Night sweats on new meds?? | ADHD Information
it's our regular Ped doctor that is prescribing it. She's been seeing my son since birth and I feel she knows him very well. Now wondering if I need to take him to someone who specializes in ADD/ADHD.....just to get the meds under control.
My guess by having my double his dose she was to make it easier for me?!? So I didn't have to drive and pick up a new prescription? That's my guess. She did mention that there was a dose in between, but said that I could just try to double the meds and see if it helped.
I emailed her yesterday and told her that the Concerta wasn't working as it should be, and that the rebound thing was terrible for my poor boy. She emailed back last night and said that she would like to try him on Adderall next. Any advice on that?!? When I asked her about guanfacine, she said that typically she won't prescribe 2 meds for a child to take, but will refer them out to a specialist at that point. Since Grant is not a severe case at this point, I think she is hoping that we will find 1 medicine that will help. But the more I read on this site, sounds like Grant might be a good case for guanfacine, as he is very impulsive (that is the biggest problem for him).
So sorry to hear that you are dealing with Middle School bullying. Having to get the police involved is terrible for you and your child to deal with , so very sorry for you and your son. I also have a middle schooler (girl) and we've had some issues with bullying amongst some nasty girls in her school...terrible.
Be careful, it seems, and remember, I am NOT a doctor, just a mom with experience with concerta.
My son tried adderall xr, extended release, and he was horrible on it. It made him psychotic.
A person seems to be able handle one or the either, meaning the concerta family or the adderall xr family.
I would recommend seeing an adhd specialist. My pediatrician referred us. He said he doesn't specialize in this and he is right!
He referred us to a psychopharmacologist who is fabulous with all these meds, and believe me, there are lots!!
I think, again, not a doctor, that concerta is working but try 27mgs and add guanfacine to it. Start with a help, .5mgs. Please ask any questions!!
yeah the bullying stinks when the victim has no rights. He has to take it, then tell but all it does in empower the bully, This is his 3rd incident with this freak. This kid needs help but his parents are in denial. He bugs everyone. And mine is a good kid. It is always the good kids that end up the victims.
grantsmom,
I am shocked that the doctor skipped over 27mgs. That is the next level for concerta, not 36mgs!
And there is a pill that is equal to 36mgs as well.
I wonder who is prescribing to your son? Is it a specialist or a pediatrician?
The doctor should really have slowly increased your son's dosage. I am concerned.
My son has been on concerta successfully for over 6 years now. There is a slower way of finding the correct dose than just doubling your existing prescription, that can be dangerous.
And your insurance will cover the next dosage so it doesn't have to be due to insurance.
Rebound is really tough - the best example of it is it is like being thrown on the floor unexpectedly. The meds leave the body all of a sudden. It is really hard for young children to handle this at first.
We found sugar helped my son. He ate a hershey bar with almonds right when he got home, it smoothed things out for him. The meds can make their own bodies blood sugar fall. The sugar helped boost my son.
Do you think 36 is where he needs to be? Also, any though on adding guanfacine to help his impulsiveness?
My son once wasn't where he needed to be med wise, but once I increased his guanfacine, he was perfect.
My son is only taking 1mg of guanfacine, and you can split them in half. He started at a half a pill.
Please ask any questions. I am so sorry I didn't read this over the weekend.
We are dealing with ongoing bullying in middle school again and had to get the police involved. It is never easy.
I wish I had an answer. My son has been on concerta for over 5 1/2 years and has never had that happen. He has had the hard to fall asleep stuff at the beginning but it all worked out just fine.
Actually 18mgs is very low, it may not be your son's dosage for success. AND the meds wear off after about 8-10n hours.
What time did he take it?
HAve you called his doctor?
He took it at 10am yesterday, late I know, but he was home from school and I wanted his first day on the meds to be when I was around him.
He did tell me he had trouble falling asleep, but I expected that and wasn't alarmed or concerned. But the sweating I hadn't read about so wondered if anyone else had their child experience it. (and he's typically NOT a sweaty kind of kiddo ) 
The Dr. wanted to start him on the 18mg and then work it up if needed. I have to say, even with that low of a dose, I DID notice little things that changed in his behavior for the better, could be coincidence or it could be that its working. Either way, hoping for the best.
what time did he go to bed?
See if it happens again tonight.
Keep an eye on things changing for the better, you should see it the very first day.
Please let me help if I can!! Concerta has been a god send for my son. I remember being at the very begining as if it was yesterday.
we are here if you need us!!
Hello everyone! I am a newbie but have been reading and learning sooo very much from this board, cannot thank you enough for that.
Quick background... 8 yr old son recently diagnosed and now on our first med Concerta 18mg. Just started it yesterday and he seemed great yesterday, complained of the typical belly ache at dinner but seemed ok. The odd thing I am posting about is that I put him to bed at 8pm, but at 9:30pm he came downstairs SOAKING WET. He said he had a hard time falling asleep and then woke up suddenly sweating. He seriously was drenched head to toe. Had to change his pjs, sheets, etc. All my info/research doesn't mention this as a side effect?!? Anyone had or heard of this?
Thanks! :)
thank you sooo very much. Your words are comforting and I am sure I will be posting more ???'s as we embark on this journey.
He went to bed at 8pm-later than his normal bedtime of 7:15, but I know he was up there awake for a while (most likely due to the late dosage I gave him).
Today he took it at 7:30am, with breakfast, before school. Nurse called to tell me at 11am he was in her office, nervous and complaining of a tummy ache. He told her he didn't think the medicine was "working right". 
He ate a few crackers and said he felt a little better and went back to class. She (the school nurse) said she was going to go down to his classroom right now and see how he was doing.
I am really looking forward to hearing from his teacher this afternoon to see if she saw a difference today during classtime.
Not sure if I should call his Dr. and tell her about the night sweats or wait to see if it happens again....I am keeping a journal and was thinking I would share and/all info when I meet with her again in 2 weeks, unless somthing drastic happens between now and then, right?!?
My son didn't make even 2 days at 18mgs, it did absolutely nothing for him. He was almost 7 when we started. The teacher really helped guide us.
We leveled at 36 for a bit but then 54 was where he was in second grade. He ended up at 72mgs from3rd through 5th, then 90mgs until recently. He was increased to 108 a few months back. And so successful!
He also takes guanfacine for his impulse control, actually lack of.
Keep the journal, I didn't but was a stay at hom and really focused my attention on him.
I called the doctor when there were tummy aches, but wait until he comes home. He can better explain, he may have them as a side effect.
My son also had lots of side effects, which I learned how to "treat" and deal with, and then they went away after his body adjusted. He did get thin, but was still gaining weight and growing, but not gaining as much to keep up with his height. It did all changed. He is 12 1/2 and wears a mens 31 waist, 32 length pant. He is also tall. Always in the the 95-100% at the pediatrician. Very healthy.
Go with your gut on everything, momma knows best!
Call the doctor when you feel necessary and feel free to post anything. WE here have been through it all.!! 
When my son first started meds I talked to the doctor almost every night for a while. I think it's probably unlikely that you'll be able to go a whole 2 weeks without talking to the doctor. At least not right now since it's the very beginning. Many times the annoying side affects go away with time and if they don't then they can sometimes be handled with a dose change or med change.
I have a feeling that if you saw positive results it wasn't just luck. It was the medication. That's a good sign even if it needs a lot of adjustment. Welcome aboard! And I wish you the best of luck!
Such an emotional week, and I sure you all have experienced the same thing. Talked to his teacher on Wed. night and she said he was (and I quote) "as impulsive as ever" so I called my dr. and she told me to give him 2 pills on Thursday morning, as this medicine either works or it doesnt' and obviously the lowest 18mg dose wasn't enough.
Thursday gave him 2pills (36 mg) and he got a GREAT report from school. They also had a field trip that day and his teacher told me he was FABULOUS on it (bus behavior and during the field trip). He was sooo proud of himself and excited, made me teary. Also when doing homework on Thursday night there wasn't a battle to do it. Seriously. I am shocked. I also noticed his handwriting was amazing, clear and not bunched up and I could actually READ it. Is that something any of you noticed in your kids?!?! He was patient and took his time and it definitely showed. woweee.
The belly aches and not wanting to eat aside, no more night sweats so wondering if it was totally not because of the meds and maybe something else?!?! Very anxious for him to come home today and see how his behavior was....hoping and crossing fingers that the 36mg might be the right dosage, otherwise Dr. wants to try a different medicine next week.
This board, and you ladies are truly a godsend-so very happy to have found this board!!!!
update and more concerns......
omg, when I picked him up from school he was wound up SOOOO tight I thought he was going blow up. He talked and talked and talked and talked and talked, seriously I have never heard him go non stop for so long. It was like he was a toy that was wound up and was just going to keep going and going. And he was arguementative one minute and then crying the next. Oh my gosh. I need a glass of wine and it's only 4pm.
Without meds he's never been like this. It's almost like he's worse on this 36mg dose. So now that we've gone from 18 to 36 and its not better, do we try to up the dosage or try a new medicine?!?!? Have a call into the dr., hoping she'll call before the weekend. Should I continue to give him this Concerta for the weekend? Or should I stop it?
going to go make sure the wine is cold.
What you're describing is most likely "rebound". It happens when the meds wear off or if the dose is too low. The ADHD symptoms come back even more and (at least with my son) he got OVERLY emotional. Usually rebound can be controlled with upping the dose or adding another dose at the end. If those things don't work the doc will probably switch the med to something different. Adderall gave my son horrible rebound but Ritalin didn't. So one med may do it and another might not. Definitely call the doc and ask what to do over the weekend. Rebound IS NOT something that you have to put up with! The doc should act right away. Good luck and keep us posted!Update for us, 1 month into this new diagnosis and we went to the Doc today for a "med check". Grant has lost 5 lbs in ONE month. He is now under 50 lbs and is 8yr old (and tall) !!!! Poor boy.
The stimulants he's now been on (Concerta and Adderall) have just completely made him loose his appetite. No matter what I give him, he just has no hunger and I have been forcing him to eat for the last month. NOT fun at all. The Adderall was the worst for us, so we put him back on the Concerta for the last 2 weeks, just waiting for this Doc apt to discuss what to do next.
We left the office with 2 sample drug packs-Strattera and Intuniv. Our Doc knows I am big into research and has left it up to me about what to start him on tomorrow. She did not want me to combine the Concerta and Intuniv, which is what I've read is successful for a lot of kiddos. Any thoughts/advice/ideas?!?!
The Concerta worked ok, but the loss of appetite was terrible and once the med wore off at 4pm, it made our "home time" not the best at night. Did start him on Melatonin (6mg) at night before bed and he seems to sleep a lot better now.
Would really really love any thoughts from all of you. HELP!!! (grabbing glass of wine now. LOL)
oh, and I am on the "list" to go to a Specialist in the area-I agree that our Ped Doc is not who we should be seeing. The problem is that there is a waiting list of 6-8 weeks to be seen by the specialist she recommended. Can't believe how hard it is to get an apt.
The doctor jumping from one medication to another so quickly worries me. My son's doc always says you should try every combination/timing/dose etc. with a medication before moving to another. (assuming there are no severe side effect that make it impossible) He said "You'd hate to pass up the ONE medication that will actually work because you just didn't try enough variations".
Many times the appetite will come back after a few months. In the mean time you can try other things to get food in him. In the beginning we did a lot of protien shakes and Ensure. I also let him eat whatever he wanted...candy, ice cream, chocolate, it didn't matter! You can also try feeding him before giving him the meds in the morning or in the evening when they wear off. These things may still not work but you might want to try them while you're deciding what to do. Good luck!
We have only tried the two meds so far (Concerta and Adderall) and with not the greatest success. She felt that those meds either work or don't work in the few weeks we have tried them. We did try different dosages of each one, and all in all-the good did not outweigh the BAD on either one. She is probably also feeling my pushing to find the next med that works so we can try to have the best last 2 months of school that we can, before it affects his academics and placement for next year.
I do know that the Strattera and Intuniv take a few weeks to really get the full effect. And with his weight loss so much, even with my shakes and high caloric things I've been forcing him to eat-she felt that the Strattera or Intuniv might be a better track for us to try before he looses any more weight. His appetite is completely gone, 24/7 with no time that he ever feels hungry. I tried altering when I feed him and there just isn't a time that he is hungry. We are a very healthy household and I have broken every "rule" just to get him to eat (and I've offered stuff most kids would love love love) with no positive results from him. Poor sweet boy.
I am anxious to get an apt with a specialist to be sure we are on the right track. Will call more docs tomorrow to try to get an apt to get more guidance and better info on which route to take.
Thanks for your reply! :)
My son also had this "problem" from the side effects of concerta. I bought him slim size pants for a year.
BUT, after hanging in there for about a year, his body finally adjusted. His pediatrician actually said that. His body got used to the meds. He was always growing but not eating as much for the weight to catch up to his height.
YOu would never know this had happened to him if you saw him now. We are actually watching his calorie intake because he loves to eat, especially at night.
I swear that the guanfacine/tenex really helps my son to eat.
Also during this time of him being skinny, we gave him a hershey bar every day after school. It jump started his appetite. He would then eat some like chicken nuggets.
Their blood sugar drops from the meds and giving my son the chocolate also helped with the rebound, again caused from the blood drop.
We fed him anything he wanted at any hour of the night. And it worked.
Mys on is still on concerta, 104mgs, and guanfacine, 1mg. He is now turning 13 in June. We began meds when he was turning 7.
We also use a psychopharm for meds.