Ritalin LA and rebound | ADHD Information
Does anyone have any experience with Ritalin LA and rebound? My daughter has been on 20 mg for 1 month and the rebound is UNBELIEVABLE!!! It seems to last about 6 hours and then she goes bananas! She is literally bouncing off of the walls, nasty, screaming, hyper for a few hours and then it's be time - tough to get to settle for bed (we have a soothing quite routine which is hard to implement when she is so off the wall! but we do manage to deal with the sleep issue). While the med is effective, she is terrific - but i dread those few hours of rebound though -
She also has no appetite while on the med and wakes after about 4 hours of sleep, ready to go! She was franticlly nail biting, but that has subsided a great deal.
We go back tot he Dr. on Thursday and am wondering what sort of advice he may throw our way - medication change????By the way, my daughter is only 3 1/2 - has been seeing drs. and having special ed for hyperactivity since 18 months. We deceided to go the medication route after much soul searching and seeking much medical advice. Becasue of how she when the med is effective i know it was the right thing to do - this rebound things is the pits though!
anyone have any similar experiences or any advice?
My son was on ritalin for years (from age 8 to 17) and yes I hated the rebound. He eventually took Concerta which had less rebound affect for him as it is time release and lasts 12 hrs. At age 8 and in the 90% for height and weight he was on 10mg Ritalin. I am not a Dr but a 3 1/2 yr old on 20mg seems like too much.
My son eventually developed OCD (trichotillomania - form of anxiety) and had to stop the stimulant route. He tried other meds but they had no positive effect and made him sleepy and unmotivated. This year he has seen an alternative medicine MD specializing in brain chemistry imbalances. Nutrition, supplements, Omega-3's, and other nutrients. Our son has stopped pulling his hair and his zombie like ritalin complacency is gone. He is witty and fun. While he still struggles to 'pay attention' to boring tasks he is learning other skills. He was VERY active as a young boy, as I'm sure your daughter is. I remember climbing the gym set with hime for fear he'd fall at 2 years old while I was 6 mons pregnant. To make him take a nap I had to drive him in the car for 20 mins until he fell asleep. His first experiences in school were not good until I found a wonderful private school with an experienced director. Home schooling is often recommmended for the elementary age. They simply have too much energy to sit still. Good luck to you and your daughter.
Been there. Grace
thanks for the response! The dr. & pharmacist both assure me that 20 mg is fine - everyone's brain chemistry is different and these meds work on that - not by age or weight. She is GREAT while the med is in her system - it is just after that is awful. We tried all of the natural, diet stuff - Ritalin LA is the only thing that has made a positive change in her. She is still funny and very active while on the med, but not so dangerously wild. she runs and jumps and plays quite "normally". All in all, i am very pleased with the Ritalin, not the rebound though.
by the way, she is being seen by a dr. at a child study center's ADHD clinic and the Dr. specializes in children under 5 so i am very confident in the care, just wondering what they may suggest.
Thanks again!
Iposted this in another topic, but wanted to also post here. My son is on Ritalin LA, and he never has rebound. He is doing so well on this medicine, we are thrilled.
For the first post, perhaps 20 mg is way too much Ritalin for your child. maybe 10mg would be more than enough.
Talk to your doctor.
We were on Adderall which had the worst rebound I have ever seen. We also tried Concerta and he was not controlled in the morning- the doctor wanted to give him more and more just to make his mornings better- then we put him on the Ritalin LA- which lasts all the school day, and if we need more in the evening due to extra homework, or after school activity, we give him regular Ritalin or Focalin.
we tried 10 mg - teachers saw absolutely no difference - at home we saw minimal differences. On 20 mg, while the med is in her system, things are terrific! - so the dose seems good in that respect - it's just the afternoon rebound that is awful. By the way, even with the 10mg and no real change, she had the same awful rebound.
we actually saw the dr. yesterday and discussed other options we may have to persue - i guess it's all trial and error. It now seems that she also may have other issues going on 
as well. I have some thinking, praying and research to do before our next appointment.
thanks for the replies!
Katera,
Unfortunately we're living north of Philadelphia which is to far to go to NYC but if we hit crisis mode, hopefully never, I'll keep it in mind. The Dr. called last night and wants to take him off the ritalin LA for awhile to figure out what's going on with his change in behavior. He takes Focalin to help at bedtime, we just started this and still trying it out, and the Dr. says to give that to him before school and see how it goes. I'm scared to death to send him to school with out the ritalin. Last year he didn't take it and the school year was a mess. I hated dropping him off because he didn't want to go and hated picking him up because of what the teacher was going to report. Let's hope today isn't a disaster!!
i may have other options for you to try - my nephew (who lives outside of Philly) has ADD - no hyper - and has been being seen my doctors at Princeton - it was a drive for my sister (better than to NYC!!!) but she was happy with the care. You might also call Lehigh University - i know they were doing a big study on pre-schoolers - they may lead you in the right direction to find someone to help you locally -
Let me know how you make out - we go to the Dr. tomorrow - i can't wait - this rebounding is driving ME crazy!!!
Good luck
p.s. check out the web site for NYU
Hi!
Where are you located?, because my son is 5 and ADHD and I'd love to find a place that specializes in younger children. Alot of people don't or won't treat a child under 6 and it's very frustrating. My son also takes ritalin LA, 20mg, and we experience the rebound too. We've been trying focalin about an hour before bedtime and so far not much change but we're upping the dose every 3-4 days to see if it helps him settle better at bed time. We've been on the ritalin LA for about a month and a half, switching from regular ritalin, and in the beginning it was great now the school is telling me they are having problems with oppositional behavior and the speech therapist thinks his concentration and focus is poor. If it's not one thing it's another. Im considering telling them that everytime they tell me something negative about him they also have to come up with something positive to say!!!! Sorry I'm just frustrated today!!
bkrusen - our situations sound so similar! it sure is nice knowing you aren't the only one !!!!!
I am located in NY State - once a month we travel with our daughter into NYC to the NYU Child Study Center ADHD Clinic. A big pain in the neck, but sooooooo worth it!! I was in the same boat as you - i couldn't find anyone to see my daughter at the age of 3 1/2. It was such a relief to find this clinic - I feel very confident in the care we are recieving. We go again on Thursday and suspect that a second dose may be added in the afternoon - the rebound is awful and getting to bed is as well. She is very oppositional in the afternoon as well.
I have issues with the school as well - my baby is in a special ed class of 8 kids 2 aides one teacher and my daughter has her own aid (we call the aid her "personal assistant"). So it is a very controlled class yet all i hear are negative reports - i think i'll do the same as you - one nice thing for every negative 
Good luck - keep me posted!!!! i need suspport as well!