5 yr old girl - crying 4 hours dexadrine | ADHD Information

Sorry for this long message.  It is also a cross post to parenting children with adhd.

Any insight would be VERY MUCH appreciated!

Is crying for hours on end over nothing a typical side effect of dexadrine?

She did OK at 2.5 mg  for a few days- she is 5.75 yrs old, weighs 52lbs, is really tall....when we increased the dose to 5 mg today she cried literally for 6 hours straight with very little break in-between fits.  We are all worn out and the hope I had for this med to work has drained away sadly.

Here is more information if you are interested....

Hi,
I will try to keep our story short.  This is my first posting here, and I am SO thankful to have found others who understand.  Our only child, who is 5.75 yrs old was dx with ASD when she was 2.  SHe never really fit that label though and the several doctors we have been to changed it to "mood disorder" and "anxiety disorder" and Severe "sensory processing disorder."  She is on Risperidone 1.5 mg daily.  It is the only thing that has ever allowed us to have a somewhat normal life.  HOwever, it is not working anymore.  It does still help with the sensory issues, but her mood swings were off the charts...so the doc gave her Depakote...a few months later she was depressed from the depakote.  ?  Just not herself and seemed sad and quiet SO UNLIKE her.  So we took her off of it.    So, she has always seemed very ADHD so we agreed with the doc that she should try adhd meds.  So, this past week we have tried her on dexadrine.  At first we thought it was helping....calmer, nicer, less angry, could actually sit down for a minute or two.....we started her on 2.5 mg.  We finally had hope for a few days.  Today we finally gave her the full sprinkle pill of 5 mg and she cried throwing fits for 6 hours straight.  OMG.  She has been a mess all day.  It is way worse than without the med.  So, here is our problem....is her anxiety kicking into full gear from the dexadrine....or is she bipolar or something instead of adhd, or does the dexadrine just not agree with her.  Crying all day for toys she wants, or when we say no, or when there is something she wants to do .....It does not help that she refuses to eat and that causes some of the fits I am sure. 
So, what am I asking....I do not even kknow.
EVERY single doc, therapist, etc has been at a loss to figure out what is going on with this poor kid.  She now see's a therapist and a child psychiatrist, along with developmental peds, natural psychiatrist, etc etc.  NONE can figure her out!  What kind of doctor can figure out what kind of meds this kid needs.
Yes, she does have an IEP and although she is TAG (talented and gifted- really smart) she has to go to the special ed classroom because of her impulsivity and scratching of other kids because she is pretending to be a dog.  
She is exhausting to everyone around her.  She is demanding, bossy, and oppositional and at the same time, brilliant, sweet, sometimes thoughtful, and caring.  Each day is different and we never know what to expect.  We even had her allergy tested to see if there was anything there.
I think it is ADHD plus anxiety OCD type stuff going on.  However, the doc put her on celexa and she got more and more out of it and became very agressive.  We took her off of it.  PLEASE HELP US.  WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF HOPE.  WE ARE IN OREGON.  IF YOU KNOW OF ANY DOCTOR WHO SPECIALIZES IN MEDS FOR KIDS WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING...WE WILL DRIVE FAR.  THANK YOU FOR READING IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR!!  :-)  


Hello; I see your report does not have any responses; par for the course, eh?
I CAN RELATE - 7 yr old girl with virtually the same deal - ADHD, mood
swings, some sensory issues, aggression, erratic behavior, super bright,
sweetness & kind behavior out of the blue, etc. It's summer (as I'm sure you
are well aware) leaving no rest for the weary - been thru the gamut of meds
as well (Starterra, Adderall, Ritalin, Dexadrine) - Dexadrine works the best,
but she does get emotional sometimes or even a little comatose - just
added Celexa last week to combat the anxiety; don't know its effectiveness
yet. Anyhoo, how is it going now?I am an adult with ADHD and when I was first diagnosed in the 70s at age 7 or 8, I was put on Dexedrine.  Because it was over 35 years ago, I don't really remember too much from that time.  I was on it for three years.  Now, as an adult, I am taking 20mg-30mg a day.  I don't notice any emotional side effects.  I experience more emotional distress from my PMS than from my ADHD meds.

It could be that your daughter is NOT ADHD but maybe something else?  It could be that she's just overly sensitive to stimulants in general?  Maybe there's nothing wrong with her at all - just an active imagination?  I don't know.  I'm just a regular person, not a doctor.  I'm merely suggesting other possibilities - not  trying to solve anything.  I sense you feel exhausted that noone can pinpoint what is going on.

You mention that you are in Oregon.  I live in the Portland area.  There is a CHADD chapter here in Portland and I think there's one in Corvalis and one in Medford, i think.  You can check their website.  I would definitely suggest contacting them for professional resources.  Additionally, I think the NW has some of the most progressive health care professionals.  Good luck to you.