Help finding right meds for 7 yr old w/ A | ADHD Information

I am a single parent also a full time student my child has been on Daytrana,Foclin,Sterra, and Concerta and right now it seems as if nothing is helping. The meds may help for a moment now I think we may have to up them he is currentlly on 36 mg a day.  The school is also trying to put him in a BD class and we havr been denied twice for his SSI. I need Help Pleases.have they tried ritalin or adderall?  What is the exact dx?

If you could supply some more information (son's weight, diagnosis, type of doctor who did diagnosis and is managing meds, did the meds not work or were there side effects). The biggest problems are with misdiagnosis and with not useing the right dose of med; so you really want a doctor experienced in both of these issues. Also, some people have to try alot of meds to find the one, or combo that works. If you are confident in the diagnosis and the doctor, there are other meds that can work on ADHD (this chart does not have Daytrana because it is from 2004):

http://www.myadhd.com/treatment_tools/medicationchart.html

Good luck with this. It is hard, but you will find lots of support here.

Are you certain of the diagnosis?  If he is truly dealing with something else that can mimic adhd, the stims will not work. Could you have a work-up done by a neuropsych?  It's a lot of $$, but it may well be worth it if you are struggling with treatment.  Good luck to you. What does your doc say about this?

First of all, you have to make sure you have a correct diagnosis.  There are a lot of conditions that mimic ADHD and ADHD meds won't help in those cases.  If you are unsure if the diagnosis is correct, take him to a neuropsychologist and have a full set of cognitive testing done.  This will show his strengths and weaknesses, and other conditions such as autism spectrum or learning disabilities will be uncovered if they are present.

If you are secure in his diagnosis already, then you need a physician who specializes in medicating ADHD children.  A regular pediatrician usually isn't the way to go.  You want someone who sees these children all the time and who is up on the latest medications.  We see a developmental pediatrician.  I've also seen mentioned here a psychopharmacologist and pediatric psychiatrist.

I wish you the best.  Finding the right medications can be a frustrating experience.  It is for us, for sure!

I too am fixing to apply for SSI for my son and was told know matter what to never take no for an answer that they always deny the first couple of times but to keep appling and eventually you will get it.

Good Luck!