I am brand new to the forum and I have many questions. I was unaware that so many people had issues with these medications. My son, Andrew, who is about to turn 7 in two weeks was diagnosed with ADHD in December. Our first option was Strattera because it was not a controlled substance. He did GREAT, then soon we upped his dosage. Before i knew it we were at 40 mg, he was getting kicked out of class, having massive mood swings, and so dramatic about everything. (worse than normal). I consulted the pediatrician and after long debate she put him on Adderall. He's been on it for 2 days now and is already suffering from upset stomach and decreased appetite. He's very thin already so the weight issue is the one thing the doctor said we need to watch very closely. Does anybody know if these side effects go away with time? Also, has anyone heard of Adderall causing heart problems in children? My ex husband is a real putz who seems to think i'm always doing the wrong thing. I am only trying to do what is best for Andrew. Would someone please help me with my questions? I didn't know where to turn until i found this website. Thank you for your help.
What dose of Adderall is your son on? Is it Adderall XR or the regular Adderall. It might just be that your son needs a smaller dosage. I would suggest you contact your sons physican right away with your concerns. I have seen where the side effects diminish but we did not see that happen with my son.
My 8 year old son suffered from weight loss (total of 7 lbs. from 52 to 45 lbs.) and sleeplessness on Adderall XR 15 mg. We reduced to 10 mg and his side effects went away but he was getting the ADHD symptoms back. We added Strattera 40 mg and that combination seemed to worked. Now we've upped the Strattera to 60 and he is again having sleeplessness and more mood problems. I am about to drop him back to the 40 mg of Strattera again.
He is on the XR started at 5mg once a day for 7 days then 2 5mg tabs 1 a day for 7 days, then 3 5mg tab once a day for 14 days......by the way he is 7 years old and weighs 42 pounds. Thanks for your response
Hi Zephring,
My son has been on Adderall XR since age 8 (he is now 10 and a half). He started on 10 mg in 2nd grade. We increased it just this year - - - first to 15 mg, then to 20, then to 25 and now we are at 30 mg.
Until recently, he was also taking Zoloft 50 mg. at bedtime. Due to recent publicized concerns regarding Zoloft, we weaned him off of it. This week is the first week without the Zoloft and so far, no problem.
Although my son lost his appetite and ate very little during the day (his Adderall XR was given at 8am each day), he never had a problem with losing weight. I would say that each person reacts to it differently.
We are currently working with our pediatrician and a new psychiatrist regarding med adjustments and counseling for our son. This is a result of his recent re-evaluation for ADHD by a clinical psychologist who feels our son's Adderall level is way too low. (Since our ped is reluctant to increase to more than 30mg, he is referring us to the new psychiatrist). Even with the increased dosage of 30 mg., our son's teacher continues to report problems in the classroom with ongoing impulsivity and inability (or maybe it's unwillingness??) to do writing assignments (i.e., essays).
Hopefully we'll get the meds changed or adjusted and that, coupled with counseling will help. 
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