do we need higher dose adderall? | ADHD Information

Hi,

My son is 7 yrs old and takes 15 mg of adderall, his Dr suggested he take 20 mg because he gets hyper after school. He only weighs 45 lbs. I was wondering if adderall is one of those drugs that we can take a break from without having to wean off. I know someone here mentioned that they only take it 6 days per week. Thanks

Karen

Our doctor said we could take the weekends off if we wanted too...we did however, my ds was extremely hyper and when we started the meds back on Monday he would get head aches....I will probalbly give a med break again but I need to do it for a week to get the full benefits....typically after the third day of no meds he calms down a bitWhat about giving them vitamins that contain vitamin C? Will that make it less effective? What about giving the vitamins at night?

My daughter is 14 1/2 years old. She was diagnosed with ADHD - inattentive type this past June. The doctor prescribed Adderall 10 mg. She is a tall girl but her weight is only about 103 pounds. She does not have an eating disorder. The medicine was like a miracle worker during the summer but in the past two months my husband and I have noticed that the medicine is not working like it did. Does this mean she needs a higher dose? At one point we tried Adderall 20 mg but that was a horrible experience. Her body and mind could not tolerate that doseage. Is it normal to need a higher dose at some point? Please give me some advice. I am desperate.

Thanks

You could go to 15 instead of the 20. The meds work differently in different people. My DS is 7 and 47 pounds takes 20mg. Some people take medication holidays and then go back to their original dose and it seems to work pretty good ( you may want to ask your doctor about this)Adderall was a horrible experience for us. We switched to Focalin XR and so far it's been great. We take at least one day a week off and haven't had to raise dosage yet. Our dr. said that there are different families of meds and that focalin comes from the one with one active ingredient. Maybe you should explore other options. Also, the start of school can really show where a meds weaknesses are.

[QUOTE=deang008]Keep in mind that ascorbic acid interferes with the absorption.
[/QUOTE]

Basically, don't take this med with orange juice...also a high fat breakfast is not recommended

Keep in mind that ascorbic acid interferes with the absorption. Low sleep and lack of proper nutrients can also cause symptoms that mimic AD/HD. Also, a person has to work with the meds. Meds allow a person to achieve their potential, but a person still must work to reach it.

That said, yes, it is possible that your daughter needs a higher dose of meds. Often times people will notice such a difference when they first start that even lower doses are "amazing." I found that I upped my dose after about 2-4 months of reaching my "optimum dosage" and then again 1-2 years later. Or somewhere around there I think.

Good luck and let us now how everything works out!
Whew!! But he had been doing so well that I figured as much. Thanks for the info.

chasesmom,

here is some info on concerta and diet...looks like concerta does not have the same problem as adderall

http://millermom.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=general&am p;action=display&thread=1080142847

does the 'no orange juice' go for all of the stims? My son is on Concerta and he drank oj with his breakfast...also, I TRY to give him a high fat breakfast because he doesn't eat lunch very well...things like eggs and cheese, bacon or sausage,etc. [QUOTE=alexamom]

When your daughter is not as successful as she has been in the past, then the dosage needs to be increased. Her body weight has nothing to do with upping the dosage. Whatever dosage your daughter is the most successful with, is the correct dosage. If side effects play a negative part when the dosage is increased, then you need to discuss an alternative med. for your daughter.

My son was skinny, however, he could tolerate a high dosage in order to be successful at school and home. Eventually, his weight got to where it should be along with his height! DS gained 10 lbs in a year and grew 3 inches. He is still going through a huge growth spurt even though he started meds. 2 1/2 years ago. He is now 9, size 14 pants, 59 inches and weighs about 90 lbs. He has been on concerta 72mgs and 1 mg of guanfacine for 2 years and haven't adjusted the meds, but he skipped the size 12 and went directly to size 14. They do grow while on these meds, it just take time for their bodies to adjust, that's what our pediatrician said about our ds's growth - he had finally adjusted to the medications!!

Regards!!

[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=chasesmom79]does the 'no orange juice' go for all of the stims? My son is on Concerta and he drank oj with his breakfast...also, I TRY to give him a high fat breakfast because he doesn't eat lunch very well...things like eggs and cheese, bacon or sausage,etc. [/QUOTE]

Noone can eat or drink citrus while on stimulants if you wish for the meds to work correctly. What it does is metabolizes the stimulate quicker through the system so they wear off sooner and you don't receive the full effect of the medication. You will think they aren't working or you need an increase in dosage when you really may not!!

Thanks to everyone for their input. We are going to try Adderall 15 mg and see if this works. I was also wondering about something else. For the last couple of weeks our daughter comes home from school, goes on the computer, does homework, eats dinnner and then just falls asleep for hours. This is what is also leading me to believe that the meds are not as effective as they were. When she first started her appetite was low and she had difficulty falling asleep. Now it seems that all she wants to do is sleep.