what is the least strong med? | ADHD Information

My child also lost his personality on Focalin XR.  Metadate CD has worked out much better for him.  He also doesn't get as much appetite suppression on it.  Metadate CD is another capsule that can be opened and the contents sprinkled on applesauce or something else.He has The H in Hyperactivity and I in Impulsiveness Vickie I like your idea but I think it's the best thing, Diane he refuses to take the pill at school at the nurses office(of course) so I need something longer acting. I had heard Vyvance is just Adderral in a different form but I have the boards that is has a much smoother ride if ya know what I mean with full coverage for homework.We see the doctor next week and will discuss this all with him. He did say if he could keep most of his personality he would try again. and edbson YOU are the one that posted the information about Adderral being the strongest med and not usually 1st line med. I have heard this from a friend with a son with ADHD as well. We just don't want a zombie in the house and when I look back he was angry during rebound we just ignored him and he had enlarged pupils(we saw some photos over the holidays) and he was TOO quiet, I remember posting about this earlier. almost over focused and staring into space. not wanting to do anything. The Focalin was not right for him but because of his anxiety I worry about the other options.spamula39443.2664467593Depends on which symptoms you are trying to reduce.I agree, there is no "less strong". People are always saying Adderrall is the "strongest med there is", but my daughter had worse side effects on the methylphedinates. She couldnt do Focalin XR either. Why not try regular release Ritalin (at least for now). You can get it small, 5 mg's and I believe even split that to 2.5 if needed. If he's swallowing Zoloft, he can swallow a 5 mg Ritalin.

Have you tried guanfacine (Tenex)? It is not as good as stimulants for attention but does work somewhat for this symptom. If your son just needs a little help, this might be worth a try.

There isn't a "least strong med". The methylphenidate family of meds are usually the more well tolerated, but depending on the dosage they too can be strong. Vyvanse is comparable to Adderall, so you need to use your best judgement and keep with the trial and error thing like everyone else. Your Psych will know which med is best, and can advise you on the wone that will probably help the most. We have tried FocalinXR at the lowest dose, for my 9 year old son and he lost his personality completely and now refuses to take it. What other med is not strong like adderral because he has a minor case of ADHD and is highly med sensitive. I need full coverage 8-10 hours. and he can't swallow a pill. Not too much to ask eh? I had been thinking about Vyvanse but I hear that it is very strong and he doesn't need strong. He is not that bad just needs some help with focus at school. At home he is pretty manageable. Any suggestions? spamula39442.3135300926OK I get the point about no least strong med. Has anyone experienced the personality loss and found it better with anything else?absolutely.  mom2adhdboy the post above yours states right there she saw it on Focalin but not on Metadate. This happens a lot.tnk you both for your suggestions I want to go in informed to the doc next week.'personality loss' is always a suspect description, in my opinion.  Don't get me wrong- the important thing is that your child isn't comfortable on the medication, and so it needs to go.  But sometimes I wonder if it really means that the person in question, when they're at a very low dose (it's probably good to note, by the way, that Focalin XR's lowest doses are still fairly high in effect.  It's a long-acting stimulant for a reason- a short-acting stimulant may be your best bet.  You can start low and increase the dose to get it to last through most of the school day if you try Adderall and/or Dexedrine ER), simply would rather have their hyperactive and bouncy self.  Maybe you and your son should sit down and try to determine if his hyperactivity is really a problem. 

Hyperactivity tends to be looked at as problematic no matter what, but it's important to assess to what extent your son's hyperactivity is interfering with the school day.  If the answer is, "VERY MUCH", then yes, medication is going to be necessary. 

Other things to look into are diet and exercise.  A lot of people report feeling zombie-like later in the dose, so to speak.  For some of these people the problem isn't the medication but the dehydration and low food intake that tends to accompany it (hey, those of us with ADHD aren't known for being very good at monitoring things like meal time and signs of hunger).  Sending your child to school with something akin to Naked Juices (great brand) to drink at some point half way through the dose could help immensely.  Giving one in the evening right before meds wear off can also be a huge blessing when it comes to rebound effects.  Sleep is also a big problem.  For many people, stimulant medication interrupts their sleep cycle (even after the effects are no longer felt), in which case a night-time medication (Clonidine is a preferred options since it has been shown to improve ADHD symptoms)

I'd definitely suggest, assuming his symptoms are interfering significantly with his day-to-day activities, switching to a higher dose of a short-acting stimulant and exploring issues like appetite and sleep.  A third option is to try Strattera- though it tends to do more for inattention than it does for hyperactivity- and see how he responds to that.  And if these things don't work, then maybe it's time to get your son a full neuropsychological evaluation (if he hasn't had one already).  Particularly is there is little inattention, the problem may be something more along the lines of senstory integration dysfunction.

Good luck!
My son started off on Ritilan to see how well he would tolerate this for of meds, then he went to Concerta 18mg (its time released) and has done spectactular on it, it works over a 12 hour period. first dose is 4mg, the 2nd release is 6 mg (4 hours later) and then another 6mg after that, it usually lasts him until about 5 or 6 and he takes it about 730 in the morning. no mood changes or personality changes, its a small pill no bigger than zoloft.