ADHD/Adderall XR question

[elgerber]

I have a rather nosey question for those of you with kids with ADHD who take Adderall XR. If you don't mind sharing, would you tell me what dosage you child takes, what their age is and what they weigh??? I know it sounds none of my business, but I am trying to get an idea of what an average dose is for the size of the child. My son is 10 and small, but only takes 5mg, and I'm beginning to wonder if he should be taking a larger dose.

Thanks so much!!!!

Erika

 

[Deb in IA]

Originally posted by elgerber
I am trying to get an idea of what an average dose is for the size of the child.

Have you asked your child's doctor these questions, Erika?

 

[elgerber]

We have an appointment in a couple of weeks for an update, but I was just curious if this is an extremely low dose or if it seems inline. I'm not trying to diagnose anything, just wanted something to compare.

Erika

 

[Christine]

My DD, age 12, 87 lbs is taking Adderall XR, 10mg. She just started Adderall XR and I believe that the dose is too low for her. Two years ago, she was taking Concerta 36 mg and I felt she could use more. The ADHD meds really do not "go" by weight, height, or age (unlike some medications that do). Some very lightweight people need an extremely large amount of meds to control their ADHD.

For instance, my son who is 8 years old has fairly severe ADHD. He is taking 20 mg of Ritalin LA (equivalent to taking 10 mg twice a day of regular Ritalin). This is a fairly low dose but it seems to control his ADHD. Any more Ritalin and he gets severely side effects.

My DD, described above, has borderline mild ADD (inattentive type). It seems to take a LOT of the meds to get an improvement out of her and she rarely exhibits side effects. She sleeps fine, doesn't lose her appetite, etc, until the meds get very high.

A lot of it has to do with how well you metabolize meds. Some people are ultra-metabolizers and require more, while others are poor-metabolizers and require much less because the liver and/or kidney does not break it down as quickly.

So, with the ADHD meds, you really can't go by age/weight/etc. But most doctors will start with the lowest dose and work upwards. Your are looking for maximum response with minimum side effects.

 

[JetMom]

I have an 11 year old DS who weighs 80 lbs. He takes 20mg.
He started at 15 mg when he was 9 and we adjusted the dosage because his symptoms were not quite under control. Is the medication producing the desired effect? If it is, then the dosage is just fine.

 

[elgerber]

Thank you for your replies. I thought it was working OK, but he seems to be having more concentration issues etc this year. He is diagnosed as gifted, so he knows how to do all of his work really well, but has a really hard time remembering his homework, losing things etc. It seems to be better early on when he started this dosage a year ago. I thought maybe it might be time to try 10mg to see if it makes a difference. I understand that it may never change it, but I thought maybe it's time to try more and see if it helps. Last year when he presribed the 5 mg, he told us to go ahead and take 10 if we thought 5 didnt't help.

Erika

 

[matjef9091]

I did not read, just skipped to the end. Both my boys take it. DS 13 is about 90lbs and takes 15 mg and my DS 11 is about 115 lbs and takes 25 mg. Hope this helps. If you want to know anymore, just PM me...

 

[KathyFP]

You have to be very careful with any psychotropic medication. I know especially with Adderall, the side effects can be severe. I have know children to get very aggressive if the dose it too high.