Side Effect vs. wrong diagnosis? | ADHD Information

Honestly, no- we have never tried mag nor have I heard of it being beneficial- I will certainly check out the alernative section- thanks.  We did try fish oil, diet, and a chiro but not mag....Well sounds like he gets plenty of calcium. Maybe some mag would help.  Did you ever try it?

There's a big thread on it in the Alternative section.
Hi!  It has been some time since I visited this website- it helped in the past so I thought I would try this again.  My son is 6 yrs old and this past summer was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD.  In mid August, we put him on Adderall 2.5 mg- no change.  We upped it to 5mg and it worked GREAT.  His kdg teacher moved up to 1st grade so he got her again for 1st grade- she could not believe this was the same child from last year. We saw huge improvements at home too.  It worked great for about the first 1-1.5 months.  Then, things started changing- he started becoming very moody- huge mood swings, lots of anger, frustration, and boredom with life- everything in life too (tv, video games, board games, coloring, movie theatres, playing with mom/dad, etc).  The pediatrician suggested we up the meds to 7.5mg- we did this about 2 weeks ago.  I also need to add that his VERY BEST FRIEND stopped playing with him about 1 month ago...  at first we were not sure why, but now, we think it is intentional.  He avoids my son.  I think he is depressed over losing his friend which is causing him to act out...  But, I also don't want to kid myself because the mood swings were there before this issue...  but they did get worse...  Anyway, my happy (hyper & energetic) little boy started having horrible mood swings- terrible angry, fits of rage, depression, etc.  He is NEVER happy- he is always bored with life- he does not even care about christmas or santa- nothing makes him happy...  He is doing well in school but our home life is miserable.  My weekends are impossible trying to make this miserable, depressed child get through the long weekends and it is hard to keep him entertained...  I stopped the meds today- I can't do this anymore!!!  I did not tell his teacher but I am sure she will notice the difference- I am waiting for the pediatrician to call me back...  Could this be a side effect from the Adderall?  And would this make sense that things could change so drastically from mid August until now?  Could this be a wrong diagnosis?  Could this be depression?  I guess when I weigh out the pro's and con's- I loved my little boy BEFORE meds when he was happy, wild, energetic, etc- He is just so miserable now...  HELP!!!  I am looking for feedback.Hi, my son is also taking Adderall XR and I also had the situation where it worked really well for awhile and then seemed to stop working after about a month.  I've been researching various things, and one thing that keeps popping up is that Adderall can throw the calcium/magnesium balance off. I found a list of symptoms of calcium and magnesium deficiency, and it lists insomnia, depression, fatigue, and a bunch of other things.  Over the weekend, I gave a magnesium supplement, and he drank plenty of milk, and it seemed to help. But then today, since he hadn't had much milk, I gave him a Calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement, and it didn't help. So tomorrow, I'm just going to give the mag and see what happens.

If you can get him to eat a lot of protein, that can really help, too. You need protein to make the neurotransmitters, and milk helps to make serotonin, the feel good neurotransmitter. Stress can also do a number on these kids, so maybe it's just that. Also,  if there's too much stomach acid, the Adderall won't be as effective, and you can't give vitamin C at the same time as Adderall for the same reason.  Or orange juice. I also struggle with food- he is tall and thin- 43 pounds has weighed the same for 3 years now.  He barely eats but he does drink a ton of milk, eats gogurts, and yogurts.  He loves dairy- dislikes protein- will tolerate hotdogs and likes pizza but that is about it!  I do give him a flintstone vitamen- I used to give him calcium chewables but stopped about 2 weeks ago because I could not find my brand at Jewel anymore....  And, he does not like orange juice....

I think it is the side effects of Adderall.  I had a similar experience with Concerta.  At the time, I didn't know if we were dealing with a wrong diagnosis or side effects!  We switched meds and after a few weeks, the depression/moodiness subsided.  I think you did the right thing by stopping the meds.  Talk to his ped about trying something different.  {{{Hugs to you}}}  I totally understand how stressful this is to you, especialy at Christmastime!

I think it is the side effects from the medication. Adderall hated my son, he became psychotic, got in kids faces at school, eyes were red/dialated as if he was high!  His pediatrian saw him and removed him from the med. immediately. Concerta likes my son and has helped him in more ways than i ever imagined!  I also have him on guanfacine for his overstimulation. My 9 yr old is ADHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHD!!!

I also believe you are right about him being depressed over losing his best friend. Can you talk to him about it and try to help him patch things up. Poor little guy. We had all the social stigma that went along with adhd until meds. and we started at the end of first grade so my son suffered too long in my opinion! Kids are cruel but they do forget, maybe his best friend can forget also.

I would call my prescribing doctor and discuss trying a new med. and increasing the dosage as needed.

I really recommend concerta to those who can handle it and we moved up quickly with the dosage. Each day if it was no successful, we upped the dose until he leveled off to where he is now for the past 2 years. We also added the guanfacine with the help of the psychopharmacologist.

I hope this is of some help for your son and you!!

Thank you everyone for advice.  Two nights ago, I cried myself to sleep.  BUT last night, I went to bed with some hope!  Jimmy did great yesterday (his first day without Adderall).  The teacher said he had less self control but it was not "too bad"...  When I came home from work, he had a smile on his face and greeted me with a big hug!  I can't remember the last time seeing that smile and getting a hug!!!  Oh yeah, he ate TONS of food too and even asked to go out for dinner because he was soooooooo hungry.  The pediatrician called me last night too and she agreed that the Adderall was not working.  She suggested Concerta but also referred me to a psychiatrist for a complete evaluation.  So, I am researching various names in the area and contacted my local support group for suggestions.  Lastly, this morning- he woke up and he was totally ADHD again- not depressed and angry.  Holy cow...  non stop talking gibberish, jumping on the couch, unable to stay concentrated when I talk to him, rolling all over the floor, and then he stuck his head on the couch cushion and was doing bucking with his legs...  God, please help his teacher today!!!  Anyway, it looks like it was the Adderall- I will give it another day and then try Concerta.  Tonight, we are seeking a clinical, licensed social worker to help deal with his loss of his best friend.  I tried talking to the parents and they have no idea what happened and could not believe it was almost a month since the kids played together...  I think it might be the parents breaking up the friendship...  Anyway, I am just so relieved to see my child HAPPY again....    THANK YOU!! 

Kind of going through some of the same thing right now- is it meds or wrong dx. 

Before getting started on my serious note...... I just had to  at your description when you took him off meds.  I just got a mental picture of my son doing all of those things-because he has! 

We tried Concerta first and it made him so mean, aggressive and irritable.  Then we tried Strattera, then Strattera and Lexapro, then just Lexapro.  All of them basically doing the same thing.  The psychiatrist mentioned adding Tenex as a calmer.  But as we trudge along we are thinking his isues go much farther than ADHD, those are just some of his symptoms, not his dx.  He also has ODD symptoms too.  We jsut started Risperdal a few days ago and having much success.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works!

Please keep in any supplement such as the mag/cal/zinc might take up to 2 weeks to see the postive effects.

kemi-  I continuously laugh at my son now because you forget those goofy, wild things they do before meds...  I still prefer him this way over the angry, aggressive, depressed way...  I will give Concerta a try- but she can not (or atleast she refuses) to prescribe any other drugs that are no directly related to ADHD- she said that they just don't stay as update on the other meds and prefers us to deal with a psychiatrist.  So, if Concerta doesn't work then we will try something else...  After reading posts, it seems like most people try several before finding the right drug...  Hopefully we will find ours sooner than later.  THANKS- and good luck to you too!