Taking a break from Adderall...anyone done it?

[Vacation Lover]

I'm thinking about taking my DS9 off of his Adderall for a week or 2 before school starts this month. He had his check up last week and, although he's grown 2 inches, he has not gained much weight in 6 months. The doctor is okay with taking a break, but isn't requiring us to do it. I'm hoping that his appetite will increase when he's not on the meds so he'll go through a growth spurt.

Does anyone have some words of wisdom for me? Just wondering what to expect. He is extrememly hyperactive and I'm trying to prepare myself for the chaos that's likely to come after a year of relative calmness. Thanks for your input!

 

[weldon1]

My daughter 11 takes adderall during the school year. We take her off of it during the summer and on weekends. She only has an attention problem (ADD). According to her doctor this is not a drug that has to "build up" in her bloodstream. I was told it works the same on the 1st day of use. He said that some add/adhd drugs have to "build" up in the bloodstream but this is not one of them. My daughter does gain weight over the summer and then she usually loses weight when school starts due to lack of appetite.

 

[SnowWhite12]

It's just like Tylenol, in and out of the system same day.

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

My DS is 9 and only takes his adderall during school. No summer or weekends. He gains a little over the summer but loses once school starts. We have not had any problems with doing it that way.

 

[rrobin3051]

same here I took my son off for the summer and he gained 6lbs!!! But he will start up on it here in a week or so to give his system time to adjust again before school. I dont do weekends either with his meds.

 

[Nanu57v]

I took Adderol in college, and would only take it M-F during school. As soon as classes were done I'd stop. No problems. Gained 10 pounds when I stopped though.

 

[timzagain]

My DD is on concerta (she's add) - she takes meds Mon - Fri, only during school.

She's nine and I'm not really comfortable with the idea of long term use of meds, unless it's life sustaining. I'd like to take her off the meds altogether, but that's another story....