Parents Don’t Agree | ADHD Information

Our son 14 is on huge amounts of concerta as well - 72mg and 15 mg of QRelease concerta. He hasn't grown in many years and is very thin. Puberty has just begun and he is growing. We think this is linked to the fact we have put him on 7.5mg of remeron (we call it avanza) at 7 pm and by 9:00pm he is looking for sleep. He then will sleep for 10 -11 hours. One of the side effects is hunger. So he eats at about 8pm and is really hungry. He has put on 10kg in this time which is just under 1 1/2 stone. Up until 8 weeks ago he was only 4 stone. Sleep helps with growth, concetration, anxiety and with parents!!!

If the concerta is working then maybe this is a suggestion.

Wow, thanks to all of you. Unfortunately, my son's father has his mind set and even sitting down with his med physician and his phsychologist has not helped. I will print out the information from the websites and take it with me to his next visit which is this Thursday.

I know that my son is not telling his father another story while with him because his father is actually upset with me for talking to my son about his med dosages. He believes that he shouldn't know what is going on and thinks that he is using the excuse of needing his normal med dosage for his bad behavior. My son has been telling the professionals how he feels and they believe him. The two professionals talked on the phone a few days ago to discuss the situation and what they came out with is that they suggest lowering the concerta just slightly until school, then reevaluate. That sounds fine, but like I said before, his father won't increase it for school either. He suggested we reduce it then deal with his father if he refuses to increase the meds to help his son in school.

I know the idea of giving my son additional medication to help him sleep and have an appetite it out there, but along with his father, even I don't want to give him any more meds. then what he is on.

was actually thinking of suggesting another type of medication. Maybe that would appease his father, and maybe there is something else out there that is not a narcotic and would help him.

On a positive note, my son IS maturing. He is making some better decisions, with positive reinforcement, and consequenses to bad behavior. The issues with him are the hyperactivity and and compulsiveness.

Thanks again for your input - it is nice to know there are other parents out there with ADHD children and dealing with the same issues.

not a bad thought the med change. Most stimulants do cause some appetite suppression and many cause sleep issues. But every med is different with every child so it may be worth a try, like you said, before adding more meds.What concerns me is that your son says he wants the meds. Is he telling the same thing to his father or is the child trying to meet both your expectations?

I agree with the above. ALL of you should sit down with DS's medical team and discuss this thoroughly. Especially if you and son want to keep the meds going.
Is there anyone out there dealing with an issue like mine? My 11 year old was diagnosed when he was 6. He has been on concerta since then. He started out at 27 and went to 84 over the last few years. His side effects are no appatite and sleep issues - but they have been minimal. It is just now that his practitioner is concerned about his weight. My son's father doesn't want him on meds at all( I have been handling the med decisions up until recently when his dad got involved. We have joint residential custody) - he admits that his son has ADHD but thinks that the problems now are just behaivior issues and wants him off the meds. My son does well in school academically, but socially and behaiorally he lacks a great deal. I see the great positive effect that the meds have on him in these areas and am happy with the medication. I have agreed to lower them during the summer so that he may gain weight. I only noticed a slight change in his eating habits, and he is now down to 36. My son says that he notices a difference and thinks that he is getting into more trouble because of his compulsiveness and hyperness. I know at this point, since they are getting lower, his dad is going to fight to keep going until they are non existant despite my son's worsening (is that a word?) behavior. Any ideas??

Try directing the dad to these sites for information on ADHD and the increased risks his son faces if not treated:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/502480_8

http://www.childrensresourcegroup.com/updates/adhd-accident. pdf

Also let him educate himself on the other parts of treatment that he can play an important part in, to help his son be the best he can be:

http://www.help4adhd.org/en/treatment

http://www.help4adhd.org/en/about/wwk

I'm not sure the relationship between you and his father, but is there any way you can ALL together sit and discuss all the options with your sons physician? At 11 your son is old enough to know how he feels and and maybe between the 4 of you you can come with an optimum plan.

I had the same problem with my son. Shared custody with his father who was against 'labeling' his son and puting him on meds. Well, our son used this to his advantage to jump from one home to the next depending on his mood or his needs. Eventually, his father decided the school should be giving him accomodations, instead of suspending him. Well, then having a "label" and being on meds full time instead of only at mom's house made a little more sense. By then, it was too late, tho. My son is in a residential program unfortunately. It is a great program and he is making tons of progress, but I miss him!!! I don't totally blame his dad. I never thought it would come to this, either. He has told us that we need to communicate better and agree on things so when he comes home he won't have that 'back door' to use. Kids are smart!

http://parentshelpingteens.com

Wow, how old is your son? I hope that it doens't come to that in my situation. There are "other" issues going on right now with our arrangements and today is our medication appointmnet with dad. I've talked to the med nurse and she suggested we reduce my son's meds for two weeks from 56 to 45 of concerta, then evaluate the situation. She suggested that we take a "wait and see" approach with school and how his dad reacts. I guess that is good advise.

Thanks for your input.

Ok so what is dad's plan when DS gets in trouble in school. Is he really tough on his son? At age 11 everything is changing and puberty can help or hinder the progress. If a new med works out that could be good but if it is not a good match then dad may feel vindicated.
There is a book by Dr Stein that tries to say that ADHD does not exist. The second half has a plan for behavior modification. (Skip the first part, it made me really angry) The second part is interesting and is supposed to make a big change in two weeks. Maybe you could agree to a two week trial of his program.
All parties must participate and dad and mom must read the book and be consistant between the two homes. If it works that would be so fabulous!!! If not, you have really given dad's ideas a try and he may just decide to be an equal supporter rather than a stick in the mud.
[QUOTE=wellen]

http://parentshelpingteens.com[/QUOTE]

Wow, this really shook me up.

I know that there is more to the story, like you son's impulsive behavior, however, you as his mom knew he needed his meds to control it. Unfortunately, his father did not.

I wish you and your family the best. Please let us know when he is coming home!