ADHD parents who use meds

[tiggerlover]

Let me preface this by saying I am not looking to debate whether a child with ADHD should take medication or not, I am just looking to hear from parents who have used meds with their ADHD children and who can comment first hand.

Have you had experience with your child taking medication for an extended period (1 year) and find that the medication no longer is effective? After many years of behavior and diet modifications we elected to give DS (9) meds last year and they have served him well. However, recently (4-6 weeks, perhaps) we have noticed that the meds are no longer offering DS the control he had earlier when first taking the meds. He is taking Adderall XR once a day now and I was wondering if it might be time for a change. Would love to hear your experiences.

Now let me close this by saying I will be consulting with his doctor, I am just looking for other first hand opinions.

Thank you.

 

[Mermaid02]

Yes. We had this happen with Adderall XR (30 mg) and went off of it for a couple of months- then went back on it and it worked as well as ever. My pediatrician and child psychiatrist both said this can happen.

 

[tiggerlover]

Yes. We had this happen with Adderall XR (30 mg) and went off of it for a couple of months- then went back on it and it worked as well as ever. My pediatrician and child psychiatrist both said this can happen.

DS is on 10mg. What did you use when you took your child off Adderall?

 

[ugadog99]

From my own experience, you may just need an adjustment in dosage.

 

[tiggerlover]

From my own experience, you may just need an adjustment in dosage.

I was wondering that too.

-------------------------------------

Same topic, different question......
Do kids typically outgrow the need for meds or is this a lifetime thing? I am curious if there are any adult ADHD DISers out there who can comment on this?

 

[minkydog]

My DS19 was treated for ADD from age 7 until about age 17. He went through a similar period at about 10yo(about the time puberty started) where he because very sensitive to the meds. He eventually did pretty well on Adderall a few years, but began to have lot of side effects so we stopped it. He is in college now and he definitely still has ADD, but does not want to take meds. So he struggles.

 

[tar heel]

It's totally normal. As the child grows, the dosage has to be adjusted. Also, some class set-ups require more of the kid than others (hope that makes sense). My son switched from Adderall to Concerta a year and a half ago. We found it did an adquate job on the ADHD while causing fewer side effects, such as loss of appetite. Now, however, he's grown three-four inches and 20 or so pounds and it's no longer working properly. We're likely looking at a dosage adjustment early second semester.

 

[mamajoan]

Hey there!

two kids.. add and adhd with other diagnosis'

I think I have a good handle on ADHD meds and treatments as I have been doing this since 1985. not an expert by no means.. just a mom who has been thru a whole lot of issues.
Medication for the true to diagnosis ADHD kid is often increased or changed from initial dosages. Some kids adapt with behavior modification techniques, improved maturity related behaviors, educational changes and can decrease the need for meds. HOWEVER:
It has been noted by several docs that ADHD kids need medication adjustments as they mature and grow physically. Also, docs have noted that some kids need a medication change up as they mature. Many docs and schools have said that Ritalin does not seem to be as affective in the teen years-High School as it is in the elementary years. (For dd this is not true as RitalinLA serves her needs much better than adderall etc this was after we tried changing but then returned to Ritalin) I think it is common for ADHD drugs to lose their effective-ness after periods of extended usage and need to be reassessed regularly. Behavior modification techniques also need to be reassessed and modified to fit the childs current situation and needs.

big hugs hope all is well!

 

[gr8tpanther]

DD13 has been on meds since she was 3. We have tried them all. They all only work a short time, then they wear off. She has been on Straterra now for about 2 years, and it works great! But DD also has Bi-Polar and we are in the process of finding out if it is ONLY Bi-Polar, but she is also on Abilify, which does wonders!

After everything that we have been through in the past 10 years, I am happy with what she is on now.

 

[lewdyan1]

It's totally normal. As the child grows, the dosage has to be adjusted. Also, some class set-ups require more of the kid than others (hope that makes sense). My son switched from Adderall to Concerta a year and a half ago. We found it did an adquate job on the ADHD while causing fewer side effects, such as loss of appetite. Now, however, he's grown three-four inches and 20 or so pounds and it's no longer working properly. We're likely looking at a dosage adjustment early second semester.

Same here, switched to the Concerta and it worked well and we periodically adjust dosage as he grows.

 

[julie junebug]

DS(5) has been taking Adderall XR 20 mg for about a month. The change has been dramatic, especially at school, where he can sit still and concentrate. The teacher is very pleased and they no longer call me to pick up an out of control child! At first he was super focused, playing Legos, writing, or coloring for hours at a time, which he was never able to do before.

We've had some trouble during the Christmas break, though, where I've taken him off the meds because I missed my bubbly child, and I wanted him to catch up on sleep and eat more, both of which we were having trouble with on the meds. On days he takes the meds, he seems to have some strong mood swings, particularly late in the day. Maybe because our bedtime and morning schedule are off because of vacation, I'm seeing reactions at different times than I do during school. He becomes very serious, very angry, and very sad. It's hard to see such anger in a 5 year old, especially at Christmas! Could this be the "rebound" I've heard about? How long should we continue before trying a different med? Any advice? This is so new and so scary, but I'm trying to get educated in a hurry!

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

We had a terrible rebound effect when my DS5 got off Adderall XR. He had extreme anger issues for about 4 days and then it settled down some. Pretty scary to see, though...

 

[barkley]

my son takes dextrostat (now almost 9 been taking it since about 3 1/2). we've had to adjust the dosage at times based on weight increase. our dr/psych. have always reccommended a "medication vacation" when possible. so when summer hits we initialy give every other day, then 3 days per week, then 2 until he is off completly. during christmas and easter break he takes half his normal dosage. the doctors have told us that the kids can build up a tolerance to the meds and these breaks can provide their bodies an opportunity to adjust to using the meds once again (it's also a means to be able to observe how the childs behaviour is without the meds).

 

[Davids-Coco]

Not my child, but DH. He was diagnosed later in life - at 17. He has been on a couple of different meds. In the past ten, he has taken Dexadrine, Stratera, Aderall (I know its the same thing as Dex, name brands ), and back to the Dexadrine. It makes a huge difference in our lives. When it starts wearing off near the end of the day, I know... things get a bit harder.

At his age, they don't recommend a "vacation" and I am thankful for that. The two weeks tapering off to go on Stratera were absolutely horrible around here. Stratera didn't work at all - all he did was sleep. It lasted one month.

There have been slight adjustments. They seemed to ramp it up for the first couple of years - 10 mg when he started. 10 years later, he takes 30 mg. He says that the problem is that your body gets use to it because it is a stimulant. Eventually it takes more to get the same effect. It seems normal as long as your ped/psych/dr agree on what it is. (Keep in mind that Dex and Aderall are the same drugs, Dex is generic)

I just hate getting the pre-auths and the fact that I can't pick up a script for him. Oh well, safety first.

 

[Christine]

I have needed dosage adjustments at various times. This is normal, especially (as others have said) as your child grows.

 

[Sherrypooh]

Both of my boys take meds, and each year we have to increase. Boys are 14 and 15 so their bodies change and so does weight etc. We have had my youngest on meds since 4ish and every few years we have to change meds completely. Hope this helps.

sherry

 

[HOGFAN]

DS recently went from 10mg to 15mg. HE mentioned that he thought the meds werent working as well anymore so the doc upped it. He doesnt take meds on weekends or during the summer. What do I care if he bounces off the walls here at home?

 

[tiggerlover]

DS(5) has been taking Adderall XR 20 mg for about a month. The change has been dramatic, especially at school, where he can sit still and concentrate. The teacher is very pleased and they no longer call me to pick up an out of control child! At first he was super focused, playing Legos, writing, or coloring for hours at a time, which he was never able to do before.

We've had some trouble during the Christmas break, though, where I've taken him off the meds because I missed my bubbly child, and I wanted him to catch up on sleep and eat more, both of which we were having trouble with on the meds. On days he takes the meds, he seems to have some strong mood swings, particularly late in the day. Maybe because our bedtime and morning schedule are off because of vacation, I'm seeing reactions at different times than I do during school. He becomes very serious, very angry, and very sad. It's hard to see such anger in a 5 year old, especially at Christmas! Could this be the "rebound" I've heard about? How long should we continue before trying a different med? Any advice? This is so new and so scary, but I'm trying to get educated in a hurry!

We saw the extreme emotional swings when DS first started taking Adderall, they lasted about a month or so. One minute he would be up and the next he would be angry, the next he would be crying for no reason. But once the initial 4-6 weeks past we were fine. You said "on the days he takes the meds", which leads me to believe he doesn't take them every day, based on this I can understand why he has so many mood swings. His body is trying to get used to the meds, then you stop, then you start, unless your doctor prescribed the meds this way I would give them to him as directed and wait a few weeks to see if the behavior gets better. I suspect if you continue the meds daily for at least 4 weeks you will see the mood swings disappear as your DS gets used to the meds in his system. We started with sleep issues and eating issues in the beginning, after a bit on the meds DS went back to sleeping better (usually 10 hrs a night) and although he gets full quicker and hasn't gained any weight in the last year (he has grown taller so we know he is growing) we just let him graze on healthy foods. If he eats all of his lunch or dinner than he can have a snack of his choice, although his portions are smaller than before we have learned how much he will eat before feeling full and adjusted accordingly.

I am by no means an expert as we have only been doing the meds for a year, but this is based on my experience with my son.

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks to you all for your responses, I really appreciate reading them. I truly believe DS needs a medication adjustment and plan to speak to the doctor about that at his next appointment.

 

[julie junebug]

Thank you all so much for your insights! It looks like I really messed up my little guy by trying to give him a break from his meds over the Christmas vacation. I've learned from you that some people can go off for weekends or school breaks, some people experience side effects when starting meds, and others have problems when going off.

I was hoping he could get some better sleep and eat more on the days I didn't give him his meds, since we were just at home during vacation. But some days I gave him a regular dose (when we had somewhere to go), and some days none, and one day a half dose when he slept in late. I can see now how his poor body and brain didn't know what to do. Big mistake on my part - I'll never do that again!

Things are much better now - he had a regular dose today and had a really great day (only a slight melt-down in the evening while playing Legos). I'm keeping my fingers crossed he sleeps well tonight and is back to school tomorrow. I think being back on a regular schedule will be good for all of us!

Thanks again for the advice and support. I know we're at the beginning of a long journey with our son, and it really helps to know the experiences of others in similar situations.

Now, back to some fun - planning our trip to WDW coming up in just 8 weeks.!