Do you tell their teacher? | ADHD Information

Hi, I am new here.  My son was recently prescribed Adderall XR, and I plan on starting him on it Monday.  I have been given conflicting opinions by his doctors, some say to tell the teachers that he is on the meds so they can keep an eye on him for changes, and other docs have said to not tell anyone he is on the meds and wait to see if they approach me with "good news" about his behavior.  Which advice should I follow?

I understand, this is a big decision. Teachers do talk about their students. But I also told my son's first and second grade teachers so they could help me with whether he was on the right dose or not.

It is a big decision to make, think hard and long. Once you tell, then they know. From where it goes, who knows. I did.

BUT never tell friends, nor parents of your child's friend. That leads to trouble, believe me!!

My opinion, but I wish you all the best!!

Thank you for your replies, I appreciate your input. 
I am not worried about my son getting labeled...he is already by being in a SDC.   I think the docs were more concerned about getting a more honest opinion about his behavior if the teachers didn't know.  I think I am going to tell them, in the hopes that they can help guide us to the right dosage for him.
So, how long do you give a medication to see if it works?  A few days, a week, longer?
I tell my son's teachers every year, because I want them to be flexible with him. His test scores tell them that he's a smart young man, but they don't explain why he might be a bit late for class or not-quite-as-attentive as he should be 8th hour. I don't worry about labels because his accomplishments counter whatever negative ideas or connotations adhd might make people think. 

If you are not worried about the label then I say tell the teacher.  Trying to get the meds right with the right dosage can be a very difficult task and you need to know what behavior changes he's having throughout the day.

Once you get up to a high enough dose of the medication you should see results immediately.  I can tell with my son within 20 minutes of taking his Ritalin.  If you don't see any results then the dose is proabaly too low.  If the doctor raises the dose and you still don't see any positive results then it may not be the right med for him.  Good luck!

[QUOTE=mommyto3]Thank you for your replies, I appreciate your input. 
I am not worried about my son getting labeled...he is already by being in a SDC.   I think the docs were more concerned about getting a more honest opinion about his behavior if the teachers didn't know.  I think I am going to tell them, in the hopes that they can help guide us to the right dosage for him.
So, how long do you give a medication to see if it works?  A few days, a week, longer?
[/QUOTE] My son's concerta took affect within 30 minutes and lasted longer and worked better haveing him take it BEFORE he ate. The teachers would tell me how his day was but never if he needed an increase. The words they "chose" told me what I needed. They had told me that they can't give out medical advise, which makes sense, BUT what they did tell me was very helpful for our son to be successful while at school!

Please let us know how you both are doing!!  And if we can help. Our son also had rebound when the meds were wearing off. Just a heads up on that. Not sure if you will or not.

Thanks again.  Yesterday I gave him his first dose, and perhaps only saw slight changes at best.  Today was his second dose, and I saw no improvement whatsoever.  He only gets the side effects (affects both his sleep and his appetite), but no benefits.  I guess tomorrow I will be calling the doc to see if they can increase the meds.  But will increasing the meds also make the side effects worse?

Increasing could make the side effects worse, if it is TOO high. BUT having the dosage too low is not good either, he is not successful. YOu know when the dose is correct when the adhd "stuff" is not happening AND your child is successful.

Those are the same side effects that we went through, BUT, we felt it was worth it. We let our son eat whatever he wanted once we leveled off so he could get calories. He was also up late.

Our son leveled off after about 6 months of increasing, and then after a year, all the side effects left. His body adjusted.

I remember giving my son a dose of concerta, it doing nothing or his teachers telling me they saw no difference and calling the same day for an increase. So on a Tuesday he was on one dose and by Wednesday, the next day, he was increased. My doctor worked that fast with me. He would also offer to mail the prescriptions to me, but I usually picked them up to fill them that same day.

I also remember him being on the dose but then within a month or two, he needed another increase. It really did take 6 months and then he stayed at that dose for at least a year before another, and then he stayed at the next one for about 3 years!

My doctor is very easy to communicate all this stuff to - he is open to trying things. He is a psychopharmacologist.

My son needs his meds 24/7. Not all do, but my son does.

With one child I told, and with the other I did not tell. They are at different schools. There's a big fat label on the first one, and the microscope was on him for years. Also, ironically, the teacher last year was almost useless at helping me re-adjust the dosage, so go figure. I vote no, but that's just MHO.