5 year old with ADHD | ADHD Information

Risperidol is more times than not given for mood disorders like bipolar disorder and when the person has a mood disorder it must be treated first before stimulants for ADHD are given. Stimulants can trigger a mania when given to someone with a mood disorder which is why its critical that the med's are managed by a specialist. I suggest that you get a second opinion by a specialist who is qualified to make a differential diagnosis and that would be for example, a child psychiatrist or a neurologist. Good luck and please keep us postedThis is not straight forward. I would suggest going to a major children's hospital for a mult-faceted diagnostic evaluation. Have a team evaluate. Costly, but well worth it based on what you are describing.

If you don't hear from the insurance soon call them and keep on them until they approve a visit to a specialist.  I am constantly doing battle with my insurance company about my son's treatment and the only way I can get things done sometimes is to call them over and over and ...you get the point!

Watch for "rebound" when the Adderall wears off.  It can cause him to be angry, emotional (more than what you're already seeing without the Adderall), and my son would have out-of-control meltdowns that we could do nothing about.  If you notice this at about the time the Adderall is supposed to wear off then it's probably rebound.  A change in dose or timing can usually fix it.  If not then a change in medication can help.

 

Hi, I'm back. It has now been 4 days on the adderall and we are seeing some improvement and I appreciate everyones feedback. He has been on the risperidol for about 2 years now and we have seen alot of improvement and then it seems like he gets used to it then it stops working then the dosage has to be adjusted then he does ok then it gets better. He's doing ok right now but he is not sleeping well at all right now and I have noticed his emotions are completely out of whack. He cries alot more and his anger when it comes out, which is alot less is way more intense. He is very calm and quiet and "lashes" out less. He is alot less inclined to hit or have angry outburst but in the evening before his next dose of risperidol he gets very angry and hard to manage. I am waiting for our insurance to say I can have him tested at one of the better hospitals. Our Dr thinks he needs to have some brain scans and blood tests. He also recommends following up with a good child psychologist and psychiatrist to deal with the medication. He says they tend to know a little more about that type of thing. He is just doing what he can to get us thru. I wasn't sure we were gonna make it thru another week. My sons hyperactivity is something I can handle but the violent outbursts and his angry times I couldn't handle. I have a second child. There were times I was having to stand between them to protect her from him. He would hit me and turn furniture over and throw things and it was just dangerous. Recently he has become self mutilating. I am just afraid that the bigger he gets the harder he will be to control. We have to do something to get him under control now. Anyway thanks again for the feedback and I appreciate the support. I just feel alone and don't know who else to talk to so I am seeking support or other people who have been there.

Hi, I have know since my son was very young that something was not right with him. He has always displayed a high amount of anger and aggression and never really shown much in the way of comprehension for simple instruction or direction. My son and I  have an amazing bond and have always connected but when he's angry he's dangerous to himself and his little sister. He tears up the house and has even begun self mutilation. His teachers in the pre school he's been in for 2 and a half years has never had any concern and denies seeing any of the problems that we report in the home. He hits, he throws things, he screams at me, he bangs his head on walls and floors and digs sores in his face with his fingernails. He has a hard time settling down and has insomnia. We have seen several psychologists both have had their own opinions of what was going on and both I did not agree with nor did I agree with their methods of treatment. We saw our physician today and began and antisychotic called risperidol and also a treatment for ADHD called aderall. I need help. I need advice. Parents that have been there and can tell me what my next step should be. How do I help my little boy? Since starting the medicine he is emotional and sleepy and not hungry...I don't know if this is the best road to go down and I don't know what to do for my sweet little boy. Some one help!?

Has your son actually been diagnosed? Did the physician diagnose his as ADHD?  The key here sounds like it's starting with the proper diagnosis from a qualified doctor that you trust.  Mood disorder (like bi polar) can look like ADHD and vice versa.  They can also occur together but from what I understand the mood disorder needs to be treated first and some of the ADHD meds will aggravate it. 

I don't have any experience with Risperidol but that's probably what's making him sleepy.  The Adderall is what's making his appetite go away.  That's very common!  Usually it take several weeks but it gets better.  If the Adderall is at the right dose you should be seeing results.  If you are at the correct dose and you don't see any results it may not be the medication for him.  There is help out there for your little guy!  And it sounds like you're on the right track coming here.  There is a wealth of information here and many people who have been through what you're going through so hang in there!

Thank you so much to everyone for all the warm thoughts and kind words...this is such a frustrating situtiation and so confusing on what is really best for him. Yesterday was such an amazing day on the new combo of meds and then today was horrible...he was moody and aggressive and just all over the board with emotions. When he's like that I just don't even feel like an effective parent and I try all the things that the couselors and therapist tell me to do and it doesn't work and sometimes it does and I am frustrated and I know he is. We are going thru all the processes to get all the right specialists involved and that's just a process where we live and that's frustrating. We have a whole new group of diagnoses that I thought made sense and I see alot of what they're talking about but can't help thinking that there's something more going on...anyway I will keep posting and again thank you for the input and all the encouragement.

Hello, My son had a major mental break on Tuesday of last week and was placed in a behavioral unit of a hospital. Ugh talk about a hard thing for a mommy. Any I believe it was because of the adderall and my dr believes the same. He says that adderall can some times make aggressive kids more aggressive. So we got out of the hospital yesterday and he saw him again today and changed his medication to Vyvance and Abilify in the AM and Trazadone at night. The hospital didn't do much for him except diagnose him with ADHD with condition, opositional defiant disorder and a mood disorder nos. He is doing follow up with extensive therapy for all of these things which I am thankful for that. Anyway we are hoping that he will start doing better on this medication combination and with the therapy. Thanks again for all the kind words and helpful advice. 

I'm sorry to hear about your son's troubles! I'm sending hugs out to you  Hopefully it was because of the Adderall and now that he's off of it he will have an easier time.  Probably the most important thing right now is to see a specialist for the meds (if you aren't already)  The combination he is on now could do the trick but if it doesn't you need a specialist to help sort it all out.  You will get much better/faster results with a specialist.  I wish you the best and please keep us posted. Hang in there! Kind of different but my older son (autistic and ADHD) went
positively MANIC on Paxil (anti-depressant). My very sweet
and loving child became my WORST (literally) nightmare!
I'll spare you all of the details but yes, he probably
should have been admitted to the psych ward of the
children's hospital. We managed it though and we got him
off of Paxil and now he's on a small dose of Abilify....
once his mood stabilized, we were able to add in a
stimulant (Focalin XR) to help with the
attention/focus/hyperness/impulsivity issues.... :)

Good luck to you! (HUGS)