Help.........need advice | ADHD Information

Hi, my 8.5 yr old son is on Dexamphetamines for adhd and has been taken 1 tablet in the morning and 1/2 tablet around midday. We don't think the med's are having any great impact on the behaviours and our specialist said to increase dose to 1.5 tablets in the morning. This morning being a Saturday (at home day) we gave our son his first 1.5 tablets and midday another 1/2 tablet. My son's behaviour today has been at it's worst......he's been absolutely horrible. My son's cousins are having a sleepover tonight and my son has been in his room for timeout that many times and he is cracking up laughing about it each time. He is behaving so horrible.

Why would this be.............the speciliast said what I should see is his behaviours remaining for the "better" for a longer part of the day. As I said before, we really didn't think these med's were having any impact with my son in the first place but the half a tablet extra in the morning seem's to have brought out the worst in him.

Any advice and thanks for  reading so far.

Marlene

It sounds like the dose may be too high.  I would give the doc a call about it right away.  If you can't get the doctor because it's the weekend, I would at least cut the dose back to what it was before. At least until you can talk to the doc.  If the higher dose is causing the behavior problems then they should get better as the meds wear off... Best of luck!  Hope things get better for him (and you!)

Is this the first medication you've tried? If so, I would suggest switching to a different type. There are several available. Some kids respond well to this med, and some do not. My DS, for example, did well on the methylphenidate based meds, but it took several trials to find the one that worked best. We also tried Dexedrine, but it was very bad for him - horrible mood swings and he would get upset very easily.

Good luck!

I agree - sounds like this one isn't working for him.

Temporarily - I know this sounds nuts - try giving him a caffeinated diet
soda. The mild stimulant might help him regain control. Keep in close communication with your child's specialist and have the doctor advise you about what to do next. Reaction and response to meds is very individual and there are many different reasons such reactions or behaviors can occur. Please let us know how things are going.

YIKES!

It sounds like the wrong medication for him! There are other options. We "lucked out" that Dexedrine worked first shot. But our doctor told us specifically that if it is going to work, the effects will be seen in the first 20 minutes. He also said if there is no possitive effect, then it is not the right medication. Perhaps that is where you are?