Losing my mind with these meds!! | ADHD Information

WE are having similar medication issues with my 7 yo daughter with inattentive ADD.  She tried Concerta for a month and it worked great for the ADD but towards the end of the month she got very depressed, crying, sad, emotional etc...  SO, they switched her to Strattera that made her vomit and have stomach pain. Then we tried 5mg of Focalin- giving it at 8am and she was up the first night till 4am.  I stayed up with her and like your son, she was up the whole time- not being bothersome but not able to fall asleep.  The second day, she was NOT tired at all and was up till 3am.  After that, I couldn't take it and called it quits for Focalin.  They then tried Vyvanse which also made her ridiculously depressed and withdrawn.  We tried Concerta again thinking it was the least bad of all but she started crying all the time on the lowest dose.  So, now she's off everything until we can see a new doctor who can come up with another idea.  It is so frustrating and so hard to see a child that really needs this medication to focus but the meds are just causing havoc with her system. 

I feel for you being up all night. 

npritikin,

Did you notice the crying, emotional, sad etc happening at a time when the meds would be wearing off?  My son had those problems and it was "rebound" (horrible rebound!) when the meds were wearing off.  He was metabolizing the meds much faster than they thought he would.  Like the Adderal that he tried first, it was supposed to last 6 hours.  But he metabolized it so fast that it was out of his system and he started rebound at about 3 1/2 hrs.  If this is the case with your daughter, it may seem like the medicine itself is causing the crying etc, but it may just be that the medicine is wearing off too early.  Sometimes the extended release doses can help or doing doses closer together or just plain switching the medicine all together.  We ended up with Ritalin and he metabolizes it much slower and doesn't have rebound.  This may not apply to you but it's a thought...

Good luck!

I forgot to mention previously that one important factor to keep in mind is that ALL medications (doesn't matter if it's ADHD or heart disease), they ALL have risks, they ALL have side effects.  Even OTC medications have side effects and risks.  There's no such thing as a medication without side effects or risks.  The trick is to find the medication that produces the least amount of undesireable side effects while producing the most amount of relief. For some folks, they may not like the crying, others may not like the insomnia.  Each person will respond differently to each medication.  Only you, (and your child as is the case here), and your doctor can decide which medication is best.  For some people, medication is simply not an option.  In those cases, behavior therapy can really help - if you find the right person and are committed.

We must remember that ADHD is not JUST a childhood condition.  I don't know what the statistics are but I, myself, and judging by the amount of posts I see here and on my other blog, there are many, many more, ADHD continues into adulthood.  If one is going to be on medication as a child, then parents and child must also take into consideration that medication may need to continue for a lifetime.  ADHD cannot be cured.  So, some of these side effects may last forever. 
Logan's Mom-
For my daughter- the emotional stuff - crying for no reason or b/c a fly came by her head, was all day.  Her rebound was when it was wearing off and had her bouncing off the walls.  Though some days her rebound involved crying fits or just sitting around looking like her best friend just died for 2 hrs.  That was on Concerta. 

SHe has only tried extended release medications so we are hoping that the new doc will try short acting ritalin to see if that works.  WE are seeing a new doc 1.5 hrs away in 2 weeks so keep your fingers crossed.

Good luck with the new doc!  Hopefully he/she will be more specialized with ADHD meds.  We started with a pediatrician that worked closely with our psychologist to make medicine decisions. But we were lucky because after about 6 weeks they both said (basically) we're in over our heads because your son is a difficult case and we recommend that you see a psychiatrist.  We did that and she was great!  She does nothing but meds so she was quick to recognize the problems and try new things to fix them.

For your daughter, it may be that she needs a combo of meds instead of just one.  For instance the Ritalin with the Tenex.  Also, you wouldn't think that extended release would react that different from the short acting versions, but with my son the difference was HUGE! 

Hang in there and please keep us posted! I feel for you! 

 

 

My 6.5 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD impulsive/hyperactive just over a year ago.  At that time he was put on Focalin XR--started at 5mg, went to 10mg--then he started getting really moody--angry, couldnt' reason with him and they took him off--he was on it for 2-3 months.  They switched to Adderall XR 5mg--and moved to 10mg. At 10mg he started falling apart emotionally--the school called and he had fallen, and his shoe fell off--and he melted down completely over the shoe.  That's just one of many examples of how he was.  So that was around Nov/Dec.  They switched him to straterra.  He did ok--no real improvement, no major problems--then they added tenex...which seemed to help some but not much and made him sleepy.

So fastforward to June--when they took him off of straterra (he'd gained no weight in over a year and it really wasn't doing anything for him).  He was left with just tenex--1mg two times a day..and while he naps mid day on it, there were not any real problems...or much major focusing help.  We changed psychiatrists because I was having problems with the other one--and last Monday we saw her for the first time.  She is very nice, concerned, they have a nurse on call and have walk in med clinics weekly as well as a support group for mom which we didn't have with the ohter one.  She started him on medadate cr 10mg and advised me to make sure I gave it to him before 9am...so I gave it at 8:30 am when he got up.  At 5am the next morning he finally went to sleep. So I called and they took him off of it and told me to go back to the tenex until she could see him at the med clinic--which we did yesterday.  She prescribed the 10mg patch of Daytrana.

I put the patch on at 9am this morning, took it off at 5pm this afternoon because I knew we had a visitation to attend and that even though he wasn't going to it, he would be somewhere else and needed to be able to behave...we got home at 10pm and I put him to bed at 11--6 hours after I took off the patch.  It's now 2am and he's still bouncing off the walls.  We have an early morning tomorrow--therapy and then a funeral...I had planned on putting the patch on very early too see if an even earlier removal would help--but I"m not sure it will...and I'm almost afraid to try.

He just seems to have issues with everything.  While he also has sensory processing issues and I think that may be part of the adhd behaviors--he was diagnosed with adhd and that diagnosis was confirmed by a specialist at our local children's hospital. 

I don't know what to do anymore.  I can't keep being up all night.  I can't handle the constant chatter all day long and the lack of focus without meds either.  I feel like a horrible parent who is asking the meds to do my job--even though I know that's not it. 

I have a psychiatrist that will write a different prescription if I tell her this isn't going to work either---but I don't even know what to try next---and she will give me options...

I'd like to figure something out before school starts...for him and me....

 

Any thoughts or input woudl be appreciated.

thanks

Vicky

Vicky - Keep trying different medications.  However, if the Tenex wasn't helping, why would the doctor tell you to go back on it until your next visit?  That doesn't make any sense. 

It could be that the doses your son is on are too high.  Even 5mg sometimes can be too much.  Try giving him the meds at 6am and no more the rest of the day.

There are many posts here on helping children sleep.  I think it would be very important to teach your son that while he may not be able to sleep, it's not acceptable for him to keep everyone else in the house awake.  He can read a book, color, put a puzzle together, listen to "white noise music" or even watch tv quietly. 

just because a child has ADHD, it doesn't give them free range to behave however they want.  they still have to learn patience, privacy and politeness.  ADHD is not an excuse for inexcusable behavior.  Children, and adults, need to take some responsibility for their actions.  The medication is designed to HELP us control our actions.  We still have to put forth the effort.  Kids as well as adults.

I realize that adhd is not an excuse for bad behavior--and I strive very hard to make sure that  I am not allowing him to get away with things because of his adhd--such as when he is defiant--I don't play that game at all and what I say goes. 

However, I also believe that when a child who hasadhd does something impulsive--how it is handled is different than if they didn't.  I can't come up with an example right now--it's just that I think how discipline is meted out has to have some understanding of what  a child is capable of and understands.  That doesn't mean they get away with it, just that it is handled in a different manner.  This past school year my son's kindergarten teacher took away his recess for playing in the bathroom. I was ticked.  Not because she chose to discipline him--because he needed to be disciplined, but that she took away the only option for physical activity from him and the recess that was lost took place the day after he got in trouble--and he no  longer remembered and understood why he was in trouble.  In my opinion he should have been disciplined immediately--or a discussion should have been had to help him remember why he was sitting out--and personally, while Iwould have been fine with him walking or running the fence, sweeping the sidewalks, clapping erasers, whatever...I don't feel like him sitting was a good solution.  Unfortunately she didn't see it that way and it was too late in the  year to make a difference.  I will be attempting to handle things earlier in the school year this time around.

I did do some reading last night and tried a few things from other people's posts...I just happened to be on here first reading from other people's med posts.  My son didn't keep the entire house up==just me.  He did read a book, listened to music, and we attempted to do some massage techniques..unfortuntely he was put to bed at 11pm and was still awake at 6am. That's a long time for him to be alone--and while I would love to have gotten a full night's sleep--it wasn't a choice he made--he was trying. I thought about turning the tv on but was afraid it would then become a choice down the road--and since there isn't a tv in his room--the tv could have disrupted others.

I know I"m coming off as defensive...and probably am a bit due to lack of sleep...but I wanted you to know that I am aware that he (and I and whomever) need to be responsible for their choices and actions--I didn't mean to come off as excusing bad behavior because of adhd--more that I feel like I should be able to handle more without the meds--even though I have seen how much more control he can have with a med in his system.

I'm tired and worried and scared...but not beaten down.  Daytrana is a patch--and I can't lower the dose--10mg is a low as it goes.  We see the psychiatrist next week and will probably start trying the meds that are not extended release since this seems to be too hard on his body.

Vicky - No, you're not coming off as defensive.  I guess we just needed a bit more info and explanation.  Thank you.

Just an observation here but you say he didn't sleep at all?  Then he for sure would have fallen asleep during the next day, I would think.  Is it possible that he got some amount of sleep that neither of you are aware of?  Sometimes we get more sleep than we might think.  Glad to hear the whole house wasn't awakened.

I do agree with you about how the teacher handled discipline.  You may want to ask the first grade teacher to contact you about disciplinary actions before she steps into action.  That way, you can come up with ways you know will be effective.  Kids with ADHD don't do well with sedentary consequences.  Even having them sweep the floor or put up chairs or scrubbing a sink.  Something active. :)

Sometimes meds will give that upper hand to offer control that you're seeking.  I hope that you find a medication that he can take that isn't so potent.  I think Adderall and Ritalin come in 2.5mg doses but don't quote me.

Good luck with things.  Keep reading here.  There's lots of support.

He was up every15-20min most of the night.  I was in the living room on the other side of his wall from 11pm until about 3am...and then tried to go to bed and hope that he would fall asleep-thinking maybe it was becasue he knew I was still up--it was a long shot and I didn't think so but I was so tired it was worth a shot.

He came to see me about every 20-30 min after I went to bed and between the books on the bed and the state of hte bed (sheets off the corners, blankets twisted) I don't think he was asleep.  He did finally fall asleep at about 6:15 this morning--and slept until about 12:30pm.  He's whiny and cranky, and has no meds on board which makes him hyper and not in control of his body (runs into things because he's moving too fast etc). but he's awake.  I will put him to bed around 9pm after a warm bath--and am going to go get some melatonin I think when my husband gets home.  Between the lack of meds in his body, his lack of sleep last night, the melatonin, and the warm bath--I'm hoping we get some good sleep.

This is new for us--despite the other adhd symptoms, he sleeps---generally 10-12 hrs a night--other than last night and one night last week--in conjunction with the medadate cd....I just don' t know.

 

I will definitely keep reading--some posts help me know I"m not alone and some help me not want to give up...and I plan on talking to his teacher--if I can--before school starts.

 

thanks for the support

Vicky

When you're trying to get the right medication combination it can be a very difficult time.  It can be soooooo hard and worse than the symptoms you're trying to help! But there are so many options out there.  There will be a combination (eventually) for your son! Just hang in there!

My son takes Ritalin and Tenex.  He's never had problems sleeping but I hear a lot of people on these boards that say the Tenex helps their children sleep.  My son takes Melatonin and it helps make him drowsy to go to sleep.  They also have an extended release version that helps a kids stay asleep if that is the problem.

Also, many times the meds make a kids not be able to sleep but it gradually gets better over time.  Maybe a week or so??? My friend's son was the same way when he started Adderal but after about a week and a half he was almost back to normal.

Good luck! I hope you both get a good night's sleep tonight!

Well, I've done everything I can to make it happen--a warm bath, melatonin, a snuggle and a slow story, turned off the big light and got 2 new small night lights (which he's a little nervous but ok with at the moment)--I bought a new cd that is just slow music and rain and something else--from walmart--and removed all but 2 stuffed animals and 2 books.  I also am letting him sleep with one of my very special stuffed animals to help him be brave with the night lights.  He's only been in bed for a few minutes---but hopefully without the daytrana on him (per the psych.) and the rest in him...we shall see.  he's still hyper because of no meds--but since he only got a few hours sleep last night and no nap--I'm hoping with everything else we can get to sleep.

 

thanks for listening.

Vicky

I have a child who is Bipolar and ADHD and she too was bouncing off the walls. After some "experimenting" we finally have her on Strattera for the focus and Melatonin for sleep and she seems to be adjusting very well to it. I'm not sure if that combination is for you but I would say at this point it's worth a try.  My daughter would go to sleep at like 3 AM and wake by 5 AM and be bouncing off the walls all the time. I couldn't handle that when I had her and an infant to deal with.