New To Forum,,,? about Medication | ADHD Information

My name is Teresa I am a Registered Nurse and I have a 9 year old Son diagnosed with ADHD almost a year ago. We have been on Focalin XR for this entire year now and although we have seen major improvements with grades, only slight improvements with behavior and it seems to be happening less and less. My doctor suggested that we only give our son his medication on school days so he wouldn't build a tolerance to the drug. We tried this and not only were we basically stuck in the house all weekend because of his unbearable behavior, but after resuming his meds on Monday morning, it seemed to take a few  days before they truly started working again so that left us with maybe 2-3 "ok" days and then starting all over again on Saturday. We have decided to continue to give him his meds even on the weekends and that seems to work better for him but now I am worried about him building tolerance to the drug. The dr. basically said to me that if he builds a tolerance to this drug theres nothing else we can do for him. This is the ONLY medication my son has been on, he's only upped the dose one time and them told me if that didn't work that the only other option I had was a psychiatrist for my son. I am at a loss on what to do. I have 3 other kids that also have to suffer with being stuck at home on the weekends and being tortured by their brother's behavior not to mention that all my other children are involved in sports so we are rarely home for long and taking him to the ball field without his medication is just NOT an option. We tried that a few weekends ago and my husband actually got cussed by another parent because she said my son was "buck wild and a disaster" I have never been so embarrassed in all my life....I'm so ready to just give up...
Hi Teresa,

I think you see another doctor. Is he a pediatrician or a child pycsh? Peds
usually don't have the proper knowledge about meds. There are many diff
meds to try besides Focalin XR, as you will see if you do a search. there are
also combinations of meds to try if a stim is not working on it's own. Dont
give up! You've really only just begun if you've only tried one med, and
without even trying an increase!?! Do some research, and def look for a new
doc. GL!Hes my sons Pediatrician. We live in a small town and he's from Florida and "supposed" to have a specialty in ADHD. Unfortunately in my small town in Southwest Virginia, most teachers, doctors, and even parents still see ADHD as a cop-out for someone that needs better parenting. It's sad really. My husband and I have no real help at all.  I know exactly what you mean about small towns! The closest town to us only has a population of around 6,000. My son's ped is also the ADHD "specialist" for two counties. I've just pestered and pestered him about all of this, until he finally started tele-conferencing with a psychiatrist in the closest "city". I am trying to get my son in to see that psych, because this is just not working for us. Unfortunately there is a waiting list and it might be a very long wait before we can get in.

Like you, I've had other parents tell me things like, "Give me a week and I'd beat some sense into that boy," or "You LET your child run wild, you need to discipline him more," or "Nobody can stand to be around your kid." I even had a relative call him an a**hole. He was only five at the time. Who calls a 5yo that??

I've simply pared down my list of friends and I only go to family functions when I know certain relatives won't be there. Truthfully, it's made my life a lot easier. Also, you might not have "real" help, but you now have our help! Even if you're just looking for a witty come-back, there are so many parents here on this board who are here to support you. Best of luck, and keep on posting here, this board is the best!!     Thank you so much to you  both! I already feel welcome! I've read through some of the other posts about discipline and stuff and got some great ideas that I can't wait to try on him! It's so good to know that we are not alone in this! I don't know anyone else that has a child that has ADHD so I have nothing to compare to. We didn't even know he had it for the longest time because I had never known anyone that had it. I look forward to many more discussions!!!