Oh Ky, this is a terrible upset for you, I know how you feel, we are pretty broke at the moment, and I have to try to find, beg, borrow or steal for some psychiatric appointments for my son.

I cant give you the answers you need, but I can give you a big cyber .

Have faith that you will find a way, believe in you.  Talk to support groups in your area, perhaps there could be some church groups that may help you out.

Ask your dr, what to do, who knows he may have a trick up his sleeve.  Ask Ask Ask - see what you can find out there.

I'd say he could do without the risperidal, does this kid really need an antipsychotic drug?

Call the drug companies directly; look for the websites for an email address or an 800 telephone number

Secondly - Concerta which is XR works quite well; J&J has a foundation which might help.

for ODD - were using xanax and celexa; celexa is a new antidepressant: older generics may work as well - try to get on that handles panic and anxiety also. The broader - perhaps - the better. (? effexor  - ? generic)

xanax comes in a generic form; its not XR, however; there is also a klonopin generic.

Ky 101,

I just wanted to say that you are in good hands here.  I know that this is very overwhelming for you right now but things WILL work out.  I think that the other posts are right on.  ASK, ASK, ASK.  You never know what you might find out.

I wish you luck with everything.  Keep your chin up - you are doing your best!  I know this can be hard I have three children myself all of which have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.  Imagine my house without the meds - lol.  Anyway, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

My ADHD children are Precious gifts from God!

Stay the HELL away from anti psychotics . One side affect of xanax is sleep - if a child takes a higher does, according to our MD. He said that the worst that would happen would be sleep ; then we would know the dose was too high!

Also, university medical clinics can be helpful

The better educated you are - the better your chances. There is NO med out there for ODD - period.

Ky101,

My ADHD challenged son is taking Risperdal to deal with anxiety, anger and rage.  I've never heard it used for sleeping.  In very low doses, it is effective with minimal side effects for this purpose.  But, it was not prescribed by an MD, rather by a trained psychiatrist.  We have to return to his office every month for the Psyc to verify that there are no side effects.  If in fact it was a pediatrician who prescribed Risperdal for 'sleep', please get an immediate referral to a child psychiatrist. 

I realize that it is costly to go to the doctor and if you have to pay for a second opinion, it's even more costly. But in the long term, it's actually cheaper because a trained ADHD specialist will be able to zero in on the right meds quicker than the family doc.  Additionally, a pharmachological Pscyhiatrist will have plenty of samples in his office.  They are usually willing to give you enough to verify that the prescription will work before you have to lay out the bucks. 

Paul

ky101

I feel your pain. I am the mother of three, (3,8 &15). My 8 yr old has ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I also realized when he was small. The psychiatrist tried my son on Adderall and that was BAD!!!!! He a horrible rebound effect. He has been taking Concerta and it works! He is also on Risperdal but not for sleep, in fact, it makes him a little hyper (we call it "the happy pill"), he is also on Clonidine .1mg 1/2 am & 1pm. The clonidine was given to him to help him sleep. He did have alot of bad nights w/the clonidine alone but when we added the Risperdal, so far so good!!    I have been through so much w/my son and it is hard!!   He knows that he has a problem and asks "why me mom" and it hurts when I don't have a good answer or a way to make it all go away  All I can say is stay strong for all of your children for ADHD can cause a household to be CRAZY     I am hear if you need to talk.

Kelly kponsfamily@yahoo.com

Dear Ky101 -

My son is ADHD with some moderate ODD thrown in the mix.  He is taking 27mg of Concerta (12 hour time release) which as worked well as far as his school work is concerned.  My son is a very emotional kid - he always has been.  He use to meltdown in 1st and 2nd grade and cry uncontrollably - that has stopped.  Is it from the medication - or is he just maturing - who knows.  He is also in group therapy with a psychologist 2-4 times per month (and there is at least one 5 year old in his group).  Under my medical plan the Concerta costs $35/month and the therapy costs $35 per visit.  I can tell you that the therapy definitely helps. I don't know how servere his ODD is, but my psychiatrist also told me that there is no medication for ODD.  They are using antidepressent, etc.  I am not at the point where I want to give my son anti-depressent medication.  We also use behavior modification.  None of this is an exact science - you have to find what works for you - you will know in your gut.  Get as much information as you can, ask questions and write everything down.

Good luck!

Ky101,

I'm sure you just added this at the end of your message as an after thought: I think everyone seems to be doing well with concerta. Maybe i will try that when he starts school! (if adderall doesnt work).   But just in case.... it's always a good idea to switch meds during the summer before school starts in case there is some kind of side effect .

Paul