Meds for focus and anxiety? | ADHD Information

My son has ADHD, and some ODD/impulse control/anxiety. We started meds over the summer and he did well with short acting Ritalin, so the Psychiatrist put him on long acting Concerta (27 mg). He developed a phobia of bees/flying bugs and wouldn't go outside, so we took him off and his phobia/anxiety is much better. We see the Psych. on Thu and she plans to talk about some options that are not stimulants. I know once before she mentioned Abilify - it's good for mood issues and focus, but not as tested as the stimulants. Does anyone out there have any experience in this area? Any feedback appreciated!

There's also Stratterra, tricyclic antipdressants (Desipramine, Norpramin), Wellbutrin.

My daughter has increased anxiety on stimulants and cannot tolerate them either. We are currently taking Desipramine. It has been fine, but it is not going to cut it for focus at this dose for school. We recently upped the dose. I do not need a anything for mood though, she is fairly low key. Mainly inattentive with some impulse issues and fidgeting.

If your son did well on the Ritalin, then why did the doc add Concerta? Just
curious.

My son, who is now 14, had similiar behavior issues. He was put on Focalin
( a refined derivative of Ritalin) and has done extremely well for the past 18
months. You might want to ask your doctor about it.

Best of luck.My son who also has ADHD with anxiety was put on Focalin XR and seems to be doing great so far. As far as abilify goes my friends son is on it and they are not sure if it is helping or not, they are giving it 3 more weeks. The Focalin has less side efffects than the concerta, but doesn't last as long(8 hours max) so the may need a short acting one after school for homework and activities. There are also other meds that help ADHD that are not stimulants they just don't have as good a success rate. Good Luck. If the Ritalin was working ask about the longer acting Focalin(a cleaner version on Ritalin with less side effects) No matter what keep the doc informed.

 

My son is on both stim. and abilify and it is working fantastic! He takes 30mg of vyvanse and 5mg abilify. I do not have any experience with the abilify alone. He has been in school since August 20th and things have been great. We are not having homework problems and he seems to be an angel in class. Time will tell for us and hopefully it will continue this way.

Good luck to you.

Gail