Thanks. I will get an appointment with her pediatrician to see about other meds options and ask about an EKG.
She was diagnosed by a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics who is also co chair for the Academy of Pediatrics Practice Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children.
there's other options, you have to look out for her overall health. The beneifts must always outweigh the risks.....by a LOT.....IMO
I agree w/you. I've never heard of getting an EKG before going on the meds....that scares me. I thought the heart racing might be a typical reaction....that maybe it's because she is just now going back on the meds after a long break.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the doctor that diagnosed her way back in 1st grade and put her on only 5 mg of ritalin is not her current doctor. Her current doctor prescribed the Adderol and he is a regular Pediatrician.
It very well could be a reaction to the med and is not a problem and is just a matter of changing meds. See a psychiatrist for meds, they are your best choice. My duaghter is 13 and has been on many, many meds. She is currently doing her best (so far) on Strattera, which is non stimulant. This is the first time we have not seen any side effects from her meds. Diane V39484.4858796296My daughter (who is 14) says that Adderol makes her jittery and makes her heart race. Is this a normal reaction? I've tried reducing it to 10mg but she says that dose doesn't work. The 15 mg dose works but seems to cause these side effects. Does anyone have any suggestions or similar experiences.Sounds like it isn't the right med for her. She did have an EKG before meds right?I sure don't remember her having one. I'm pretty sure she didn't. She was diagnosed in 1st grade and was put on Ritalin. She didn't like the way it "made her feel" so she went off it around 5th grade. She started on Adderol recently because it has become harder and harder for her to juggle all her classes and to remember/organize everything. So, we are just starting back up on it. I guess I should contact her doctor and ask about the EKG?
I agree with Diane, this is not the med for her, and Adderall is the strongest stim available, maybe another med in the Ritalin family, Concerta or metadate. Maybe a nonstim is the answer, and get that EKG, they really are necessary.
Who diagnosed her?
she should especially having symptoms. You should rule other things out. You may need to look at non stimulant options.My son is 14. He had chest pain with both adderall and focalin. He had an EKG and other stuff. They found nothing wrong with his heart(pediatric cardiologist). He said that my son should not be on stimulants and that chest pain or racing heart is a sign from your heart to stop. He said that stimulants decrease the blood flow/oxygen to the heart while at the same time requiring more work from the heart and some people can't tolerate that. My son being one of them. Adderall was taken off the market for a while in Canada. SOME of those children that died had NO structural heart defects. Most people can handle stimulants but if you are gettin signs(chest pain, racing heart, palpitations) then the cardio doc said you should stay off. I asked about strattera and he said we could try that but it also has a tendency to increase blood pressure and heart rate so we would have to see. My son got horrible stomach aches from strattera...lost a lot of weight and had a sore throat/lump in throat while on it soooooooo we are back to using nothing again. His ADHD symptoms are mild/moderate.
thanks, I spoke with her doctor and we are going to try Concerta. When I asked about the EKG he said it was overkill and mainly for kids that have preexisting heart conditions.That's odd, dd was diagnosed at TX Childrens Hospital and they will not prescribe meds at all unless there has been an EKG, and an EEG. our doc said the same thing. We've since had EKG's as she was taking Desipramine and it's required and has since been diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. But our doc didnt feel it was necessary on healthy children either.