Feedback on Methylin

We have tried many meds for my DS(12).  He is a rapid metabolizer, and the only long acting med that worked for him was the Daytrana patch.  After two years if wasn't working as well, so we tried methylin for the summer.  It has worked so well for him.  We decided to keep him on it for the school year.  I really like it because it is short acting, so he eats more when he comes home from school because the med has mostly worn off.

I had the same feeling about putting my son on meds until he came to me crying that he could not do his math because he could not concentrate or focus.  That was third grade.  He is in 7th now and is a very good student.  We have tried many meds to find what works.  It really is trial and error to find what works the best for your kid.

I know it can be very scary to start meds.  But if your son is ADHD then please believe me when I say -HE TRULY NEEDS THE MEDICATION!!!  And if you your little guy changes for the worse then the meds need to be changed or adjusted!  He should not be worse on them.  When they work correctly the true personalilty comes out.  It's the personality that's been blocked out by the ADHD and not allowed to come out.  And WOW what a wonderful difference!

I didn't want to put my son on meds either but he was just soooooo bad that there wasn't a choice any more. Sometimes I think my decision was easier than most because he was so severe.  But PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't beat yourself up for trying medication for your son!  It's my opinion that an ADHD kid needs his medication just the same as a diabetic kid needs his insulin.  You should never feel guilty for giving your child what he needs and giving him every opportunity to be happy and successful! Hang in there!  

[QUOTE=pooky11]Hello, my 5 year old son has recently been diagnose with adhd and his doctor started him on Methylin. I am honestly very scare about the medication because I don't know what to expect.  I have heard alot about the side effects and very scare for my son.  Does anyone have experience with this med and what type of side effects were seen. I will appreciate any type of information regarding this medication.   Thank you.[/QUOTE]

My son was on methylin it was a bad experience for us. the med made him very angry and more hyper. I had to change doctors cause his doctor just keep upping the dose he was taking 15mg three time a dy and everytime he would just get more angry, impulsive. Now he taking adderall he only been on it for a day and i already see some good changes. I was against giving him med until we had to withdraw him from pre-k i know i had to do something. 

Hi pooky11 and welcome to the board!  My son takes Methylin (the chewable form because he started taking it before he could swallow a pill).  He takes 5mg 3-4 times a day depending on whether he needs that extra dose.  Methylin is part of the Ritalin family and it works very well for my son's hyperactivity and impulsivness. He's very ADHHHHHHHHHHHHHHD!

Some of the side effects that you may see are:

lower appetite (but this will probably get better as his body gets used to the medication)

trouble getting to sleep (Melatonin can help with this)

irritability, anger, aggitation (this can mean the dose is too low, the timing of the dose is not right, or it's just not the right medication for him)

rebound (this is when the meds wear off & the child gets really emotional, angry, aggitated, extra hyper etc.  The way to get rid of this is usually to make sure the dose lasts long enough to avoid it.  Usually this means raising the dose.  Some meds cause worse rebound with some kids.  My son had bad rebound on Adderall but not too bad on Methylin)

Some kids get tics from stimulants (these can usually be controlled by adding a medication like Tenex or changing the type of stimulant)

Most of these can be lessened or avoided if the doctor knows what they are doing.  The key is the doctor needs to act fast.  For example, if your son is having rebound the doc should immediately adjust the medication.  If not, then I'd change doctors.

Good luck with the medication journey!  It can be so frustrating but when it works it's SOOOOOO good!