Hello, I am a mother of 3 children in NC. I have an 8yo son who was diagnosed back in October as ADD/ADHD. He was prescribed Adderrall XR. The first day the teacher as well as myself noticed a change. He was actually wanting to work. I mean wanting to do school work. Even if he could not get it right he was putting forth an effort; whereas before he would take a 0 before he tried something, especially if he thought he was going to fail. He failed the first 2 grading periods in all subjects except resources. But teacher said he was doing better and she noticed an improvement in his work habits. I talked with his teachertoday a month and half later. she says it is a possibility that he may be retained in 3rd grade. Of course this hurt me. I began to think about what side effects were going on with the adderrall. The mood swings, lack of appetite, sooooo serious all the time. And someone told me adderrall just makes a child MEAN!!.......I went to the dr. today. She said I could try Strattera for a while. But the catch with strattera is he HAS to have it every day. WHere as with Adderall he does not take it on the weekends or holidays and he can eat something you know. So what should I do. This is something dear to my heart and I want so badly for him to succeed.
Thanks..........BigOswife
He doesn't have to take the Adderall everyday but usually it's a good idea to keep taking the meds on the weekends otherswise you end up with a cranky or unhappy child. The symptoms don't go away on the weekends, others just don't always notice them as much since the ADDer is in an easier environment.
As for the mood swings if he's having a lot of trouble with the adderall then he may very well need a different medication. Since he seems to be improving in school I tend to think that his mood is the result of rebound from when the meds wear off. I know for me Adderall XR last 7-8 hours. I have to add a regular Adderall (lasts about 3-4 hours) to get me all the way through the day.
If you decide to stay with the Adderall there are a few tricks to getting him to eat and keeping up his nutritian. The first is to feed him a large meal at night after the meds wear off. Most adderall users have little or no appetite during the day but after the meds wear off they can eat a normal meal. Also you can try giving your son pedisure during the day. I've spoken to a few parents that have said even though their child won't eat they will drink without much of a problem so the pedisure has been a great help to them.
I'm sure others will have some suggestions that's just all I can think of right now.
Firstly, look at your son's reaction to the Adderall. It may make "other children" mean, but the important thing is, is it making your son mean?
Secondly, there are other Ritalin based meds such as Concerta to consider. From what I have heard, although Strattera is a great option for some people, it may not be quite as effective as Ritalin or other stimulant meds. You may also need to check the dosage of his med.
I agree with the other poster regarding appetite. Try to give your son a good breakfast before he takes his medication. He may skip lunch, and then he will be ravenous as the pill wears off, and will eat a good dinner. The crucial thing to watch is his height and weight- is he growing. Bear in mind that ADHD may in itself be associated with decreased growth.
My daughter had appetite suppression for several years (started meds at the end of 4th grade), and now she finds (in 8th grade) that she can eat and does not have much appetite suppression.