Concerta switched to Adderall .....HELP | ADHD Information

My son is 10 years old and weights about 62lbs. He has been on concerta for 3 years with great results. They started him on 18mg and had to up the dosage gradually til he was taking 54mg. Now he is having trouble again at school. So I took him back to his DR and they have put him on Adderall 20mg to start with. It didn't help at all so they gave him Adderall 25mg in the morning and Focalin 10mgs in the evening. This hasn't helped. When he takes the Focalin 10mg it seems to work better than Adderall but not near as well as Concerta 54mg did.  I'm total at a lose of what to try next. He is staying very upset because his grades are dropping fast. An as of last week is only sleeping about 4 to 5 hours a nite. One nite he didn't sleep at all. He is worring himself and me to death. Has someone got any advice on what to try next. Should I ask for him to be put back on Concerta 72mg or something different altogether. I don't like the idea of such a high dose. But he can't keep going like this. HELP>>>Please?Whoa, slow down

How long does focalin need to get into the body?What are the possible results of putting him on a larger dose of Concerta?Did he have a "drug rest" between changing meds?When did his medication change? Weeks ago? Months ago?
Concert and Focalin are both the same "family" of meds, methylphedinate, whereas Adderall, DEXTROAMPHETAMINE, is a different "family". Maybe he just responds better to meds in the methylphedinate family. My daughter struggled with insomnia with Adderall also. My son also has taken FocalinXR with horible results. We then went to Vyvanse which was great for 1 year and then he could no longer tolerate it. So now we are getting ready to try Concerta. He starts tommorrow and I hope this works although I am a little worried about his sleep and eating something that Vyvanse didn't affect. Also the rebound issues. You are not alone in this as you can see others are struggling with the same thing.Well you're not alone around here

Sounds as if you can get the sleep thing better controlled the rest will fall into place.

And yes, the most commonly prescribed medication for an ADHD parent IS:
A romantic steak dinner with wineScotch for dessert.
Keep us posted!

Hello and thank you for your replies.

 

How long does focalin need to get into the body? Quickly  What are the possible results of putting him on a larger dose of Concerta?  His Dr. thought he had built up a tolerance to the Concerta. That's why the meds  were changed. Did he have a "drug rest" between changing meds? No When did his medication change? Weeks ago? Months ago? 2 Months ago

His Dr. has now changed his meds to Focalin xr 20mg. It seem to be working better than the Adderall. But I think he may still need to be increased a little. He is also being sent to have a sleep study done. His Dr. thinks that his lack of sleep may be a key issue in his school work. An if it  we may be able to lower his meds. I hope that we are not chasing our own tails with the sleep study. But I don't see how it could hurt to try. I would love to be able to lower his meds. I was one of those mom's who tried everything before I would allow him to be medicated. I'm sorry if I seem to run on and on about all this but it so wonderful to find other Parents that have the same issue. I have felt so alone in all this for so long. Some times I thought I was the who needed to be medicated. 

But thank you both so very much!