My 3 1/2 year old was diagnosed with ADHD in June.  We went to a developmental ped. on the advice of our regular ped who diagnosed after meeting ehr and speaking with us for over two hours.  She also had spoken with our reg ped about my concerns.  My daughter had very impulsive behavior to the point that medicating her is a safety issue, not a convenience one.  She will climb on furniture, swing from shades, run into traffic, etc...  Her twin sister and older sister are NOTHING like this!  Point being, i feel the diagnosis is probably correct.  Now the problem,

We can't find meds that work without horrible side effects!  Since beginning this medication journey, my happy (yet impulsive), silly child has turned into an angry, hostile being that I don't know.  She threw temper tantrums before where she threw things occasionally but was mostly happy.  Now she is angry, hostile, negative, and just plain mean much of the time.  She has even started using the words shut-up and stupid (courtesy of day care kids) just to get a reaction.  NO method of discipline has any affect. We first tried ritalin but the dose of 5 mg was not enough and 10 was too much.  We tried ritalin XR and she developed a motor tic of clearing her throat.  We then tried adderall which seemed to be working at 7.5 mg but we needed a bit more to last throughout the day because she became an angry monster as it was leaving her system.  The adderall XR was the next choice but she developed such a tic on day one (clearing her throat up to 18 times a minute!) that I will NEVER give it to her again.  She takes ).05mg of clonidine at night to help her sleep and that seems to be the only thing working.

I am in tears as I write this and just don't know what to do.  My gut says just pull her off everything and try meds again when she is old enough to tell me how they make her feel.  Unfortunately, this would cause her to be unable to go to day care or learn adequately because she can't focus at all and nobody would want to be around her.

I am desperate for help and would appreciate any advice you can offer.

THANK YOU!

I am sorry I can't offer any suggestions. Just to let you know that you are not alone. I to am struggling with an ADHD diagnosed child. He was diagnoses at the age of 5.  In Kindergarten he refused to do his work at school, telling the principle that he was tired of working (this was 2-3 weeks into the school year). He hit kids on 2 occasions and used his sissors to cut slits in his shorts. We started Adderall and he got through kindergarten. He made it through the 1st grade without any trouble until the last 2 months when he started cutting up his crayons and not listening to his teacher.

 We also had problem with facial tics developing after taking Adderall. We have been on Concerta then Strattera and clonidine. We are now on Concerta with Risperdal added. I am also in the process of getting him retested and have an appointment with a psychiatrist. He is very disrespectful to me but seems to hold it together for school. This morning he bumped my twice and called me stupid because we got to daycare just before the daycare bus left to take him to school. I have had to deal with his moods for 3 years now and it is very difficult.

I think the Straterra seemed to help for a while. He was more social, less irritated and even playful to others around the house. It seemed to loose it's effectiveness right before school started and we had to go back to the Concerta.

It takes a lot of patience to get through this and I am hopeful that our psychiatrist will be able to put us on a good track. ( I just wish the appointment wasn't 2 months away.)

Hang in there. There has to hope for us. I have read on book entitled from Choas to Calm. It gives some good advice for setting up a way to get kids to do what the need to do. Unfortunatley for my child the reward system is not working. And punishment does not stick with him either.

Hang in there "There's2" (and Miss Mom)!  I'm just like you! My son was diagnosed at around 3 1/2 and like your daughter was so impulsive and hyper that it wasn't a choice to medicate-it was a NECESITY!

First, I recommend that you see a psychiatrist or a pharochologist that specialized in ADHD meds.  I've found that the pediatricians are not experienced enough with the meds and too scared to act fast enough when necessary.  We went through 2 docs before seeing a pschiatrist and WOW what a difference!  She adjusts the medicine immediately if necessary.  There's none of this waiting weeks for the next appointment to make adjustments.  We spoke on the phone many nights in between appointments and she made the adjustments that my son needed.  It took us almost 6 months all together to get the meds right, but the last month was with her and she got it right withing a few weeks. Always ask the doctor if you can talk via phone to make these changes. If they say no, then go to another doctor because they aren't worth it.

It sounds like some of the medications are working for her but the tics are too bad.  My son takes Tenex along with his Ritalin to help with his sensory integration issues and moodiness but a lot of people say Tenex helps with the tics.  Ask your doctor about it.  One of the meds that you've already tried may be "The One" and you just don't know it.  It just may need to be prescribed along with Tenex or another med. My son didn't get it right until we had the right cocktail and everything started working together.

Good luck.  It WILL get better if you stick with it!