heartbroken- she may be BP | ADHD Information

I went to the doctor for her checkup- every month now that she is on adderalxr for what they thought is ADHD. She took her off due to a 5 pound weight loss. Honestly the medicine was not helping much. Yes it would work well during the day- keeping her settled and not so hyper but when it wore off n the evening- she was worse- more temper, impulsive, etc. Not every day but several times a week. The doctor thinks she may be bipolar jsut by me describing the episodes lasting few hours of uncontrollable anger becasue she did not get her way, etc. Is that enough symptoms to diagnose bipolar? If your child has been diagnosed can you share some stories with me to see if my child is similair. I am scared she is being misdiagnosed and therefore took her off of all medicine until I can research things more. Bipolar is something she will be the rest of her life- I don't her labeled wrong or have problems finding jobs or insurance because of a diangosis that may be wrong.You need to ditch this doctor, especially one who is so quick to dx bipolar and not try other medications!   Adderal was a horrible medication for my son and turned him into one angry child, but it works for others.  Therein lies the irony of the quest for the correct stimulant and dose.  Is there a teaching hospital affiliated with a university anywhere near you?  That would be a good place to start.  I'd try to find a board certified psychiatrist that specializes in pediatrics and adolescents.  Many doctors just don't have the specialty training in psychopharmacology to try various higher doses and med combos.  I've seen children with just severe anxiety, and not bipolar, have horrible rages....... my son being one.

Okiemom

It sounds like rebound to me, too.  Any doctor with experience prescribing adhd meds should know that it often takes several tries to find the right med/dosage.  Also, like Diane said,  many have trouble with adderall- my son's doc said up front that adderall was not an option for him because of how common the emotional side effects are.

Also, if these behaviors weren't there, or weren't as severe pre-meds than it is not bi-polar.  In fact, if a child is bi-polar than the stimulants will often throw them into a manic episode and have no good effects until the bi-polar is brought under control.

 my dd did not do well on adderall, it made her mean and moody/she didn't sleep.  she had a rough time on it...and is doing somewhat better on ritalin LA. 

i'd get a thorough eval done...have you tried other meds?  there are lots of good books out there to read about bi-polar too, i'd get as informed as you can!  nobody wants a misdiagnosis...

good luck!

shelley

  

My daughter is 11 and ADHD.  We have had problems with terrible temper issues.   I would be cautious to jump to the bipolar diagnosis as well.  My friends son is bipolar.   While both our children can have temper issues,  my daughter's behavior is very different than his.

A few thoughts:

You could be dealing with rebound and perhaps she needs a short afternoon booster to help with the late afternoon or evenings.Your dosage could be too low.  With my daughter,
she was terrible in the afternoon when her dosage was off.  A small increase made a huge difference with her.  She uses concerta.
You could also try the Vyvance.  It's in the adderall family but some people say it's smoother and works better.  I think it also lasts longer
The Adderall family of drugs might not be the best one for her.  You could try a ritalin based product instead - concerta, ritalin la, etc.
How long has she been on Adderrall?   My daughter initially lost weight when she started stimulants and then slowly started increasing again.   I also pretty much let her eat when ever she wants in the evenings as she doesn't eat much during the day.



We haven't tried any other meds except the adderalxr The doctor becasue of her weight loss is not willing to try anyother adhd meds. She was on 20 mg of adderal xr for one month, prior to that she was on 10 mg and still lost weight. I agree that the evening problems could be rebound.  We had that issue with Wyatt until we started tenex in the evenings.  He also wasn't sleeping well at night because of the stim so when it wore off in the evening that didn't help either.  I would be wary of any doctor who would suggest bypolar that quickly.  Keep your chin up!I forgot to add that Wyatt lost weight initially too but that eventually leveled off.  We feed him extra in the am before the meds and in the pm when it wears off. 

I think you should get another physicians opinion. Is this a psychiatrist?

 I cant imagine they wont try a different medication. A lot of people do not do well on Adderall.

Thanks for all the replies. It was her psychiatrist that suggested the bipolar? How do they really diagnose that? Just by episodes. My daughter does nto have any grandiose ideas "like she can fly or she is as great as God" but she does do things like throw rocks at windows to get my attention or throw objects like glass that obvious are going to break against a hard wall and she does think twice about, she regrets it but still does impulsive things. She has iritability at the drop of a hat withing minutes can change personalities but never really low and depressed like she just wants to sleep. I ordered a book about bipolar in kids maybe reading that will trigger similairities in my child but I feel like she is definitely ADHD>You might also read ADHD & Me - What I  Learned from Lighting Fires At The Dinner Table by Blake Taylor.   It great book to read to get an insight as to why are kids do some of the things they do.  It has a great chapter talking about being impulsive.


No- My daughter does not have "any" signs of depression - unless being irritable and angry when the word "no " is mentioned- when she does not get to do what she wants to when she wants to. Thats when her anger escalates. Or when her father ( who is absent when he wants to be and there when he wants to do be) does not call for visitation or promises then doesn't.Bi-polar can be attached to ADHD as a co-mord.  Does your child when on the downside seem depressed to you?  Mania part of bi-polar can make one person hyper full of energy, impulsive then the depressive side can make you depressed and sometimes some anger so now as i am thinking and typing it is worth looking into especially if the meds did not help.