unbelievable day | ADHD Information

Any thoughts of bipolar? It is so up and down sounding that I just wondered?

Also, her meds, do you think they aren't the right ones? My son couldn't handle adderall xr.

AND sensory integration? I really wonder about the bipolar and the braces battle is just part of it, BUT I have a sensory 12 yr old who was diagnosed at age 2. We have been through lots because of sensory issues not mood or being defiant.

What does the prescribing doctor have to say?

Her foul moods could be a result of medication.  Perhaps the Daytrana is not the best medication for her. 

I would be very concerned about having a 9 year old on these very powerful drugs.  Zoloft for a 9 year old?  What doctor prescribes that or any mood stabilizer for a 9 year old???  Something just doesn't seem right there.

Does your daughter see a therapist?  Perhaps some of her behavior issues can be improved through CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).  And it also provides the child with an avenue to express their emotions surrounding meds and behaviors.  Sometimes kids will share things with strangers that they won't share with parents.  And child psychologists are trained to figure out and pick up on key issues and ask the important questions.

Just a couple of thoughts...

If she's been on the patch for a couple of years maybe her dose needs an increase??? My son acts like that when his dose is too low.

Also, my son has sensory issues and anxiety and we supplement his Ritalin with Tenex and it works wonders for those issues.

Hang in there! I know it's hard but you can only handle one medication issue at a time and it's hard to wade through it all!  Good luck!

Logan'sMom40143.7840046296

Remember, if your daughter is bipolar, adhd cannot be used until the bipolar is treated. The adhd meds will make the child worse, it exasperates the bipolar.

Please, please, please, keep an eye on her!!

Poor thing, she is so young.

BETHANN40142.1940740741

My son is now on Daytrana and has also been having some very wild mood swings and very dark moods lately. I have noticed that some of it seems to be food related.  However, I have to wonder if there is something to that particular medicine-we didn't have this problem on Adderall.

I hope that you find a answer soon, but I would look into the med and any food/sleep issues that your daughter may be having.

I am in the same boat as coffeebean73. I don't have the
advice. I just know how frustrating this can be on not only
the child but the whole family. I hope your Daughter's meds
get stabilized soon. Hang in there and know that you are
not alone!

I dont think its the daytrana. She has been on it for a couple of years. It is the best of everything we have tried for the  core ADHD symptoms. It maybe coming off the zoloft more than anything that is causing all the drama. She has significant anxiety and sensory issues, which is what the zoloft was for, but we dont want to pile drug after drug on her. Our goal is to use the minimum necessary, and right now it is crucial to get the mood stabilized. She has been getting in trouble for fighting and cussing at school. She cries a lot and gets so frustrated. She has meltdowns in class and is defiant. She is also the sweetest kid I know. Such is the paradox. 

She is probably bipolar but her psych has not given her a diagnosis beyond ADHD with mood dysregulation. The mood stabilizer is used to treat bipolar and anger and aggression in children. With or without the diagnosis she is being treated, but it takes weeks, sometimes months to get to therapeutic levels.

In the mean time there is a long tortuous wait that is hard on everyone.

Thanks for the support,

Tasmanian Devil

 

My ADHD/mood disorder 9 year old daughter has been on a downward spiral since 4th grade has started. Her doctor and I have decided to start treating her with a mood stabilizer in addition to her Daytrana. We have slowly taken her off zoloft and have started her on lamictal. I am keeping her out of school to stabilize her. Her dose is not therapeutic yet and it has been quite a nightmare.

She woke up this morning screaming and crying at anything and everything. She refused to get up. When she finally did she faught me all the way through her homework with meltdown after meltdown over every little frustration. She was a complete mess. When homework was finally done she cheered up a little bit, and I took her to her ice cream and then to her orthodonic appt. Everything was fine until they wanted to look in her mouth and put some bands in and add brackets to her lower teeth. Well, she wasnt going to have any of it and started screaming and crying and wouldnt let them near her teeth. Doc pulled me aside and said he is not in the business of torturing children and said we would just have to wait until she was older. She already has braces on her top teeth and didnt have any issue with getting those on, has been wearing them for 4 months now, with great success, and now we have to stop treatment because she wont cooperate. 00 already invested.

She is so miserable and so irrational and angry and anxious, and we are all suffering and trying to work around whatever is going on with her. Its been rough and I just wanted to vent. She has never has a mood that has lasted so long. She was perfectly happy the previous 4 days. usually her moods come and go with a blink of the eye. What a nightmare it has been.

Tasmanian Devil

 

I am sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time. I am sorry I don't have any advice to offer other than to know that you are not alone.

Hugs.

Maybe you should take her off the daytrana? Could it be the stimulant? I dont think its the lamictal, but I am suspicious of the med we are weaning her from. When we dropped the dose she had this marked increase in anger and frustration. When we completely removed it it happened again. We were able to increase the dose of lamictal last night.  As of today she back to her ususal levels of moodiness. Her poor brother is her punching bag. She did play with him a little today and that is a good sign. She is intolerable bossy with him though.Could it be the new med?  Or perhaps getting off the old one?  If it doesn't get better in a day or two, I would wonder if she needed to be put back on the old stuff...