Newbie.....Here’s my story | ADHD Information

I already typed this out once and lost it so this is probably going to be a shortened version. Sorry about any misspelled words, I didn't want to try and do anything extra before I got it posted. :)It's been a long week!

My son is 6 (in August) and was diagnosed with ADHD only,  in November of 2009, right after the first 9 weeks of school. He is a very brilliant child and excels in all subjects. We started our journey of trying different meds and he's now on generic Adderall and then a fast release form of Adderall in the afternoon. The morning pill doesn't seem to get him all day. He's also takes Clonidine to sleep. He has nightmares and issues getting to sleep.

 The littlest things seem to set him off and the anger comes out. He will throw things, talk back, not listen, say mean and hateful things, slap and punch his big sister, he even recently has started biting her (yes, at almost 6) and the list goes on. I feel we have to walk on eggshells so that he doesn't get mad. I feel that I am only hurting him cause I will walk on eggshells just so that he doens't get upset.

  Other things that he has started doing, he will punch his leg (leaving a bruise) while playing his DS. Not only out of anger but also waiting on the game to load to the next level. He has started grinding his teeth in his sleep and while awake causing damage and he's had to have 2 of them pulled. One tooth being one that he wouldn't have lost til at least 8. I am wondering if these 2 aren't tics. Not 100% sure though.

 I called his Dr Friday to see about changing meds and he referred us to a psychiatrist for a psychiatric evaluation.

 That's where I stand at this point and turned to the message board to meet others in my situation and maybe get some answers on how to deal with a child with ADHD that has some anger issues. 

Was this aggressive behavior present before Adderall?

Yes it was and just as bad, all the symptoms are the same as they were before the Adderall. The med combo he's on now worked great for about 3 weeks or so.

 I can tell when the morning Adderall is wearing off and time to give him his afternoon dose. The morning dose is the slow release but seems to wear off at around 2pm and that's when he needs his afternoon does that only gets him til about 6 or 7 and then the anger starts again. I have heard the Adderall can trigger aggressive behavior and was not understanding why he put him on it.

I would definitely see the psychiatrist.  They specialize in these meds (as long as they are experienced with ADHD) and they usually get it right sooooo much faster than the regular docs.  If you don't get a call back tomorrow I'd start calling them everyday until you get an appointment!  

If he's still acting the way you describe when he's on the meds then Adderall may not be the med for him. And yes, Adderall can cause anger issues but so can all of the stimulants.  Each one affects each kid differently but my son also got angry/aggitated on Adderall and ended up switching to Ritalin.  The Ritalin works much better for him! The psychiatrist should be able to get you the right combination quicker than the doc you're with now.  Good luck!

 

Thank you!

 I called them back today and talked to a supervisor and got a call back about 2 hours later and he has an appt at the end of the month. I was hoping for a little sooner but we can make it. 

I will post an update when I have some more answers.

Thank you to all that have commented, it helps alot.

I am no where near as experienced as some of the parents on this board.  But, our DS (ADHD, SPD) has has impulsive anger issues too.  This is the primary reason for us heading to the Phychiatrist.  He is also considered "twice exceptional" ADHD and Gifted.  He had an aggressive response to the stimulants... trying to stab his sister with a sharp pencil.  AND, he developed tics while on Ritalin (eye blinking, throat clearing, sniffing his fingers).  He grinds his teeth... has had to have extensive dental work done and redone (He is only 7). 

We are currenly on Tenex..which works on the central nervous system...it turns his motor down ..just a little bit.  It isn't a miracle cure..but it helps to curb the impulsive aggressiveness.  It does not work on focus issues other than providing some support to help him with his general calmness.

My son sounds very much like your...a handful!  If you haven't already...read The Explosive Child..you may find your child in its pages. 

I would also recommend an OT evaluation...they can give you some general exercises for him to work on to turn his motor down.   He appears to be very tightly wrapped.

 

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Thank you for the tip on the book, I will have to check that out.

 My son was also on Tenex for the tics. His seem to come and go, new ones, and old ones. He started biting his nails at about age 2. His dad and older sister are also nail biters so I didn't see that really as a tic. He does smell is fingers and everything else :), blinks his eys (that's one that comes and goes), all these tics were before he was on any medicine.

He also had the extensive dental work done in Dec 09 (at age 5) and then his 6 month cleaning (this month) he had to have another tooth pulled due to damage from grinding.

 I am trying to get him an appt at a local mental health office for the psychiatric evaluation but I can't seem to get anyone to call me back and since he sees a thrapist else where they have to get him straight to a Phychiatrist and not a therapist there in their office, I guess it takes a little longer, since they bypass the whole therapist part. It's been a week since I left my first message. So I am playing the waiting game right now.

 

I wish you the best!  I hope it works out for you! Please keep us posted!