Newly Diagnosed Meds question | ADHD Information

everyone will be different to the way the meds effect them. The ONLY med that is even weight based, I believe, is strattera.

Concerta, adderall are all dosed at where the person is most successful.

My son is better with concerta than adderall, but we tried it. I wanted a time release so there was no visiting the school nurse for meds at lunch time, etc. He metabolises quickly and is on a high dose but its the one for him!

My DS is also very impulsive and hyper. We use tenex/guanfacine as well that helps in addition to the concerta.

We started the spring of his first grade year when he was still 6, going on 7! My son is 10 now.

Like Bethann said Strattera is the only one weight based, everything else is started at 5 or 10mg and increased slowly until you see symptom relief with minimal to no side effects. Where to start generally depends on the comfort level of your physician. It seems they are all different, probably starting with the med their patient population has had the most success with. I'm not sure how much it all matters as you dont really know unitl you try something and see how it works.My son was on FocalinXR with minimal side effects but hard rebounds. Every med works different for every kid. I heard that the major ODD symptoms can be helped with therapy and the drugs only help a little. Good Luck.I'm sure you get a lot of this, but I am wondering what the differing opinions are on what medications are best for ADHD.  My son is 6 and is newly diagnosed with ADHD and ODD.  I honestly think he needs something more for his impulsiveness and inattention than his hyperactivity.  I have been doing some research and it seems to me that the side effects are all the same.  What are your opinions on what is best to start with, what you are using, and side effects.  Thanks in advance, and I look forward to getting to know you! Ava,

My son who just turned 5 in Sept is on 1/2 pill of Dexidrine. I give it to him about 45 minutes before school starts.  I am seeing that he is so hyper and wound up in the morning (he goes to school in the afternoons) that I think that he needs to be on something different, but at his age he is limited.  What other medications is he on for his appetite?  My son eats a good breakfest and then maybe a good dinner but when he is on it, he won't eat.  Thanks.

My son is 5 and just got diagnosed as well.  He has been on meds 1 week. He takes 2.5 mg. of Ritalin (we cut 5 mg. in half). His diagnosis is ADHD, with an emphasis on impulsiveness. I want to shout out from the rooftop....Hallelujah! I can't believe the difference, it has made a world of difference. It seems to good to be true, I'm so afraid it won't last! I can't say how elated I am to see such an improvment. I didn't think the small dosage would do anything, but much to my surprise it did! I know Ritalin isn't for everyone and has a bad reputation. I'm reading books now that are for and against it, so I can be informed. Good luck!

P.s. His teacher says he actually looks at her now, for a change, takes interest in the lessons, and keeps his hands and feet to himself :)

Hello,

Some meds are not FDA approved for children six and younger, and insurance will not cover them (Adderall, Straterra, Concerta). They usually start out on an old fashioned stimulant. But, if they fail, of course, you would pay gold to help your child.

My child started out on a very low dose of Dexedrine, and we have increased it over time. With the stimulants, you do have to worry about decreased appetite. My son, who is five, is also ADHD, OCD, and ODD. We are also on a med to help with the eating issues, or lack therof. The meds have decreased his impulsiveness, and increased his ability to pay attention. He is doing far more better in kindergarten than we ever thought possible.

Good luck!

I would like to respond to the concerns of parents that childrens appetites decrease with the use of stimulant medications.  I have two grown sons both of which started on Ritalin by age 6 both of which had decreased appetites.  For them it usually manefested itself during lunch(while at school.)  Usually it was normal for breakfast and returned to normal after school say around 4 or at least by dinner.  What I used to do for lunch was pack things I knew they would eat.  They may not have been the healthiest choices chips, cookies, candy bars.  I was basically interested in keeping their physical energy up.  I actually had a teacher/monitor in the cafeteria threaten to report me to CPS.  What she failed to realize was that the minute my son walked in the door from school he sat down to a hot home-cooked meal.  Then he ate again at supper time.  Even if your child's appetite is suppressed now it has been my experience that it will not stunt their growth permanently.  My sons 22 and 29, grew to be as big as their fathers.  Giving them a daily multi-vitamin and healthy food when they are hungry, because when their appetites return they'll usually eat anything.

My  8 year old son was on focalin xr 10 mg last year and I found that he was a zombie in the morning.  This summer we tried EVERY medication giving each one a week to see the effect.  I felt like a mad scientist but that way I could observe him and see which one worked.  The patch was great but it took two hours before it worked and it was hard to remember to take it off.  In the end Concerta was the clear winner for us.  At first his stomach hurt with it but that ended after a week or so.  The long acting aspect of it is wonderful -- he is a joy to be around at night.  If you don't find a medication that works at first keep trying -- you'll get there.

[QUOTE=evryoung]I would like to respond to the concerns of parents that childrens appetites decrease with the use of stimulant medications.  I have two grown sons both of which started on Ritalin by age 6 both of which had decreased appetites.  For them it usually manefested itself during lunch(while at school.)  Usually it was normal for breakfast and returned to normal after school say around 4 or at least by dinner.  What I used to do for lunch was pack things I knew they would eat.  They may not have been the healthiest choices chips, cookies, candy bars.  I was basically interested in keeping their physical energy up.  I actually had a teacher/monitor in the cafeteria threaten to report me to CPS.  What she failed to realize was that the minute my son walked in the door from school he sat down to a hot home-cooked meal.  Then he ate again at supper time.  Even if your child's appetite is suppressed now it has been my experience that it will not stunt their growth permanently.  My sons 22 and 29, grew to be as big as their fathers.  Giving them a daily multi-vitamin and healthy food when they are hungry, because when their appetites return they'll usually eat anything.[/QUOTE]

I also wanted to mention that I too have a grown son (Now 18 years old) that was taking Ritalin for his ADHD.  I did the same thing as you did but thankfully no one nearly reported me. (I mentioned it to the teachers so they were aware of this). My son is now taller than his father 6' 4" and normal healthy build.

As I've mentioned.. my son took Ritalin, and Concerta when it came out. My daughter who is 6 1/2 years old started out taking Strattera (horrible for her) then  we tried Metadate CD (rapid and pounding heartbeat). So then I suggested short acting Ritalin to start out with for a lower dose. Dr agreed and Ritalin 5mgs for awhile worked but of course it doesn't last long. So we upped it to 5mgs twice a day last year.  Took a summer break from it. Before school we decided to try Concerta since she turned 6 and was over 50lbs. So now she's taking 18mgs Concerta and works great.. just doesn't last long enough to do her homework. I may have to talk to the Dr about a booster for that.

Myself, I've tried Strattera (bad side effects and no positive results). Focalin XR worked great for 4 months and then it just made me sleepy and lazy (didn't feel like doing anything). Now I've started Vyvanse and working on the right dosage for me.

Sorry to write a novel here!
FYI:  I don't know if this is a new thing or not, but Ritalin comes in a chewable 2.5mg dose.  It took our pharmacy a week to get it in, but it's great not having to cut pills for a booster and my son says it tastes OK. My daughter is 6 and has just been dianosed with ADHD and Bi-Polar. I have her on Methylin liquid. The doctor started her out at 2.5mg (1/2 tsp) and there was no change so we tried 5mg (1 tsp) and some change since she hasn't had ANY side effects we moved her up to 7.5mg (1 1/2 tsp) and she is doing great! No side effects at all. I would defently try Methylin Liquid. It's Tuesday and she started it Friday. Good Luck.