5 Year Old on Daytrana.... | ADHD Information
I' d keep an eye on it. If he's having bathroom issues AND rebound, you may have to think about a change. I DO completely understand how limiting it is before they can swallow a pill though. That's a good hurdle to get across if you can. I'd keep working on it with tic tacs, mini M & M's those kinds of things, so it doesnt matter if he chews them or spits them out. Once he can swallow it, you can switch meds or add an afternon booster to help with rebound.Our 5 year old has been on Daytrana for about 3 weeks now and seems to be doing okay. His days at school are better, able to focus and control his impulsivity better. We still struggle at home but we haven't figured out if it's rebound or him just being a twirp. He does well taking it off by himself when it's time. He's on 10 mg, we increased to 15 mg at one point cause we didn't feel we were noticing enough of a difference but he became very emotional & completely lost his appetite so we backed it down to 10 mg. Even tho the Doc says we would see a difference right away, I still think we needed to give it at least a week or maybe two. His skin becomes very red under the patch by the end of the day but it is back to normal by morning. You'll also notice that after a couple days the sticky spots get very sticky & don't wash off with regular bathing, I use a little bit of Goo Gone and a wet wash cloth before bath and it wipes off good. I usually only use that once or twice a week. I did read online that it's non-toxic and okay for it to touch the skin. Hope this helps and good luck!How do we figure out if it's them being a twirp or rebound behavior?I'm tellin ya, as soon as I pick him up, it's like hell to pay. Seriously! But I don't pick him until 8, and he's good until I pick him up, but then he starts acting up (shows his true colors for Mama!) and by the time he's in bed by 9:30, my head is aching and I'm so frustrated... and tired.
But it's like everyday around that time...
Rachele
We've been kind of struggling with the same thing. He's really good all day at school and at daycare after school, but when mom & dad show up, it's like a light switch. We have had some good evenings, so I'm hesitant to say it's rebound. We have scheduled an appt with a behavioral therapist in hopes to get those answers. We're not real pleased with the ped we were referred to. We've decided to just stick with the patch since it's helping him at school, that's half the battle, and hold out until our therapist appt in Jan for the rest. I've had people tell me that 5 & 6 are a tough age, he's our first so I wouldn't know. I literally have him whailing on me & pushing me when he gets mad, it's hard not to lose it. I try not to feed into it by keeping my cool and it seems to make some difference.We have trouble getting our son to go the bathroom also. Except we had the problem long before we started meds. He waits until the absolute last second to go. We have made it routine to go in the morning before getting dressed, as soon as we get home in the evening and right before bed, otherwise he's on his own during the day. He gets really wiggly when he has to go (as if he's not wiggly already!) so we've told his teachers to watch for that & suggest he go if he gets that way. I seriously think that in their little minds, they are just too busy to take time out for a silly task like that! I've also read that drinking more liquids when on meds helps.Hi!
I just started my 5 year old son on Daytrana, and I'm wondering how other kids his age are doing on Daytrana........ or in general. He's a handful, especially when that patch wears off. It's almost like a rebound hyperactivity or something. He's also started to be incontinent of urine, and I'm unsure if that's due to the fact that little dude is too busy playing to realize that he needs to use the bathroom, or if it's due to the medication. Just wondering how other kids are doing on the medication.....
:)
Rachele
Hi,
I SO totally hear you. It's so aweful when they turn all violent and crazy. It's like, if dude doesn't get EXACTLY what he's looking for then he'll have a complete meltdown.
One time we had this meltdown at Steak & Shake, and seriously, people were staring like you wouldn't believe. I was so mortified. Somebody thought I was trying to kidnap him because he was fighting me so badly as I tried to get him into the car and escape. I was suprised that the police weren't called. How is it that people don't understand how difficult it is to have an ADHD child and stop freaking staring!!!!!
I was mortified.
Christian WAS on Adderall, and was doing well on it, cept I couldn't get it in him. Now I'm a pediatric nurse, so I'm telling you that I know just about every trick in the book when it comes to getting medications into kids. CHristian got so skilled at finding the little "time release balls," that no matter what I tried to hide them in, he'd find them, and a complete meltdown would ensue. So when I learned about the patch, I was excited, and it's saved me hours of wrestling with him in the morning.
I just don't like him on Focalin-Based products....
It's that moodiness that follows his good behavior that I hate about the Focalin-related products. I do worry that 'lil man doesn't eat all day -- seriously. But when that patch wears off he will eat like a lot.
He refuses to eat breakfast -- he always has -- he eats like a lunchible for lunch (the ONLY thing he'll eat for lunch) and either pizza or chicken nuggets for dinner (the ONLY things he'll eat for dinner, seriously). I do give him vitamins to TRY to supplement, but I do worry immensly about his nutritional intake.
Sigh...
-R-
Ethan was on Adderall to start with & it made him very angry and mean. He is not a mean kid, a very kind hearted kid, so we knew within a couple days that we needed something different. The hitting & pushing now isn't so much anger like it was before, but frustration for not getting his way and it seems he's pushing buttons.
He's always had a good appetite and is a big kid for his age (65 lbs & 49 in) at 5, so we aren't concerned if he doesn't eat as much as he normally would.
Fortunately for you, you're a nurse so you probably have access to more info on meds & such. We are very new to this whole thing and I don't know much about different meds & how they affect kids, honestly we don't even know what to expect from meds. I was expecting this magical change in behavior and focusing and what a reality check! We have only noticed it slightly at home, but if school says they notice, we'll keep going.
Hi,Sounds like a plan. I think it's hard for those of us that only have one child, and that child has Adhd, because we don't know have anything to compare that particular child to. So, although we are used to their behavior, because we don't know what to compare it to, it puts us as a bit of a disadvantage.
But if the school is showing improvement, then that's a good sign.
I'm with ya, I just wish there was a magic wand to help Christian, a wand with no negative side effects. Christian's a big boy too, he's in the 93rd precentile for his height and weight, so for now we're good nutritionally, but I just worry that eventually he'll start dropping weight as his nutritional needs outsource his nutritional intake.
If you ever have any questions about meds or anything, and you want some help, "off the record," don't hesitate to send me a message.
Some of these meds can be very scary. I mean, reading the potential side effects of all these meds it can be intimidating if you don't understand the basic physiological way the medications work.... :) I don't even understand everything, thank god I can look stuff up!
-R-
We also have a 19 mo old son, which makes it difficult cause we want to keep a "sain" environment for him too. Thanks for chatting, it's comforting to know that there really IS someone else out there having the same issues and we're not alone or crazy! Hi,
It's really hard to even distribute attention between kids, when you have one that seems to "steal," all the attention, as these ADHD kids seem to do. I've known Christian was Adhd for years now, just started medicating him when he started kindergarten (because I honestly knew that I was going to have to medicate him for his teacher's sake), but I seriously knew he wasn't like the other 2 and 3 year olds I evaluated and assessed at work. I could just tell, he seemed so much more difficult than the other children, so I knew for a while. I feel like I could spend all day with 8 pediatric patients, taking care of them -- really, really sick kids that require a lot of attention -- and I pick him up at 8 pm and get him in bed by 9:30 if I'm lucky and I'm telling you that hour and a half is more exhausting than a full 12 hour shift with 8+ pediatric patients. I feel sad admitting it and horrible about it, but it's true.
So I figured a few years ago that I had my hands SO full with Christian that I couldn't have any more kids, so I can't even imagine how much pressure and stress you are under trying to spread yourself between the two kids, and all the other responsibilities you carry as well.
You really do deserve a massage and a cruise! :)
-R-
Funny you say that, I treat myself to a massage a few times a year and we cruise once a year!
The two best ways to relax!Well you certainly deserve them, so soak them up! And give yourself a bubble bath or two!For me, I'll just take a drink or two. Seriously! :)
I'm worried about Christian though. Little man, for the past three weeks or so, has been incontinent of urine which troubles me. He's saying that he's just too busy playing to go to the bathroom, which I understand and that is -- unfortunately -- a normal behavior for this age group. I was initially thinking it was a urinary infection, so I collected a urine sample and sent it to the lab (ok, so I do seriously think like a nurse, don't tease me!) and there wasn't any bacteria noted in the sample, so no UTI. But the medication is a CNS stimulant, and I'm wondering if it's stimulating his bladder muscle (which is mostly smooth muscle, very susceptible to stimulants), and so he is unable to hold it until he gets to the rest room.
Anyone else having this problem, or do you think it is just the fact that he's too busy playing to go to the bathroom?
It's making me crazy! lolz!
-R-
Hi there-
My 6 year old has been on Daytrana for a few months--Hyperacitve Type ADHD and it really has been miraculous for his behavior and attention at school . But we too experience the end of the day craziness, crankiness, you name it, after the medication wears off. Some nights are okay and he is just extremely active and then others, total meltdown. But for him to be successful 99% of the rest of the day is worth it. My husband and I joke and say we wish there was a 24 hour patch, because he really is such a delight when he is on it. He even tells us it helps him make better choice and control his behavior.
you have just described my 5yo son to a tee! He is on Focalin and It helps him in school but by the time I pick him up at 5:30 he's a wild child. He doesn't eat well either. usually no breakfast or just a pop tart (that's the only breakfast food he'll eat). At lunch I make him buy school lunch, so he'll have a hot lunch (but I don't think he eats it half the time). By the time dinner rolls around he acts like hes starving (don't think this is the meds, he's always been this way), and he won't anything but chicken nuggets, pizza or ravioli (healthy,huh?), So I make him take a vitamin too. I worry about him not eating enough nutritious food, he's fairly small, so he really needs it. but his ped doesn't seem concerned, so I try not to worry. Anybody know of anything that will help a picky child try more food (won't try anything new!)
[QUOTE=RNrachele]Hi,
I SO totally hear you. It's so aweful when they turn all violent and crazy. It's like, if dude doesn't get EXACTLY what he's looking for then he'll have a complete meltdown.
One time we had this meltdown at Steak & Shake, and seriously, people were staring like you wouldn't believe. I was so mortified. Somebody thought I was trying to kidnap him because he was fighting me so badly as I tried to get him into the car and escape. I was suprised that the police weren't called. How is it that people don't understand how difficult it is to have an ADHD child and stop freaking staring!!!!!
I was mortified.
Christian WAS on Adderall, and was doing well on it, cept I couldn't get it in him. Now I'm a pediatric nurse, so I'm telling you that I know just about every trick in the book when it comes to getting medications into kids. CHristian got so skilled at finding the little "time release balls," that no matter what I tried to hide them in, he'd find them, and a complete meltdown would ensue. So when I learned about the patch, I was excited, and it's saved me hours of wrestling with him in the morning.
I just don't like him on Focalin-Based products....
It's that moodiness that follows his good behavior that I hate about the Focalin-related products. I do worry that 'lil man doesn't eat all day -- seriously. But when that patch wears off he will eat like a lot.
He refuses to eat breakfast -- he always has -- he eats like a lunchible for lunch (the ONLY thing he'll eat for lunch) and either pizza or chicken nuggets for dinner (the ONLY things he'll eat for dinner, seriously). I do give him vitamins to TRY to supplement, but I do worry immensly about his nutritional intake.
Sigh...
-R-
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