ADHD Meds-Side Effects?

[cruisnfamily]

Hi All,

I'm looking for some information.

If you have a child on ADHD meds, could you help me out?

I'm wondering:

1)What behavior changes did you notice when your child went on the medication? Both positive and negative.

2)What side effects have you noticed?

3)What medication is your child on?

Thank you!

 

[Mishetta]

Answers to your questions:

1.) Positive: Is not aggressive anymore. Could not keep any friends before & now he has too many friends. Went from a "D" student to an "A/B" student. Thinks things through (most of the time now) instead of just being too impulsive.
Negative: Lost his playful giggle. Looks & acts depressed when the meds kick in.

2.) Side effects: lack of appetite. Lost 12 lbs in one year. Over the summer I cut his meds in half & he gained 5 lbs back. Back to school, back to the usual dosage.

3.) Concerta & Clonidine

P.S. If we hadn't put him on meds, me or my DH would probably be in jail by now. It was definitely necessary in our situation. We had a horrible home life. Things are sooooo much better now & I cringe when I think that we struggled for one year & tried all types of different methods before finally giving in to the medication. Some children really need it.

Good luck to you.

 

[cyndilou01]

my child is no longer on them, but he was on ritalin for most of his elementary school time... it made such a difference in his grades from a "D" to "A", he was always in trouble , always... when we had him tested and they put him on the medication, you could tell immediately... we had to work with the dose, so have them start low and then increase... it can make them not want to eat and they will be like zombies if it is to high a dose... so start at the losest dose....

I tell you it was the best thing that ever happened to him... he is now a very calm person for the most part, however he does have a temper... but nothing like when he was young...



funny thing is I am ADD and take ritalin now... how strange is that.

I hope you can find what works for your child, but do not be afraid to try medication, if it will help your child

 

[JetMom]

My DS is on Adderall XR. It is a time-release medication that only has to be taken once a day. We did not want him to have to take meds at school.

I fought against medication for 3 years. I tried behavior modification, diet modification, etc. Nothing worked.

His grades were always good, but his behavior was not. He had no impulse control. He could not sit still, was always yelling out in class,and had very poor social skills.

He has been on the meds for almost 2 years now and we could not be more pleased with the results. He now gets A's in classroom conduct and has been on the Honor Roll for 8 straight quarters.

More importantly, he has a great group of boys to play with. He is also involved in Boy Scouts, Band and Drama Club.

The only side effects we have seen are a loss of appetite in the first few weeks of the meds, which has since gone away. Once in a while, maybe every 3 or 4 weeks, he has a night or two where he has a little trouble sleeping. (He stays awake for an hour or so after his bedtime.)

All in all, it was the best decision we have ever made. I only wish we had done it sooner.

 

[momof2OH]

DS (12) is on Adderall XR. He is ADHD Takes 40mg at 6:00am and 40 mg at 12:00pm. Has been on this for several years. ( Also takes other meds too). Without the meds he can not focus on anything, can't stop moving. Even on all the meds he is on, he still is extremely energetic. He has better control of many things now. Best thing for him!!!! No real side effects.

DD (14) is on Strattera. She is ADD. She takes 80mg in the am. It has helped her to focus and concentrate so much better. A little loss of appetite, but nothing else.

 

[Disney Dee]

I have 10 yr old identical twin Nieces who live up the street from me so I see them everyday, also they were in my daycare for 5 yrs.. One just went on Adderall this summer. She has gotten so skinny and quiet, they don't look alike much anymore. She has been so tired, no appetite and has headaches alot. My ds was on ritalin for yrs, and he never looked or acted much different, just calmer. I wish the meds didn't make my niece like she is now, and they have adjusted her dose several times poor thing.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Thanks to all who are replying.....two additional questions:

Website with info on meds and side effects....not ADHD(I can't stand to read anymore about that)

Did you get your meds from your pediatrician or a psychiatrist? If it was the pediatrician, were they willing to continually monitor and play with the dosage if needed?

Thanks again..Keep your info coming....still interested in more replies to the first questions.

 

[JetMom]

Our pediatrician referred us to a neurologist. He was the one who prescribed the meds. We see the neurologist every 3 months, but it was more often in the beginning when we were figure out the dosage.

 

[Christine]

My son is now on Ritalin LA (long acting). He has been on Concerta, Ritalin, Adderall and Adderall XR. Whenever starting ALL of them, he had side effects for about 2 weeks. They were loss of appetite, moody, lethargic, and kind of grouchy. Adderall was the WORST for side effects for him. He was terribly emotional and had an awful crash when the med wore off. We are now finding the best results with Ritalin LA. Even though Concerta, Ritalin, and Ritalin LA are all the same drug (methylphenidate), each of their delivery systems are different and make a huge difference in response. He has been on his med since the start of school and all his side effects are gone. He continues to gain weight and height. He has never lost weight on any of the meds; however, we have never had him on some of the higher doses.

He is much more agreeable on the meds, doesn't pick so many fights with his sister, and is able to finish he work at school. He still has some social issues I believe, as he seems more immature than the other boys. That is pretty typical with ADHD and the medicine only helps the impulsive behavior, not the maturity level.

My pediatrician did not diagnose the disorder. He sent us to Children's Hospital for a full evaluation. Now that he has the report, he does of the medicine prescribing and adjustments.

 

[tkd lisa]

Been through several with our two kids (one boy, one girl).

Started with ritalin with higher doses for DD. She took 10 mg in the am, 5 mg at noon, and 5 mg if needed after school (for special activities, difficult homework, etc.) DS maintained on 10 mg in the morning, and 5 if needed after school. We tried adderal briefly, but it didn't seem to help the symptoms as much. Overall, they were on ritalin from 98- the end of 01?

With ritalin, we saw improved concentration and impulse control. Neither of our kids were "zombie" like, but I do know that others see that effect. It just seemed to give them the ability to do that mental count to 10 before they acted. Marked improvement in school performance. DD still had some problems with peers (social behaviour), but it was better than no med.

Negative side effects for DD included nausea and a burning stomach sensation. She also wasn't gaining much wait. She had only gained about 4 pounds over the 4 years on the medicine. She was getting taller, but at 9 years old, she weighed 55 pounds.

At the end of the 00-01 school year, we switched to concerta, which is basically a time delayed ritalin. Both kids were on 18 mg once a day. We also gave a 5 mg dose of regular ritalin in the evening for the activities listed above, particularly as they got older (they were probably just outgrowing the 18 mg dose). They were on it until August of this year. The nausea side effect from regular ritalin wasn't present with the concerta, and DD finally started to put on some weight. She's now up to 75 pounds at 11 1/2 years old. She's still wearing slim sized pants, but at least those stay on now! DS is still small for his age, but he has stayed at the same location on the growth curve, so it doesn't seem to affect him as much.

We switched to strattera for both kids in August because ritalin in any form is a controlled substance, while strattera is not. You can't have a prescription or refill called in for ritalin, and must pick up a hard copy each time. Our dr is about 25 miles out of our way, so picking up prescriptions once a month is an annoyance. We had also heard that strattera was much better for adolescent girls.

DD has adjusted pretty well to the strattera. They worked her up to a 40 mg dose, which seemed too much (she was really tired in the afternoon, and was nauseous in the mornings), and we dropped her back down to 25 mg. At that dosage, she's doing well. Her social skills have greatly improved (maybe maturity, but I'm sure the meds help too).

DS is on 25 mg, and is still having some nausea in the mornings. We're still in the wait and see mode, but if the nausea doesn't improve, he may be going back to concerta.

We had a psych assess both kids, and make the initial recommendation on meds, but our family doctor has been prescribing the meds for them. He's been good about changes in dosages, etc. He was hesitant to switch to the strattera until a psych had recommended it, but after we saw a really bad psych (thanks to our insurance and the really small amount of physchiatrists in our area!), who really knew nothing about it, the family practice doctor did his own research and concurred with the switch.

Hope this helps! Lisa

 

[Lanshark]

Our pediatrician was not real helpful when it came to trying different meds. He tried but it is not his speciality.

We got on the right track when we went to the psychiatrist. We see her every three months to check weight, vital signs and to see how things are going with the meds. I would highly recommend going to a specialist. She worked with us for months before we found the right med in the right dosage. They know a lot more about different medications, interactions and dosages.

 

[cruisnfamily]

OK, I don't want to change the direction of this thread because I'm really thrilled with the answers. This is exactly the type of info I was looking for. Thank you all so very much!!

But, in hearing some of your stories I'm getting confused as to whether medication is really needed for my son or whether we should "tough it out" some more with behavior modification. He doesn't seem as extreme as some of you are posting your kids are.

Some background(I'll try to keep it brief):

DS is 7 1/2. He is in 2nd grade. Straight A student, reading several grade levels above where the rest of the class is, tested in the genius range for math. We had him tested for gifted but he missed by just a few points which the psychologist said was due to his inability to focus/stay on task. Point of the story, he's very bright and has no problems whatsoever academically. Socially he does great. Has many friends and is well like by most. He is not a discipline problem, doesn't bother others, doesn't disrupt the class. The problem is fidgeting....the kid just cannot sit still! He's up, he's down, his foot is on the chair, his knee is on the chair, he's leaning sideways, he's leaning the other way......he's in constant motion. If he drops a pencil, he can't just pick it up, he has to play around on the floor and then "drive" the pencil back up the desk. You get the point, he's a wiggler/fidget.

We were pressured highly last year by the teacher/school to try meds but resisted based on input from the pediatrician and the psychologist who both said that since he was fine academically and socially we should try other things first. Well it was a heck of a school year and thank goodness it's over. This year the teacher is way, way more accepting of DS's "personal learning style" but she is having some issue with his constant movement/fidgeting. Last night he started First Communion Class and the first thing his new teacher said to me after class was that he was a fidget, couldn't sit still.

Anyway, now I'm thinking if we could find the right kind of meds to just help him settle down a bit that it might make life so much easier for DS(and the rest of the world).

What do you all think? I'm going to call the pediatrician for a consultation(he will probably be amused based on our resistance to drugs last year).

Thanks again, keep all those ADHD replies/stories/info coming my way. I really need to hear the positives and negatives.

 

[Mishetta]

I first went to our pedatrician for the ADHD problem but he said he was not qualified to accurately diagnose a child with ADHD, so he referred us to a psychiatrist who did extensive testing. Once the diagnosis was in, then he referred us back to our pediatrician who in turn referred us to a neurologist. (I've got the BEST pediatrician in the world I think!!) The neurologist read all the reports, test scores, etc...& then she recommended the medication. We too had to play with several diff meds before we found one we're happiest with (least side effects) but my DS was also put on Clonidine to stop the tics that came out once he went on ADHD meds. Each med brought out diff ticks.

Lets see, Ritalin brought out excessive eye blinking (like "I dream of Jeannie" constantly though!!)

Adderall brought out constant clearing of the throat.

Adderall XR brought out both the blinking & the clearing of throat.

Ritalin LA brought out "snorting" yep, sure did!

Concerta, he constantly sniffles but that seems to be the least of all the evils.

I would definitely seek out a psychiatrist to do the proper testing & then go to a neurologist as they are the best docs to figure out dosing on your child. It's a brain disorder & that's what neurologists specialize in.

 

[Lanshark]

My son is ADD not ADHD. He was not a behavior problem in class or at home. In fact he only takes meds on school days. Not during vacations or on weekends. He would sit in class and daydream. We tried everything. He just couldn't focus. He is highly intelligent but as a teacher said, "He was looking in my direction but didn't hear a word I said". He also fidgets but in a way that is not really distracting to anyone other than himself. The meds helped trememdously. He is now 13 and pretty much a straight A student with an occasional B. We also pulled him out of public school and put him in a private school. I know that is a whole other thread but that change in environment also help him.

 

[Mishetta]

Okay, I'm no expert but your DS really doesn't sound ADHD to me at all. Gees.....no social problems, no academic problems....what a dream!!

The meds my DS is on to control his ticks is also used for hyperactivity. Ask your doctor if Clonidine would be appropriate & safe for your DS. If my son just takes the Concerta, he's still bouncing all over the place. He needs the Clonidine as much as the Concerta!!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Originally posted by Mishetta
Okay, I'm no expert but your DS really doesn't sound ADHD to me at all. Gees.....no social problems, no academic problems....what a dream!!

This was our argument last year with the school. We did have him tested extensively(privately by a psychologist) and the official diagnosis was: ADHD-NOS (the NOS means not otherwise specified). He didn't meet all the characteristics for ADHD but the ones he did meet, he was very high on. Thus, basically he's borderline ADHD.

His big problem is fidgeting....but he really, really fidgets. He doesn't seem to be able to control this although he really does try.

 

[Dodie]

http://www.strattera.com/index.jsp

 

[Pembo]

Pm on the way to you!

To answer your questions though~

1)What behavior changes did you notice when your child went on the medication? Both positive and negative.

Ds is able to sit still, handwriting improves, concentration improves, is able to get tasks done quickly and efficiently, doesn't get frustrated as easily

2)What side effects have you noticed?

He needs to take the last dose at least 5 hours before bed time or he has a hard time going to sleep

3)What medication is your child on?

Focalin 2.5



We had tried Adderall and Concerta-both made him very irritable and he was unable to sleep.

 

[Dancind]

Lanshark, your son and my daughter have the same description. DD was diagnosed with ADD at age 7. She just wasn't present when she was at school, and often when she was at home. We tried Ritalin first, but that made her very anxious and clingy, and she spent an entire day crying before I took her off of it. Dexedrine spansules worked much better, though she lost weight the first year. She was a little chubby, so this wasn't a big deal, and there's no problem with her appetite now! By third grade, she was in the Gifted Program, so it made a huge difference for her. She had a trial of Adderall last year, and it was a disaster. Made her very moody and irritable, I learned too late that she was having meltdowns at school (a disaster in 6th grade!). A year ago, I finally got her tested for Auditory Processing Deficit, yep she's got that too. She's still on Dexedrine spansules, with a short acting pill for homework. That last dose does tend to make her very fidgety, so I don't give it to her when she has dance classes. Nothing has helped greatly with social issues, I think she has too many things to overcome. But maturity seems to be helping a little. Diana

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by cruisnfamily
This was our argument last year with the school. We did have him tested extensively(privately by a psychologist) and the official diagnosis was: ADHD-NOS (the NOS means not otherwise specified). He didn't meet all the characteristics for ADHD but the ones he did meet, he was very high on. Thus, basically he's borderline ADHD.

His big problem is fidgeting....but he really, really fidgets. He doesn't seem to be able to control this although he really does try.

I'm no expert, but I do work with a majority of ADD, ADHD students. (mostly 6th grade!)

For a fidgeter, the special education teacher I work with gave him a very small squeeze ball (like a mini stress ball), and when he feels the urge to fidget, he plays with that. It doesn't look like a toy (that poses a problem!), and i have seen him getting it out and squeezing it.

We also took away some of the distractions that was making him fidgey (ie, no mechanical pencils.. he was always playing with the lead!). I don't know if that helps, but that has helped slightly with this student, but every kid is different.