My 7 1/2 year old son has ADHD and is currently taking 36 mg Concerta. It's working o.k. but not great. We've tried everything from Strattera to Adderall short and long acting. Concerta seems to work the best but I feel like we're still missing something. I don't want to take him up to 54 mg and I don't think our pediatrician would be comfortable with it either.
She has just started taking over managing of the meds. Previously, we were seeing a pediatric neurologist who is wonderful but most of her patients are children with brain tumors and more severe problems. I've been told that's not who we should be seeing and that our pediatrician should be able to manage this on her own. But she is not at all comfortable doing anything outside of the box or combining meds to find the right fit.
We also see a child psych who performed the neuro test on my son and is great to talk to.
But who should be managing our meds?
Thanks!
Mommychat39023.3764467593I think it's a personal decision. Our Psychiatrist told us that she would continue to prescribe the meds if that was what we were comfortable with, or she could send our file and 'script to our ped and she could handle the prescribing since she (the psychiatrist) usually sees children with things like bi-polar and other more serious issues. Maybe what you need is a different ped.
this is a question that i have as well. i took my dd to our pediatrician yesterday as a starting point. we have an appointment with a psychologist for the real ADHD testing next week. i asked the pediatrician which drug she likes to try first and she said straterra. now, i'm just wondering whether she said this drug because it's a non-stim and is easier to get scripts, refills, etc. i'm wondering whether she said this med because it would be easier on her and me, and maybe not necessarily the best med for my dd. i'm wondering whether to go to a child psychiatrist as well vs have the pediatrician handle this. she said that straterra we could try for 2 weeks and then we could switch and try another med for 2 weeks and see which works better. now, after i got home i read more here on strattera and by what i read it sounds like the med can take MANY weeks for one to see the real effect. i also read a bit on liver issues (in a small %) and suicidal issues (in a small %)...so i'm just wondering whether i'd get more info and advice from a child psychiatrist. now, regarding a child psychiatrist-i do realize that it won't be as easy to be seen same day, or next day as the pediatrician office and that concerns me as well.
i realize that every child is different with meds and how they metabolize meds...i've read so much and i still don't know which med that i'd want my child to start with. she's 9 and my instinct is that she's ADHD combined type. she's struggling a bit in school/problematic areas being comprehension and math...she's able to read well but she's not focused while reading and isn't grasping all that she should be. amongst many other social issues, etc.
is there a drug that you believe has a better reputation than others to start with? it seems like concerta, adderral, focalin, and rital XL are discussed quite a bit here. now, our pediatrician talked briefly about daytrana..but she seemed more concerned about that med with the issues of having to remember to put it on and take it off. plus, my dd has some skin issues as well so i'm not sure whether this is something i'd like to pursue due to that.
re: strattera, i'm also concerned that it only comes in capsule and you are not supposed to open it and sprinkle in applesauce, etc. i read all the threads here and the tips with peanut butter, etc...ho hum!
anyways...any advice would be welcomed.
shelley
Hi. We see a developmental pediatrician for prescribing meds.