Each child's reaction to meds is so different that it's hard to say what will work. What works for one kid doesn't work for another. The ONLY way to tell with these meds is trial and error. It can be difficult but VERY rewarding when it works right!
Just some things to watch out for...Watch for "rebound" this is when the child is coming off of the meds. The ADHD symptoms can come back even worse for a short period. For my son, rebound made him VERY emotional and irrational. Adderall worked well on my son's hyper symptoms but the rebound was too bad for him. We switched to ritalin and it's been great!
Also, keep track of his behaviors/symptoms/side effects. Not just what they are but also the time. Mark the time so you know how long after the dose these things appear. This will help determin how quickly he's metabolizing the medication. My son metabolized adderall SUPER fast-too fast. He metabolizes Ritalin slower...Just keep in mind that the dose hardly ever lasts as long as they say it should.
Best of luck to you!
We have tried diet and supplements, and are not having any luck. We will be looking into doing a trial run of Adderall XR. My son is 9 years old. I would love to hear any success stories, or concerns if your child has been on adderal. Or, is there another type of ADHD med that worked well for your child? Thanks.Yes, but it wasn't the med for OUR son. We too did the trial and error and it wasn't the right one. Our son is on concerta.
From what i have learned, is that a person can handle either the adderall family OR the ritalin family, not both.
The only way you know is trial and error. AND you need to make sure the dose is right because that could be the reason it isn't working. The med may be right but the dose is wrong, if you knwo what I mean.
I hope this helps.
Hi Mich123...
My son was diagnosed very young. We tried 2-3 meds and they didn't work or we didn't like the side effects.
You'll have to play the game and see how your son reacts to the medication.
My son was on Adderall XR for around 5-6 years. It worked really well for my son. Only 1 side effect for us and that was low appetite (sometimes that goes away and sometimes it stays). We did have to raise the does over the years and sadly it no longer works for him (I believe b/c he went thru puberty).
We are just now (Monday AM) changing over to Ritalin. I hope it works for us.
You just have to keep trying.