

we had no problems on sunday. he surely wasn't his normal self because he still had moments where he was sour and it was hard to reason with him. (normally we've been able to talk him out of his anger but with concerta he seems to have lost that capacity. there is no reasoning.) but it was manageable, i daresay, in comparison to all otherdays, sunday was pleasant!

his ups and downs are now throwing me for a loop. i'm glad that saturday wasn't bad in the afternoon and shocked that sunday was so easy. i'm guessing his getting used to it now?

we had a bit of problem getting him on the school bus this morning to the point where i kind of pushed up to the bus door and then with the help of the bus driver and aide coaxed him onto the bus. He normally enjoys going to school but this morning he pleaded to let me allow him to go to my sisters office instead. i got a phone call from his school therapist around 10:45 this morning because he was sad and wanted to talk to me. I talked to him and he said he wanted to come home and wanted to see me after school. I told him i'd see what i can do but the problem is i work a part time job in the evenings and i can only ask the one girl who normally covers for me to do it so often. I think i've asked her 3 times in the past six days. i'll see what i can do. his behavior, for the most part, has been okay today. we'll see what the evening brings. he has karate tonight which he's looking forward to and i'm hoping he won't have a rebound effect towards 5:30/6 like he did last week. keep your fingers crossed.

we'll see what happens. Today was supposed to be the day i make up my mind on wether or not to keep him on it and i'm perplexed. I guess i'll keep him on it for now and see how the rest of the week fares.

schools almost out, i'm going to call the school therapist to see how he did today.

and that's my little update for now.

[QUOTE=crazymama]if your child is saying things like"it is going to kill me" is he/she hallucinating? [/QUOTE]

he used to have hallucinations when we had him on other stims, however sometimes i think he may have also been doing it to get our immediate attention. (ie. its bedtime and he wants someone to stay in the room with him until he falls asleep)

he's done it twice so far (on friday i believe), and thinking back, he was mad both times and not getting what he wanted so i'm beginning to think he may have done it to get the attention. we haven't had anymore of it.

great news--with major perseverence and assertiveness and educating yourself, you can reach a point of happiness and leveling out. My son was diagnosed in 1st grade, in 5th now. He's making 5 As and 2 Bs--sleep is great because he developed a tic and needed clonidine--asleep by 9:00 pm each night--many studies show a combination of clonidine and stimulant works best, anyway! I got him a 504 plan in 3rd grade even though school didn't think he necessarily needed it--we catch many more flies with honey than with mustard, boy, have I learned. My son still has times of anger, but I've learned not to "poke the tiger in the butt" as I learned at the CHADD conference! I breathe so much easier now, although not all the time, don't get me wrong. But, through soooooo much work and education on my part, I'm feeling pretty darn great about things. Take care--but EDUCATE YOURSELF!

I'm not having a good time with my son's rebounding.

his aggression is unbelieveable and there's no talking him down. the highlight of last night was that he punched his grandmother in the face, hard. Most of his night was spent screaming and crying. He's been the same this morning and that makes no sense to me because we gave him his dose of concerta so you'd think he'd be sweet as pie just like school but we've had to hold him down 3 times so far. i don't know what to make of it.

when he wasn't on concerta saturday's were pretty fun. we'd wake up, make breakfast, go to karate. He woke up fine and happy but he slowly progressed into the angry little boy he's become. i'm curious to see what monday is going to be like. i'm almost scared to take him to church tommorrow. public places aren't so great anymore.

oh and he's starting to say things like "its going to kill me". i don't know if he's saying it to get attention or if he really thinks something is trying to get him.

anyone have to deal with something like that?