Anyone Have A Child On Adderall for ADHD?

[summerrluvv]

My son's neurologist is prescribing this to him for ADHD. First it was Focalin, but our insurance won't pay for that. I've briefly read a few articles about the Adderall stating that it has caused unexplained deaths in children and the drug was pulled from the Canada market. I'm a little nervous about this now and am having second thoughts about putting him on this medication. Anyone have a child on this?

 

[Desiree]

My dd (11) is on this. She's had no bad side effects other than not eating much.

 

[Poohgirl]

Hi, my son was on adderall for a while. He started getting stomach pains so we switched him to Concerta which has been great. Also with the Adderall he had to get his blood tested every couple months to make sure it wasn't affecting any organ function. He hated this. If you have any questions let me know.

 

[Mermaid02]

My 8 year old has been on this for over a year. No side effects. Does wonders for him.

 

[Marseeya]

My son was on it for a few years and it worked wonders for him. I took it for a while too and really liked it.

Concerta wasn't too bad either.

 

[ugadog99]

My daughter was on Adderall when she was first diagnosed ADHD. That was three years ago. As far as the effect on the ADHD, the Adderall was great. We saw wonderful results with attention/school work. However, the side effects were AWFUL!! The headaches, mood swings, and stomach aches were unbelievable and she would eat NOTHING! Needless to say, we came off the Adderall quickly. Then, we went on to Strattera, Ritalin LA, and now Metadate. The Strattera only worked for a little while but there were no side effects. The Ritalin LA has had the best results and the Metadate (because insurance won't pay for Ritalin) is doing great, too. In conclusion, I just didn't like what the Adderall did to my child.

 

[summerrluvv]

Hi, my son was on adderall for a while. He started getting stomach pains so we switched him to Concerta which has been great. Also with the Adderall he had to get his blood tested every couple months to make sure it wasn't affecting any organ function. He hated this. If you have any questions let me know.

Uh oh, my son will HATE this if he has to get MORE blood taken. He's had to get blood drawn about three times in the past couple of months for Factor VII deficiency and the hematologist just ordered MORE tests. The poor kid is so traumatized by the needle He even flinches when they try to take his tempature because he thinks he is going to get poked.

The articles I read said it caused deaths in kids with underlying heart conditions, but how do you really know if you have an underlying heart condition unless they check KWIM? He does have an appt with the cardiologist for an echocardiogram in a couple of weeks. The doctor said kids with hypotonia (which she says he has) often have enlarged hearts so they just want to be sure his is okay. I just wonder if we should start the meds AFTER that appointment. The neuro is the one that referred us to the cardiologist, so I should probably call her to see what we should do.

It's so overwhelming with all of the doctors appointments, etc. and I never know if I'm doing the right thing

 

[Bashful2]

DD16 was on Aderall for awhile. She had to stop it though because it counteracted all the effects of her Depakote and made her bipolar symptoms come back.

Some of the teenagers will sell their Aderall at school because if you take more than the prescribed dose it works like speed. One of DD's ex-friends took 2 one night before she came to spend the night and was still wired by 2pm the next day.

 

[TEENEE]

My dd is on adderall xr. She hasn't had any problems with it. Her doc said it might cause a decrease in her appetite. He recommended a snack before bed. We always make sure she eats or at least has a glass of milk with her pill. This child eats everything in sight, no loss of appetite here. Her behavior and grades improved. Every person is different and reacts differently to meds. You'll just have to try things until you get the right meds for your child.

 

[Davids-Coco]

Adderall is the same thing as Dexodrine (generic), which my DH is on. He went to adderall for a while, and while longer lasting, it also was much more expensive for us. Like someone mentioned, these drugs are controlled substances. They are a speed dirivative.

DH has been on it for 10 years now. He has no problems with his heart or other organs. The side effects he has experienced are dry mouth, some stomach sensitivity, and resistance. The dry mouth is easily remedied since he drinks lots of water. And the stomach is helped with pepto every now and again. His body also becomes more resistant to it over time so the dose goes up every cuple of years by maybe 5 mg (he takes 60 mg). His "positive" side effects are that he isn't all over the board, did well in college, can concentrate at work, and doesn't need much sleep... which will be helpful when we have kids!

From the outside, I hate the occasional day he forgets to take it. He is more like an active 3 year old. His sense of reality is a little odd on those days. But he is wonderful and I love him and I can deal with that because a regular days are, well, normal.

 

[Mishetta]

My DS was on Adderall for a short while. He was taken off due to excessive blinking & clearing of the throat. He also complained of stomach aches. He has been on all of them actually at one point or another. Sometimes they have to try different ones until they find the one that 'clicks'.

With that being said, he is now on Concerta & altho his dosage had to be upped, he's doing great. He's also on Clonidine to control the hyperactivity. I bow down to Clonidine!

Good luck with your DS. I think I would speak to the neuro about waiting till the cardiologist has a chance to visit your DS. They may just set your mind at ease too.

 

[summerrluvv]

Thanks for all the replies!

The doctor said to wait until he sees the cardiologist before we start the meds so that makes me feel a little bit better.

 

[lvs_eeyore]

Both my sons were on Adderall but were taken off because of mood problems. Both would get aggitated very easily. They are now both on Concerta and doing well. Dh is ADD and when he went to the doc to be put on something the doc would NOT put him on Adderall because dh gets tachycardia every so often for some reason. He has no heart problem that can be seen on echo or stress test. His doctor put him on Concerta. Concerta does not have the history of heart problems per our doctor. You might want to ask the neurologist about that medication.

 

[Mermaid02]

My son takes Clonidine in the evening to make him drowsy, otherwise he is up til after midnight.

 

[stm61]

ds was on adderall for several yrs, as well as concerta. He never had any stomach problems, ate like a horse once he turned 8, and never had to have any blood tests. He's not currently on anything, though he will be when I can find a neurologist that takes our wonderful insurance. The last med he tried was strattera. That totally destroyed his stomach. Didn't matter what he ate before taking it, it still bothered him. The dr had him take it at bed time, hoping he'd fall asleep before his stomach kicked in. That seemed to work better then taking it in the morning.

 

[Christine]

My son was on Adderall for a few months. I will say that out of all the ADHD meds, the Adderall gave him the most focus. But the side effects were the worst. He was withdrawn and when it would wear off in the late afternoon he would have these crying jags. Even the teacher said that it kind of took the "spark" out of him. We switched to one of the methylphenidate drugs (Ritalin, Concerta, etc.) and he was much better. Not as focused, but better. It was a good balance. EVERYONE has a different reaction to these drugs, so you just never know until you try it.

 

[barkley]

read your insurance coverage carefully if they claim they will not cover a specific drug. our ped. tried to change adhd drugs on our son and insurance said they would not cover. i dug into the coverage booklet and found that the m.d. could request a "non-covered drug" be covered. it ended up a moot point because the new drug was ineffecitve.

i'm so glad ds can now swallow pills (and i could retire the morter and pestle i used to crush it into his food).

i think the greatest advent to adhd (esp. little ones) sufferers would be a "patch".

 

[Beck's mom]

i think the greatest advent to adhd (esp. little ones) sufferers would be a "patch".

Good news! There should be a patch coming in the next couple of years. My ds is just finishing up participation in a medical research study for a patch that delivers methylphenidate (the active ingredient in Concerta) via a patch applied to his hip area. It is working really great. He has been using it for almost a year. It completely replaced his oral dose of Concerta. I love how the effects of the drug wear off within 30 minutes of removing the patch in the afternoon. It's a great innovation and I can't wait for it to be released.

 

[tiggerlover]

My 9 year old started on Adderall XR last December and it works wonderful for him. It took a couple of months to get the right dosage, but once we did it was great. When he first started he did experience the mood swings and the crying spells, but I think that was all part of getting adjusted to the meds. He takes Adderall XR 10 mg. once a day and the only side effect is his appetite is not what it used to be. He doesn't have blood work on a regular basis either.

A patch is a great thing, can't wait until it hits the market as DS can not take pills, we mix his meds in with applesauce.

 

[packetminnie]

Both DS and DH are on adderall. Neither have had any side effects at all. DS's teacher says the change is DS is a miracle. DH says it just allows him to focus.
They are both on 10mg xr and only take it during the week. We do have 5 mg capsules (4 hr dose) for the weekend if DS has a function where he would want to pay careful attention.