My son, now 12, was diag.ADHD when he was 6 and in 1st grade. He is in 7th grade now and has tried so many drugs with nothing working the way i think they should be. He is not the "bad kid" in school any more, he just doesnt get school work done. When he does school work at home I get to sit with him for hours. I cut the drugs by more than half (gradualy)since teacher compared my son to a zombie. I dont really know what to do. I love my son and want him to be happy and to do good in life. If anyone has any suggestions......
We do have app. w/Dr. tomorrow.
Welcome to the board. You will find lots of support and help through this difficult journey.
What type of doctor diagnosed and is managing your son's meds? I ask this because pediatricians do not usually have sufficient experience at this if the first med or 2 does not work. Unfortunately finding the best treatment can be difficult and it seems that once you get something to work, they hit puberty and you have to re-adjust things, so it is good to have a psychiatrist that is well experienced managing meds on the treatment team.
What meds has your son tried and at what doses?
vickie39106.5301041667Welcome letmebreathe! You will find a world of knowledge on these boards, all from first hand experience!
Just wondering what meds did you try that were unsuccessful? We use a specialized doctor of medication, called a psychopharmacologist. He knows all about these different medications and dosages, as well as adding this or not, trying this or not, tweaking here or there, etc. It took us a little more than 6 months under his supervised care to find the right medication as well as the right dosage. Everyone's body is different, so it takes a while. Then it took some time to level off at the right mg. level as well.
I also have heard that puberty will affect these medications, so that I will have to start over again. But having this doctor who specializes in this, helps a lot.
My pediatrician referred us to this doctor and it has really helped!
Regards,
Beth
Our family doctor recomended a ped. specializing in ADHD to test or diag. him, this was 6 years ago. My son Steven has his ups and downs with and without med. He has tried Ritalin, Stratera, Concerta, Focalin, Adderall, and more. Right now Focalin XR and Resperdal. I have cut the Focalin down so much i dont even know if its worth giving. I did this because i dont want him to be like a zombie, which he was and he is just not getting work done. and constant fighting mainly with sister.
Are you sure it is the focalin making him zombie like and not the risperdal? I am not familiar with that med, but it is worth a look....
I think if you have insurance to cover part of the cost, it may be time to look into a psychologist to manage the meds....I, too, go to a pediatrician, due to no coverage for a psych...but if I could afford it, I would definitely go for it!
Yes, I agree with the others. Make sure you have an EXPERT managing your medications. A regular pediatrician is not an expert. A child psychiatrist or psychopharmacologist are good recommendations. We see a developmental pediatrician (since she has seen since she was 2).If the risperdal was given for behavior (and not a co-existing mood disorder), you might ask about guanfacine. It helps with defiance, hyperactivity, impulsivity, calming, sleep issues and weight issues.
It can be given to augment stims (if stims are not working well enough by themselves) or given alone.
Check out the other threads on guanfacine (also known as Tenex) such as this one:
http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24770& PN=2
[QUOTE=letmebreathe]My son was zombie like before risperdal, too much focalin. The risperdal was given for behavior, the only effect i have seen is a increase in appitite. Went to Dr.(peditrician specializing in ADHD) yesterday, and going to give strattera a try again. [/QUOTE]
We tried stratterra while still taking concerta and guanfacine. All the stratterra did for my son was make him horribly depressed, he said he wanted to kill himself when he was just 8 last year. He was immediately taken off it, no weaning just cold turkey. It had no affect as far the immediate stop of the med on our son.
He is doing just great with the concerta and guanf. THe only reason for the stratt. was to keep a med in his system at ALL times, as straterra is in the blood system and doesn't leave the way the other meds do after so many hours.
Just a heads up, keep a good eye on your son's personality and mood, straterra has a reputation for bringing on depression when it was never there to begin with!
My son was zombie like before risperdal, too much focalin. The risperdal was given for behavior, the only effect i have seen is a increase in appitite. Went to Dr.(peditrician specializing in ADHD) yesterday, and going to give strattera a try again. what kind of doctor does your son have? psychiatrists are probably best...child and adolescent psych, even better...ADHD specialist-ideal. you can start with sites like http://doctor.webmd.com/physician_finder/home.aspx?sponsor=c oreThe Risperdal is an anti psychotic and could have Zombie-like side effects.
I would see a psych for an accurate dx, or to check for co morbids, maybe something else going on.