sorry, he's 9yo actually. yes, the dr. said we could try 27mg. i basically knew that i'd have to go up from 18mg eventually, but i thought the return of symptoms would be more gradual...not so sudden. since i know i've got the 27mg scrip available, i'm a little less anxious and willing to wait another day or two before trying it.
what a strange trip this is....
Fasten your seat belt- you are in for the ride of your life. The ups and downs of a roller coaster with the speed of a jet plane!
It sounds as though you are doing a great job with your son!
Hi. You don't say how old your child is, but he sounds around 7 y/o to be on the 18mg dose. Don't forget he is still a child and even children without ADHD have ups and downs as far as behavior is concerned. Children like to test us and the boundaries we put in place for them.
Since this is his first time on meds, contact your doctor and let him know what is happening. This will help relieve your mind. Also, the stress of the testing could have caused him anxiety and anxiety and ADHD are a combustable mixture!
does this sound familiar? my DS is newly diagnosed with combined adhd and started concerta 18mg 4 weeks ago. he responded immediately and consistently up until this past saturday. all day sat/sun he behaved almost (not completely) as though he were unmedicated (we give him meds 7days/wk). today in school they had state testing, so desks were in rows...teacher says he was fine except for lunch time when he was rolling down the hallway ramp -- this is the very first misbehavior since going on meds. he was distracted afer school, but seemed to settle down after playing outside. he ate like a horse at dinner (like his pre-med self) and again before bed and fell asleep around 8:30pm (like his pre-med days).
so...the only side effect he had on meds was going to sleep about an hour to 1.5hrs later at night --> could this lack of sleep have just caught up with him this weekend and counteracted the meds? when i saw him asleep so soon tonight i thought "aaww, he was just tired", but now i'm worried "yikes, he's still like the meds are not in his system".
i'd appreciate any advice since this weekend and today has me feeling a little overwhelmed. i thought things were going to be just fine, and then BAM! I'm worried that i'm back to square one...
thanks in advance (sorry so long...)
It sounds like he is evening out on the meds, it usually takes a couple of weeks for the sleep issues to go away. Yes, lack of sleep could have caused him problems. Katwal, I am getting to know Strattera and havent been diagnosed for long either, I am feeling flat at the mo, not sleeping well but am going to stay with this for a while, I am 44 yrs old and married with 2 kids.Talk to the doctor and tell him/her your concerns. But also realize the stress these kids are with this standardized testing. In my state (Florida) the pressure is intense on these kids. The schools are graded on their test scores and the schools make sure the kids know this. It could be the stress that is depleting his meds quickly. The schools also cancel recess the weeks before the test to get some extra practice time in. The lack of daytime exercise could be adding to his stress.
My son is 12 and we have been on 4 different meds over the last 6 years. We started on concerta and maxed out of it in a year. You will have to adjust his meds as he grows.
Katwal you are doing a good job, so relax a bit. People will try to heap a bunch of guilt on you because your child is ADHD.
I started the higher 27mg Concerta today and saw a good difference. I think my son's 18mg had just run out of steam for now...it's even possible when i look back on the last 4 weeks of 18mg that some of the effects were waning. I was so thrilled with his school results (behavior/on task) that i might have been overlooking the small changes.
I kink of relate this to new motherhood....learning what the new child's needs are, when to change their routine, etc. Who knew at 43 yrs.old I'd feel like a new mom?? haha
Hi Katwal, my son started concerta as he was turning 7. He is now 10 1/2.
We quickly moved up so when days don't seem successful for your son, it may be that he just needs an increase.
We started in July and by December my son had leveled off at 72mg and stayed there for almost 3 years before he was increased again.
Concerta has done wonders for our son. The sleep and eating stuff does go away. We also give our son his meds everyday.
Let us know if he has any rebound in the afternoons.
Best wishes!!
BETHANN39520.0957638889Katwal
So happy to hear things are going better. I remember those days too. I felt so good for my son. It also helped at home because he wasn't driving us crazy. I remember being exhausted all the time before the diagnosis.
Reta
I haven't really been this happy in a long time actually. Being able to identify ADHD in our son was the most wonderful step forward for us. I'm still astounded how it affects so many aspects of his life. The meds are changing so many things for him and for us as a family.