That also sounds like my son at age 5 before dx with ADHD. We tried several meds Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta. He has been taking Metadate CD now for many years and it seems to work best with very few side effects. It is time released. You might consider making a change during the Thanksgiving Holiday so you can observe. Don't give up. Try some of the other supplements as well. We have been adding some natural fruit & juice supplements and they are helping as well with the ADHD and some allergy issues.
For a second there I thought for sure that you were describing my son at age 7! . It makes you want to laugh and say, "well at least he didn't like his neighbor's face!" Sounds like you need a new med. Also, I suggest that you go to the Alternatives board and read the Magnesium thread. Magnesium mellowed my son out. Have you considered just standing out on the street before you take him go to school, and make him up and down the block a few times? Or get a small indoor trampoline? One morning I made my son do laps around the kitchen for 10 minutes. That morning exercise helps!Cody will sing at the top of his lungs if something bores him...i normally will get an email stating hmm Cody wil nto stop singing and it is really distracting our blah blah...i am like well ask him why he is singing his answer is im bored :-) not that, that is an excuse.We started Tenex because of impulsivity. I have not been happy with it, we just started it, and I am ready to quit. I agree that schools are not the best place for ADHD kids, however, he has to be there. I am not sure why the teacher can't deal with what is going on. All of his papers come home with smiles and A's on them, so he is getting his work done. (He has no learning disabilities or anything) But I agree with her that he is still very distractable and unfocused. I will let you guys know what happens tomorrow.when we tried adderall, it made our son angry/mad, irritable. What you are describing is how our son acted without meds.
It sounds like the dose isn't the right one. I would go to the appointment and desribe the situation. Ask for an increase for adderall. If you don't see any changes, I would keep increasing for a while, then change meds all together.
It took us almost 6 months to level off on concerta, but once we did , we stayed there for 3 years.
My son also takes guanfacine and is successful with that as well.
Have you thought of that he is being a 7 year old and if the teacher had their way the child be a zombie. So be careful. Does the boy have any learning disabilties or is he mildly mentally disabled/or handicap?OMG!
So true. These kids need to be engaged at all times. So if it's boring...They are going to start licking shoes, or people or other strange objects.
We did Adderall too. While it did seem to help most of the time, we had our issues with it. We have actually had an issue with just about every med. We are currently trying Strattera.
I really hate to say this, but I feel I must...Schools are no place for ADHD students. Whether he is on meds or not there will be issues regardless. I really hate to sound so negative, but my experiences with schools and teachers have not been good. I just pulled my son out last week. Teachers don't want to deal with kids like ours unless they are medicated...and you better hope those meds render them nearly zombie-like or you will still have issues. My sons teacher would complain that my son wouldn't sit during 'rest time'. Or he was 'too active'. Well, yeah...In case you forgot - HE HAS ADHD.
Alyson, he may just need a dose change. Why are you using both the Adderall and Tenex. Just asking I know a lot of people do, but if you've never adjusted meds how did you decide to add a second (again, juts asking).
There are so many other med options out there, for sure dont settle. There are lots and lots and LOTS of children with ADHD who do manage just fine at school. . Although I agree he may be bored (my biggest issue with my daughter.....always bored), he does still have to learn appopriate behaviors so BPQW is right that modifications in conjunction with meds would give him the best chance for that.
So I got "the" call from the teacher the other day about Noah's behavior, or lack thereof. He is 7, takes Adderall XR 10 mg and Tenex .5 mg. He has a doctor's appt. tomorrow, and I had the teacher write down what she is seeing in class. Here is what she wrote: Unable to sit during calendar, reading groups, rolling around. Playing with supplies, pretending to fight with pencil, talking, humming, tapping pencil, not focusing on lessons, tipping back in chair, licking books of neighbor, tapping neighbors desk. She said the behaviors are the same every day, and will eventully interfere with schoolwork. Now, he has been on Adderall XR from the beginning, and we have NEVER had a time where there weren't issues. I am thinking of asking for a total med change. I am not thrilled with him being on 2 meds, and to be honest, they just aren't working. What are your thoughts on this? Is there anything else I should ask for tomorrow? I just want to find a med that works where he can have successful days at school, feel good about himself. Is that too much to ask?
Thanks!!!
There are different families of ADHD meds and Adderral may not be the one for your son. You can certainly ask, or suggest strongly, that his meds be re-evaluated. I found myself smiling while reading your description of his day, because it so perfectly matched what my son's used to sound like!! Adderral wasn't right for us, but we've had good luck with Focalin XR. Also, I've found that the meds alone can't be the complete answer. The teacher also needs to realize that there are children who are not best served in class by sitting for "group" time, especially at his age. I mean, that whole calendar thing and floor activities are kind of daycare, pre-schoolesque. He's probably bored: "been there, done that, I wonder what my friend's shoe tastes like?!"