Med Question | ADHD Information

Why did you increase if he did well on the 10? Just curious.This is going to sound weird but, my son actually does not have ADHD. He had a brain injury about 2.5 years ago and now has some learning and behavioral  issues that mimic ADHD. He has been put on Adderall XR and the Dr told me to see what dose I think he is performing his best at. I started him at 10mg and saw a great improvement with no side effects, he was still eating and had no outbursts. FYI he is very skinny, and not from lack of eating thats just him. So I wanted to see how he would be on 20mg he says that he feels different but here is the thing he does not want to eat now. We are out from school so I am not sure how he will perform in the classroom but the not eating really concerns me. If anyone else has been through this please help.

 

Here's another thought:  you could stay with the 10 mg xr/day for a month or two (say, over summer) then up to 15 or 20 mg./day and your son might not experience any loss of appetite (or at least lessend loss).   

When I started on Adderall XR it killed my appetite... but my appetitie came back with time (over a period of several months) until, after 1/2 year my appetite was back to normal. 

 

I would call the doctor about splitting the caspules. I have a friend who does this for her son. Or get a prescription for 5 mg's.

Brain injury can cause what is called trama induced adhd.  I agree with the others.  Go to 15mg.The problem is that I really want to try it out before I commit to a dosage. I am working with samples at this point. They are capsules, I guess I could just use half. It breaks my heart that he is going through this but on the other hand he knows that we are trying to help and has been so mature about it and has not given me a problem. I have never been one of those parents to not listen to their kids so I assume that is why he is not afraid to let me know how he is feeling. He goes tomorrow to find out exactly how he learns and hat the best way is to teach him. I hope all goes well

You are smart to try out dosages.  I would call the doctor, but I have heard of other moms that split the capsules and try to measure out one half of the contents, but I wouldn't w/o doctor's okay...

And do listen to your child.  My 10 year old is very self aware and we have always (the doctor and I) valued his input where his treatment is concerned.  Without his input, we would be just fumbling in the dark.

Actually this is what the Dr told me to do. He was wonderfull when JJ was having his surgery. And I would not trade him for any other doc. I trust him to do the right thing. He also gave me samples of Focalin but I did not even bother considering I got such good results with the Adderal. Also I read on this site that the Focalin doesn't seem to last as long as the Adderal and I don't want him to have to take anything while at school. JJ swears he can think more clearly and that he has more self control while on the meds. I can see it as well so I do believe that he is telling the truth. Thank you all for your input.

No problem.  And I totally understand your trust of the doctor.  I am the same way with my ped.  Most people don't trust a ped to manage ADHD meds, but she has been wonderful, as good as any neuropsych out there I would be willing to bet.  And she has the bonus of knowing my son since he was 2 weeks old.

Be sure to ask any questions you may have.  You may want to do a search of the parent's board for 'appetite', or 'not eating'.  I only joined in October and I know that there have been many threads on suggestions to get more calories into your child.  If you have trouble, PM me and I will see what I can find for you.

Thanks a bunch

To see if there would be anymore improvement

I know it sounds stange but he says he feels better from the 10 to the 20. He says he can focus better and he feels like he has better control over himself. I am with DianeV, if you saw good improvement on the 10mg, and no adverse side effects, and on the 20mg there are unwanted side effects, then I would slmply drop him back down to the 10mg.  Now you know that 20mg is too much for him at least for now.He feels more in control on the 20mg?yes me too. The key is doing just that, getting results with little or no side effects. The other option is settle in the middle and try 15.

First of all, don't think that what you are posting and experiencing sounds weird, we have all had similar experiences and will be glad to do what we can to help you through this.

Secondly, kudos to you for listening to your child and validating his opinions on the meds.  After all, this is happening to him and who better to tell you how well it is working for him and how it makes him feel to take it.

My son had major appetite issues on Concerta and there are many ways to get calories into a child, but often times the appetite suppression goes away after some time.  If it doesn't, there are appetite stimulants that can be given to jumpstart that appetite.  My son takes periactin for that purpose and it works well, the guanfacine also improves appetite as well as many ADHD symptoms such as anger, aggression, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and frustration.

I was thinking the same thing, 15mg may be just the ticket.....