Scared about meds, Ritalin LA | ADHD Information

Wow, do I understand as well.  We are in the same boat it seems.  My 7-yr-old daughter was diagnosed in September.  We tried Ritalin LA 10 mg for one month in October.  Seemed to give some help in school, but after school activities - no help.  Upped dosage to 20mg and really saw improvement (parents, teacher, even she could "feel" it).  We are dealing with side effects though.  Loss of apetite and some weight loss.  Trying to give more nutrient-dense foods and "good" snacks.  She does seem to eat better at night (eats more at dinner than me).  Having some sleep troubles - takes a while to fall asleep at night, but she's always had some trouble with it. 

I think that as parents, we will always fret and second-guess what we do for our kids.  My advice - take a deep breath and give the meds a try.  If it doesn't work, if the side effects are bad - you can always stop or switch to something else.  But there's a good chance this may be the answer to your prayers and you can work out the bad to get the benefit of the good. 

Good luck.

Hello everyone!

My 8 yo DS was diagnosed with ADHD this past December.  Hesitant about turning to meds, we tried first behavioral modifications, identifying and eliminating distractions, weekly meetings with his teacher, and so on.  I even took Family Medical Leave from work so he can come home after school and I can work one on one with him, rather then sending him to a group after school program.  Needless to say, he has not at all improved with his school work, and does not have the ability to concentrate or focus on his own.  At the neurologist office today, we decided to try meds for 1 month to see if it can help.  The doctor prescribed Ritalin LA, and suggested we start the meds with one tablet on Saturday.  She suggested starting on the weekend, so I can observe him and see if there are any reactions/improvements.  If there seems to be no effects, and does not seem to help him with the distractions, she suggested upping it to two pills Sunday morning.

I have been preparing myself for the meds for a while now.  But now that the time is hear, I am panicking.  And the news on Adderall is not helping!  I am afraid that I am making a bad decision, one that can potentially harm my child or possible cause death.  My DH says I am over reacting, and that with monitoring him closely he will be fine.   

I guess what I am look for here is some reassurance that I am making the right decision, and I am looking for all you parents who have experience with meds to calm me down here!  Any words of reassurance will be appreciated!

I understand your concerns :o)

I believe though that the problems with Adderall were with people who had underlying heart conditions that went undetected. If you are worried talk to your doctor about getting an ECG/getting his heart tested. :o)

From an adult's perspective and from someone who has ADHD and who has suffered for it almost my entire life and went undiagnosed up until last August, I can tell you that I wish I had medication to help me out years ago. :o)

Now at almost 30 years old, I have just recently been diagnosed and there is a lot of anger and resentment I am dealing with, because I think of how much I could have accomplished if I A ) just knew what the heck was wrong with me and B ) had some type of treatment to help me. School was awful for me for the most part, I dropped out of highschool, then went back and barely managed to scrape by and get my highschool equivalency. Then I started med school and my BSc when I was 21 and wasn't able to get through that (even though my life long dream is to be a doctor and I have an IQ of 142, so I always knew I had the smarts to do it, but I just couldn't for some reason, now I know why), I've had a hard time staying with one job, like I said, school was horrible for me because I was constantly bored and didn't quite seem to fit in anywhere and it was all just so frustrating for me growing up.

Since it is genetic (there is a strong line of it on my mother's side of the family), I know there is a strong possibilty that my kids might have it, and as hard as it will be for me to put them on medication ( if they need it and as a last resort) at the same time, I would hate for them to go through the frustration and anguish that I went through growing up and into adult-hood. I am also a fairly holistic person, I tried everything before resorting to medication, so when I am on medication for anything it is because I desperately need it. But I equate it to if I had diabetes or if my kids had diabetes, I certainly wouldn't be questioning whether or not to give them insulin every day to help them survive. I look at my ADHD meds (which is dexedrine btw) as the same and actually just the same as the diabetes anaolgy, ADHD too does require dietary changes and a few lifestyle changes to manage it better. My life is a mess without my medications, without it I get severely depressed because I get myself into such chaotic messes and situations that I can't follow through with or finish, or do silly impulsive things without the ability to think about the long term consequences. With the Dexedrine, I can quiet my mind down, I can focus, I can follow through and pretty much keep my life on track with some effort - I can think straight for the first time in my life.

If you have tried everything else and it isn't working, then try the Ritalin. If it makes you feel better get the ECG and have him monitored regularly while on it by doing follow up ECG's and monitoring his blood pressure.

Adderall is a fairly new drug and it is also a combined stimulant medication, so I do believe it is quite different than Ritalin ingredient wise.

Sorry for rambling on! Keep us posted on how you are doing :o)

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