what do I do now? | ADHD Information

Eash person responds to medication differently so unfortunately one can't make comparisons. Clearly, your not really seeing any benefit at the lower dose so the next step should be switiching the med. Its very rare that the right med and dose is found right away. There are alot of different ADHD meds to choose from and for most people at least two or three meds are tried before the right one is found so try not to get discouraged. The child should see maximum benefit and minimal side effects in order for the med to be considered effective. On effective medication you should see a real significant difference. I know the meds are costly and most people certainly can't afford to pay out of pocket Are there any other ADHD meds besides Vyvanse covered under your insurance?

I would try another med, unless you think an increase would do the trick.

Call the doctor and tell them what is happening.

I would try concerta since it is in the ritalin family. He may need a higher dose. When my son was 7 he leveled off at 72mgs for over 3 years. Then when he was 10, we went to 90, where he currently is.

Remember the reason we have the meds is to make our children successful during the day. If it isn't working then we have to fix it - aka - either up the dose or change meds. there is one out there for her, it just takes some time to get there!

We also use guanfacine, it helps with anxiety,  overstimulation, impulsiveness, and I think any rebound.

It took us a good 6 months to find the right med, then the right dose, but it was worth it!! 

Post any questions so that we may be of help.

BETHANN39786.9871990741Hi,

Yes, this whole situation is pretty new to us. He only started taking meds a couple of months ago.   I think my insurance covers adderall XR and maybe even Concerta.  We see a developmental behavorial pediatrician every couple of months.  Our next appointment is next week.  I will see what he thinks about another medication.  I can say that Vyvanse at 30 was definitely too much.  My husband wants him on the lowest possible dose that is effective and we get into 'discussions' about what to do.  He is not the one home with our son after school and into evening when all the craziness is happening.  He arrives home after we have all sort of calmed down a bit so naturally he thinks "whats the problem here?"  I of course want to scream at that point! 
Thanks so much for the replies.  They all help...it is nice to have support out there!

how is your son on weekends when your husband is around?

There is definetely something out there to help your son be successful. I bet the insurance covers BOTH adderall xr & concerta.

Our son is 11 1/2 now, BUT, in the morning when the meds haven't kicked in, he is silly, goofy, immature, ridiculous, etc. Then once the meds take affect, my son appears. His adhd gets in the way of showing his real self.

He is mature, responsible, polite, compassionate, sensitive, etc. Don't get me wrong, he is all these things all the time, but that darn ADHD gets in the way and makes him impulsive, hyper, etc. so he doesn't show his real self until his meds kick in.

Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing!!

We have only been on the lower dose of Vyvanse a short time.  My husband has been working the past couple of weekends and not seen our son during the day.  That is why it is so frustrating. It is difficult to describe to him.  When you describe your son in the morning that is exactly what is going on here!  He will be seven next month and cannot even get dressed himself in the morning or it wouldn't happen at all!  We are going to ask the doctor about an alternative med.  Thanks!

have you ever just put out his clothes and had him dress himself? that is what i STILL do! i help with socks sometimes, and used to tie shoes up until a year ago. my son has sensory integration so proprioceptive was and has been an issue. he now ties laces, but not tight and does everything else. i do pick out the clothes still.

try putting the clothes out and see what happens!!

maybe try putting some on and having him put some on!

My DS now 10, has tried both FocalinXR and Vyvanse with no luck from either. Tomorrow he dtarts Concerta 18 mg. I would like to have the tenex with it for rebound and mornings but our doc is very conservative and does not want to try that yet.I am hoping that works soon.Hello,

My almost 7 year old son was on Vyvanse 30mg but it seemed to be too much.  He was too 'flat' if you know what i mean.  No smiles, very poor appetite and just not himself.  The doctor gave us an Rx for 20 mg. I definitely see a difference, but it isn't enough.  His teacher told me that today he had trouble staying in his seat and was talking when he wasn't supposed to, but said to 'let it go'.  She herself has ADHD and understands what we are going through.  If that was the only problem it would be ok, but he  talks back terribly and just has a bad attitude.  He is not nice to his little brother who worships him.
We have a meeting with his doctor next week but I honestly don't know what we are going to do.  Matt was originally on Focalin the first month and that seemed ok, but we switched because Vyvanse is long acting and our insurance covers it.  The Focalin is not covered and is very expensive. 
Has anyone had better experiences with other meds?  Any input or support would be greatly appreciated!



Hey,

We got lucky and had a medication work pretty well right off the bat (we didn't have to switch around, thank heavens, though we expected we might). We use Metadate ER 20 mg, generic (started off with 10). DS has primarily hyper subtype, so it works well for us.

Dee
Sound like Vyvance might not be right for him.   If Focalin was ok,  you could also try Concerta.

LOL about the difficulties getting these kids to dress.  My child can't get dressed in the morning until his ADHD meds kick in.  We've actually backed up by 15 minutes when he takes them b/c it had been too stressful trying to get out the door on time.  W/ taking his meds 15 minutes earlier, we're no longer having any problems w/ being ready on time!

Back to the OP's post.  Re your meds situation, I would definitely see which methylphenidate meds are covered by your insurance.  Vyvanse is an amphetamine, but Focalin is a methylphenidate drug.  Be warned that, even within the same drug family, a person can have different reactions.  My child was too flat on both Focalin XR and Concerta, but he's doing great on Metadate CD.  They're all methylphenidate drugs.

I think a uniform would have been hard at that age for my son as well.

He started getting better about dressing himself probably around 9-10. He started wanting his privacy, which makes sense. Your's will too. He is still young.

I helped my daughter get dressed for school until the start of this school year.   She is now in 6th grade (12 next month) and is finally getting herself ready on her own.   Some of it is she has matured and some of it is privacy.   The other really big thing for her is actually sleeping in her OWN room as long as she has the dog in her room or I am also upstairs in my room.

Makes sense!! Good for your daughter. Maturity I think has so much to do with it for my son as well!!

Gosh we have tried so many meds, it really is a case by case thing. Ashley is on 30 mg Vyvanse and .50 mg of Riperdal (an anti-psychotic med) per day. But we have tried others including Adderall, Straterra, Clonodine, Tenex, Daytrana etc. Its not only a matter of finding the right pill but then the right dosage, as they could be on a pill but the totally wrong dosage for it, kwim? Its so frustrating. I do hope you find something soon, I know most of us can relate to the "meds game" for our kids- its no fun for anyone involved. Best of luck to you!

Tina
As far as my son getting dressed on his own, we have tried putting his clothes out and having him dress himself.  If it is pull on shorts and a T shirt he will do it.  His uniform for school however is another story.  He has to button, and tuck and put on a belt.  My husband tried yesterday morning and only got frustrated because it was getting late, even though we left him with plenty of time.  He is still very young at 6 so I think down the road it will come. 

I am wondering what suggestions the doctor will have regarding the medication.   We have to find a happy medium between effectiveness and side effects.  I want a child who is a child, happy and smiling sometimes, not a morose, down child.  That is what we were getting with Vyvanse. 


Put a med diary on the desktop of your computer and make bulleted notes.

That way, it keeps track of behaviour, wear offs, etc. easily and quickly and accurately.

You can take it to the doc and wow them
I would track times of day when you're seeing different things.  If homework is a challenge, that might be an issue that it's worn off too much by late afternoon.  For that, maybe a booster dose would be needed.  If the meds seem to be working right in the morning after they kick in and in the early afternoon, then the med. is probably the right med. and the right dosage.We are going to see the doctor tomorrow afternoon.  I am not expecting a miracle solution but I hope we can get some clarification.  There are times when I look at my son (who has been taking Vyvanse 20mg for the past couple of weeks) and think, "he's fine on this and doesn't need more" and there are times when I am absolutely sure he needs more.  It is so frustrating!  Homework is a challenge. That tells me something...
Thank you all for your input!  The med diary is a good idea.  We visit the doc tomorrow.  I will let you all know... Keep us posted on your news tomorrow

Yes, let us know how you all do.

We see a pschopharmocologist and pay out of pocket. We just do it because these meds can be so tricky and there are so many things that people can do but not all doctors know.

He is a specialist in the field and really knows his stuff. Our pediatrician referred us and told us that he was only there to help our children when they are sick, or in pain, need help with broken bones, and physicals, etc., but they are NOT ADHD specialists, and it is true!!

Best wishes!!

We saw the developmental behavioral pediatrician today.  We all agreed that our son should stay on the Vyvanse for now.  He seems to be adjusting well and his teacher says he is doing fine.  If we feel that 20 is not enough but 30 mg is too much we have the option of adding 2-5 mg. by dissolving a 30 mg tablet in 30 mls of water and giving 2-5 mls of that via a dropper.  I am not planning on that unless absolutely necessary. We will see how it goes..... Good to see some improvement... Good to hear the report. Please let us know if you need us, we are always here!!