After the meds wear off..............
DS is ten, on Vyvanse 50mg. We have tried MANY things as most of us parents have. The Vyvanse is working for us right now. DS still had issues at school and the stinking taks tests. He gets tutored every year. His handwriting is immature as is he. I am dreading this year already
Sad isn't it. We are still having issues in the afternoon. DS takes meds year around and night time is HORRIBLE. We have had some very bad nights this summer. DS becomes his "normal" self and then it is all hell from there. Depressing for all the family and especially for him. He still does not go to sleep well. Tried melatonin, Bach's sleep rescue, benedryl. BLAH. Anymore ideas on calming him down? We already limit the stimulants like TV and video games. Always trying new things, just have not found anything to calm his little brain down so he can rest and have a decent family afternoon. Thanks to all. We parents should pat ourselves on the back from time to time. No one but us know how difficult this is.......Thanks
We parents should pat ourselves on the back from time to time. No one but us know how difficult this is.......Thanks
[/QUOTE]Agree!
My ds started taking guanfacine (generic for Tenex) to help control impulsivity and hyperactivity when the stimulant wears off. He doesn't have as good ADHD control as he does when on the stimulant, but it helps things be more manageable. Other than that, all we can do is try to give him as calm and structured of an environment as possible, and we watch him closely to make sure he doesn't trip or do anything else horrible to his brother impulsively.
Hi,
Are you sure the afternoon/evening meltdowns are not rebound?? If so, you might need to change the medication. If it is rebound it needs to be dealt with because your family life will be damaged by all the meltdowns.
We have tried many different meds on my son and Vyvanse was good (50mg) but caused tics. We are currently using Strattera (because if it works it's 24hr coverage), and either a short acting or long acting Ritalin. From all the research I have done Strattera is most effective with a stimulant. But I have noticed he needs less stimulant which is good for sleep and eating issues. Because school has not started I usually give him an am 10mg of Ritalin and after lunch another 10mg. He seems to eat better this way. Once school starts we will have to go to Ritalin LA. I really think the Strattera is helping him with mood issues. Hope this helps.
Your child is coming down from the Vyvance and either needs something to bring him back up, or to soften the transition down. Clonidine is often prescribed at low doses (.5mg) to ease this period for ADHD kids on meds like ritalin, vyvance, etc... it will make him tired and fall asleep quite easily. It was originally prescribed for heart patients to help lower blood pressure.
The other thing that helps to soften this period is gettting protein into your child. I know its hard especially with the meds, but I've found that smoothies, milk shakes or just a bowl of his favorite cerial helps.
Paul
My daughter did ALL of the things everyone above is going through. From the rebound to the "blaming things" on her ADHD, all of it.
With the right med combo and maturity (some anyway) it really does get better. IMO 9-12 is THE hardest.
She will be 14 next week, and although things are FAR from perfect (really far actually 
), it is BETTER..................
Mariaven---I know that every parent on here has debated on medications. It is so hard. I myself was reluctant to even believe the ADHD theory until I saw Brandon playing by himself in kindergarten. Our doctor had made the statement that he will not be socially acceptable due to hyperactivity and impulsiveness. He was right. I too hope that DS will grow more mature. But every year we have new issues. I am constantly asking "what next?" Sadly, DS is now old enough that he can tell when he needs medicine to calm him down. He also is becoming manipulative and saying "I have ADHD, I can't help it" Ugh. I feel so alone but I know that I am not here on this forum.
You might like to hear that guanfacine (generic of Tenex) helped increase my child's appetite a bit. He went from eating no lunch to a small lunch. For general info., it's a blood pressure medication that has been found to be helpful with controlling impulsivity and hyperactivity. It doesn't help much for attention issues.Thanks everyone for the replies. I am not sure what Tenex is but I will be looking it up. I do not think we are rebounding, DS did that with the Ritalin. The afternoon is when he eats A WHOLE BUNCH. I let him eat another meal after dinner just to get nutrients in him. He has grown over four inches in a year but no weight gain. I just have been very relunctant to put him on another medication. Thanks guys!I've also been reluctant about putting my son on another med. Your story seems to be very similar to mine. I have hopes that as he grows more mature, these episodes will get smoother and will eventually stop. It is difficult, but I am just hanging there with it. I have tried natural stuff like valerian root extract, but I think it hasn't done anything. Melatonin used to be a good aid to get him to sleep at the right time and also calmed him a little bit. But with time I have gone with the idea of giving him less meds, including the natural ones. Currently I am still on a meds break due to weight issues but once he goes back to Concerta I will decide whether to use Melatonin again only for the first weeks.
We use Tenex in conjunction with Concerta and has made our evenings generally better. Not nearly as wild and bouncing off the walls has she used to be. It takes the edge off. Clonidine is more sedating than Tenex.
Thanks Diane. I think that is what we need to hear more of: the positive stories. Appreciate this website so much. Parenting an ADHD is the hardest thing I have done in my life. I live in so much doubt it causes a life of pessimism. I know the positive stories make me look at DS with more hope than doubt. God Bless ya'llWE have been having HORRIBLE nights with our 9 yo. Last night he went
until 11:50. No behavior management technique, that work fine during
the day, have the slightest impact. And then the next day he sobs about
the consequences he has to deal with. The clonodine the doc
recommended does nothing at all. We give him Magnesium as a natural
relaxant but it isn't enough anymore. Thankfully tonight he was asleep by
8:30- tomorrow is the first day of school. I honestly don't know how he
has been surviving on 6-7 hours of sleep. I have been dragging as I can't
go to bed until he is asleep- his judgement is way too poor and he does
some very dangerous things unless supervised. Many nights the only way
to keep him in bed is to restrain him, and that just makes things worse. I
know I need to chat with the doc and his therapist this week. This can not
go on.
Have you considered occupational therapy techniques to calm your child? There are actions you can do at home, like joint compressions, back rubs, long hot showers, weighted blankets or deep pressure vests, bowling, and the like. I am saving up to purchase a spandex body sling for my 9 yr old (check out abilitations.com) because when he tried it out with his OT, he was so relaxed. There are non-drug remedies that help children self regulate. Plus, thank goodness for clonidine.
Ok guys--today was the first day of school. It was bad. Hubby caught DS up at 11pm last night watching TV and eating yogurt. So this AM he did not want to get up, he bitched and moaned about it. I had to keep telling him to quit stalling, brush his teeth and hair and eat. He wasn't hungrey he said then he decides to get hungry fifteen minutes before we leave. AAARRGGGHHH
Not a good way to start your first day of school. Not for him, me, his sister who his ticked off by yelling at her.......
We go to doctor for beginning of school checkup today. We are going to discuss pm meds. I can't keep doing this. He is always remorseful later and he does not need this to keep happening either. It is just one more thing he feels like he has to feel guilty about.
Hope everyone else had a good day!!
Yes. I fully understand that cycle of terrible behavior at night and thenterrible guilt and remorse the next day. Also I think it must be terrifying to
feel so out of control and know what bad decisions one made. It breaks my
heart to watch the whole thing. Not that it doesn't drive me crazy at night
and I want to go to bed and he is behaving like a lunatic. Any, I just wanted
to say that I hear and understand your frustration and compassion.
Jon now 9 y/o had terrible rebound in the afternoons and was off the wall in the evenings. Unfortunately he was misdx's and ended up hospitalized after the new meds caused him to try to constantly kill himself. When we finally got him to the children's hospital in Miami he was taken off all meds and rediagnosed as ADHD and put on MINIMAL focalin plus risperadol in the evenings. We will NOT go up on the meds- we will switch to adderal and when that needs to be upped we will go back to the focalin.
So far on the 15mg's of focalin AM and 5mg if he needs it at 1 or 2pm he has been doing great and is eating and growing (went from a size 3 shoe two months ago to a size 5).
The doctors in Miami give benedryl to calm down the children when they get out of control. One of the doctors told me it was the safest of the meds to give. So Jon gets benedryl at night not only for his allergies but it helps him get to sleep.
Hope this helps. BTW VERYIMPORTANT!!!!!!! When your child is in rebound a lot of doctors think 'Bipolar' when this is not the case at all. Be careful of having doctors overmedicate your child.
[QUOTE=HorseMom]We use Tenex in conjunction with Concerta and has made our evenings generally better. Not nearly as wild and bouncing off the walls has she used to be. It takes the edge off. Clonidine is more sedating than Tenex. [/QUOTE]
This is what my dd is like around 6pm everyday. She is on Concerta and it is so hard for her. Of course us too.
Oh I feel for you. I agree other parents have NO idea what it is like in the evenings to have an ADHD child coming off meds. Some days are definitly worse than others. I hope you find something that works. My son is 12 and not every night is the same. Good luck
Clonidine and Tenex are both similar. Clonidine is more sedating of the two.
Well, we went to doctor yesterday. DS has grown one inch and five pounds. Yay!!!!!!!! Doc not really wanting to put DS on meds but he did say that the clonodine would probably be best and he was more familiar with it than the tenex. I need some info on the clonodine by parents like side effects, how long it takes to work etc. We did not get the prescription yet, I wanted to talk to hubby about it. It is a go.
Weird thing, last night DS went to sleep very quickly but woke up several times with bad dreams and walking around crying.....Do not know what to think about that. Hope everyone else had a good first day of school!!!!!!!
Clonidine doesn't work at all for my 9 year old. He takes Tenex .5 mg twiceduring the day and it helps behavior and sensory stuff a lot.
DS woke up the night before the beginning of school- about 12:30. I think
that anxiety is pretty normal for all kids and a bit more for our kids and
social skills and academic focus can be so challenging.
Hope the Clonidine works!
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