All the MEDS!?!?!? | ADHD Information
Well as far as a psychologist....our insurance won't cover it!!! Jordan's neurologist,did a phone consul with a psych, but I don't even remember what meds he was on then.
Since he was born so early,sometimes I feel the DR think....well what do you want...he is here,of course he is going to have other problems!!! But it seems over the years I have more problems controling the ADD then anything else he has going on.
Thank you for the reply.....
HEY, my daughter is on Vyvanse. she started about a week ago. the first couple of days i wanted to cry. she was also on focalin xr also, which i really liked but it would only last till about 2, it would help with her impulsiveness but not so much with her attention. she slept great and ate great but homework would take two hours and every day she would come home from school with these reports about how great she was till 2.
anyway, she has been on the vyvanse for about a week. at first she was very lifeless, i gave it to her at 5:15 to try to help with the sleep issues. but here we are at day 8 on 30 mg and she is doing great. intially she would do this wierd clearing of the throat thing and she complained once of a stomach ache. she has been eating well, and her rebound is good. my husband was not really thrilled because it does keep her up later then usual. but she is still getting about 9 hours of sleep. we are going to give it two months to work out the kninks. We have also tried adderall, strattera, medatdate and concerta. but as of now i really like it. we went a whole week with positive results.
your son sounds a lot like my daughter, she also has some ocd issues. yes i think the meds make it worse, but then i am either worried about the ocd or the adhd, i pick the less of two evils. btw, my niece who is 13 (completely typical) answers every question with "i don't know." So some of it could be his age.
please keep us posted on how he does.
Hi, I have a 12 yr old son with ADD. He has been on meds since he was 5. I didn't want to put him on meds...because I just heard bad stuff about them. I also have a nephew who we thought had ADHD...and my son was nothing like him, well we now know my nephew has bi-polar.
My son (Jordan) was born @ 26 wks. We have tried all kinds of meds Adderal, adderal XR, concerta, stagtra, and now VYVANSE. He has also been dignosed with seizure disorder, OCD ( he picks his clothes and sometimes his hair.) He is small 72lbs ( which is big for him) and 4 ft 5inches. Sometimes I wonder if the ADD meds made all those things worst. I read the DO NOT take if your child........he takes an anti-depres med, he takes seizure meds, he has tics....should he be taking these meds? It's scary because I've been dealing with this for YEARS and I STILL don't know what is right!! He just started taking CLONIDINE night to help him sleep.
He just started taking VYVANSE 30mg yesterday, before he was taking Foclin XR...it didn't really help him. But so far with the VYVANSE he seems dopey...kinda drugged....he looks kinda blank
I hoping this goes away!!! When I ask him how he feels he just says " I dunno "
I'm sorry I've went on and on....I guess I wondering if there are any other parents....dealing with seizures,OCD,and all the other things I went on and on about!!
So when we started my younger one on Strattera, we just tried it at night. Like I said before, we also stopped giving him stimulants and all of the sudden he was sleeping a ton. We didn't realize how much the Strattera zonked him out until one night when my husband forgot to give it to him and then gave it to him the next morning - he took a 3 hour nap. Oops!
Now that he's been taking it for several months, he seems to have adjusted. But he still sleeps in on the weekends which he never used to do before. He has to get up at 6:30 for school and that's a battle sometimes but not too bad.
IT's worth a try before you switch meds altogether. I've read some people also split doses in half morning and night.
Enbmom:
My daughter has been taking Strattera at night, and she falls asleep very quickly. However, I noticed in the last 5 days, since she has been on it, she wakes up about 3-4 times during the night and is unable to fall back asleep very easily. I called her doc and she immediately pulled her off of it. Now, she is prescribing Focalin, and taking her off all other meds...just curious if you have heard of children reacting to the Stratterra this way. I found it odd. In fact, she falls asleep VERY quickly with the Strattera...so how is it that she is waking up so frequently? I was all excited that we were doing so well, and thought the waking up in the middle of the night thing was just a fluke this week. Now I'm worried. And tired...which makes the worrying that much worse...right? lol.
Enbmom, What made you decide to give him the Strattera at night? Did it help eliminate the drowsiness during his day? I am curious for personal reasons as I found that around 3 I would want a short nap to kinda revitalize myself. This is one of the reasons I searched for a new med rather than increase the dosage of Strattera.I wonder why they didnt just switch you to taking it during the day or splitting the dose. How long has she been on it?
We just started Strattera and my daughter is taking it in the morning, she seems to get tired after a few hours then perks up later in the day. Sounds sort of similar. Like when the dose "kicks in" they get ttired then adjust? Just guessing. We havent been on it long enough to make any decisions, side effects or symptom relief. Nor are we even at target dose.
This is the coolest thing!! I can't beleive for 7 yrs of ADD I have never found this site!!!!
Yeah...that was the same problem we had with Focalin. But he did eat better on it though!!
I don't really worry about the OCD when it's just him making sure his shoes are spotless, or his dvds are in perfect order. But when it gets bad he picks his clothes...and when it's REALLY,REALLY bad he picks his hair...he will have a bald spot in the front of his head about the size of a half- dollar. And he is 12...and that just isn't cool, so then he gets upset @ himself. It's really kinda sad.
What kind of OCD issues does your daughter have?
Thank you so much for you reply, it's good to know that hopefuly the vyvanse will pan out. I was ready to stop giving it to him!!!!
I have learned SO much from this board!!!!
I don't want to be an alarmist, but puberty can affect everything, especially OCD, so try to stay on top of it.
But here is the thing I'm a little...no alot unclear on...Does he REALLY have OCD...or is it all from the ADD? All the picking really started about 4 yrs ago.
Jordan also has MILD cp...which makes things a little more wacky....because that something else that affects the brain. So I question myself ALL the time. Which disability is the bad guy today??
Here is a list of meds he is on @ this point....
VYVANSE--CLONIDINE--BACLOFEN--ZOLOFT--TRILEPTAL--God, I'm druging my kid But whatelse do I do? Does anyone have any suggestions on any ADD meds that have less aneixy side effects? I think I'm losing my mind....I don't know what is the right choice!!! and here is just a bonus...I have never seen Jordan have a seizure...they have just seen them in the EEG....So...could that be ADD meds too?? I mean maybe if I find the RIGHT ADD med then the other condition would improve....Sorry just kinda thinking OUT LOUD!!!
Thanks for listening!!!
[QUOTE=jamye]
VYVANSE--CLONIDINE--BACLOFEN--ZOLOFT--TRILEPTAL--God, I'm druging my kid
But whatelse do I do? Does anyone have any suggestions on any ADD meds that have less aneixy side effects? I think I'm losing my mind....I don't know what is the right choice!!! and here is just a bonus...I have never seen Jordan have a seizure...they have just seen them in the EEG....So...could that be ADD meds too?? I mean maybe if I find the RIGHT ADD med then the other condition would improve....Sorry just kinda thinking OUT LOUD!!!
Thanks for listening!!!
[/QUOTE]
It sounds to me like your doc saw "petit mal" seizures on the EEG. These are not like the "classic" seizures we think of. They are more like short curcuits in the brain. My brother had this and outgrew it by the time he was 18. He would look like he was spacing out and wasn't responsive if you talked to him or poked him. Then he would come out of it and be totally normal and unaware of what had happened.
Yeah, it can seem like you are drugging your child with all the meds. I take 3 myself, and feel self-conscious about it. I also have panic disorder and borderline OCD. Prozac is what works for me, but I don't know that it is an option for a child.
Straterra should have less of an anxiety-provoking effect than a stimulant (Vyvanse). See what you can do about getting another opinion about the medications.
Good luck!
my 6yo daughter is ocd about her things. like she has specific toys that HAVE to be in a specific place. her dresser is lined up with the most unusually bunch of toys for no specific reason. and they have to be in a specific order. she is getting a little better, i told her that it was getting too messy and that she was only allowed to have 3 toys out on her night stand. the first two days she almost lost it, but she was a little better last night. i think in a couple of weeks we will move onto her dresser. also when i showed her how to work the new remote for our tv, and now she has to have all the remotes lined up in case she needs to use them.
btw she feel asleep before 10 last night with out melatonin. i give her magnesium and a mulitvitamin, and last night i forgot till bedtime, so i dont know if that helped her fall asleep or not, but i am pretty excited about it.
[QUOTE=katastrophee][QUOTE=jamye]VYVANSE--CLONIDINE--BACLOFEN--ZOLOFT--TRILEPTAL--God, I'm druging my kid
But whatelse do I do? Does anyone have any suggestions on any ADD meds that have less aneixy side effects? I think I'm losing my mind....I don't know what is the right choice!!! and here is just a bonus...I have never seen Jordan have a seizure...they have just seen them in the EEG....So...could that be ADD meds too?? I mean maybe if I find the RIGHT ADD med then the other condition would improve....Sorry just kinda thinking OUT LOUD!!!
Thanks for listening!!!
[/QUOTE]
It sounds to me like your doc saw "petit mal" seizures on the EEG. These are not like the "classic" seizures we think of. They are more like short curcuits in the brain. My brother had this and outgrew it by the time he was 18. He would look like he was spacing out and wasn't responsive if you talked to him or poked him. Then he would come out of it and be totally normal and unaware of what had happened.
Yeah, it can seem like you are drugging your child with all the meds. I take 3 myself, and feel self-conscious about it. I also have panic disorder and borderline OCD. Prozac is what works for me, but I don't know that it is an option for a child.
Straterra should have less of an anxiety-provoking effect than a stimulant (Vyvanse). See what you can do about getting another opinion about the medications.
Good luck!
[/QUOTE] We tried straterra a few years ago.....it knocked him out.....it was like a sleeping pill for him. So yeah ....more work on the drugs!! The OCD wouldn't be a big deal....but kids kinda pick on you when have a big bald spot in the middle of your head!!! Silly kids!!!!Wow...just like the others before me, I am in awe that I didn't find this website sooner. Its such a relief to know that there are other parents out there struggling with the same issues.
My daughter is 5 now, and on 10 mg of Dexadrine, and 25 mg of Straterra, and she takes 3mg of Melatonin every night. The melatonin works great for her. I find that with her, routine is the most important part of her life. I make sure she gets up at the same time every day, and goes to bed at the same time every day too. Her bedtime routine starts at 7pm. She picks out one movie (short movie, like one episode of blues clues, or something) and watches it, then she gets into bed. She is allowed to have the radio on, and read in bed. I always encourage the reading since it helps focus the mind and calm it down. I must be one of the lucky parents, because generally, by 8:30 she is fast asleep. Oh, I give her the Straterra in the evenings at 6pm and the Melatonin at 7pm. She doesn't seem groggy in the morning, but she does sometimes have trouble sleeping through the night, and I often find her curled up in the chair that sits next to my bed. The sleeping problems though, I think, are caused by the ever present "fear of the unknown" or the "boogeyman". Essentially she is just afraid of the noises our house makes, things like that. Constant assurance seems to help :)
I am worried about over-drugging her though. And she complains daily of stomachaches, and has trouble eating much. She lost 4 pounds last year on her medication, and it really worried me.
She seems to have trouble socializing with other children in school. She gets frustrated easily, and tends to yell at them, or just falls into a heap crying. Her teacher says that she does well acedemically, but needs work behaviorally. And we are working....and working....and she tries so hard! In fact, since she is working so hard, I came up with a reward system for her. For every 5 good days, she gets to pick a prize out of the prize box. It has puzzles, books, sugar free candies (she thinks they are fab), flavored waters (she loves those too) and other trinkets that come from the Dollar Tree. She seems to be doing really well with the reward system. In fact, in the last month of school, she has picked from the prize box 2 times! 10 good days in a month is quite impressive compared to how much she struggled for the first month of school!
I guess, just sort of introducing myself and my child. I'm glad to have a forum to discuss the important decisions that must be made on a daily basis with our children. What a wonderful tool!! As a group, parents can be powerful allies for one another!
Christina,
congratulations on finding a program that works so well for your daughter. Some of the problems of socializing probably stem from the fact that our kids maturity levels sometimes lag behind others their own age. If you have managed to design a bedtime ritual, and a reward system like you have, you are ahead of the game, and you should be commended on you and your daughter's success. Treatment and behavior mod techniques at this age will only make further age appropriate adjustments that much easier. With the concern about meds you just have to monitor closely for any dramatic changes in her physical and emotional health.
Welcome.
How long did you try Strattera for? We give it to my son about an hour to an hour and a half before bed time. In the beginning he was kind of zonked in the morning but now it's fine. Before that he was on Ritalin and he slept a lot less. I'm not sure if he's sleeping more because of less stimulant or the Strattera.We still need to give him a stimulant on school days (and sometimes on weekend depending on our schedule) but a much lower dose.
I don't mean to throw yet another drug at you, but it might be something to keep in mind.