Med Breaks on Weekends | ADHD Information

Mom - med vacations big (weeks) or small (weekends) are usually intended to rest the body if the meds are taxing.  Not every child/adult on meds for ADHD feels this surge/crash of energy.  For these people a vacation may not even be required.  Over the years on the site I have seen that many parents have endorsed taking meds on the weekends as although there's no focus for classes needed it keeps things at home as consistent as if at school.  Even social situations can be helped by the anchoring effect of meds.  I know that looking back at childhood I can see that the focus and calm that meds give me today would have been equally welcome while with my friends and parents.

If you are worried about either the meds ceasing being effective at the present dose or the tiring effect of being on meds constantly perhaps discuss with your caregiver the vacation that I take - one every 3 to 6 months?  This allows a weaning off of the meds and a refreshing of the effect.  Usually children who are given this option take the time during summer or winter holidays and for a week or two.  The amount of time I would assume would be dependent on the person and med being taken.  I know that Concerta is well tolerated over the long-term and I personally know a young man in his early teens who has not taken a med vacation ever (on his caregiver's suggestion) due to severe ADHD and has no apparent effect of this.  His dosage has had to be adjusted a few times over the last few years but is still relatively low and tolerable by all.

Vacations are merely one tool.  Don't think it's the only method and be proactive by discussing the meds and options often with your caregiver(s)!!

Hope you had a great summer and best wishes for the school year for you and yours!
Thanks, GlenW. Very helpful post. I think my fears are twofold: that the med effects will wear off (as you note) as well as the possibility they can cause growth issues (although my son still eats pretty well and has consistently been in the 95% range pre meds, with no drop off of that yet). I think we may need to keep on the meds on the weekends (as MrsRed also suggested), then try breaks when we have longer periods of time, like winter or summer. Appreciate the insights! 

MominKC,

   We have used concerta continuously for over 7 yrs.  We don't give med breaks.  We have found that adhd is a life difficulty and not just an academic one.  [dh, myself and 2 of our children are adhd.  4 of my grandchildren are adhd]

That said, my child was a skinny one.  He did have difficulty with lack of appetite. I pushed heavier breakfasts[before the med kicked in] and a med. supper and evening snack.  We found that he really wasn't much interested in lunch so we opted for gogurts, etc. Nourishing ,but not a lot to eat.

 Being a boy, he stayed one size for about 2 yrs.  As you know, kids grow in spurts.  Last year he grew over 6 inches in les than 4 months.  He is still tall and slender but gaining  a couple of pounds here and there. [5'10" and 122 lbs]  His doctor is not worried and he is as healthy as a horse.

 On the occasions when he has forgotten to take his meds, he gets antsy and argumentative.  Now that he is older and can tell me how he feels, he says that being off his meds is way too frustrating.  He doesn't like the feeling being off his meds gives him. [more out of control]

  He does have a low dose of focalin to take for rebound as needed. We use it very rarely.

 The studies that I have read on the growth issues show that though some kids do slow down growing for a while, they catch up to the others as they get older. [teens]

Thanks Grannyfran. How long does the Focalin last? Did you ever have issues of being able to fall asleep with it? We've been OK most days on rebound, although some have been better than others. Nothing we can't deal with ... but son is starting flag football this week. (Two days of practice - a lot in my opinion.) I'm hoping the practice gets the energy out of him so he won't need anything. Just curious about the Focalin in case we do need somethign for later in the day/rebound.  Thanks again!

My own opinon is .....why not give it to him on the weekends ? If the meds help him control his impulsivity and other behaviours why not give him the support to help calm the hyperness and the abilities to make good choices.  It could help make weekends a little less stressful. My son asks for his meds first thing in the morning.  That's my 2 cents worth

Hi, all. We recently moved from 4-hour Ritalin to Concerta so son would have coverage for all-day kindergarten. Over the summer, we only used the Ritalin when he needed it -- t-ball game, birthday party, anything else with a lot of stimulation. Now that he's in school, he takes the Concerta Monday - Friday and has been doing well on it for the most part. This past weekend we did not give him meds, hoping to follow the "as needed" approach we took during the summer. I don't know if it's because he had all-day meds five days in a row in his system, but the weekend was difficult without meds. He was crabby and difficult to deal with, as well as more hyper than he usually is even without meds altogether. His rebound in the evenings on school days wasn't too bad, so I'm wondering why the weekend was such a struggle. It's making us think we should do meds all the time, even though I really wanted to do breaks for his system. (BTW, I don't need med breaks for eating as he's still a good eater regardless [which also makes me wonder reading everyone elses posts]; just wanted to limit any growth issues as much as possible.) Anyone have a similar experience?