My son (age 11) is currently on 40mg of Ritalin LA and 25mg of Zoloft. In the past we have tried Adderall and Concerta but the rebound was terrible. Ritalin LA works very well (slight rebound in the evening) but does not last long enough. We have tried 10mg short acting Ritalin after school but it does not seem to help at all. When the Ritalin LA kicks in the morning it is chilling to see his amazing behavior change from super difficult to "yes mom, what can I do for you." So needless to say my husband and I would like more of that in the afternoon and evening. Even a little bit would be better than our current nightmare evenings. My husband describes my son's evening behavior as euphoric disobedience. He acts odd and deliberately does not do what is asked and appears to enjoy the confrontations.
We have tried tenex with no success. Additionally, we tried Wellbutrin last school year and he seemed much better (overall mood) but had facial tics when on both Wellbutrin and Ritalin LA.
Any input into other meds? His doctor (psychiatrist) does not want to up his Ritalin LA dose and did not want to increase the afternoon dose more than the 10mg. Have any of you gone back to meds that the first time was not a success?? Could we possibly try Adderall or Concerta again and not have the rebound because now his body is more adjusted to stimulants?? Thank you for any advice.