cindyann, welcome!
It sounds like your son is possibly going through puberty. Once that happens I am told that the meds need to be checked. What used to work, no longer does. I would have your son reevaluated for meds and maybe even reevaluated his diagnosis.
My son is on concerta and guanfacine. He acts like yours at times, especially as the meds are wearing off. Your son may also be like that because he is starving.
We had our son on stratterra for a short time. It made him depressed, one of the side effects. He said he wanted to kill himself, he ws 8 at the time. That was the end of the med for him!!
My son went from skinny to now we are hafving to watch his weight. I believe the guanfacine helps his stimulation/overstimulation as well as relaxes him and he eats!
Also, is your son more add than adhd? mine is adhd and needs a stimulation to help him.
Check out the possibility of puberty and guanfacine/tenex-same thing!!
BETHANN39273.9418402778I am a mother of 4 diagnosed kids who are all grown. I can tell you that is
Cindy, I agree with BPQW and if you get doctors permission and can stand it, you may want to see what he is like off the meds. I know that you cannot just stop with some of the meds you are using and have to be tappered off.
My son is only eight ( so no puberty yet) and he is now off of meds for the summer and possibly the rest of the year. He is a happier kid and I am a happier mom ( we also don't have the stress of school which could have added to the crabby moods). Anyways, good luck I understand the medication roller coaster that you are on.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I am going to go to bed hopeful tonight! I can't tell you how much all this support has helped lift my spirits.
Have a great night, everybody!
I have an 8 year old with adhd a splash of aspergers and a very bad temper. This is so hard. The meds. never seem to work longer that a couple months for him. I wish you the best. We all understand what you are going through.
Tara
cindyann, I just want to chime in and say that you do not have to accept anything less than an optimal result for your child. If you feel that there must be something better, keep pushing for it. Keep looking for a Dr. that looks at you like a partner in your child's care, rather than as a subordinate. Good luck to you!
Oh! Have you ever given your son an extended time off of all meds? If this has been a 7 year journey for you, it might be time to re-evaluate. I know lots of parents might say it doesn't happen, but some children are able to stop meds as they hit puberty. It may be that he's over-medicated. If you and your doctor do decide to try an extended break, remember that it takes more than a few days to get a true read on things. These are some powerful meds, and as with any (let's admit it, that's what "rebound" shows us) addictive type drug, there will be mood problems while his body adjusts. Good luck!
I am brand new. Today is my first day here. I have been dealing w/my 12 year-old son's ADHD for 7 years now. It never seems to get better. He is on Daytrona, Strattera, and Abilify (for anxiety). At night he is starving and goes from food to food, not finishing anything. When his medication wears off, he is angry, argumentative, and just acts "crazy." Last night, he was literally jumping up and down in place. We have tried different meds, counseling and meds, Interactive Metranome.... Does anything ever work? Does it ever get better?Wow, quite a med list there. Is ADHD his only diagnosis?
It sounds like he is having Rebound, probably from the daytrana, and possibly from the wrong dosage of Strattera, or it could be the abilify. Abilify is also one of the meds that causes an appetite increase( as most anti psychotics do). What are his dosages for each one? What is his weight?It does get better, once the right meds/doses are found.
edbson39273.5829861111He is on 2 20 mg Daytrana patches (40 mg), and 80 mg. of Strattera. At night he takes 15 mg. of Abilify. We can't seem to find anything that will work for too long. It seems like we try something new, when that doesn't work the dosage gets upped or changed. It seems that we never have a long period of time where something works for him.Sorry. I just realized I didn't answer all of your questions. So far, his diagnosis is ADHD and anxiety. He weighs 95 lbs. (he's about 5'3"). He also gets very emotional and cries when meds wear off. We meet with his doctor at the end of the month. He is a pediatrician as well as a behavioral specialist. Can you think of anything I should ask, tell, suggest?Welcome cindyann,
You might keep a diary of what times you see the behaviors and what times the meds are given. Then before the appointment summarize any trends you see for discussion with the doc.
Anxiety really complicates ADHD treatment. My youngest has anxiety that comes out as anger and aggression. We have added Risperdal (another antipsychotic) and she is doing very well. We will not know if this is her best combo until she is back in school and her stress increases again. Unfortuantely it is trial and error until the right combo is found.
You might also look at the Tenex thread for another non-stimulant option that might be easier on your son's anxiety.
I have been keeping a diary (of sorts), but I have not been noting times. Thanks for the suggestion. I will start tonight. What is Tenex?WOW, 15 mgs Abilify?( Max adult dose is 30mgds per day)
He is at the top of the target dose for his weight of Strattera, (actually it is 51-75 mgs). So he is a little high which very well could be causing the problems.
Has the psychiatrist mentioned why he is on such a high dose of Abilify? I know kids who are Bi polar who do not take this High of a dose.
I am just curious because it seems that he is on a large amount of several meds, Was he ever evaluated by a Psychiatrist? If not I would get an eval.
I think he is on a high dose of Abilify because we were chasing anxieties. We would get one extinguished, and another would pop up, we'd take care of the new one, and a different one would appear.... It really seemed to help. His former worries went away. Now, however, he is anxious about a lot of different things.
His Dr. has started him out at the lowest dose of everything and then we gradually move it up over time.
He has been evaluated by a Psychiatrist. It seems he has been evaluated by every specialist there is. He even spent a night at a Sleep Clinic.
I have been reading past postings and am gaining a lot of insight. I think I will call his Dr. tomorrow and see what he thinks about what has been suggested.
I also feel TONS better since reading other postings. You all are so understanding. I don't feel as if my child is the only "active," "high-strung," and all of the other adjectives I have heard from others.
I didn't mention this before, but I have been a teacher for 15 years (kindergarten & 1st grade). I think God may have given me my special boy for just that reason. I understand things from the parent and child point of view.
Anyway, any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!
Hi Cindyann and welocme. I also have a 12 year old daughter who has ADHD with anxiety. We had to stop all stimulants becasue of this. No matter how we treated her anxiety the stimulants just make her too anxiou and too nervous/restless. She gets tics and very antsy also on stims. We've tried many meds and many combinations. She seems to do better non stimulant. Another thing for you to research are the family of tricyclic antidepressants. We've taken two. Nortryptiline (which I loved her on and she liked, but it was too sedatnig for her and she was falling asleep midday). We are now using Desipramine (same family, less sedating). I'm not WOWED yet, but we are still trying to get to target dose. It's a little tricky wih these meds. Keep trying. Getting in with a psychiatrist, ideally a psychopharmocologist is ideal. They know their meds and are willign to try all sorts of things. You do not HAVE to use stimulants. Or if you do choose to, they will know what is safe to take with it.Tenex (guanfacine) thread:
http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24770& PN=1