Stopping meds on the weekend...yes or no | ADHD Information
Hi everyone!
I do not post here often but I find this board a great support system.
Here's my question. My 8 year old ds has been takin Concerta (18 mg) for about 8 months. It helps him focus at school but it is very hard to keep his weight up when he is taking it. We do not give it to him during long holidays but I was wondering if it was safe to stop every weekend.
When we stop for a few weeks, he takes a couple of days to re-ajust and he sometimes gets stomach aches during those days.
We don't see a need for him to take it on the weekend. It doesn't seem to affect him socially and it is so nice to see him with an appetite.
Is there a physiological reason for him not to stop the meds on the weekend.
Catou big 4-0
dh 39
ds 8 dx with ADHD 2 years ago
ds 4
catou39102.4972685185My ds, 9, takes medication every day, regardless of school, weekend, holiday, etc. He is adhd every hour of everyday. He has the ADHHHHHHHHHHHHD, inattentive, hyperactive type and needs it EVERY DAY to be successful.
I have read that by stopping the medication on weekends, that the next time they take it, it is strong and is hard for the kids to readjust. That is what I have read.
I take my son off on days that he seems to be doing fine in the morning. He is on medidate cd. If it seems he is having a rough day and we are just going to a horrible day I will give it to him. Or if we are going to be going someplace that I feel he needs it I give it to him.That is a toughie....I used to take my son off of concerta each weekend for the same reasons, but he did not have any readjustment period....the stomachaches for example...
I would say that if it works for you and him, i.e. the stomachaches are not so bad that he is not able to cope, and your doctor is on board, go ahead.....it is a very personal decision, and needs to be made on a case by case, child by child basis.
Chase was switched to ritalin LA and today is the first day that I have taken him off....he only needs it for focus, and I think that taking him off for the weekends may help me keep him on the same dosage for longer....no tolerance build up...
Yes I looked at Chase's jeans on Friday and they were at least an inch and a half above his high top shoes!! I told him and he said "Mom, they are all like this." In his case, he likes his jeans low on his waist and a little loose...I think he doesn't realize that they are supposed to NOT need pulled up every step he takes!!When I was a kid I stayed in size 6x for a couple years. I know a couple other people who stayed the same size too. My oldest is naturally a stick boy. He wears slims. But now since he is past 12's there are hardly any slims in 14 and what are called slims aren't to him. Can't find a pair of jeans to fit him at all. Luckily he likes sweats and I think he is gonna be wearing them and other types of pants like that for a while. He also wasn't very conscience of pants being to short til this last year.Would it be posible to have him on a very low dose of med on weekend (unless he is already on the lowest dose)? This might not affect the appetite and reduce the side effects of starting up again.
You have many ways to taylor the meds to your son's individual needs.
I think that 18mgs is the lowest of Concerta....
Chase is having a pretty good day off the ritalin. He did have one brother to brother explosion, but they have a friend over and 3 is never a good number......the friend is Chase's age, but Jake and Chase count him equally as a friend, he is my friend's boy and I babysat for him for years when the boys were little so they think of each other as brothers....the friend tends to love video games as much as Jake, and Chase would rather do something else after a short time on them.....
But he is eating like a horse, and having a calm day....he still took his other meds, just not the ritalin.
Last weekend we took a unexpected break due to my forgetting his doctor wasn't available on Friday for me to pick up his prescription. So no medicine until Monday. I really believe my son had a hard time physically and mentally this week due to the lack of medicine and then restarting. We won't be taking weekend breaks. I feel it messes with the body's system taking someone off daily medicine for weekends.
I should of realized that this would be the case because when his dad doesn't take his medicine for neurological issues (when he thinks he is doing better), I can tell a big difference with him as well. I've never had to take medicines of any major kind so I didn't realize the effect it would have on an individual.
Thanks Chasesmom79, I missed that part.
catou- ignore my post please (I did not read yours thouroughly enough).
CHASEMOM,
My dd is on adderal xr. she had been 45 lbs for 2 years 7&8. I stopped giving her meds on weekends and she is now up to 68lbs at 10. She is still thin but is not skinny.
Bethann I know what you mean about the child having it 24-7 but I just try to be patience(spelling) and not have high expectations on the weekends. DOWNSIDE IS BY SUNDAY NIGHT I WANT TO DO ONE OF US IN. She is okay saturday by Sunday she is impossible or my patience is at an end either way it makes Sundays a chore.
the good news is that jas does not seem to have a problem with her meds on monday.
Chasemom,
I had to laugh when read your post about wearing a 8 when you need a 10. Jas has always had to have the paper bag effect ever since kindergarten when she was wearing 3t and 4t. they were so short by the end of the school year it looked silly. the funny thing is that the next year, when we went school shopping with my sister' was how Jas kept telling her aunt that she was picking out clothes that were two long. she thought all her clothes were suppose to be two inches above her shoes. even now jas will wear her clothes too short and not realize that they are. I think everyone at school is telling her that they are though since she has lately been getting picky. still wears short ones on the weekends. Actually she has had a growth spurt. she is going to need all new clothes soon as most of the fall clothes are getting two little. I use to do that all the time but Jas hasn't except for the kindergarten period when she had such a growth spurt. not on meds then. I don't know maybe I should start putting her back on meds on weekends so she stops growing
cheaper on the food front too. JUST KIDDING!
Thanks for your answers everyone! 
Ben (my ds) also has ADHHHHHHHHHD but I don't mind him being super energetic on the weekend. The meltdowns are pretty rare. These days, him and his little brother spend tons of time playing in the basement, where all the toys are and things have been relatively easy on the weekend. I pretty much let him loose (LOL). It wasn't always like that though! Things only get tough when we have to take him somewhere where he has to be calm (restaurants, museum, etc...) or when he has to sit down for a meal. He also plays hockey and my dh tells me that without Concerta, he is out of control in the locker room. On the other hand, I faced a tough situation last summer at a soccer game when I really lost patience with him and felt helpless. This is why I joined this board. Thankfully, it hasn't happened since (maybe thanks to the meds !)
My biggest concern is the weight but we are trying to make him eat. We are also giving him a liquid nutritional supplement. I trust your expertise and experience (more than Ben's pediatrician...but that's another story). It sounds like not stopping the meds on the weekend would be best for now.
Catou
ogram
sounds like jas when she was a 12month old. She was under the 5% percent and they were worried she wasn't eating so I had to write down everything she actually ate. not what I gave her. So I give them the list and they look at her and then look at me and say well she is eating enough with this amazed look on their faces. Unfortunately that meant that they wanted to do blood work and all kinds of other tests. Turns out she is naturally thin. My brothers are both still stick people. Very annoying now that I think about it. I can't eat whatever I want but they can. Oh and my dd favorite food is apple's. She takes the breading off of corn dogs, chicken fried steak, okra and fried chicken. She likes rotisserie chicken best and steamed vegetables. I think jas will be fine too.
lol, i relate to that! I have a hug candy bowl on the table that has every thing from snack size m-n-ms to suckers to smarties and all around the bowl i have fruit. That candy is old. ds would rather have fruit than the candy. when the fruit runs out, he will get mad. And he doesn't like the candy. I am lucky. I hope he stays that way.[QUOTE=Aaron'smom]When I was a kid I stayed in size 6x for a couple years. I know a couple other people who stayed the same size too. My oldest is naturally a stick boy. He wears slims. But now since he is past 12's there are hardly any slims in 14 and what are called slims aren't to him. Can't find a pair of jeans to fit him at all. Luckily he likes sweats and I think he is gonna be wearing them and other types of pants like that for a while. He also wasn't very conscience of pants being to short til this last year. [/QUOTE]
I believe if you go on line, the GAP sells slims in size 14, even in the store sometimes. Check it out! I just did and they have them, even cargos! Keep an eye on their sales!!
Regards!
Beth
BETHANN39104.9078356481Thanks I will check that out. I have hopes for him filling out sometime in his lifetime. His dad was a poster child for feed the starving children when he was a teen. Is now 175 or so. My youngest even on meds is always eating. I guess I am lucky with that!I just had my son for a check-up with his ped. He's lost some weight, but the doc said it actually puts him at a better weight for his height. She also said that people are now so used to seeing chunky children that when a child is really at his or her optimal weight range, they seem undernourished to us!! So true!
As for stopping meds on the weekends, we do. He takes Focalin XR, and we see very little change in his behavior until mid-morning of the second day. It doesn't affect him to restart on Monday. Actually, on the weeks that we haven't given a break from one week to the next, we see more difficult behavior and mood problems by the end of the second week.
My partner's mother is a nurse and she suggested Periactin! I asked E's allergist the other day since he takes zyrtec, singulair and pulmicort already. She said that it isn't used as an allergy medicine any more because of it's sedating properties? does it make kids sleepy if they take it with their stimulant meds?
JJETT
It did help Chase to sleep, kind of counteracted the stimulant not falling asleep stuff, but did not put him to sleep or make him overly sleepy. It did help with his nasal allergies at first, but ultimatley, we had to get him flonase for his perpetually stuffy nose.
I am sure that it affects each child differently. It would be worth a try, if he can go w/o his zyrtec...I don't think that he could take both at once since they are both for the same thing.
chasesmom7939105.6211689815I have noticed the same thing! My kids have always been small and slender, and everybody always has commented on the fact of thier being "tiny". I never cared about it one way or the other, until the meds made Chase not eat at all....as long as he was eating and healthy, I was fine with it..I should just relax, I know , but it is so hard....
My son takes Adderall xr 20mg. I give it to him everyday because it seems that we're doing something every Saturday that involves him being focused and on Sundays he wouldn't be able to make it through church without it. But I understand the thinking behind not giving it on weekends. E is very thin and is such a picky eater (he just turned 7 is right at 4ft tall and weighs about 44lbs). I've actually scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist to discuss meds because of the weight issue and E's complete lack of appetite while on adderall xr. I hesitate to mess with the medicine because E's had such success academically. Our family could probably handle him w/o meds on Saturdays, it's the extra stuff like basketball practice and just being in social settings that concerns me. But the no meat on the bones worries me more. Hopefully the psychiatrist will have some ideas.
jjett
Ask him about adding periactin (cyproheptadine) or tenex (guanfacine) both of these seem to help stimulate appetite and weight gain.chasesmom, JC Penney sells khaki pants in slim sizes that have the tabs at the waist to adjust the waistline. They've been a godsend for us. Pat now wears 20 slim (he's 14) and we'll be ordering the 22 slim soon. Some jeans come like that, too. Pat goes to a school with a standard mode of dress (uniforms) so that's why I buy the khakis. Let me know if this helps. And about the meds, I think stopping on the weekend is fine, as long as the stomachaches are something that can be tolerated or managed. I just wanted to let you know my son tyler is very slender also. I can't call him skinny because he does not like that. However I have learned through various shopping mishaps that GAPkids and Old Navy sell jeans with adjustable waist bands. This has been great because he has an size 8 waist but a size 10 length. You might try one of these brands.the gap, at least in my area is going out of business....
I have found a few of the adjustable waistbands in walmart too!
they are great!
thanks for the tips..
I have also been known to break out the sewing machine and take some darts in waistbands.....my family always tells me to watch out for my ds and his not eating. he eats, and eats fine. he's still a bean pole. he wears a slim and the pants still fall off him, so we buy the levis with the adjustable fit, they still fall off, i do have to add the darts too, chasemom. I hate to sew, but I do it on the pants. I tell my mom and mother in law to not worry about his weight, I'd rather him be skinny as a pole than over weight. And remind him that the majority of American's are over weight and if they want to worry about weight, to worry in a different direction. I get really touchy about his weight. If our doc is not worried about it, why should they be.
They boy eats 2 pop tarts, 1 large bagel, and oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich and chips w/ a pickle and cookies at lunch a 3 course mean for supper and always has a sweet desert and drinks milk like it's going out of style. And he doesn't eat candy, he eats fruit. So, he is into groceries, not junk food. He's fine.