General questions (I hope) | ADHD Information

Hi everyone - First, a dab of background info - I'm new to the board, think I may have posted back in December/January (about the time my son visited a doctor) In my previous post, I said that the visit didn't go as expected, although I didn't know what to expect. My son was started on Concerta 18mg which I can say, there was a noticable change in him, his behavior, focus, etc. Our primary care doctor has taken over prescribing meds now after the initial visit with the developmental specialist. He recently (like within the last 2 weeks) bumped the dosage up to 36mg, which we think was a bit much as it caused significant stomach problems, and have subsequently went down to 27mg, which seems to be a good fit now. We are thinking of visiting another doctor (for a more in depth visit) & starting therapy sessions, but I would like to get some input here also.

My son, 10, has a LOT of the same issues I've read about here time and time again - problems with friends, in school, ignorant teachers, impulsivity, hyper, most recently, onset of depression, etc.

Here are my questions: 1) When a child is tested for ADHD, what all is involved? At our visit, we filled out a questionnaire, as did his teacher, but in the actual visit, it was only questions to us about general behavior, discipline, etc. And some of the issues we thought to be most alarming, the doctor somewhat dismissed to maturity level, and life experience. Like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was more than what we got. 2) When meds have to be adjusted due to ineffectiveness of the previous dosage, how soon does this happen? I didn't think an adjustment would be necessary from December to May... 3) Are social skills, or a lack of, pretty common with ADHD children? This is a BIG issue for us, as is lying. 4) If meds are stopped for whatever reason, is it normal for the hyperactivity & other characteristics to be intensified? If there was ever a day when meds are skipped for my son, it's like he's in hyper-overdrive. Like he's a totally different child than even pre-med days.

I know I had other questions when I set out on this post, but they escape me now. I wanted these questions to be not-too-specific, but think I failed there. Thanks in advance to anyone who would like to shed some light.

Different meds wear off at different times. It can be 6 months, or much longer. I have heard of a med lasting 4 years on this board.Jessica N39985.3674421296My ds was tested at 5. It involved a connors rating scale being filled out
by us and teachers. Other forms we filled out The teachers would fill out
sheets on his daily progress for the dr. The dr. gave ds a test on a
computer as well. It's been a while, but I know that other friends have
had their ds's tested for ADHD, etc. and it involved testing for a total of 3
hours (not all at once).

Ds is on concerta now (he is almost 9) at 54mg. He has tried basically all
of the meds out there and we change from time to time. We changed due
to duration of the meds (he metabolized some too fast) and side effects.
When trying a new med, ds will go back and see the dr every 2 weeks or
so until we get it right. In the beginning, if ds had a bad side effect, I
would call the dr and get it switched.

Yes, social skills are an issue. This year, we had his school form a small
social skills class and that helped. I did a lot of one on one playdates
with him, coached him on how to behave before a playdate, etc. Little by
little as he "matures" it gets better. Some sports are good for him (judo,
tennis, baseball, chess club, etc.) while others are tough (soccer). Also,
we can't do sleep overs too much unless it's with a friend with the same
ADHD issues and they are comfortable with giving him meds in the
morning and dealing with him until it "kicks in".   Play up on their
strengths and encourage friendships that you feel will be positive
experiences.

When ds meds wear off, he gets over-hyper. It's also bad in the
mornings before the meds start working. Just a rebound effect I believe.My son was tested at age 8 at a private testing facility where he had to undergo a series of test for 8 hours(broke up sessions) We also had to fill out the paperwork along with the teacher. We then had a session to go over the test results and his reccomendations and any questions we had. Also we had the school test him and they both came out that he needs a 504 had ADHD with Anxiety and depression and Adjustment disorder. Like I said he was denied the IEP and given a 504 for ADHD and anxiety.Spamula, What does your son take for anxiety?  I think this is a lot of our problem now.  Thanks!To answer your question about if you miss meds for a day does the child seem to act out more? My daughter is 8 and she does act out more when she misses. I am not sure why, but my thought is that it is not completly out of there system, When we were getting my daughters dosage right in the beginning I called the doctor because she was worse and the 1st thing he said was she needs a stronger dose. Also, you mentioned depression. After taking concerta for a month or so my daughter started showing signs of depression. She actually talked about dying etc. Once we took her off Concerta everything improved. We switched to Focalin XR, which did not last long enough. Now she wears the Daytrana patch and so far this is working well. We do have some rebounding, but is not too bad. I should mention also I noticed while on Concerta she started getting very withdrawn from friends and then the depression set in.  Not sure why it would not work for her, but it has taken us 2 years to get to where we are. By no means is it perfect, but hang in there things will improve.

Also, when we got our diagnosis we went through our pediatrician, He treats 100's of kids with adhd. It did not unfold over night. We had to fill out the conners form and several others for a whole year. Also, had her kindergarten teacher fill several out throughout the year. Obviously she was functioning OK in kindergarten or we would have startd treatment before a year. My daughter is now 8 and we recently had a therapist perform several test, because we felt like she had a mood disorder, which no dought she does. It was so worth every  penny. We learned so much valuable info about our daughter. Which might explain why she was so sensitive to some of the meds. Good luck and keep us posted.
Just for your info, My son has also been in therapy for his anxiety for 2 years. It along with the meds really helped.My son is on Zoloft and has been for 2-3 years now. We started at 12.5 mg and then 25 and are now at 50 and are good with that.

Thank You for the reply.. I'm not sure if his anxiety is bad enough to be medicated or not, but it's something to consider.  Thanks again!

Thanks to everyone for speaking up. I definitely have more research & learning to do - and this message board is a great tool. Thanks again.