newbie to Concerta / newbie to this forum | ADHD Information

ds - dear son

dd - dear daughter

dh - dear hubby

dw - dear wife

dx - diagnosis

dr - doctor

I would not suggest waiting a month on the meds if he is not doing well and it's getting worse, not better.  I'm close to houston too.  We use a Dr. Herbert Edmondson with http://www.memorialneurological.com/index.shtml They are GREAT!  They did every test under the sun and he is very kind with children.  My son loves him and the doc commands respect, and also has a way with children unlike any doc i have ever seen.  He has the ability to give my son a since of control when he is talking to him.  The Houston Medical District is GREAT!  Glad to have another Texan here!  Welcome to the board, and keep posting.

Btw (by the way) - how about those Rockets, even with out Yao Ming we are still kicking butt and taking names!

Thanks for the welcome and clarifications ogram :)  I'm not a newbie to message boards ~ I have a music trading board that I hang out on ~ but it's been since my son was misdiagnosed w/ Myclonic seizures 4 years ago that I've been on a medical board.  I think I should have come here a long time ago, but I'm a Taurus ~ stubborn ~ NO MEDS ~ I know it all ~ I will FIND a way ~ OY!  I always said the last straw would be if I saw that Dusty's self esteme was being affected, and he finally noticed he was WAY different ~ so here I am, skeptical, nervous, and beaten down~

I'm three hours from Houston in San Marcos right outside of Austin ~ YEE HAW :)  Sorry, but I don't watch sports ~ I'm a single Mom I barely have time for the news~ he,he~!

There's always something to be learned, so I will definately check out the first page and see if I can pick up any new tricks. I've always been VERY reward and positive dicipline focused.  Dusty has had special services since pre-k ~ first for seizures, now for ADHD. So he's always had a behavior log and I work with his teachers on finding good school rewards for him, and I let them know what my rewards are so they can dangle a carrot for me when I'm not there to do it.

I don't think his self esteme has been too damaged at this point, but I've been working double time to ensure that he feels good about himself.  Starting piano lessons has really given him a lot of self esteme ~ he it picked up right away and began playing by ear within three weeks of starting.  It's also a fabulous outlet for his busy energy. He calls himself a piano genious now ~ he,he ~ I tell him not to say that in front of his friends or they will think he's bragging, but that we all know it's true.

On the single Mom thing, I've only been doing it for a year and I don't have a clue how I do it all ~ LOL~ it's a juggling routine unlike any other.

I've been there.  And I even remember most of my visits to San Marcos.  lmao  I have shopped the outlet mall many many times.  We have a lot of land in Columbus and that is the half way point for us. 

For the self esteem, have you been working with him on building it back up?  What are you doing?  You might want to try a reward system for it, that is what many of us here are doing and it is working like a miracle.  It's  probably some thing you do already, but we have added some tricks and treats that will make it build self esteem and give your child a voice.  read the first couple of pages and the last couple of pages, you can skip all the pages in between.  Keep posting and asking all questions you want.  Glad to have you! 

I have a lot of respect to you single moms.  I have no idea how you all do it.  You all are brave, strong and better than most men.

I fully understand your concern. I would also be concerned over the rapid heart rate as it can be caused by too much med.

http://www.drugs.com/methylphenidate.html

Your doctor should be better preparing you to be a active partner in the treatment. As meli suggested, if you are not seeing a psychiatrist for med management, I would suggest you find one. It can be difficult to find the best med regimen for your child's individual needs. These needs will also change as he grows, gets a social life and activies, and goes through puberty. You need a doctor that you can work with for your son's treatment.

The right dose and schedule will be the one that relieves the most symptoms and with no or managable side effects.

My daughter did really well on Concerta, but everyone responds differently to the different meds.

Also, did the doctor have your son have an ekg prior to starting meds? This is pretty routine to rule out pre-existing heart conditions that can be made worse with the stim meds.

Please keep asking the doctor questions until you are satisfied with the treatment route. Also read and educate yourself on the meds.

I don't have an answer for you but when we tried stimulanst (it was short) we started with concerta and his doctor gradually steped up the doseing! She also said give it a week or two. call if there are any ANY concerns and was very understanding!

Maybe you need a doctor that can moniiter the drugs more closelly. Like a phyciatrist. Or even some one that seems to care more!

my son did not do well on the drugs (side effects) so we gave up so thats all I can say about the meds!

Hearing you problem makes me concerned that this is not the right Doctor for your child!

Go with what your gut is telling you!

Hello all,

I've just begun the confusing journey of trying to figure out which drug at which dosage will help my 8 year old son with his ADHD.  I was VERY reluctant to put him on meds and spent the last 4 years trying every kind of therapy available to avoid it.  I finally gave up and he began taking 18 mg of concerta last month ~ but it didn't seem to be quite right so we upped him to 27 mgs.

Since the dosage was increased a week ago, his pupils are really dialated, he talks way too fast, he has insomonia, upset stomach and his little heart is pounding so fast it scares me.

For those of you who have already walked down the path I'm walking:

How do you decide when you've found the right dosage and the right med?  How long does it take before you decide "this isn't working" and try something else?  I have no idea if he'll adjust to these things and his doc just says ~ give it a month ~ which is very frustrating as a parent.

Any input is greaty appreciate

Thanks for the input ~! Although I'm more worried than I was before because my doc did not order and ekg prior to medicating my son.  She's been his pediatrician since birth and is an excellent doctor, so I'm surprised and very disappointed that this is routine and she didn't order it.  I went through about five peds w/ my older daughter before I settled with our current doc because I'm really picky.  She has two sons with ADHD so she has intimate knowledge of the whole process and told me that she treats 35 other ADHD patients without benefit of psychiatrists input.

Regardless of her experience I began this med journey looking for a psychiatrist to treat my son (he had been seeing a counselor,but he can't prescribe meds). The problem is I live in a very small town and the closest child pyschiatrist that takes my insurance is an hour away ~ to compound that situation I'm a single working mom ~ I just couldn't imagine having to take three hours of sick time for every appointment with a shrink~ but maybe it's time to reconsider that.

Thanks again

You ARE lucky ~ not a single shrink on my list of providers has weekend hours ~ not even if you BEG ~ LOL~! 

I'm just really nervous about this whole process because my son had a seizure disorder as a baby and was on depakote until age 4.  Stimulant therapy can trigger seizures so I have to be very cautious in that regard as well.  I did extensive research on it though, spoke to his couselor and his ped and they both agreed that he had been seizure free off meds for almost 4 years that it was highly unlikely that meds would trigger them.  But after having been through so many seizures with him as a baby, it scares me to death that there is any increase at in the chance of that recurring.

Seizures in toddlers and young children are usually because there is some part of the brain that hasn't matured yet.  In 90% of cases, these seizures stop as the kid gets older and the brain matures.  I wouldn't let that fact deter you from being as cautious as you can when it comes to using meds.  What about getting an eeg while your son is on stimulants?  If he's had an eeg in the past year before he started taking meds, then you'd have a baseline for comparison.  When you ds started having seizures, did the doctor say what was causing it?

My youngest sister had seizures starting when she was five which went on for 2-3 years.  My seizures started when I was 13 and have continued.

We all have to work within the limitations we have. I am lucky that my daughter's psychiatrist has weekend hours. It took 6 months to find one that took our insurance and then a couple more months to get the first appointment.

The ekg is a relatively new recommendation because of potential pre-existing heart conditions (very rare). You can ask for the ped to order one just to be on the safe side.

Welcome Mystery. Pediatricians unfortunately do not have enough knowledge about AD/HD or med management with regard to ADHD. The goal with medication is maximum benefit, minimal side effects at the lowest dose possible. Because the right medication and dose is all individual, many times it takes time to get the meds right. You have very valid concerns and perhaps the dose or med your child is currently taking is not right for him. The right dose and med is determined based on the metabolic rate of absorption which is different for everyone. As suggested, I would seek out a psychiatrist and once your child is on the right medication and the right therapeutic dose, you don't have to continue seeing a psychiatrist. Your child's pediatrician can write out the prescriptions.  I also agree that getting an EEG done prior to starting meds is a wise decision. While I certainly understand your fears, don't allow your fears to limit or control your choices. AD/HD medication is very safe when taken as prescribed and monitored by a qualified clinician when going through a trial of meds and it is a first line of treatment as it is the only treatment proven to effectively manage all the symptoms of AD/HD. Ultimately, you know your child best so any decisions you make in terms of treatment are the right ones for him. However, make your decions based on accurate knowledge, not fear. Good luck and keep us posted

What does "ds" stand for exactly, sorry I'm new

My son's father and my father had febrile seizures so it's something that was passed down from the male side and from both my sides of the family.  At first we just had febrile seizures that began at 18 mos ~ by the time he was 2.5 he started having 1 second long seizures that were not related to fever.  At first they told me he had myoclonic seizures and would slowly deteriorate, forget how to talk and walk and be dead before he was 9 years old.  I thought I knew how to reasearch medical conditions up to that point, but I'm a PRO now ~ OY ~ doctors~!

I finally got him into the top pediatric epilepologist in Texas (after jumping up and down on desks at the med center in Houston) and he was diagnosed properly with a rare condition called "febrile seizures plus" ~ it's something that happens in the rare instance that the seizures are passed down from both sides fo the family. He will have to be VERY careful when he marries and has kids ~ if he marries a woman w/ seizures in her family, they have like a 70% chance of having a child with myoclonic seizures.

I had an eeg done just before we started meds, it's still irregular but it's been irregular anytime we've done it over the last 3 years and he's remained seizure-free.  It may be a good idea to have one done while he's on the meds, I won't have any trouble getting him in sleep deprived state prior to the eeg with the raging insomnia he has now ~ LOL ~ gotta look on the bright side.