Anxiety | ADHD Information

Hi
My son is 6yrs old and was diagnosed with ADHD about 3 months ago.  I have *known* since he was 2, and his daddy has undiagnosed adhd.  He self medicates right now with coffee.  Brenden's biggest issues are with lack of impulse and aggression which have lead to low self esteem so we decided meds were needed.  Well he has tried Ritalin LA which was going well except he had trouble falling asleep, Adderall which made him angry and moody and now 30mg Metadate CD.  This seemed to be the "one".  for about 2 3-4 weeks.  Now he is not listening again and being more impulsive.  Why only after 3 weeks would he need dosage change?  Also he has undiagnosed anxiety disorder.  I am thankful to finally know why he would not go outside at 2.5 yrs old because of loud scary noises, worry and have nightmares after rated G disney movies and not go down the hall by himself, worry about things, cling on to me at 6 and not want to leave my side, and the latest and worst a bug fear.  It is so bad he will not go outside unless he has a hat on or someone else goes and he is scared of ANY bugs including butterflies.  So, would the med make the anxiety worse?  What do Dr's generally do when a child with ADHD has anxiety too?  Is this common?  I tried to make him an appt but Dr is out of town until next week.  Do I leave him on the meds until then?  Studying bugs does not work and nether does force....it is truly a terrified fear.........UGH these kids!
That must be hard. I know my 7 yr old has mood issues and some fears and the Drs have not recommended stimulants for that reason. My expensive psychiatrist recommended Abilify, which is newer, because it helps with attentiveness. I can relate to some of the fears - my son will not go to movie theaters (too loud and too scary) and does not like Disney movies. He saw a movie on black holes at the planetariam and had nighmares. He's worried abotu how loud public toilets are when they flush since he was 3. He will not go on another floor in the house or even in another room if nobody is in there. I do think stimulants can increase the anxiety, so I think you might want to talk to the Doctor. My son has been a little more crabby and defiant while on the meds and I am wondering if they were right to steer me away from the stimulants. The other drugs scare me a little becuase of the side effects. Good luck - I can relate to a lot of it.

My son is now 10, on the 26th! He did not like movies, dark, scarry, too loud etc. It is his sensory integration issues coming into the mix.

He also has anxiety with bugs too! He will stay in during the summer because of it! I also think the heat bothers him too.

My son started on concerta the lowest dose, like 16mg? not sure 3 yrs ago, but quickly moved to 72mg with the addition of guanfacine to help with anxiety and self regulation, over stimulation issues.

You will never start off at the right dose unless they do not need that much. You start at the lowest and work you way up. Where ever the child/person is the MOST successful with the LEAST side effects is where they need to be. We would change daily. If the teacher said he wasn't doing well, we upped it until she told us he was right where he should be. It was very helpful.

Plus adding/upping the guanfacine made a big change with his concerta!

DS still has the bug stuff though. (My Older brother had the same problem with bees, I am just ignoring it unless it affects his life!)

BETHANN39244.9956365741

My daughter suffers from ADHD/anxiety. Most stimulants run the risk of increasing anxiety, so yes it is probably the stimulant increasing his anxiety. Especially if you've noticed it worse since adding the stimulant. I have found that if something changes within a couple of weeks of a med change, it is generally the med contributing. I would call the doctor for sure! There are ways to treat both although it becomes much, much trickier. I do understand your fear of side effects, believe my my child is super drug sensitive and has terrible side effects. The side effects from the stimulatns, however, have been the worst. We've used several ant anxieties and not had horrible side effects. Yes you can stop the stimulant if you want. Metadate is in and out of your system in a few hours as with all stimulants (one of their positive things). I know it is frustrating, hang in. With the added anxiety piece it is going to take you a little longer to find the right fit of meds for you.

As an FYI, we have recently stopped using stimulants and trying to treat the side effects with other meds (were using Ritilan LA, then Guanfacine for the tics side effect and Zoloft for anxiety/depressession side effect). We are now trying a tricyclic antidperessant. This go around we are using Desipramine.

My son tried many different stimulants and other drug combinations for his diagnosed ADD and anxiety.  Nothing ever worked for too long.  In fact, some drugs, mainly Adderall, caused severe side effects - extreme anger, aggression, impulsivity.  Well, after 5 years of trying everything a new doctor has determined that my son never had ADD in the first place.  This doctor and his team feel that my son has Asperger's Syndrome.  Aspergers mimics many of the ADD/ADHD characteristics (inability to focus, anxiety, fidgety, low self esteem, obsessive/compulsive tendencies).  We are going to get a second opinion but this would explain why no med has really helped in all these years.  Poor guy is really starting to feel different.  At ten, he now sees the differencies in himself and peers.  Stimulants (which were given when they believed he had ADD) only made him more hyper, etc...  It may be something to look into.

Hi geesmom,

I just wanted to mention that I know people with BOTH Aspbergers and ADHD.

I think it is great that you are going for a second opinion.

My son is also 10 (on the 27th) and had all the same side effects from adderall that you mention in your post. He found concerta was best for him, along with guanfacine, which helps his overstimulation and impulsivness.

Have you ever tried a psychopharmacologist, a doctor whose specializes in the mediation for all these psychological disorders. We have seen one since the beginning of our medication journey. He is like a scientist when it comes all these medications. It is amazing.

There are so many more meds. to try besides the ones that we are always seeing mentioned. He also knows what to add, when to add it, etc. He is also there to talk to about "anything" because he is a psychiatrist as well. I just thought I would throw that out there to try to offer some help, you and your son have been through a lot over the past 5 years.

My son also seems at time obsessive, especially about his computer games.

Please keep us posted with how your son and you are making out!

Beth

BETHANN39248.0510416667