Afraid to change med | ADHD Information

My son is 7, ADD Inattentive.  He's on Concerta 36MG and is doing great in school.  We are also crawling and seeing the chiro with good "physical" results.  He has no sleep issues but has lost some weight.  He loves to say NO lately and loses his temper a few times a week to the point of hitting people.  He is also very whiny and weepy.  This is worse the past month or so.  (All of this at home, the teacher doesn't see it.) I am wondering if these are side effects of the drugs or new symptoms of the ADD.  Concerta is the only med he's ever been on.  I'm afraid to trade one side effect for another.  If he's sleeping well on Concerta will he sleep ok on another med?  Any advice would be appreciated.

If you need mor info about this med (to open the discussion with the doc) look at the very long Tenex thread (guanfacine is the generic for Tenex). There are some good links for info on this med for ADHD.

http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24770& PN=1

He may be developing some anxiety. This could be due to the med or due to his not getting quite enough benefit from treatment (we saw this with my youngest). You could try a few things....

When my youngest was on concerta she did not gain weight so the doc added guanfacine (it can increase appetite in some but not my daughter). It also adds another layer of symptom control for the ADHD, including defiance.

You may need to explore other stimulants. Sleep should not really be an issue unless bedtime happens too near the period when the meds are leaving his body. My daughter has no problems in the sleep area either, but did before meds. Daytana (patch) comes to mind for a good posibility. Because he has no sleep issues now, you might even be able to leave it on through the evening and take it off at bedtime. Some kids actually sleep better with meds in the system. THe problem might be appetite suppression for the longer period. Unfortunately it is all trial and error to find what works best for the individual.

vickie39206.4494212963Thank you!  I will ask his ped about guanfacine.