My head is spinning. Help! | ADHD Information

I took our son to his psychiatric nurse practitioner today because of some recent concerns with Focalin xr. Brief history...he's 6, has been on focalin xr 10 mg for 4 mths, diagnosed with adhd and pdd nos, also has sensory issues. Anyway the focalin had been working great but for the last few weeks it seems to wear off sooner, about 5 hr duration, and he has had some anxiety issues evidenced by him biting his nails to the point of bleeding. Anyway, she suggested we switch from focalin to vyvanse and add risperdal. She said that will calm him down, add some weight, and especially help with impulsivity which seems to be more of a problem for him than hyperactivity. I got home and read up on the risperdal and I am scared to death from some of the side effects! It seems like an "overkill" for his situation. He is not angry or aggressive, just anxious. I am thinking tenex might be something better for him. I am not opposed to trying the vyvanse next month when his prescription is due to be refilled, but then I think maybe if we added the tenex, and just gave him a short acting focalin as a booster to get him through the last few hours of school that may be the way to go. Sorry I've rambled...guess my main question is, have any of you given your kids risperdal when they haven't exhibited anger and aggression? I thought starting the meds was bad enough, now I am really confused with adding one thing to offset another! Kathleen051540295.776712963HI Kathleen! I will fill you in on my son's day later ( not good) but for now I
will give you my opinion on this: It does seem like overkill . I think you
should continue looking into it, and go with your gut. I also think it's better
to try a conservative route ( like the scenario you described with booster)
before jumping into something more intense like the practitioner recc'ed.
Also, we did detour from Focalin briefly and tried Vyvanse. It was not right
for him, but could be a good choice for you. I'd be happy to share the
details of that experience in a pm. Sorry you're in such a stuck place, I am
too right now with meds, but the good news is there are a nice handful of
options left to try. It's frustrating when you know how well they can work
and then a hurdle comes up, and you feel like you'll lose this thing that has
improved your child's life so much. hang in there!