Hello SingleDad,
I just wanted to reply to your original question, my son was on Concerta 36mg last year during the summer and per my son's Physician it was ok to take him off for the summer and also on the weekends because you dont want them to be dependant on the med. However, my son lost 10 lbs with this med and he is only 12 so as you may know that is alot of weight for a child. His Physican did state prior to hm losing the weight that he must eat breakfast in the morning prior to taking the medicine because the side effect to the med is that it surpresses the appetite. My son isn't a breakfast person so it was really difficult and as a result of that he lost the 10 lbs. However since that time since he lost so much weight his doctor prescribed him Periactin which is actually an antihestimine but the medicine is also used to stimulate the appetite, he has to take it at night so that it can work the following day and since he started to take this med I'm happy to report that he has gained his 10lbs plus an addition 4 in about 2 months time. Each child is different and you must find what works for your child. I hope this helps and please keep me posted.
i'm not a doctor, but i have many friends with ADHD, im also an ADHD teenager. i do not take meds anymore, but i have friends with any drug out there. i would say, if you took him off slowly, it shouldn't show withdrawl effects. i beleive concerta is the small white one tahts 18 mg a pill right? maybe take out roughly a quarter of one one day, then half the next, then maybe half again, then give him those 3 peices the next day(1 and 1/4th) then 1 peice for about 5 days, then maybe half for 2-4 days, then take him off. trick is gradually. but unless hes afraid of himself, he shouldn't want to take them anyways... (thats my view)
but i think taking him off is a good thing too, when you ahve the drug in the system, it does work for you, and you get lazy mentally. so some time off would be a good thing.
My daughter is on 27 mg Concerta and does not take them during the weekends. It used to be that I didn't notice any difference in her behavior on Saturday she acted as if she was taking the medication and by Sunday she was acting more hyper and impulsive. But she was also ravenous and ate like crazy over the weekend.
The reason I went from daily to giving weekends off is because she metabolized the 18 mg really quickly and it went from miracle drug to nothing in about a week and a half. We see a continuous benefit from using the drug now.
I was glad to see this discussion because I've been contemplating whether or not to take her off for the summer. She takes it primarily for impulsiveness as well as concentration for school work. I'm on the fence. I think I'll probably try a week off once school gets out and see how it goes. I don't agree that if kids don't need it on the weekends then they don't need it. Week days require them to do more of what they don't like to do and that requires extra help in my family for my eldest (8) daughter.
Our psychiatrist told us to stop the drugs over the summer and resume about 1 week prior to start of school. The poster that made the claim that "if they don't need meds on weekends and vacations - they don't need meds at all," is totally off-base - just ignore the remark - but do check with your doctor as every case is individual.My orginal question was not so much as asking if I need to take him off based on behavior expectations. I was asking from a stictly medical standpoint. I do not want him to have any adverse reaction/withdraw symptoms
Hi SingleDad1boy....to answer your question, with stimulant mediction there is no weaning off process as unlike straterra, they are not blood level medications. Once effectiveness has worn off they flush right out of the system. What you will see is a return of the adhd symptoms and extreme irritability for a short while as they child goes from feeling in total control and focused to all out of sorts. Hope this helps.
If you are going to take your son off for the summer it probably is a good idea because i took concerta and it made me lose 30 pounds in 3 months when I was 8th grade and really didnt get taller at all until I stoped taking it and grew 3-4 inches in a couple months. Most of the weight was all muscle too. When I stoped taking it I was lazy felt like I was in another world and gained all the weight back in fat. Then never took it again because of a substance abuse problem. Now that I've dealt with the substance abuse I take adderall and am working out everyday so I do not lose muscle again and take the vitamin glutamine which helps tremendously with alot of aspects. If you decide to take him off the concerta try and get him to start going to the gym so when he eats alot, like most people do when they come off it he will gain the weight in muscle and not fat. I plan on stoping my adderall as soon as school is out and probably will not take it unless I need to for work, which I probably wont because I'll be doing construction but it depends if I am able to stay on task. But all in all I believe it's most likeley a good idea if you are willing to deal with his behavior and not punish him for it because he really can't help it to an extent because he will not be taking the medication he needs to help him. personal opinion: if they don't need meds on the weekend or in the summer, they don't need them at all....But, definitely talk to the dr. about your proposition. Keep in mind what's best for your child, etc. and I'm sure the dr. will be able to guide you in your decisions.I would also agree that you should really consider discontinuation of medicines for a summer period. Physically there may be no problem removing them. Very quickly metabolized by the body, generally no effects with removal. I would definitely think about what effects it has emotionally and psychologically. Kids learn to think differently on the medication and solve problems differently on the medication, take the medication away and they cannot harness the same thought processes. I think this can be confusing and frustrating for a child that has become accustomed to help from medication. It does not mean that they are addicted or dependent. Weight gain is a good goal, but try some other avenues first...high protein diet, eating when hungry rather than at set mealtimes, eating what he wants rather then exactly what you may want him to have, eating before meds...or lower the dose. I am hearing more and more that ADHD kids need to be able to think the same year-round. Summer is a learning time too, just a different structure than school learning. Good luck. Remember too that your child has ADHD all the time and there is more to it than just sitting in school in class...it affects learning abilities, processing abilities, motor control, impulse control, social and emotional well-being. The brain is a very intricate organ. I will only use in summer on days he will need to focus.Weekends we do so he can get chores done.Eaedyan, Just to let you know, Concerta 18 mg is a tanish yellowish color pill and it cant be broken up. This medicine is a time release med and cant even be chewed so that wouldnt work. It isnt a tablet it is a pill that kinda looks like a barrel but smooth and even, the white one that looks like that just bigger is the Concerta 36 mg.
My Son is on Concerta 36mg. I was thinking about taking him off the medication for the summer to see if he can gain some weight. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this and Concerta. I have read that you cant just stop medicaiton like that or it will cause headachs ect... Lord knows I dont want to make his life any harder.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
my 16 year old doesn't take her med's on the weekend or during the summer. but she just told me that on the weekends her insides feel like they are shaking. i told her to start taking it on the weekends... i would talk to your sons doctor about trying to give you son a break for the summer. see what he says DON"T take off meds for summer. As with any other illness or disorder ADD/ADHD does not take a vacation. If your child had asthma or was a diabetic you would not discontinue meds for the summer. Talk to your Dr. about a nutrition program.
FWIW, my 7-year old has a reaction if we take him off meds for even one day. After going without adderall for one day, we resumed his dosage, and he wound up with some jerky body movements. Thankfully, they went away. The docs may tell you to keep him on it, well that's how they and the drug companies make their money. I'd like to take my son off it, so he could beef up his weight during the summer, but I'm fearful we'd have to start the whole "search for the right drug and dosage" scenario again. And that process has taken months in the past.
oh sarah is hard to handle in the summer without her meds. she is more add then adhd. she has learned to control her behavor somewhat.i think as they get older they learn to do that... she takes her meds during school so she can do her school work.First of all thank you all for your replies. However I must respectfully disagree with if they do not need meds in the summer or weekends they do not need them at all. A school system has much differnt structure than a home enviroment does. I do not expect my child to sit down and not move and listen to me talk. That is basically what happens in school I am not saying this to bash the school. I have a wonderful school but differnt enrviroments require differnt socially acceptable behavior. I will give him his meds on Sunday when we go to church because I dont want him to disrupt the service. My orginal question was not so much as asking if I need to take him off based on behavior expectations. I was asking from a stictly medical standpoint. I do not want him to have any adverse reaction/withdraw symptoms. THanks again for the reponces.
Joseph
I don't agree with the sentiment: "if you don't need meds during vacations then you don't need them at all."