Thanks for all of your information and advice! The wristwatch may be a good idea to remind his father about the medication. I am also capable of calling from work if I need to remind him. Still, I would like to know if there are any medications for impulsivity and adhd that will not be dangerous if a dosage is missed? This may be a safer option.
I hope that I can get this straightened out before school begins. Last year was tough. I hate sitting in meetings with the teacher and principle and they're looking at you like it's your fault. I know how much potential my son has and how these impulsive aggressive behaviors are really holding him back. I want him to have a better school year.
Any more advice is welcome!!!
[QUOTE=trixila]My 10 yr old son has been taking clonidine for over 2 yrs. The dosage began at 1/2 of a .5 pill, he is currently taking 2 pills of .5 each night. This med has helped to supress his tics and mainly helps him to wind down and fall asleep. We have not seen any side effects. It was created as a blood pressure med. He is seen by a pediactric neurologist every 6 months to check his vitals, there have been problems. I am very pleased with this med, every once in a while, he does miss a dose--when my husband forgets to administer when they are on an overnight Scout campout, or my son falls asleep before the dose, or when he is taking a total med break. I used to freak out and worry about the skipped dose, but there have been no repercussions. At this dose, it is a mild sedative. He is on 10 mg of focalin XR daily, will be returning to 15 mg of this med when school begins again. We dropped the dose for the summer. Like your child, my son is very bright, but has impulse issues. This combo has worked for us. Mot sure how to address the aggression/anxiety issue for your family. Sigh, it is a long journey to find the best approach. Good luck and hang in there. [/QUOTE]
My son is 11 and takes 1/2 of a .1 mg pill in the AM and PM of clonidine. Is the dossage really .5 mg for your son or .1 per pill? That seems like a lot more than my son. Mine also takes 10 mg of foclinxr but will be starting 15 mg soon. I think we may bump up his clonide though. He takes the clonide for tics. The stimylants cause them to get worse but he needs them and is so unhappy when he hasn't had the focalin. I took him off of the focalin this summer and just put him back on. He is so thrilled that he is able to be good. It's such a night and day difference. We've missed dosing on the clonidine before and had no ill effects. Talk to the ped neurologist about this.
My child has taken guanfacine (generic of tenex), which I understand is the same drug as clonidine, but less sedating. There is a problem w/ missing doses of this medicine, so I'd discuss w/ the dr. if it's a good option since you think it's likely he'll miss some doses on the weekend.
How about buying your son a wristwatch w/ an alarm? He can set the alarm for the time he's supposed to take the medicine, and that would remind Dad.
Clonidine and Tenex (guanfacine) help for hyperactivity and impulsivity, but not really for focus. They also help reduce anxiety, so that'd be an added bonus for your child.
I'll be honest and say that the guanfacine helps reduce impulsivity and hyperactivity some for my child, but far less than the stimulant does. There's no way he could take only guanfacine and be a functioning person.
I thought of one more thing. You mentioned that he was diagnosed w/ anxiety disorder a year ago. Is he taking any anti-anxiety meds?
The SSRIs (Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, etc.) can increase impulsivity. The dr. warned us this might happen, and indeed it did. We ended up finding 25 mg of Zoloft controlled the anxiety, but the impulsivity was out of control. He was calling out at school, interrupting others, acting bossy, doing some pushing/ hitting/ tripping, handwriting plummeted (was rushing through writing), written answers were not as complete (rushing through work), and he had more careless math errors (again, rushing through work). We reduced the Zoloft to 12.5 mg, which made the impulsivity go away but he was anxious a lot overnight again. We increased the guanfacine dose, and then both ADHD and anxiety were under control.
My son is eight years old. He was diagnosed with Anxiety disorder a year ago. Now they are prescribing meds for ADHD. He is very intelligent and on the honor roll at school. However, he had incidents that involved kicking his teacher, hitting a girl, and pushing desks over at school this year. His most recent incident involved punching his sister and then punching himself. The doctor precribed vyvanse, which seemed to work in the beginning, but soon became useless. Now they want him off of the vyvanse and to take clonidine. I have researched some on this med and found that it can be dangerous if stopped suddenly. This truly frightens me as my son's father, who often has him on weekends, does not always remember to give him his medicine. I'd love to hear some new opinions about this medicine or any ideas to help my son.
Thankyou,
Erica
feonixrizin40012.8886458333My 10 yr old son has been taking clonidine for over 2 yrs. The dosage began at 1/2 of a .5 pill, he is currently taking 2 pills of .5 each night. This med has helped to supress his tics and mainly helps him to wind down and fall asleep. We have not seen any side effects. It was created as a blood pressure med. He is seen by a pediactric neurologist every 6 months to check his vitals, there have been problems. I am very pleased with this med, every once in a while, he does miss a dose--when my husband forgets to administer when they are on an overnight Scout campout, or my son falls asleep before the dose, or when he is taking a total med break. I used to freak out and worry about the skipped dose, but there have been no repercussions. At this dose, it is a mild sedative. He is on 10 mg of focalin XR daily, will be returning to 15 mg of this med when school begins again. We dropped the dose for the summer. Like your child, my son is very bright, but has impulse issues. This combo has worked for us. Mot sure how to address the aggression/anxiety issue for your family. Sigh, it is a long journey to find the best approach. Good luck and hang in there.My son just started taking clonidine with his focalin. I have seen a tremendous difference. It is unbelievable. I actually had to keep asking him if he was ok. He wasn't sedated, but he was so much calmer. He is very aggressive, impulsive and defiant. I too am worried about missed dosages because his father is not very responsible, but he doesn't see him much. When he does go to his dads I call to make sure he is getting his medicine. Finding the right medicine and right dosage is a very hard balancing act. It can take a little while to figure it all out. Good Luck!!!
buttercup40021.3100694444I think it's OK to miss an occasional dose, but you wouldn't want to miss several doses in a row. Ask a dr. for fully accurate info.