ADHD and bipolar? | ADHD Information

I was wondering if any of you have a child with both Adhd and bipolar.  I think my son may have both but I'm not sure if I'm just crazy.  What kind of symptoms would a child with both have?

We are going to be getting some more testing done but I need to get my thoughts together.

Thanks for your help. 

I personally don't have a child with both, however, I know many mother's who do. I do know this, you need to treat the bipolar before you treat the adhd. If you only treat the adhd, the medication will only make the bipolar worse. Many people have both and are living successful lives when medicated correctly. I believe it is more common than people realize. I learned a lot about it from another adhd message board with mothers.

Also since you are still in the testing phases, I remember the Extreme home makeover guy, Ty Pennington talking about his adhd and he said that for all the times he was up and hyperactive, there are just as many days that your down. Depression does come the adhd, so keep that in mind.

I have a 9 year old adhd boy with sensory and speech delays. I personally diagnosed him at age 2. He was officially diagnosed before his 5th birthday and we unfortunatley waited until he was 6 almost 7 to try meds. Biggest mistake of my life. He suffered too long and I could have prevented it! He is doing awesome now that we have the right medication as well as correct dosage for him.

Keep posting!

i know sheri.m who is one of our long time member has a 4 year old with ADHD/BIPOLAR.if she is on later,i'll mention it to her.

sorry everyone... i just noticed this thread..... here are some of the signs in children with bipolar..  bipolar in children look alot like ADHD but they are more violent and they rage... most adhd kids don't rage .. i really hope this helps

Very Common Separation Anxiety
Rages & Explosive Temper Tantrums (lasting up to several hours)
Marked Irritability
Oppositional Behavior
Frequent Mood Swings
Distractibility
Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
Restlessness/ Fidgetiness
Silliness, Goofiness, Giddiness
Racing Thoughts
Aggressive Behavior
Grandiosity
Carbohydrate Cravings
Risk-Taking Behaviors
Depressed Mood
Lethargy
Low Self-Esteem
Difficulty Getting Up in the Morning
Social Anxiety
Oversensitivity to Emotional or Environmental Triggers

Common

Bed-Wetting (especially in boys)
Night Terrors
Rapid or Pressured Speech
Obsessional Behavior
Excessive Daydreaming
Compulsive Behavior
Motor & Vocal Tics
Learning Disabilities
Poor Short-Term Memory
Lack of Organization
Fascination with Gore or Morbid Topics
Hypersexuality
Manipulative Behavior
Bossiness
Lying
Suicidal Thoughts
Destruction of Property
Paranoia
Hallucinations & Delusions

Less Common

Migraine Headaches
Bingeing
Self-Mutilating Behaviors
Cruelty to Animals

There are a lot of threads about bipolar and ADHD:

http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/search.asp?KW=bipolar&SM=1 &SI=TC&FM=1&OB=1

Some resources for telling the differences between bipolar and ADHD:

http://www.bpinfo.net/bipolar_vs_adhd.htm

I am also interested in this subject.  Anyone who knows symptoms of bipolar in kids please let us know! I know that our psy says it is difficult to diagnois in children.

 

no it never ends... sorry  just when i think things are great something happens and i feel we took two hell three steps backwards... you do know that risperdal is for bipolar... people can have ADHD and bipolar.. i have a dear friend here on this board that has both... i do know one thing when dillon was put on ADHD medication he flipped out... he went into a full blown manic state...  how old is your son? dillon was on risperdal and did really good on it... controlled his behavior... BUT... of course there is always a but.. it caused him to gain soooooooo much weight and it also caused him to drool really bad....i mean really bad... dillon was also on clondine.. that made him really restless at night and he would also cry out in his sleep... if your family has a strong history of bipolar then the doctors should really look into it... i truly wish you luck..finding the right dx takes time... even though i have had many doctors say dillon is bipolar and they are medicating him with bipolar meds none of the doctors will put it in writing because of his age...      

Does rebound look similar?  My son displays many of the symptoms of bipolar.  I know he still has ADHD.  He is taking Adderall XR twice a day and Risperdal and Clonidine at night.  Whenever I skip his Adderall, we all notice it.  He gets so hyper and impulsive. 

It's the tamtrums that really get me.  Before starting the Risperdal, he would throw really bad tantrums.  They weren't "several hours", but they usually would last 45 mins. to an hour.  He would be sensitive for a while after that.  You usually have to leave him alone or he could explode again.

We just recently had to increase his Risperdal.  That's what has made me more curious about the subject and why we are hopefully going to get some testing done.  I just want to make sure it's not the Adderall causing the problems.  I honestly can't remember if things were this bad before the meds. or not (and it's only been a year--and a rough one at that). 

He is doing better now.  And his teacher has nothing but good things to say about him, which is really nice.  I just hate all the up and down.  Just when you think things are going great,  everything goes to crap.  Does it ever end?

Sorry to ramble, going through a bit of a depression myself.

Thanks Sheri.m.  My son is 6.  And I did know that Risperdal is for Bipolar.  I also have a sister that was diagnosed bipoar when she was about 12.  I have a strong family history of dipression.  These are things that have concerned me. 

I went to some of the other posts that vickie gave me.  There was a lot of mention about kids with ADHD and ODD turning out to be bipolar.  I found that interesting because my son had the same issues and as soon as he started the Risperdal, all the ODD stuff went away.  He's taking the clonidine to help him sleep.  That stuff has been a miracle drug. 

I'd like to see him taking less meds. (he also takes two others for asthma--poor kid, only 6 and take 5 things).  Not sure that will happen any time soon. 

Anyway, I have read lots of stuff about bipolar and realize that since my son is so young it may be hard to diagnose him as bipolar.  I guess I just need to count my blessings, that for now, we have something that is bringing some sanity to our house and helping him to do very well in school.

It sure is nice to be able to read everyones story and realize that you aren't alone.  Thanks everyone.

tlgmcg39029.9394444444