This is my first post. Our 11 year old son was struggling A LOT as he started 6th grade middle school this fall, and after two ADHD diagnoses and the school problems we decided to try medication. After gradually increasing dosages of short acting Ritalin over 3-4 weeks which helped his symptoms marginally but cause a rebound effect (mood swings) after dosages wore off, our doctor prescribed Concerta which we've been using for about 2-3 weeks now. He is now up to the 54mg pill which i understand is the highest dosage available. He weighs about 90lbs. We are seeing some slight benefits in his ability to stay on task, but he is still having the same ADHD issues he did before.
I've heard that about 80% of ADHD cases see good results from Ritalin and its other forms, maybe we're in the 20%. Any advice on possible alternatives to Ritalin/Concerta would be appreciated. I plan to talk to our doctor later this week and would like to be able to discuss options/alternatives with him.
Thx
Dave
ZinMe39422.7284837963Ritilan/Concerta may not be the right drug for your son. You could try the Adderall based family of drugs or Stattera.
I also think you can dosage Concerta at 72 MG.
My son is on 90mgs of concerta - we use a 54mg and a 36mg. Before that he leveled off for 3 years at 72mg - (2) 36mg pills. He also takes guanfacine for overstimulation - 1mg daily. If he has a sports practice at night, he may take another but we haven't done that in a year, since he was upped from 72mg to 90mg. He will join in with others if they are fooling around.
We also had rebound. It took a bit for son to adjust, but he did. He is usually hungry. Originally I found that a chocolate bar did the trick, plus it gave him needed calories. It really helped with the bumpy ride that rebound creates.
Now he is adjusted and eats starting around 5pm and has really grown. He is 101/2. We actually have to watch his calorie intake!!
I hope this helps. It is hard and takes a while to level off, but is sure is worth it once you find it!!
Oh DS weights 104-107 right now and seems to metabolize the meds fast. And remember it is NOT weight dosed, it is where they are successful dosed!!
Hi and welcome. If you're not seeing enough benefit to outweigh the side effects you should change meds (as with the Ritalin). As both Bethann and Horsemom say you can go up on your Concerta dose. There are other methylphedinate meds (Ritalin LA, Focalin, Daytrana), but you may be better off taking Horsemoms suggestion and trying a different "family" of meds altogether, like Adderall or Vyvnase, or trying Strattera which is non stimulant.
Good luck and hang in the meds take a bit of trying and a LOT of patience, but worth it when you find one that does the trick.
Thanks for the advice.
The good news is that our son is not having any side affects currently at the 56mg dosage, so perhaps the doctor will try a higher dosage. Glad to know about the other options- we will look into those.