Ritalin LA
My daughter was on Ritalin LA and she was fine some days and horrible others. The horrible days started to out number the good days. The rebound on Ritalin(when the meds run out and they hit the wall of no meds) were absolutely horrible on the Ritalin LA. She'd run around in circles screaming and flopping herself on the floor having tantrums for no reason. And so we went back to the phsyciatrist...we changed the med to Concerta. It lasts longer and we're still working on getting the dosage correct but it works longer and leaves the system slower so the wall isn't as steep when the meds release from her system. So you may want to go back to the doctor and possible change the med. It's all trial and error with these meds.
Keep your head up! Kim
There is usually a rhyme and reason! If it's that inconsistent, the med or dose might not be right. Also, I used to give my son his medications during the week only but have found that consistency with the medication is very important for consistent behavior. You will also figure out much more quickly if it's working.Like Kim said, the rebound can also be a big issue. I've noticed that low blood sugar can also be a problem with my son. Just a couple ideas for you. Hi. I'm new to the boards. My 5 1/2 year old son was just diagnosed with ADHD and his developmental pediatrician prescribed Ritalin LA. He seems to do well during the school week, but he totally loses it on the weekends. Temper tantrums, emotional etc. I've tried not giving him his medication on the weekends but he was okay Sat. and totally lost it Sunday and then on Monday evening after I had given him his meds. in the pm he was very hyper, but not emotional. Tuesday thru Friday he was fine again. I gave him his meds. the following Sat. and he was again tantruming and emotional way above his normal. Sunday I withheld medication and he was fine. Is there no ryhme or reason to these meds? Does anyone have any advice or similar situations? Thanks, akb517 My son was on LA for years. We found that we couldn't take weekend breaks with it. It always took him the Monday to adjust to it again.
What dose is he on? Ritalin LA is a bimodal medication - it releases 2 time so there are 2 curves where they go up and down (sometimes crashing hard). It helped to give a small dose of regular Ritalin for homework and rebound, but that can be tough if your kid doesn't eat much (my son is pretty small).
It may be worth asking about a medication that releases more evenly. Even though I am REALLY mad about a bad batch of Daytrana that's out there now, I do think it's a great medication with way less rebound than Ritalin LA. If your son swallow pills you have a lot of options. Even if he doesn't, there are a lot of other meds out there.
Are you seeing a pedicatrician or psychiatrist? Ritalin LA seems to be a pediatrician favorite.
my daughter also had significant rebound on RLA. She got VERY, VERY silly. Which is easier to manage, obviously than anger, but it was still just not right.
Overall, we like Concerta. Our inital dosage was too low, so we had lots of iritability and grouchiness in the afternoon. Once we upped the dosage from 18 mg to 27 mg, this has pretty much gone away.
The advantage is that is gives us good coverage but with the disadvantage that she doesn't really want to eat until early evening and then eats a ton.
Our sleep issue aren't any better or worse on this med.
Enter Your Email below to claim your Free Book