Do Medications just stop working?

I'm so distressed. We have been getting phone calls all week by the teacher about DS's behavior. It seems from the time he enters the classroom to the time he leaves he is as impulsive and hyperactive (silly, hands waving, argumentative, disruptive) as he is off of medications. He is currently on 30 mg. of Vyvanse and is about to be 6 yrs. We have seen the medication reduce to being effective for only 3-4 hours (it's supposed to last 10-12). But do medications just stop working entirely? I can't tell that he's made a huge growth spurt.

We saw the same thing with Focalin XR. The medicine worked great, then it didn't. There was hardly any in between time to get used to the medication losing effectiveness. Doctor told us he metabolizes meds quickly. Is this our future? Will he metabolize all meds. fast? I'm so discouraged.

Technically medications aren't "supposed" to just stop working. I call it
"pooping out." I've had several different meds poop out on me, though most
of them were antidepressants, anti-psychotics or some other form of a
mood stabilizer. It happens, it's common, and it sucks.

Honestly, this is likely to be your future, at least until your son has
completed puberty and his brain is developed. Rapid changes are part of the
developing body, whether or not you can see it on the outside, so naturally
one thing is not going to work forever.

Good luck, be patient, and I do hope you'll find the right med(s) and dosages
to help your son. :)

Your son is going through the very same thing with the same meds as my guy did. He has a very fast metabolism and is burning the meds off quickly. Additionally, he is gaining weight and physically maturing on almost a daily basis. So you need to come to grips with the fact that 'drug stability is a transient state for an adolecent.' Therefore, if you can maintain stability for 3 to 4 months, celebrate!

It is not unusal to have to introduce a noon time dosing of an XR (extended release - long lasting) med.

The challenge is as you increase the amount of amphamine in his body to deal with the focus, he will start displaying more agitated behavior in the late afternoon and/or side effects such as tics, sleeplessness or diminished appetite.

Then you have to start giving meds to reduce the agitation and other meds to reduce the tics. The trick of course is striking a balance with the right meds to where he has 'reasonable' focus with minimal side effects while still retaining his warmth. Yes, it's a balancing act and one that as a parent is difficult to perform. We all hate giving our child meds because we don't know what the long term effects will be; but the alternative is also disconcerning.

What works for my guy may not necessarily work for yours but I will share a couple of suggestions. There are many different types of amphamines that can be prescribed for focus. Besides the two you've already tried there are also Ritalin, Concerta, Dexedrime to name a few. They all work on the same part of the brain with different results and side effects; you still have room to play there. The other tack your doctor may want to choose is Strattera which acts a different part of the brain then amphamines.

Again, don't be discourage and more important be patient. Your child is probably as frustrated as you but isn't old enough to express it in an acceptable manner. Also, make sure that you are in constant communications with his teacher (we pick our guy up at the classroom door at the end of everyday so that we can touch base with the teacher).

Good luck and please keep us posted.

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