ADHD meds

My son has been on Adderall for the last couple years. For him, it is great for focus. Side effects were loss of apetite and trouble falling asleep. We were able to get around the side effects so he was able to stay with it. Other people have had different experiences. Each person is diffrent and medication works differently. It really is a matter of tral and error to find the right thing and the right dose.Good luck to you and your son.: My 8 year old son has been dx with ADHD .He was perscribed Ritalin
: and took 10 mg.@ 7am and 10 mg@ noon.After a week he got worse
: more hyper and was constantly making some type of noise(humming
: and tapping)he was no where near himself.he took a TOVA test on
: thursday and it proved the ritalin was not working he did much
: worse after adose of ritalin.He did not even finish the test he
: walked out half way though.The psychartrist now perscibed ADDERALL
: 10 mg once a day.What are the effects of this med?

: It’s a good question to direct to your doctor. My understanding is that more and more ADHD kids are being put on adderol, not Ritalin. Whatever the reason for the preference, most doctors now seem to have it.I have had middle school students who, went they went on Ritalin, simply couldn’t stand it. It make them feel “controlled” they said and one student described it “as a hand reaching out and grabbing her brain and holding it steady” I have had doctors tell me too that Ritalin can bring on “tic-like nervousness” in some kids.It also deserves to be said though that I’ve seen both Ritalin and Adderol work for some kids, though.You’re at the start of a journey that can be challenging. Good luck with it.My 8 year old son has been dx with ADHD .He was perscribed Ritalin
: and took 10 mg.@ 7am and 10 mg@ noon.After a week he got worse
: more hyper and was constantly making some type of noise(humming
: and tapping)he was no where near himself.he took a TOVA test on
: thursday and it proved the ritalin was not working he did much
: worse after adose of ritalin.He did not even finish the test he
: walked out half way though.The psychartrist now perscibed ADDERALL
: 10 mg once a day.What are the effects of this med?

Adderall is a stimulant class medication, just as ritalin is. The difference between the two medications is that adderall is a slower acting, longer lasting medication. It has a “smoother” effect than ritalin does, so the child taking it doesn’t feel a big change when it takes effect or when it wears off. If your child had tics on ritalin, you do need to be cautious about any stimulant medication. All of the stimulants may exacerbate tics, although adderall is supposedly less likely to do so. Also, lots of doctors start out prescribing a very low dose, something like 2.5 milligrams, and then slowly build up to a therapeutic dose. That way it is easier to see how the meds affect the child and what is the optimal dose. My son is 10 and has had tics, though he currently does not have any. He takes 15 mg of adderall once a day and it works great, but we figured out the correct dose very slowly. The main side effect is loss of appetite, which can be handled by giving the meds after breakfast and making sure there are some good snacks around when it wears off. We also saw some rebound in the afternoon when the meds are wearing off. Lowering the dosage helped that. If your child seems to be talking less while on the medication, seems really subdued or sad, then the dose may be too high. Also, if he gets really hyper talkative, grumpy or tearful at the time when the meds are wearing off, you should talk to your doctor about lowering the dose or giving it in divided doses. I hope this helps.Andrea

hi. This is my first time visiting this site. I am wondering if anyone has tried mega vitamine therapy for their ADHD child? We have a 5 year old Autistic daughter and our son is 10. He has never been diagnoised but we are absolutely posative that he has ADHD. (he has ALL of the criteria). Our daughter is on vitamine therapy and today I picked up a book that talked about the same therapy for ADHD children. Will this work so we will not have to have him on medication? Also, any advice all around would be great.Thank you Wanda

I am not a parent of a child with ADHD, however, I am a girlfriend of someone who suffers severely from ADHD. My boyfriend Brian takes a very high dose of Ritalin each day, often times up to three times a day. His medicine enables him to participate in school more effectively and play baseball with strong concentration. However, there is a strong drawback to his medication. There is a half an hour period of time when his medicine begins to wear off. During this time, Brian experiences strong feelings of aggression and anger. Although he tries his hardest for this not to occur, it is an inevidible part of his medication. I wish you the best of luck with you son. I hope that his new medication is more effective!!! :-D Good Luck!!!

It would seem the first thing would be to get an accurate diagnosis so that you know what you’re dealing with, so that you can address the appropriate treatment. I haven’t had any success with vitamins as a cure for ADD or as a replacement for medication, but every child is different. Some swear by them.: hi. This is my first time visiting this site. I am wondering if
: anyone has tried mega vitamine therapy for their ADHD child? We
: have a 5 year old Autistic daughter and our son is 10. He has
: never been diagnoised but we are absolutely posative that he has
: ADHD. (he has ALL of the criteria). Our daughter is on vitamine
: therapy and today I picked up a book that talked about the same
: therapy for ADHD children. Will this work so we will not have to
: have him on medication? Also, any advice all around would be
: great.: Thank you Wanda

Greetings Maggie,

I would encourage your boyfriend to talk with his doctor about Concerta. From what I understand, Concerta is a reformulation of Ritalin and lasts 10-11 hours versus only 2-4 hours for regular-release Ritalin. Concerta also has a smoother take effect and wear off. If he is a candidate for Concerta, perhaps it would help eliminate the half-hour lapse time he is experiencing.

Blessings, momo