My son has Adhd and takes Adderalxr | ADHD Information

Hello, Yes right now he's only taking Adderal XR, When I went to see his doctor I told her what the problems was and that's the first thing she put him on and I haven't really paid much attention to some of the side effects he's having til just recently. I really want to help him and have thought about just taking him off of the Adderal but am unsure if that's a good thing to do. I would like him to be calm and yet get rid of the side effects. I'm also kinda worried about the effects of just taking him off if it to, I read some peoples things and was kinda surprised to learn some people get hooked on taking it, like it's a drug for them and then the withdrawls. I thought maybe if I could change the foods he was eating that would take care of it. I'm learning things about this to. I'll have to talk to his dr maybe that's what will have to be done is getting him on something else.

Amy

Hey also is Adderal similar to riddlin?

Adderall and Ritalin are two totally different families of medication. They are both stimulants.

If your son is having side effects you need to talk to his doctor. There are a lot of different medications out there in both families of meds. Your goal is to treat symptoms with little or no side effects. You may want to keep a journal of your sons behavior and possible side effects so when you talk to the doctor you can keep it all straight. It can get very overwhelming.

Sounds like it isn't the med/dose for him. Adderall is notorious for stomach issues, maybe another med is in order?

adderal was nasty on my dd. we have since switched to ritalin LA and she sleeps and eats without any problems. just continue to watch your son and switch if you need to. my dd turned mean and nasty without sleep:) i wasn't sure if it was med related or sleep deprived related. we now to ritalin LA and melatonin at night and our house is much happier all around.

good luck
shelley

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I'm trying to learn more about this, what kinds of foods are good for my son to eat?

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I'm not an expert on ADHD kids, but have one. Our son is a very, very picky eater. Also, when he was on Adderall he lost his appetite. So, we tried to get him to eat anything he tolerated at whatever time he happened to be hungry.

I always try to get some type of protein in him, such as yogurt, cheese, milk, and breakfast powders. We hide pasturized eggs in his smoothies. (Our brain needs protein to pay attention.) If your son will eat meat, then that is a great source of protein (our son hates meat).

I also know this is difficult to grasp, but sugar and caffeine have an opposite affect on our son. Typcially, it causes kids to get hyper, but it calms our generally hyper son down...strange, but true. (I'm not trying to get you to feed your son sugar and soda pop, but thought it might be interesting to mention it.)

Adderall is notorious for causing eating problems in ADHD kids. I concur with the others when they suggest that you investigate an alternative medication. I also concur with the previous post that you need to make sure your son is screened by an ADHD specialist and not just your pediatrician.Dad in Akron39269.8175115741[QUOTE=Tigger1007]

Amy

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DId your child have a Psychiatric Evaluation, or a Visit to the Pediatrician who gave Adderall? If there was no evaluation you need to get one. Adderall IS a drug, it IS an amphetamine, and of course with abuse can cause dependence, but not if taking as dircted. It can be stopped cold turkey when taken as directed.

Has he taken any other meds? Aderrall XR is not your only option. Far from it. Your goal is help his symptoms with little or not side effects. Foods will not alter his side effects. Although some people have found diet contributes to their childrens ADHD symptoms. If he has nausea and mood swings after taking it for a year I would talk to his doctor about trying something else.

I'm trying to learn more about this, what kinds of foods are good for my son to eat? He's 9 yrs old and has been taking adderalXr 15 mg for about a year now and has some of the side effects of the medicine which worries me, The stomach ach, loss of appetite, nausea, I've thought about taking him off of it totally but if I do what will that do to him if anything? He does have more mood swings and gets upset easily. I haven't really been following any certain thing as far as him eating and know I really prob should.

Tigger100739265.6123032407I agree with Diane, you need a SOLID diagnosis, not just a Pediatrician"putting him on something".You never know what it is, and could very NOT be ADHD without a solid diagnosis.Thanks! I'll get him to the doctors no he hasn't ever had a psychiactric evaluation at all. I was kinda surprised I really didn't think it would be as easy as it was to have him put on something. I have a friend who has her child on Adderal and she had a psychiatric evaluation done.

When my daughter started on meds her pediatrician did start her (on Concerta) when she couldnt tolerate it she then referred us to child psychiatrist and he concurred and did the adjusting from there. Many pediatricans can manage meds just fine, but a SOLID diagnosis is always what you want and if you have to start dealing with side effects and swithcing around and adding meds it always best to be some one with a lot of ADHD med experience.

Good luck.

Wow all three of my boys are on adderall xr and reg adderall only problem we have is it would keep them up so they are also on clonidine to help them go to bed. Or else there up till 6am. Luckily never had stomach issues with any of them, and my middle son has a very touchy tummy. But they all eat like a pig lol. For us it has been a blessing. Do a lot of research, trial and error to find what works best for your child. Adderall xr has worked great for us, but i have noticed that my older son since hitting puberty has not been focused as he use to be on the drug. Oh and the only other thing i didn't like is how they were when they came down. Very aggressive and whiny.

I am shocked that a pedicatrician would medicate a child without a diagnosis from a doctor who specializes in that field! I wonder if that doctor would be in serious trouble

My pediatrician sent us to a nueropsychologist for children who professional diagnosed my son. My pediatrician THEN wrote presciptions until adderall xr made him go crazy, so he then referred us to a psychopharmacologis. "I remember my pediatrian's exact words, this and these drugs are not my specialty. I can check you for growth, illness, broken bones, etc but not for something of the mental health field. Let's find a doctor who specializes in this!"

I would get a professional evaluation and go from there. I would also stop the meds until you get the diagnosis!!

Just my opinion