Need background on 3 different meds asap | ADHD Information
I'm new to this and I am not trying to flame you, but I am horrified that a 5 year old is on such meds.
Is his condition really that bad that it warrants drugging him so early in life? Aren't 5 year olds *supposed* to be hyperactive?
Again, I am not trying to be rude or anything, I just didn't realize kids this young were on these adhd meds.
My little girl was on meds very low dose at age 5,it just depends on the case,i think.My son's doctor wants to take him off of
5mg Ritilan twice a day and 1 25mg Seroquel at nite
to
1mg Tenex twice a day, 1/2 Remeron 15mg at dinner and 1 Adderall-XR 10mg in the morning.
I am scared to put him on this many medications. He's 5 yrs old and is only 35lbs (he has a hard time gaining weight). How does all this medication work together? I tried to ask him, but he's the type of doctor to just hurry you along.
Thank you
Michele
Michele,
You need to take control and be the expert, read, read read read.
The medical profession is contrained by legal liability, insurance dictating how much time they can spend with you, and like the rest of us, primary care DR's can only be experts at a few things.
READ/APPLY/MONITOR/OBSERVE
No one will care for your son like you will.
By the way, why the urgent need to switch, can't you have sometime to educate yourself?
How much do you trust the DR?
What good has come from the meds he is on?
Why the need to switch?
What have you observed?
How is his diet, does he sleep well.
At five, what can your son tell you about the effects of the meds?
Are they taking more than they are giving? Or helping?
From the web, you have to decide what is unbiased, what matreial has a basis in fact, what is relevant to you.
Consider these:
http://search.aafp.org/htdigsearch/htsearch?words=ADHD&x =8&y=14
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/adhdmenu.cfm
http://search.ama-assn.org/Search/query.html?qc=public+amnew s&qt=ADHD
http://www.theadhddoc.com/research_papers.php
I have no assocation of any drug company or lobbying group or adhd/add group.
I would ignore the aren't all kids hyper stuff --
I agree, you should change doctors. As a person who sat quietly by instead of insisting on answers I can tell you, you will regret it if something goes wrong. My son is medicated for seizures now, because of a reaction to Ritalin. Ritalin works for a lot of people and his seizures are a really rare side effect, but the point here is DON"T TAKE CHANCES. You should be able to ask a ton of questions. Also with Adderall, my son has no appetite, so monitor it carefully. He is 9 and weighs only 50 lbs.I'm sorry the only one of those 3 drugs I am familiar with is Adderall XR. It is similar to Ritalin but a different amphetamine. I am curious why he would choose that over Concerta as Concerta is the same drug. If Ritalin is working I would think he would try that longer acting one before the Adderall. Do a Google search on those other medications. I'm sure you will come up with a lot of information on them.
Your doctors attitude really bothers me. If I were you I would get another doctor. If he can't take the time to tell you why he want's your son to take those medications I wouldn't be very comfortable with him. There are alot of good doctors that are willing to take the time to talk to you. My children have one of those doctors and I am very grateful. I do a lot of research on the meds my kids take and I ask lots of questions. He has never made me feel like I am wasting his time. He has even shared personal stories with me to help me understand his choices.
gettingagrip38429.5199421296I am only familiar with Seroquel, seroquel is a drug also given to schizophrenic adults, it causes you to be very sleepy, zombie type. I would definitly research all of them before giving anything to your child. My child is 5 and has ADD, I dont know a 5 yearold who is not hyper, so I dont feel comfortable salming them down for convenience sake. I m doing things like modifying her diet, and as soon as I can find some Omega3 that is child friendly, I will start giving it to her. Please do research, and get a second opinion, you dont have to give all those "Big Dog" drugs to your small child. Please get a second opinion. Good Luck.
Hi,
Tenex is a good thing to try with a very hyper but otherwise nice, happy 5 yo. It helps alot with impulsvitiy and hyperactivity, but you cannot just start it right off the bat at 1mg twice a day. IF I were you, I would start tenex at 1/2 mg with dinner for a week, then 1/2 mg breakfast and dinner for a week if tolerated. AT first kids are very sleepy but over weeks or even months they get used to it and then it can be a great and very low side effect drug. It does not help as much with concentration as the stims, but lots of kids are really just hyper and impulsive, take care of that and they are highly functional again. I would definitely not start at higher doses, or combine it with other meds until you have seen the effects of one med alone.
This is from a Mom (of severe adhd/ocd/tic disorder kid) who happens also to be a pediatrician.
Good luck.
Of course all kids are hyper. ADD/ADHD is a lot more than just hyperactivity. If you have a child with either one you see the problems long before there 5th birthday. Thats just when the doctors advise using medications. My son is 6 1/2 and has been on meds for a little more than a year but the problems have been apparent most of his life.
You should most definetly find a new doc that takes time to ask and answer questions. The first one I brought my son to see talked to me for 15 minutes and prescribed meds. The second one saw us for almost 3 hours before making a diagnosis which was different than the first and requiered different meds, meds that worked for him. The first doctor never spoke a word to my son, he asked me for answers about my sons thoughts and feelings. The second doctor asked my son how he felt and what he thought and when he didnt know quite how to express it in words, since he was only 5 at the time, she helped him to figure out how to say it.
A good doctor who is knowledgeable about children and the many different problems and disorders that exist is a must have when you are dealing with your own child. If you go to a family doctor for a diagnosis there is a good chance you will get a diagnosis of ADD and prescribed to a stimulant in less than 1/2 hour. Try finding a child psychologist, and again someone who takes time to know your child. Its not really about what degree they have, but more about how much they really care for your child to be able to feel normal and happy. My doctor once told me that a medication should never make you feel anything other than normal or better from the first day you take it and I think that is true for children also, but it is our job as parents to make sure that is what medications are doing for our children. And the first step in making sure that happens is finding the right doctor.
"He's 5 yrs old and is only 35lbs (he has a hard time gaining weight). How does all this medication work together? I tried to ask him, but he's the type of doctor to just hurry you along."
Before I say anything else, that's a drug dealer, not a doctor!
A 5 year old is too young to take Stimulants. It's risky enough with any child to give them speed, but then to mix so many meds is scary, especially with a FIVE year old!!!!! Elvis died mixing speed and downers, and I had a mild amphetamine overdose after mixing various medications with Adderall XR. If a full-grown man, and a generally healthy teen can be so crippled my mixing, then a five year old has a lot to worry about.
Strattera is great. No endless babbling, no mood swings, panic attacks, etc. it's great and non-stimulant.
Talk to your doctor; if they aren't talking to the child more than or at least just as much as you, LEAVE. This should be for your child, not for the school or anyone else.
GOOD LUCK