tried every stimulant... they wear off | ADHD Information

This is also my experience with Concerta.  I don't have any answers but it is how it seems to be with my kids too.  I never tried Strattera and we tried Adderall briefly but side effects were awful (intense depression) had to stop that med about 3 weeks into the trial.  Concerta has been the best so far.  But every year right around Christmas break- some teacher comes to me and says- "Did he stop taking his medicine?" It sucks. 

I'm new here and looking for some "oh yes, that sounds so familiar" support!  Here's whats up:

My 10 yr old step-son (who lives with us full-time and has for the last 6 years) was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5 (although I knew he had it since he was younger).  His issues are, in order of concern, poor impulse control, hyperactivity, motor-mouth disorder , and inability to focus.  We've tried all the stimulants and Straterra.  They all work (well, not the stratterra) for a while, sometimes they work really well and things are GREAT.  But...  then....   it starts not working.  We ramp up to the highest dose, then are forced to make a change.  New med works for a while, then starts to fall apart just like the others.  Sometimes we just go back to a stimulant we tried before and it helps, for a while.  Also, the "long acting" meds are a joke in my house; this kid metabolizes long acting meds in about 4 hours usually.

He's been on Concerta the longest, and it seems to work the best, although not as well as it used to.  We've come back to Concerta 3 times, and he's on it now. 

He started Clonidine yesterday.  We considered Tenex, but given his history of needing stronger/higher doses to get any effect, we figured we might as well start with the Clonidine.  I am crossing my fingers that it helps with his amazingly poor impulse control...  but am trying to not get my hopes up too much.

Anyone else find thier kid's metabolism just zipping through the meds faster than the doc can prescribe them?  They work so well, and then things start falling apart!  so frustrating!!

pm7739477.4045138889it's interesting you mention that quixote, because I've noticed the same thing with having to change the reward system routine in order for it to be effective.  very frustrating.Oh yes... my son is 7 and takes Adderall XR twice a day. We just quit Tenex
after two months, since it seemed to have no effect. His impulse control and
distractibility have gotten worse, and we may be headed in the same
direction as you, rotating stimulants. I have to rotate rewards and reinforcers
and even rotate certain routines to keep him interested, so what is another
thing to keep track of... ugh. He rotates shoes he will wear, he rotates foods
he will or won't eat... you know, sometimes I get the feeling that the answer
to all this is right there, and I can almost see it, but it fades away. Or maybe
the answer is simply that their minds and bodies can only thrive on change,
and it has to somehow seem like constant change.

OMG, this post is exactly why I went looking for an ADHD forum!! My son will be 11 next month and we have had the frustrating task of trying to find something, ANYTHING that will help since he was 5. This year seems to be the worst. He was on Metadate CD for the longest, finally changing meds when 60 mg. of Metadate CD was no longer working. For the past two months he's been taking VyVanse 50 mg. , which is almost a joke. It seemed to work for the first two weeks and then downhil...Today I'm at my wits end and all I can do is cry

Has anyone tried any diet changes? Does that actually help? My son is so underweight, that I usually let him eat as many extra snacks as he wants. Happy Meal with 5 billion calories - Sure, baby eat up!'

Btw, my son has taken Clondine to help him sleep for about 3 years now and it's a lifesaver! We ran out on a Friday last month and I swear he didn't sleep the entire weekend - just sat staring at the walls all night.