Introducing myself | ADHD Information

Greetings and welcome!

My dd is also on Metadate CD 30 mgs. It is not based on weight. (Dd is
42 lbs and is 6 yrs old). I understand you being nervous, but for us, this
med works beautifully. Jillian did complain of headaches and an upset
stomach for a few days, but those side effects went away, and she is fine.
I know that many people try several meds before finding the right one,
but we got lucky as the Met was the first one we tried.

Jillian started out at 10 mgs for a few weeks, then went to 20 until last
winter when we upped it to 30mgs. She has been on it since
kindergarten started and is now in first grade and doing very well. Your
son may react differently than Jillian did, but I would watch out for
headaches and belly aches. You feel horrible watching them go through
this, but it goes away and the results are worth it. I would keep in close
touch with his teacher to gauge how the meds are working for him. Good
luck!       


Thank you!  He called today with a tummy ache but I told him to eat his lunch and made him stick it out at school.  He also said he was dizzy.  I hope he feels better as the days go on.  My knee jerk reaction of course was a mother's reaction to go get him and take him home, but I hope to wait it out, hopefully if he eats a large breakfast that will help.

Hi,

Both my children have ADHD and struggle in different ways. My ds is monitored by a psychiatrist who starts all children on the lowest dose because he believes that it has fewer side effects. And of course may need to be adjusted up from there. My dd is monitored by a ped. doc and her doc always starts with the dose she feels will be the ultimate sucessful dose. I agree more with my ds doc because in my little pea brain I process it like if I never had caffeine and drank 3 strong cups how would I feel? But, if I slowly got used to caffeine and worked my way up to 3 strong cups the effects would be less.

I have to add that both my children have had great sucess with the meds.

 

Hello!  I'm from Colorado, and my son is 8.  He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 6, started on Concerta and had a HORRIBLE reaction to it.  It scared me.  I tried the "natural" route with fish oils, etc.  We have lasted until now.  He is falling behind in school, struggling to keep up, and I can see he is really crawling in his own skin.  We start Metadate CD 30mg today.  Hence why I am up at 5am.  I am nervous.  Nervous that the dosage is too high.  He weighs 70 lbs. but I see the recommending starting dosage is 20. 

Any input how he may react today on his first day?  THANKS!

I hope your ds felt better as the day went on! My dd used to complain of
dizziness, too, and it got better. One thing I forgot to mention was
decreased appetite at lunch time. You may notice this, too, but your ds will
get his appetite back by dinner. (I let Jillian graze whenever she feels like it
within reason to make up for a skimpy lunch. Keeping weight on is a
challenge.)

I hope you guys have a good week. I know all of this is hard, but with the
right meds, your little guy will do great.   Welcome terrioo21 :) As chinamom stated, stimulant medications are not based on weight. Medication and dose are very individual and that is why the patient is put through a trial of medication. The medication most suited to the individual is based on the metabolic rate of absorption and individual reaction. As long as your child's med's are being managed by a physician with the proper expertise there is no need to panic. Not too long after the dose has worn off the medication flushes right out of the system. It is medical protocol to start the patient at the lowest dose initially because as I mentioned, response is individual. The goal is maximum benefit, minimum side effects at the lowest dose possible. Once your child is on the right medication for him at the target dose things improve drastically. Sometimes it takes trying a few med's to get it right. Hang in there Luvmykids0239770.8332407407