here we go again | ADHD Information
My son has a prescription for 30 mg of Vyvanse. He's going to start takingit this Saturday. I'll keep you posted.Good luck!
That's the dose my son has been on for 2months now and it's DONE WONDERS!! You've read my posts about his progress with school and reading and know that it's greatly helped my son. I hope it does the same for yours!
BE FOREWARNED ..... My son had EXTREME passiveness the first week on this med. He didn't really talk much at all (this is a kid who normally never shuts up!) for the first few days and even past that, he didn't talk as much as he normally did. He just seemed like he exsisted, but that was it, there was no "light on", though the teacher did notice positive changes right away. My son also threw up every morning he didn't eat something with this med (initially, now he takes it and goes on to school .. he HATES to eat breakfast and I'm lucky to get chocolate milk down him in the AMs) but that wore off after a few days. He doesn't eat much the first half of the day but when he gets home from school I can't stop him; he eats probably a day's worth of nutrition from the time he gets home until he goes to bed LOL! and he's STILL a skinny little guy! (barely 43lbs @ almost 7). But the weight thing for my son, has always been an issue, with or without meds. That's just him.
After the first week, his personality came shining through and he was back to his normal talkative (though not to the point of annoying) self and seemed like he was back to normal, just without the behavior issues, etc.
We still get the 'tude once in a while but not nearly as bad as it was prior to meds. He can control it better now and even HE says he feels better when the meds are working. We've explained to him that when the meds wear off, HE HAS to work EXTRA hard to be able to control his behavior and impulses so as not to get into trouble, and he has done pretty well.
I don't know about Corrina's son's doctor but *MY* son's doctor started my son at the 30mg dose as well. His reasoning was to have room to move the dosage up OR down if we needed to. I was a little leary (as my son is on the small side to begin with) but the side effects we initially had (upset stomach, weight loss, extreme passiveness, etc....) have gone away and we had our bright, energetic, incredibly social kid back within a week and at that point, the meds were doing their job.
It's literally like we have the exact same kid now, that we did prior to meds except a total turn-around in behavior/attitude and performance in school.
Thanks for letting me know!
Actually, I think I wouldn't mind a mellower version of my son for a little
while...
LOL I SOOO hear ya!!!
Lord! He has been an unbelievable chatterbox today! I think he's a bit tired.
I'm really glad I started this med on the weekend - I wouldn't have wanted to
put the school through this again.
My son is on Dexedrin 5mg. once a day. He is an extreme chatterbox too. This helps him to get thru school (Kindergarten) without being in trouble everyday for TALKING. He was already doing great academically, but now he is really excelling...
I struggled to medicate him, but now I glad I did. He seems much happier, especially because he is not getting frowny faces EVERY DAY.
He's only been on this does for a week and it's is working wonders. He began with a 1/2 tab, which done nothing for him....
I love great stories about our little guys/girls. But, I wonder why the male gender is more affected then the female 
Now, my son has had a terrible week. On Wednesday he got punched in
the nose by a kid 3 years older than him who was trying to shake him
down for his Nintendo DS!!! (How sick am I to have been relieved to get a
call from the Vice Principal about something my son didn't instigate?)
Thursday I kept him home and took him to the doctor for his new script
and to make sure his nose wasn't broken (thankfully it's not). Friday he
went to school, raised holy heck, and hit his SPED teacher! It was a tap,
but still, I hate to see what the fallout from that is going to be.
So he had a crazy week and was already exhausted.
This morning after he took his pill he literally cried and screamed for
almost 3 hours. He was basically being an exhausted spoiled brat who
wasn't happy about not getting his way. I tend to think that was more
about being tired and stressed than the pill. We'll see tomorrow (oh, God,
I hope that's all it was about - I don't think I can take another day like
today!)
Then for the next couple of hours he wouldn't shut up. I mean he
couldn't shut up. I have never, ever heard him talk so much, and he's a
talkative kid. If that's due to the meds, we're in trouble.
Then he played computer games for a while - nice and quiet - and then
went out to play - I could hear him in the house. He was playing with a
neighbor boy, and he was just louder than you could imagine.
Then he watched a movie. Fairly quiet there, but still wanted to talk more
than he should have.
Then, because he was winding himself up and this kid needs to sleep, I
gave him a dose of melatonin. He had that over 2 hours ago. I've heard
him singing to himself, talking to himself. Every half an hour or so he
comes out for one reason or another. He looks horrible. His eyes are
glassy, he has deep circles under his eyes, his cheeks are flaming red. He
is so tired, but he's stubborn, and he won't sleep. I'm going to be lucky if
he falls asleep before midnight.
All I keep thinking is what are we going to do when he goes to school
Monday? I was going to wait to start the new meds on February break,
but with this hitting, I didn't want to give him another week to get
expelled. And I can totally see why his doctor recommended waiting until
the weekend.
So how long does it take for meds to take effect? Two, three weeks?
Think I can hold out that long?
See, I usually don't see this side of him. This is what the school has been
dealing with, not me. The kid is bringing me down majorly.
But, tomorrow is another day. If he gets some solid rest tonight he might
be a whole new kid tomorrow. I'll just keep focusing on that - maybe I
can pretend today was nothing more than a nightmare.I think what you're seeing is an exhausted kid who seriously needs some SLEEP.
It took us a week to get rid of the unpleasant side effects (vomitting, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, etc....) and it took us 2weeks to really see HOW the meds were going to work for him. But, and the end of those 2weeks, my son's progress report came home and it was a COMPLETE turn-around for him.
I actually kept mine home for 2 days after he started the meds (on a Wednesday for my kiddo.... he got sent home Thursday for throwing up @ school and I kept him home on Friday). I would consider keeping him home on Mon & Tue (if you can) to allow him a couple of extra days to adjust to the meds AND to get some good, solid sleep hopefully.
HTH! and good luck!
I need some serious sleep too! I haven't heard him for about 15 mins.
I'm hoping that means he conked out.
Luckily he hasn't vomited. Getting him to eat today was a job and a half
though. His grandfather took him out for lunch today (during the
talkative time) and was very upset he wouldn't eat. He ate like 2 bites of a
burger and maybe 4 french fries. He took it home and he did eat it (with
me pestering him for every bite) by 4 o'clock.
This is a royal pain! But that is a good idea about keeping him home.
Except that he is definitely the type to take advantage of it. He has a
secondary issue of being gifted and hugely underchallenged in school -
he's reading and comprehending books at the 8th grade level and he's in
the 2nd grade - so school is boring and if he can come up with a way out
of it he will try to mine it.
I'm getting to the point that I second guess everything. I've decided that
means I'm on the right track - it's always darkest before dawn, right?
Thanks for the well wishes! We so need them! LOLToday was better. Much, much better.
Last night he woke up I think 4 times and got up for the day at the crack
of dawn, so I'm sure he's still tired. He ate okay - better than yesterday
(it appears my standards have already shifted) maybe a quarter of what I
would normally expect of him. But about a half hour ago he wanted to
eat an apple, which of course I let him. I think I might plan on him having
4 "meals" a day, and give him a substantial snack right before he goes to
bed.
What really impressed me was how he did his homework. In the past, he
did his homework really well for me. Then, he stopped - it was among
the proofs that he needed medication. Well, tonight he was finishing up
and he just went right zipping through it. Another thing that seems to be
affected is his homework ritual, which I thought was charming, but I don't
think it will work anymore. I used to read him a novel while he was doing
his work. It kept him on task and he worked better and faster that way.
Tonight he stopped and paid attention to my reading. Now, his teacher is
going to love that - but I'm going to miss reading and listening to his
pencil scratching alongside me.
But, considering, I think this med is a keeper. We'll see tomorrow how he
does in school.Hi, and welcome!
My son doesn't take special ed classes. He's in his regular classroom and
has an ed tech. He goes to the special ed room before and after school
because transitions are difficult. He basically gets a pep talk in the
morning, and then he's at the room for about a half a hour at the end of
day to check in. Basically he thinks of the special ed room as party
central - he's eligible for daily rewards.
My son's school came up with a super complicated system when I insisted
they document his positive behaviors, I think because they expected it to
fail, but it actually worked so well that they're doing it with other kids
now, I think they're up to 14 kids.
He gets a daily table with each half hour listed (up to 13 each day) and
the teacher records his compliance on a scale of 0 - 6. 6 means perfect
behavior - at first I didn't think that was even possible, and it was setting
him up for failure, but even without medication he got to the point that
he was getting a lot of 6's. 5 means one, reminder, 4 means 2, and on
down the line. He gets a 0 if he is actively defiant or disrespectful to the
teacher or students.
If he gets a 0 at the end of the day he has to sit with his head down on the
table for 2 minutes. It rarely happens. It works because his teacher
doesn't have to discipline him, so he isn't targeted in front of his
classmates and he doesn't miss a lesson.
For every 5 or 6 he gets a sticker. They keep the charts in his special ed
room. He can "buy" a small toy for 50 stickers or for 80 stickers (get
this!) 5 minutes to play on the school's Wii. (They got it to help kids with
mobility problems - and it's tremendously effective as a therapy tool -
and they also use it to reward kids - I think every school should have
one.) He also gets free Wii time if he gets all 6's in a day.
He's also been getting 6+'s, which means 2 stickers. I'm not sure what he
does to get them - obviously perfect behavior, and he must either help
another student or request help with focusing or talk himself down from
impulsive behavior. He has exceeded the daily maximum number of
stickers, which is 20. It really works well for him.
Outside of the special ed work, which is dealing directly with his ADHD,
he's in an Enrichment program, which is extra work units. He's done
math (doing basic algebra in the 1st grade! That blew my mind!) and
science. He would do reading, but he gets frustrated, and writing, but he
needs a scribe. Additionally his school has an after school program called
Mad Science, where kids do experiments. Again, that has nothing to do
with special ed or ADHD, and we pay for it.
one more question.
you said:
If he gets a 0 at the end of the day he has to sit with his head down on the
table for 2 minutes. It rarely happens. It works because his teacher
doesn't have to discipline him, so he isn't targeted in front of his
classmates and he doesn't miss a lesson.
how does this happen, does he put his head down the last few minutes of class in the special ed room you say he goes to not in front of his peers? or does he put his head down in the class when it happens? and what do you mean when you say it works because his teacher doesn't have to disciple him?
I'm just wondering because I'm not sure how our teacher can discipline my son appropriately, I would like to suggest some things to her in our meeting today but I for the life of my can not think. I know what I don't want , like missed recess unless he breaks a rule at recess, not for incomplete work. I don't want him to miss class parties, unless he breaks a rule during the party, but I don't want it to be like it is now where she makes him earn it to participate in the party. but if he breaks a rule during the party, then what I'm ok with him missing it, but what would she do, make him put his head down, just not give him a 6 or whatever and let him keep participating?
I think the plan you have here sounds excellent!
Corrina I'm so happy to read your good experience with your sons meds. As we are just getting to the point this week to get them.
I am curious about a few things, mainly because your son sounds a bit like mine. My son is very under challenged in school, he's in first grade and reads over a 4th grade level and other subjects and learning seem to just come natural for him. Anyway I was curious what your son does in the special ed class as he seems to be above the 2nd grade level you say he's in.
Also would you mind to go into detail about the behavior and rewards system that your son does in school (you mentioned stickers)? I'm happy with our system to a point but I think I would like to make a few changes to my son's and am always interested in hearing about others.
yoiu can PM me if you would rather not post here all the details.
THanks so much!
Good luck! I hope it works out.
I'm curious why the dr. chose to start at 30 mg. Isn't 20 mg the lowest dose of Vyvanse? My child's dr. likes to start a new med. at the lowest dose and slowly work up to a therapeutic dose. The slow increase is b/c, if there are any side effects, they'll be milder if less of the drug is given. Also, he feels that slowly increasing the dose gives time for the body to adjust and lessens the likelihood of experiencing side effects. Obviously your child's dr. has a different approach, so I'm curious about it. I'm always looking to learn new things!
I finally sent my son back to school today, and here's what he got:all 6's (the highest score on his behavior chart)
no arguments with anyone
he asked (!!!!!) to go to a quieter room when the noise got to him
he accepted it (!!!!!) when one of his friends didn't want to play with him
he got all his work done
he worked faster than normal
he ate almost all of his lunch (he shared a cookie)
he earned time on the Wii and a hug from his special ed teacher
If I had scripted his day out it couldn't have gone better!WOOHOO!!! How awesome is that?!?!?!
I about flipped on my kiddo when he got a warning yesterday; he hasn't had a warning since the end of November/beginning of December!!! But I think in his case, since his class was celebrating the "101st day of school" he was just overly excited. The warning wasn't for talking, it was for incomplete centers. He got his sticker for today.
I'm so glad your son had a great day!
Today my son brought home his checklist he got 10 6+ (I don't even know
how he can get that!) and 3 6's (which means perfect behavior). He earned
more than the maximum number of stickers, so he got 20. He earned time
to play on the Wii, but he chose to let the other kids have their time and gave
up his spot. It's incredible.
He didn't eat today. But I think he's earned an ice cream sundae - that
should get some calories into him!
LOL! Ice cream sundaes would make ANY kid eat, won't they?
My son eats some junk (like any of the yogo products) but overall, so many of his foods are HEALHTY and low-calories. It's why I chose to put him back on whole milk; he needs the fat from SOMEWHERE! LOL
SOunds like your son is doing awesome!! My son is back on track after getting a warning the other day; and really, one warning in just over 2months, I shouldn't complain. I just didn't want to see it become a pattern, it's nice that it hasn't.
Kudos to your son! Sounds like you've found the right med!
Everyone's allowed a bum day, especially when the schedule is thrown out
the window.
My son didn't go for the ice cream. Instead he requested tacos for
dinner, and a mound of the meat and cheese - 3 or 4 servings. So I think
he's going to be okay. He takes a vitamin. It's not that balanced a diet,
but we'll adjust as we go along.
His teacher emailed me to tell me how great it's been going! Not only is
his level of focus better, she said she's seen a huge improvement in his
socializing, both with his classmates and the adults at school. There is a
new boy in his class, and he went over to talk to him and told him he has
ADHD (I asked him why afterward - he said he just wanted the boy to
know something important about him), and the boy also has ADHD, and
they've been sitting together at lunch. So on top of everything else, it
appears that he could be starting a new close friendship.
As nerve wracking as this has been, I'd say this has been a banner week
for all of us!
Thanks again for all your support!Hey - how did today go?! :)
As far as the snack in the late afternoon ..... I would strongly suggest speaking to the special ed teacher to see if a snack can be given (even if it's something like apple slices, goldfish crackers, pretzels... SOMETHING healthy). Maybe they'd like to have the entire class bring in a snack?
My younger son eats lunch @ 10:45am (and he's usually hungry since he won't eat breakfast aside from a BIG glass of chocolate milk) and then doesn't get home until 3pm.... that's over 4hrs! But let me tell ya, he snacks like a mad man when he gets home so as long as mine doesn't lose weight, we're good (he's a skinny dude!).
I hope today went well! XX fingers crossed XX - mine was home from school today because he got sick at the bus stop (well, he started gagging and heaving at the bus stop, made it to the bathroom in the house before letting it all go). He wasn't sick but because he had a little bit of drainage, he just felt nasty from taking the meds on an empty stomach. blech!
I kept my son home because he was dead asleep when the time came
around to make the bus. I figured that since sleeplessness is an issue, it's
better to let him get his rest.
He hasn't gotten sick from the meds at all. But he's still not eating much.
Today he had 1 banana, 1 hotdog (almost all of it) with the bun, and two
cookies. Well, the cream centers of two cookies. He is taking his
vitamins. I've decided I'm not going to worry about it just now.
He had a little bit of a breakdown moment - he didn't want a transition -
but it was over very quickly. His talkativeness has stopped. He's able to
quietly listen to me - that's a miracle. He's also able to wait to start
talking until he gets my attention.
I really think we've found the correct medicine. And, from what I've seen,
it's affecting him enough at his low dose that he'll probably stick here a
while.
Sorry about your son and his medicine! My son actually took his pill on
an empty stomach this morning and tolerated it.
Thanks for thinking of us!
From my son:
Corrina, I'm thrilled to hear things are going so well! I want to share what my dr. said when I expressed concerns about my ds not eating much during the day. He said that it's total calories that count, not when you get them. So, my ds eats a good breakfast before the meds kick in, not much for lunch, occasionally an afternoon snack but it's rare, and then he eats 2-3 dinners at night. His weight gain always has been fine. His eating schedule isn't ideal, but it seems to be working well enough.My son was a bit weepy the first couple of days on the meds, I think it was just his body getting used to it as he is back to his normal, pain in the neck self without all the 'tude/impulsiveness! LOL!I told my son he HAS to get up earlier in the mornings so he can take his meds and eat something before going to school. If it means an earlier bedtime (my guys go to bed @ 8pm) then so be it but this has happened more than once so I don't want to be guessing from morning to morning whether he'll be getting sick or not. On the plus side, we went to a friend's house to look for his Nintendo DS (which was lost at a party on Friday) and come to find out, it was in the BACK SEAT of **MY** car. If he hadn't been with me today when I went out to get groceries, I doubt I would of seen it.
So glad it seems you found the right med!!!
that's always a great feeling!! :)Good to know about the emotional outbursts. My son is not a breakfast
eater - Carnation Instant Breakfast is a lifesaver because he can drink it.
Last night he was absolutely starving at about 9 PM, and his regular bedtime
is 8. We'll get through it!
Thanks again for all your support and well wishes!
Sounds like things are improving!!How old is your son again? Is he able to tell you if anything feels weird? (not sure of the age and whether he's one to tell if he feels funny, etc...) My son complained of feeling sick to his stomach for the first week (as I told you before) and of headaches. But, like I said, we held out and it just worked well for us.
My son, Holden, is not a big eater so his refusal to eat was not a surprise to us. I've since found that if the food has LOTS of taste to it (Holdenis an extreme eater; extra sharp cheddar cheese, extra dark chocolate, SPICEY enchiladas/quesadillas, etc....) then he'll eat it so we just make sure his food is something that he WANTS to eat. I'm already cooking 2 meals each night anyways (my oldest is on a special diet to help with his autism symptoms) so heck, what's one more?! LOL Holden also LOVES his snacks and he's a pretty healthy eater; choosing apple slices w/ peanut butter, pretzels w/ peanut butter, carrots with ranch dip, tortilla chips w/ salsa and cheese or some cheese sticks and then yogurt so I let him snack as much as he wants.
Keep up the good work Momma! If you find your son is still having sleep issues, keep in mind that he may need melatonin or something to help him sleep. Both of my boys are on TINY TINY doses of Clonidine at nighttime to help them go to and stay asleep and it works like a charm (melatonin alone doesn't help).
GOod luck and keep us updated on how his day at school tomorrow is!
My son is 7. He's also a ham, and he knows I'm on the lookout for
stomach issues, so he's made sly references to it. He actually only
complained once tonight, and then ate the apple, so I'm thinking he was
just hungry.
I wish I could get the school to budge on their eating schedules. He has
lunch at noon, and then he doesn't get home until quarter to 4. The last
half hour of school he's in the special ed room to wind down and do his
reward check in. It seems to me they could bend the rules and allow him
an afternoon snack if I pushed the issue. Of course, it's like moving
heaven and hell to do it. I'll have to see if he starts losing weight. He's
kinda scrawny already - I don't need him to be skin and bones!
The first night I gave him melatonin. Tonight he said he didn't need it,
and he didn't leave his room, which is remarkable. Come to think of it, he
didn't read in bed, either. Of course, I read to him. Usually I read to him
and then he's up half the night reading to himself. So he went to sleep on
schedule or even a little earlier tonight.
I still think he's exhausted. But if today was any indication I think he's
going to do better tomorrow than he's done for quite a while. :-)Thanks!
It was so hard for a bit there, but when it works, it just works. Now I'm
having an "and to think that I resisted" moment!