Medications | ADHD Information

My son was first diagnosed with ADHD in September 2009 by our family physician.  We tried Adderall with no results other than his appetite decreasing.  We were having trouble with the school so we decided to just go to a specialist.  We had him evaluated and they formally diagnosed him as ADHD as well and touched on learning disabilities he has with reading, fine motor skills, dyslexia, etc.  We then decided to try Concerta.  He has been on this now for 3 weeks.  I see absolutely no results again.  Not even the appetite decreasing this time.  Do you think this is due to the drug not working again or the dose needs to be increased?  We do have his follow up appt scheduled in less than 2 weeks, but I am just curious what you think here or if some had experience with this.  Are some kids just not right for medication or is it that we just haven't found the right one yet?  Thanks.

What is his dosage on concerta? I wonder if he isn't on the right mgs.

My son is 12 and at 104mgs. He has been on concerta since he was shy of 7. He started at 18mgs, the lowest and worked his way up, over years. He would level off until he needed an increase.

Have you called the doctor to ask for an increase? Also do you know about guanfacine? It is great for impulsiveness control.

Don't wait for any appointments in two weeks, call the doctor ASAP. I would have doctors mail my son's prescription. He would be on one dose on Monday, and on Tuesday he would be on the next dose up.

You will only know by trying the next dose.

Please update us when you can!!

Thanks!  My son is on 18 mg right now.  He's 8 (2nd grade) but he's a little more "solid" (not heavy at all though).  He's 83 lb.  Generally it takes a while before the right medication and dose is found. Response to stimulant medication is based on individual response, not weight. A dose of 18mg of Concerta is the starting dose and more times than not positive results are not seen at this dose. Three or four meds at different doses should be tried and the goal is maximum benefit, minimal side effects at the lowest dose possible. A small percentage of children do not response well to medication for various reasons but please be patient. Write down all of your questions and speak to the specialist as the more your educate yourself about ADHD and the meds for it, the less frustrated you will feel. Each patient goes through a trial of medication and while going through a trial, the physician will advise you about where to go from here. When the medication is working at maximum benefit it should manage all symptoms of ADHD very effectively. Good luck and please keep us posted

zell828,

I just wanted to mention one more thing, this med is NOT based on weight. The littlest child could be on a higher dose than a bigger child. Age also has nothing to do with it.

Every person is different and how they metabolize these meds is also different. Plus as they grow and their bodies change, the meds will change, like puberty. Keep that in mind for the future.

I still suggest calling the doctor ASAP and move him up, and then up again until you see positive results.

You know when he is where he needs to be when his days are successful.

My son at age 8 was at 54mgs. And he took 1 mg of guanfacine, which helped smooth things out for him. I always use the phrase that the guanfacine was like the frosting on the cake!

Keep in touch and let us know how things are going for both of you!!

[QUOTE=zell828]Thank you so much for responding everyone.  I didn't realize it was not according to weight.  Most medications are.  I guess I have a lot more research to do with ADHD and learning.  I am soooo new to this   [/QUOTE]

 

Your very welcome. We are always happy to share information and be as supportive as possible. Please dont hesitate to post questions or if you need to vent or just talk there is always someone here to listen Keep us posted

Thank you so much for responding everyone.  I didn't realize it was not according to weight.  Most medications are.  I guess I have a lot more research to do with ADHD and learning.  I am soooo new to this  

I agree that you should call the doctor and not wait.  I will never really understand why they make a child stay on one dose for two weeks or more before going up.  (maybe that's why they're the doctors and I'm not! )  Each time my son tried a new stimulant or dose we were making adjustments daily and the dose was increased every 3-7 days.  So it really isn't necessary to wait that long.  When a doc does that, I always wonder if maybe they aren't as experienced with these drugs as they should be???

BTW, I also agree that your dose is probably too low and that's why you're seeing no results at all!