mothers of with ADD/ADHD children | ADHD Information
chantelle,There are a lot of posts regarding Daytrana in the Med section. Click on the topic " Daytrana anyone?" and you will come up with 29 pages! jfla239138.3330671296Chantelle
Hello and welcome to the board that saved me from insanity. It has taken us a long time to find a good med for him so be patient. I only medicate on the weekend if it is something new we are doing, because I want to watch him myself or if we have something going on because I don't want him in trouble constantly. We are now on the patch, he was taking 30mg but we actually had to lower the dose (yeah!, that's never happened to us before) It does take about 2 hours to kick in so I put it on him while he is still asleep and then by the time school starts he is ready to go. So far this has worked best for him but every child is different and it is definately a trial and error process much to the parents dismay. Be patient, when you get it right and he comes home happy from his good day at school with a decent report it is all worth it.
Chantelle
hello and welcome
my son is on a differant meds than your child so i cant say
but yes it dose take time finding the right meds and getting them right
good luck
Hi! My daughter just started on 10mg of Adderall XR 3 days ago. Wednesday, she seemed VERY quiet which kind of freaked me out as that is SOOOO night like her. I guess I just wasn't ready for her to be like other kids! We had 2 hours of auditory processing testing done and she was completely able to focus and the noises in the hallway and the clutter of the room (all done purposfully) didn't distract her one iota which under normal, non-medicated circumstances...she'd have been exploring EVERYTHING. Now yesterday, we finished up with another hour or so of testing and when I spoke to the doctor, she said that as compared to today (which was yesterday), she could definitely tell that Megan (who is 7) was medicated. But today (again, going from yesterday's conversation), she didn't know whether it was because she felt more comfortable with her or what, but she was definitely friendlier, more outgoing, and more active. She still had the focus she needed, but she would stand up, sit down, wiggle in her chair and play with her hair. SO FAR, she hasn't complained about being tired. We actually found that she was getting terribly tired on the 15 mg Daytrana patch which we stopped Tuesday. She actually had fallen asleep twice at school at the lunch table....like what kid can do THAT???? THAT really had me freaked out twice. Though I called her doctor and she didn't seem overly concerned....sure..it's not HER freaking out! I like the idea of the XR version of Adderall that Megan's on as the first type of pills dissolve almost immediately and then the next bunch dissolve within 4 hours, so she only takes one pill a day and theoretically, it lasts about 9-12 hours. She takes it by 7 a.m. and by 6ish, I can tell that it's worn off!
But definitely go check him out at school and do what it takes to ease your mind. I'm going to give the pills to Megan this weekend, too, so I can also see her reaction. I did the same thing when she first started the patch, too. Many of you mentioned the Adderall XR. I take it this is time released. ???
Does this cause up's and down's or does it pretty much keep your child consistant???
Im wondering if the time release has more of a side effect of not sleeping since it is time released???
Im looking for any advise. My son was recently diagnosed with ADD. He was prescribed a prescription of 15 mg adderall.
His first day taking it , I received two calls from the school nurse saying my child was in there, complaing of being very tired. He apparantely fell asleep on the swing at recess.
After notifying the doctor immediately, we switched to a 5mg adderall. Today was his second day to take it. When i picked him up from school at 3:30, he was out of it, tired, bags under his eyes. He said he felt exhausted.
Does anyone have any advice. Is this normal to crash after a certain amount of time? Should he be taking a dose in the morning, and one at noon?
Im very concerned. He is a daydreamer and suffering in his school work, but dont want to make him tired and not himself..
Hi Chantell! My daughter as well was just prescribed Adderall (10 mg) about a week ago. I would say to consult his physician but from everything that I read you should give it to them right away in the a.m. when they wake up. I was also told that it takes awhile for the drug to "level" out in their system. You see the strongest effects of the drugs at first and then it levels off. I can tell you that we had trouble the first 3 nights - our daughter was waking up at 2:00 a.m. It seems that each night her restlessness got better.
Good luck!
Chantell,A symptom of too high a dose of a stimulant with ADHDers is often tiredness, sleepiness or lethargy. This is an indication of the need to lower the dose until the symptoms go away. I don't know the number of hours between doses, but could it be that the second dose is being given too soon after the first dose has been given.
My son is 18 and has been on medication since he was seven and a half. It is an interesting journey and rough at times, but he is doing great, has matured into a bright responsible and creative young man. With your careful attention and loving support things will be okay.
Good luck.
Thanks everyone for your advice and support. Very touching to get on my computer and have responses on how to help me through this... Very much appreciated. i like the advice on going to school and watching him. The doctor had told me not to give it to him on weekends if he didnt need it.
Just last night I thought I need to give it to him this weekend to observe whats going on better.
Thank you everyone for your responses. Sounds like to me , alot of testing , dose changes, possible med changes until you find the right med or right dose
Thanks
Hi and Welcome Chantelle,
I've found the time release meds are much more consistent that the short acting, simply because it eliminates human error in the timing of the dosages. It's also more convenient than having to send meds to school for the mid-day dose.
I'm on Adderall XR and I've actually found that I have less trouble sleeping than I ever did before. I'm in college part time and on nights when I have class I don't take my pill until late morning so it lasts long enough, and even then I don't have a problem falling asleep. Many of the children who have trouble sleeping were having trouble before they started meds and not because of the medication. Sleep problems tend to go hand in hand with ADHD, in part because these kids have difficulty self- calming.
Hello all!
On the subject of meds . . . My 6 year old daughter has been through different doses of Ritalin and now Adderall. We are at 15 mg of the time released capsules. We have been going through this since August and I thought we had the meds right. Yesterday after conferences with her teacher, it is apparant that we do not!! Her marks on attention and work study were such a letdown!! The report overall was so discouraging. I thought we would finally have a good report. We raised her dose from 10 - 15 so I don't know why her teachers are saying she is still having trouble with focus. They also say she is very inconsistent. . . We are waiting to discuss this with our pediatrician. But any further support or advice would be so appreciated!
Chantelle,
My 8 year old son and I have been on the med journey for 1 year. He started on 10mg Dexedrine and it worked fine but it wore off by 3pm. Then we went to Disney for Christmas so I wanted to try Daytrana - Med worked fine but his legs got tore up from the adhesive etc. So back to the 10mg Dexedrine. At that point he put him on a 5mg dexedrine (generic) and he had a reaction because of it being generic. He is on vacation from school this week so when he goes back he will be taking 10mg day 10mg at afternoon. We will see!
As for the fact that the doctor does not want you to medicate on the weekend - That is up to you to decide. I know that there are pros and cons but when the weekend comes I prefer that we all enjoy it. Just remember this is your child and you should do what you see fit.
Finding the right med and dosage is complex, but if you hang in there you probably will find something that works. My ds is on Daytrana, which is a ritalin patch. Because of the way it goes into the system, it is very even, without the up and down of pills. It takes two hours to kick in and two hours to wear off, so when you put it on is important. My ds was on 40mg ritalin pills but only 30mg ritalin through the patch.
You may also want to consider the non-stimulant Strattera. It takes 2-4 weeks to build up in the bloodstream, but it has also worked for us.
When it comes to weekend meds, you have to look at what your son is doing and what attention level is required. You also have to look at how much he's eating and whether the stimulants kill his appetite. One of my ds's friends is very highly ADHD and could use meds on the weekend, but he doesn't eat lunch or very much dinner when he takes it. The med vacation on the weekend and during the summer allow him to eat all he needs to grow. My ds doesn't have that problem, but if yours does then a med vacation is a good idea.
A friend of mine has her son on the patch. She says its easier to control and you can take it off when needed. I hadnt heard it takes two hours to kick in . Thats quite a bit of time. My friends son didnt react well with it due to it mad him very emotional . Anyone else have any experience with the patch?
Hi and good luck to you. Trying to find the right med can take a long time, so hang in there. Not to mention that you sometimes feel you are making your son a guinea pig....your're not! You are just trying to help him the best way you know how! It took us about a year to find a med regime that was acceptable.