Medication | ADHD Information

Meds work differently for each person. Stims are not based on weight , but by symptoms. If he is having issues on 18mgs then it is probably time for a higher dose.

I'm new to this message board. My 7 year old son was diagnosed with adhd last year. We tried Concerta 18mg which helps with his hyperactivity but not really with his concentration. He will probably repeat his grade 2. I was thinking about trying a new medication. Any one has suggestions?

Also, I don't know if I'm the only parent who feels this way but I am so discouraged at times. I know he can do a lot better then he is at school cause he is a very intelligent little guy and I want to help him but I have no more ideas...

Sonia,

His med dosage may need to upped a little. Concerta dosage is not based on age or weight.

It's hard to know what meds to try as every med is different for every child. Whats sucessful for one, may be the totally wrong med for another child. I agree with granny Frna I'd adjust dose before meds if you are not seeing any negatives.

I wanted to add a little help in the pill swallowing department.

When we started my DD on the meds, we had plastic capsuls that couldn't be opened. Her teacher suggested practicing with baby m&ms since she was so little. (she was 4 1/2 when we started her on the meds).

so I bought a packet of mini M&Ms and had her practice swallowing. Because they were candy, it didn't taste yucky if she didn't 'get' it. And we practiced for a few days and then was able to try it with the real medicine.

It still wasn't very easy the first week, but she at least knew from the M&Ms that she could do it and we could try a couple times before the pill would get too soggy. After a week, she had it down pretty well.

So give the Mini M&Ms a try.

[QUOTE=skyqueen]

I wanted to add a little help in the pill swallowing department.

So give the Mini M&Ms a try.

[/QUOTE]

What medication is she taking? I'm so scared on how my dd will react on a stim.

I told her Dr. she already has anxiety, and these meds can increase that if the child has that already, or anger, aggression. DD starts tomorrow morning on Concerta 18mg.

currently, my DD is now 6 and has been taking the Focalin for over a year now. We started on Strattera and that was a big bust. (talk about anger control issues )

then we went to the focalin and have had great results - mostly. when she started 1st grade, we had to start her on the extended release capsuls so she could get thru school wtihout needing to to go the office for a re-dose (and the ups and downs are better regulated with the XR ).

We've now got OCD issues that are cropping up so we may need to change to a new med. Not sure yet. My brother's son has been on concerta for quite a while and it has done well for him.

my daughter was diagnosed in kindergarten. she was extremely angry and hyper and unable to focus. she is now fourteen. we tried ritalin and it caused her to lose significant amounts of weight, we tried metadate and it caused headaches then we went on stratera. both the first two seemed to wear off around four(ish), but stratera worked great. no more moodieness, anger seemed to be controlled and it lasted till nearly bedtime. we had little side effects. some stomache upset at first, but wore off in a week or so. we got off the medication in grade five, she refused to take it anymore. (big mistake) and grade six and seven were very trying for me. (and her) she nearly failed, tried drugs to 'self medicate' and began to have huge tantrums where she would hurt herself. she is now back on adhd meds, and doing well. we are on the vyvanse but dont know how well it will work for her.

one thing I will say to check janyben would be, if your child is not paying attention, doodling and distracted, maybe the work is too boring for him. maybe he just finishes early and then doesnt know what to do. I had this problem with my youngest son in kindergarten. they tested him and found him to be gifted. he was jjust really bored and didnt know what else to do. he got into trouble for the same things. you should try everything first. or just ask your son why he doodles. maybe he will tell you he is bored. harder work and possibly having him keep a journal or write stories during these times could help focus him.

Hi i know the medication options are different in the usa to the uk but i wondered if anyone could advise me.

My son was prescribed concerta but refused point blank to swallow it - he is 6yrs old.

The doc is now on about strattera but i believe that is a tablet too. He used to be on Ritalin and crunched the tabs up but the slow release ones he cant do that with.

Has anyone please had this proble, have you any tips? Advice?

I would be grateful for anything

thankyou

Strattera is a capsule not tablet, but it cannot be opened, he'd need to swallow it.

Focalin and Adderall can be sprinkled.

Daytrana is a patch.

my 5yr old takes 10 mg of foclin and byt he time i get him out of school hes back to being hyper and dosent listen but the school says hes doing good there any help

Metadate is also a capsule that can be sprinkled.

My son is 7 and has trouble swallowing. Mostly, because he said his medicine is plastic and he's afraid it will stick in his throat! LOL about the plastic! He was on Metadate and we sprinkled onto a spoonfull of applesauce. He just started Adderall and that too can be sprinkled but I want him to start swallowing. I put the whole capsule on a spoonfull of applesauce and he will swallow that way. Because it is more "substance" than just a drink. He can not swallow with just a drink.

I'm not sure how things are in the UK .. but his doctor should be able to help you decide to up the dosage of his current meds, or change to something different, and if change, to what type of med.

For instance, my son was having halucinations on Metadate (very rare side effect) so, the next medicine was still a stimulate, but not in the same family, to avoid the same side effect. This is something his dr should help you with.

Good Luck!!

beth2, maybe an afternoon dose of short acting Focalin. It should give you four hours of coverage after school.

Yup, those are not side effects you can "live with" but I think it's a common side effect. BUT, not all meds will do that to her. You have to keep trying different meds as there are a bunch out there.. try different doses too. The first one we tried was Metadate and my son did great, until he started having halucinations! Not to scare you... but he wasn't freeked out by it, I didnt want to freek him out so I didnt make a big deal out of it.... we stopped right away and now we are doing Adderall... it's still a stimulant, but in a different "family". So far he's doing pretty good. Adjusting as he has a slight belly ache, but not enough to effect his eating or to make him act sick. That should wear off over the next few days or week.

It's really a trial and error with the meds, and that's why it's another tough section of the ADHD road! .. But, once it's all figured out, it's well worth it!

[QUOTE=janyben]

It's really a trial and error with the meds, and that's why it's another tough section of the ADHD road! .. But, once it's all figured out, it's well worth it!

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Thanks for your input and advice, I really appreciate it. I'm waiting for a call from the Dr. We tried Vyvanese and she had haluciation the first night.

Here is a copy from my dd's teacher and she CC'd it to the social worker at school. They want me to put her back on medication. She has bad and good effects to the medicine's. I don't know what specialist to take her to other than her Phschiatrist, which will again want to try something else than Strattera. I'm afraid of medication for her.

Email below from her teacher-

I had a very stressful day due to Brittney's wild behavior and the sounds she was making. The class does a good job of tuning her out, but I'm afraid she is not learning herself. I followed the suggestions of other teachers and removed the little items that she chews and cuts. I gave her an area where she can move around if she can't sit still. She still ended up on the floor moaning and groaning. The lunchroom aide is aware of her situation so she tries to keep her under control at lunch. She reported problems yesterday and today, but feels Brittney is trying very hard to do the right thing. She just can't do it. I feel the same way. Her impulsive behavior disturbs others and causes minor injuries. (swinging things around, running instead of walking, rough shoving of things) She is not angry with anyone or upset, she just acts wild. I just feel bad that we had 2 months of wonderful, stressfree behavior and now it's over. The classroom is not the same. I wanted you to know. Thanks

That's tough! I recieved pretty much the same informaton from my son's teacher, prior to putting him on medication. I got phone calls though, no written letters. His 1st grade teacher constantly told me he was "out of control". Those were her exact words. Meds have been a godsend to everyone. To him, to us his family, and to his peers at school. I felt bad enough that he was having trouble in school, but when it effects other children, I felt so guilty and it was my final decision maker to get him evaluated.

Why are you afraid of medication for her? If she has some good and some bad reactions, what are the bad? How bad is the bad? A lot of times the bad side effects will go away, such as belly aches and head aches. Or, just keep trying different meds until you find the right one. I'm finding out that determining the best med at the best dose is also hard at times.. but so well worth it because in the long run you are giving your daughter the best life she can have .. the best chance for her to learn, the best chance for her to make friends, the best chance for her not to interupt the entire class and thus the whole class will be better off. In turn, it will make you feel better when you see her happier and more in control of her own actions, it will make your whole family better when you are not so stressed worring about her ..... the point I'm trying to make is that its like a domino effect, a positive one!!

I know there are some against medication, and that works fine for thier family, but there are many people that put thier kids on medication and they are so succesfull, so glad they did it. I, as a parent, want to give my son the best life he can have, I want him to be sucessful, and if that means giving him some medication to help that, you bet I'll do it!!!!!!!

Good Luck ... try to stay positive as that is the most important. And, be sure to point out to your daughter her good qualities as she really needs to hear those things right now as I'm sure she's just feeling aweful about how things are going on in school.

[QUOTE=janyben]

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bad side affects that were listed and seemed to get worse were-

sever irritability, anger, depressed, sad look on her face, wasn't getting along with neighbor kids, constant conflict with us in the house, screaming in rage at us in the house, etc......and anxiety to the Top!!

Thanks, we have tried a higher dosage of concerta but it's too strong for him. He is like a zombie on anything hignre then his 18mg...

Are you guys also discouraged at times?

[QUOTE=Sonia]

Thanks, we have tried a higher dosage of concerta but it's too strong for him. He is like a zombie on anything hignre then his 18mg...

Are you guys also discouraged at times?

[/QUOTE]

Hi Sonia. Our 10 year old son started on Concerta 18mg in March 2007, then after he started school in Sept. 2007 the doctors upped it to 36mg, then 54mg. It seems that the only thing the Concerta helped with was the hyper behavior. It didn't seem to help his attention because he zones out in class, doesn't do his work, can't focus. He was on honor roll before meds and now brings home horrible grades. Last week his doctor told us to stop the Concerta, let the meds get completely out of his system and then start Adderall in a week. I sure hope this new medicine will help the poor little guy. It breaks my heart that he is so hard to deal with when he is not on medication. He hasn't had meds since Friday and things at home are terrible and extremely chaotic.

I think you should take him to the doctor and see if you could try another medication. What works well for some doesn't work at all for others.

I find myself discouraged very often . All we can do is take it day by day and I try to remember that God will not give me anything that I can not handle, although some days I don't feel like that.

Hang in there!

Ginger

Janyben, we have an apt. with the physchiatrist tomorrow. I just spoke to dd's teacher, and she said that she pokes her work alot with holes, constantly putting things in her mouth, and seems to have to crunch, or put things in her mouth. Wish us luck!! I'm willing to go back to medication. The teacher said, she also was biting other students' jackets , shirts, and sweater. She said not biting their skin, but just their clothing?? What could that be with her needing something in her mouth????? rhondacty, sounds like a lot of sensory issues. The book The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz is very informative and she offers all kinds fo solutions for sensory issues. It may be worth the read.......................I borrowed it from our local library, chewing is a BIG one

My son also pokes holes and doodles on his work papers. I think it has to do with not focusing... it seems my son does it when the teacher is talking. He just CANT sit still and listen, so he doodles and scribles and pokes holes in papers, etc.. He also likes to put things in his mouth, not necessarily biting or chewing. But, he's always got a finger in his mouth when watching TV .. sticking a pencil or toy in his mouth. .. jeeze.. and having loose teeth doesnt help! I wonder if chewing gum will help your daughter? My son loves chewing gum! - though I dont think you are supposed to in school, maybe if she's quiet about it they will let her?

I also wanted to add that I get discouraged too! It always seems like such a battle ..a battle with the school to get the kids the help they need, a battle with the medication to find the right one and right dosage, a battle with myself for not loosing my temper, (I'm a yeller and try sooooo hard not to yell, and I'm better than I used to, but it's hard!), a battle with the people that think ADHD isnt real, a battle with work to leave early or come in late due to dr appointments....

It's just soooooooooooo important to be positive and think of the positve things as much as possible.. though on the worse of days, it's nearly impossible and you let yourself have a good cry.. get it all out.. but, wake up the next moring with a fresh new day and a new start.

[QUOTE=Diane V]rhondacty, sounds like a lot of sensory issues. The book The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz is very informative and she offers all kinds fo solutions for sensory issues. It may be worth the read.......................I borrowed it from our local library, chewing is a BIG one[/QUOTE]

thanks Diane I will ask the Phschiatrist about sensory tomorrow too.

[QUOTE=janyben]

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Janyben, you hit right on the nose with the battles. I have all those I stress about. It don't help that I have moderate to severe anxiety. It is hard at times. She was not going any of the mouth things while on strattera, but the WARNING signs to look for , were starting to happen. So that is why I took her off. But I will go in there tomorrow and tell him exactly what negative side affects she was experiencing and maybe there is a med out there that has less increased aggresion, anger, irritability, etc....

From what I hear, one child does different than another child on all the medications. So we will keep trying until we find one.