correct dose? | ADHD Information

We tried Ritalin (5ML) short-acting for a while and the rebound was bad for my 5-year old son.

NOw we started 10 mg of Metadate CD--it has been almost 2 weeks with little result except rebound still happening ---is this dose  too small or should we try a different med?

We have tried almost every medication out there that there is.  5 ml sounds like it's not the right dosage, but they have to start somewhere.  My son is now 11 and is was on Metadate 60 mg.  They have just recently changed him to a generic version of ritalin.  He takes 2 pills (20 mg each) in the morning and 2 more at lunch.  It seems to keep him more regulated that way, not causing a drop in mood or concentration like the others.  In the beginning of the year, they started him out at a 5 mg dose and we lost almost a whole year due to "behavior" issues.

Most of the medication we have tried seemed to cause anger issues, so we would change with more frustration.  He has been on medication since he was 5, and we still don't seem to have it right.  The last few weeks that he has been on the new medicine seem to be better than others.  They also put him on respiridol to compensate for the anger side effect.

So, we did get up to 20 mg (metadate cd)--anxiety did seemed to increase. he was extremely quiet and VERY calm. Went to visit his grandparents and they were concerned he seemed out of it. So, 10 mg is not enought, but 20 mg may be too high??
Not sure what to do....

That's kind of where I'm at.  20 mg of slow release seems to be too much but 5 mg twice a day doesn't seem to do much at all.  I'm wondering if I did 10 mg in the am and 5 mg in the pm if that would be better. At least this generic adderall isn't giving me a migraine.  I just don't feel like calling the doctor office again, ugh.  But I guess I have to.  I have to get this right.


I recently started meds.  I tried generic Ritalin SR for just over a week and it gave me such headaches and fatigue and then didn't seem to be doing anything positive.  So I just started 5mg of generic Adderall today and that doesn't seem to be doing anything either.  I'm getting tired of calling my doctor office (I have to conduct all communication via her assistant and it's annoying).  But I don't have the pounding headache.  I don't know what benefit I'm supposed to get but I know what I want to get.  I want to quiet the impulsivity.  I want to be able to think before I blurt something out.  I want to be able to conduct myself slow enough to where I can pay attention to things before I make a mistake.  I want to shut my brain up for a while.  I think the Methylphenidate did that but I couldn't handle the headache.  Not sure what to do.  I know I'm on the right track with the whole medicinal approach but I was hoping/expecting for an easier fix.  And when I have to pay for all this stuff out of pocket because insurance doesn't cover it, I can't just be blowing money on pills every week. 

I understand your frustrations on what is the right dosage.  I guess we just have to keep trying until we find what works best.

While your child is going through a trial of meds, keep an open dialogue with the prescribing doctor because if the doctor is a specialsit in med management for ADHD, only he or she should be advising you in terms of the dose and the medication. Response is very individual so what is a  high or low dose for your son may be too high or low for someone else. Good luck and please keep us informed