ADHD and Meds - new to me | ADHD Information
Two separate questions:1. I'm way too amped up on the meds. If ADHD meds calm down people with ADHD and amps up people without ADHD, does this mean I'm not ADHD?
2. It seems like there are only a handful of us that experience such terrible side effects from the meds that I'm ready to give up on searching for the right med.
Sincere apologies to everyone...I posted a question about ADHD meds and can't find it. After being diagnosed six months ago, I've tried Strattera, Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall. All were taken at the most effective dose, for the recommended length of time. However, trying to tolerate the side effects were more of a struggle than ADHD itself
Strattera had no effect on me. I was constantly nauseated (no visual necessary) on the others. Adderall was the worst in paranoia, jitters and agoraphobia. Even though I was only on Adderall for two weeks, I'm still jittery after two days of not taking it. I am also bipolar so I'm very sensitive to the hyper effects of the meds.
After two years of seeing my doctor, she explained that she suspected I was more ADHD than bipolar. She explained that amphetimines work in the opposite way from people without ADHD. That is, someone with ADHD who takes Adderall, et al, will be more calm. Didn't explain that right but you know...
Has anyone tried changing their diet--like ommitting sugar or caffeine?
Any advice please? I'm truly desperate here. I'll be taking a class, working with machinery, where the jitters will pose a danger. I'm seeing my doctor next week but still need help from "those who know."
Bipolar and ADHD meds is a difficult combination. What are you on for the bipolar (and are you pretty stable)? Antidepressants can work on ADHD symptoms for some, also clonidine and guafacine (blood pressure meds) are effective for some symptoms. It may be that you could use a low dose stimulant in combo with something non-stimulant to augment.
The paradoxical effect of stimulants on people with ADHD is not true for everyone with ADHD. It is a generalization.
welcome to this board. this board has been so helpful to me over the past few months as well. so much knowledge here...read and decide what is best for you. my dd was on adderal at first, but she had too many side effects..now she is on short acting ritalin with melatonin at night and life here isn't perfect...but it's much better. again, we hated to see her struggle both academically and socially. she is much easier to be around...much more enjoyable now for all of us that have to live with her and her teacher has noticed more peer friends too..also, last week she came home 3 graded sheets, nothing less than 93% which made her feel good. this is a journey...there are a lot of decisions that one has to make, it's tough...but we're all trying to do the best for our children/families. adhd not only affects the person, it affects the family....bottom line.
know that you are not alone...good luck with the daytrana, i've heard good things on this board about that med.
shelley
My 6 year old son was actually diagnosed April of last year - He has been on Daytrana for about 6 months - We have tried Adderall and Metadate - Daytrana has been the best fit for us but I am still struggling with this. No one I know has this issue with their children and so many people tell me Dont put him on meds...but he struggles at school and it is of the utmost importance to me that he gets a good education and the school system doesn't keep just pushing him through without really advancing..... Has anyone done any extensive research - pros and cons - I feel like without it he wont succeed and with it I am concerned about the side effects and the long term effects - Please help my aching heart and struggle with this!!!!
Welcome 2boyz13,
You will need to do a lot of reading. With this med that has been around more than 50 years, most of the studies are only short term. There is research going on so keep your eyes and ears open for new data on the long term effects of these meds. There is data on the outcomes of medicated vs unmedicated ADHD showing without medication, there is an increase in unexpected pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, substance abuse, school failure and drop out, brushes with the law, smoking and accidents. Here are a few places to start reading:
http://www.daytrana.com/ADHDFactSheet.aspx
Treatment is not just meds alone, but behavior managment and social skills training as needed.
Yes, I actually have done extensive research on the subject and have found that kids who ARE medicated for ADHD not only succeed with meds, they are also less likely to self medicate when older. Self medicating is a huge problem as these drugs are illegal( pot, cocaine etc) and very dangerous.
Daytrana is Methylphenidate( ritalin) and has been used for years and is very safe in appropraite dsages. Your Psychiatrist would not have prescribed it had it not been necessary.
Thanx so much for the replys. I am learning so much from this message board. I have noticed my son blink and pull at his eyes alot, from this board it sounds like that may be a side effect of the Daytrana. My pediatrican is prescribing his RX at this time for his diagnosis of mixed type ADD, it sounds like maybe I need a specialist. It seems like it does take awhile for the Daytrana to kick in - My ped told me about an hour - the posts on here say more like 2 hours. Also, in the evening he seems to be argumentive and emotional - I am thinking that also may be a side effect of the Daytrana?!?!
I will continue to read this board - this is so helpful to me - sometimes i feel so alone in trying to figure this all out.
Welcome 2boys13. I'm new here to. My son is 7 he also is very emotional and argumentative especially at night. I can tell him to come here to have him correct his homework and he'll start crying and telling me the answers are right. He get upset even if he's told he can't do something or to do something that he doesn't want to do. It's a daily struggle. My son is on Metadate CD 10mg in the morning. How is the Daytrana working? We thought about trying it.The difficult evenings may be due to rebound as the meds are leaving his system or just that he has difficulty adjusting to the change from having the help from meds to being without. It may be that you need a med change or he just needs time to adjust to the med. If you have access to a good specialist who has lots of experience with managing ADHD meds, you will be better off in the long run. You will want to taylor the meds to your son's current need and then adjust as he gets older and his needs change.
Quick note: if you can't get to a point of having better evenings, check out the Tenex threads for an option.
shelleyA - thank you for your post - keep up the good work with your dd....seems like you and your family are moving in the right direction
andrewsmom - we started on Adderrall XR and he talked non stop - way over stimulated...then went to metadate and got up to 30mg - I felt like was a good fit but husband did not agree.....went to Daytrana and this has been great (I think is in the metadate family) he is only on 10mg - seems to work well, a little slow to get started but once it starts seems good - every now and then the evenings are stressful when he is coming "down" but not every night....we just exercise our patience and get thru it.....I am trying to get to a specialist of some sort to follow up with as he has only seen his ped. for his meds/dx. I have heard about the Tenex option and may consider that too - THANK YOU!
Evenings can be tough...when the medication is wearing off...for kids and adults. It's not so bad now with me as it used to be, but it can be a real spoiler! I look for diversion...like watching TV.... if I can tell the rebound is going to be strong. It's definately not a time that I want to engage in substantive conversation with my wife 'cause I'll likely get grumpy or emotional or both! For no good reason at all!! If you suspect that your child is experiencing rebound, best give him or her as much leeway and compasion as you can, and remind yourself that it's the meds, not them, acting up!