Treating children with ADHD?

[sbpuckett]

I'm curious what those of you with children who are diagnosed with ADHD treat your children with? DS5 started out on Daytrana which worked great for a few months (minus the difficulty falling asleep and loss of appetite) and he had no problems at school. Then we noticed that he was beginning to have trouble concentrating again so the Doctor switched him. A higher dose of the Daytrana actually made him hallucinate - that's why we switched. He's now on Adderall (2-3 weeks now) and I've noticed an increase in appetite and his sleeping has improved as well. However, it doesn't seem to last long enough to get him through the entire day and homework time. At his school they are expected to lay down for rest time for around 2 1/2 hours... I think it's too much to expect of children almost 6... but he's still getting into trouble for not staying on his cot. Homework time has become unbelieveably stressful - it takes hours to get through what took 30 minutes when he was on Daytrana. Anyway, I'm just wondering what other children are taking and finding success in? I'm looking to have the doctor change meds again but don't want to continue changing every few weeks. He was on Daytrana from October until February.

So, what are your children taking and finding success with? Also, how old are your children?

TIA

 

[devalsam]

My DD is on Adderall as well. She's been on it since December. At first I felt like it was working well and she's been doing great in school but I have the same issues as you, evenings are difficult and I don't really notice much difference on the weekends. I have an appointment with our pediatrician on Monday to look into changing meds or dose but I also recently enrolled my DD in yoga. She really enjoys the class and comes out so mellow and relaxed. I'm hoping that she'll be able to take what she learns in class and apply it to her everyday life. Good luck!!

 

[barkley]

ds (11) was on dextrostat for years and while it helped, we had the inevitable period of time in the mornings before the meds kicked in and the big 'crash' after school (it made doing homework a nightmare). he's been on daytrana for just shy of a year-started with 10mg then increased to 15. i like it in that i can put the patch on before he wakes up so it's 'kicked in' before school starts-it also does'nt have that crashing effect (we have him take the patch off an hour or so before bedtime so he's in bed as it's wearing off).

homework is a big issue for us. on the one hand we're realy fortunate that his school does'nt believe in assigning homework just to be doing so-so there are only one or two nights per week he has actual homework, but he does have to bring home anything he has'nt finished each day (and that's at least one to two papers per nite). on the other hand my son has poor fine motor skills and he holds his pencil in the worst way-so it's uncomfortable and his hand gets easily tired. we tried to do occupational therapy much earlier in his life but he just could'nt focus or 'settle down' to accomplish much-he's now more able and we've embarked on at least strengthening his hand and arms to adapt to his pencil grasp (ot said it's probably too ingraned a habit to totaly break him of now). one thing we've done on homework is to work activily with his teacher to find out what the intent/goal of a specific assignment is-and if it's not one that is reliant on lots of writing on his part-he dictates to us (including spelling and puctuation) and we write out the actual paper. we do end up no matter what the assignment is, having him sit in the room with us so we can re-direct him when he loses focus or just chooses to goof off (we know that part of the homework issue is his adhd, but it's also the same issues of not wanting to do it and goofing off that non adhd kids of his age employ).

i'm guessing either your son is in preschool or a half day (instructional) kindergarten since they can devote a full 2 1/2 hours to a nap. that just seems overly long-and with adhd meds it can be impossible for a child to rest midday that long. with our ds it took a long time to find a good fit school wise-he ended up in a private school that while it does'nt have special services for adhd or other special needs kids did offer a classroom setting that was/is a good fit. begining in kindergarten he attended full instructional days-so no naps were required (8 am-3 pm, with half day every friday). they reccognized that younger kids don't have allot of stamina for full days of instruction so they did longer recesses than the public schools-and provided allot more of the preschool kind of art and other activities to fill out the day (but it got those kiddos used to going a full day so when 1st grade came on they were ready for it ). his classroom was/is also multiple grades-his k was k-2nd, his current is 1st-4th (different school, same system) and i think that's been a benefit because he like allot of adhd kids will hyper focus on subjects they enjoy and quickly master them-so the school permits him to work above grade level in those subjects (math and science-it seems to be the big enjoyment of adhd boys).

it's difficult is'nt it? until daytrana came along i was pulling my hair out due to the issues non effective meds were having. since your son is having lasting long enuf it may take several adjustments in the meds or trying others (i wish daytrana had worked for you, being time released it's such a godsend for these kids).

 

[sbpuckett]

ds (11) was on dextrostat for years and while it helped, we had the inevitable period of time in the mornings before the meds kicked in and the big 'crash' after school (it made doing homework a nightmare). he's been on daytrana for just shy of a year-started with 10mg then increased to 15. i like it in that i can put the patch on before he wakes up so it's 'kicked in' before school starts-it also does'nt have that crashing effect (we have him take the patch off an hour or so before bedtime so he's in bed as it's wearing off).

homework is a big issue for us. on the one hand we're realy fortunate that his school does'nt believe in assigning homework just to be doing so-so there are only one or two nights per week he has actual homework, but he does have to bring home anything he has'nt finished each day (and that's at least one to two papers per nite). on the other hand my son has poor fine motor skills and he holds his pencil in the worst way-so it's uncomfortable and his hand gets easily tired. we tried to do occupational therapy much earlier in his life but he just could'nt focus or 'settle down' to accomplish much-he's now more able and we've embarked on at least strengthening his hand and arms to adapt to his pencil grasp (ot said it's probably too ingraned a habit to totaly break him of now). one thing we've done on homework is to work activily with his teacher to find out what the intent/goal of a specific assignment is-and if it's not one that is reliant on lots of writing on his part-he dictates to us (including spelling and puctuation) and we write out the actual paper. we do end up no matter what the assignment is, having him sit in the room with us so we can re-direct him when he loses focus or just chooses to goof off (we know that part of the homework issue is his adhd, but it's also the same issues of not wanting to do it and goofing off that non adhd kids of his age employ).

i'm guessing either your son is in preschool or a half day (instructional) kindergarten since they can devote a full 2 1/2 hours to a nap. that just seems overly long-and with adhd meds it can be impossible for a child to rest midday that long. with our ds it took a long time to find a good fit school wise-he ended up in a private school that while it does'nt have special services for adhd or other special needs kids did offer a classroom setting that was/is a good fit. begining in kindergarten he attended full instructional days-so no naps were required (8 am-3 pm, with half day every friday). they reccognized that younger kids don't have allot of stamina for full days of instruction so they did longer recesses than the public schools-and provided allot more of the preschool kind of art and other activities to fill out the day (but it got those kiddos used to going a full day so when 1st grade came on they were ready for it ). his classroom was/is also multiple grades-his k was k-2nd, his current is 1st-4th (different school, same system) and i think that's been a benefit because he like allot of adhd kids will hyper focus on subjects they enjoy and quickly master them-so the school permits him to work above grade level in those subjects (math and science-it seems to be the big enjoyment of adhd boys).

it's difficult is'nt it? until daytrana came along i was pulling my hair out due to the issues non effective meds were having. since your son is having lasting long enuf it may take several adjustments in the meds or trying others (i wish daytrana had worked for you, being time released it's such a godsend for these kids).

The daytrana was good while it lasted but 10mg just wasn't enough and 15mg made him hallucinate. It was crazy! Yes, it's very difficult. I'm looking into support groups b/c I really feel like DH needs some education on the subject. He responds to DS5 the same way his family did to him and it's not proactive. At least with an education background I have a little bit of knowledge on the subject. But it's very different when it's your own child... not to mention dealing with behavior issues all day at work and then doing it at home as well. Like yours, the writing type work seems to be the most difficult for him and that's the majority of his homework. If it were preschool I honestly wouldn't bother with it many nights... but I know next year in 1st grade they will expect him to do homework nightly as well, so we just suck it up and try to work with him until it's done.

BTW - he is in a private school that teaches both pre-k and Kindergarten. I honestly feel like they should have a separate space for the children who are not nappers... even if he could work on his homework during that time - at least he wouldn't be distracting someone else...

 

[RF536]

DS(7) has been on Concerta 36mg since July with much success. It lasts 12 hours so it covers the school day and afterschool. The only problem is if we don't give it early enough in the day then he has a hard time falling a sleep at night. We have noticed a loss of appetite during the middle of the day, but he still eats a good breakfast and dinner so it is not a huge concern.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

My DS12 takes Focalin XR.

We tried Strattera and it didn't work. We tried Concerta, then a larger dose of Concerta, and those didn't work, either. He started on the Focalin XR in 5th grade (last year) and it was GREAT. Now he is in 6th grade. The dose we had him on last year wasn't working, so they upped it a little. He also has 5 mg Ritalin he can take after school IF he has a really heavy night for homework. He typically does not take the Ritalin. I am wondering if his Focalin dose could be a little higher, but the school year is 2/3 finished so I think we'll keep him on the lower dose and mess with upping it after the summer. He doesn't take meds on weekends or over the summer because he is TINY and we want him to have as much time off the meds as possible to see if he will grow.

He has inattentive ADD, not hyperactive.

 

[Taratink]

My DS8 is on 36 mg of starterra. It took 8 weeks to see any difference. He takes 18 mg in the morning and 18 mg. at dinner time. He can concentrate a lot better.

 

[southernbelle20]

I know how frustrated you are. I was in the same postion with my son at that age. I cannot for the life of me figure out why schools want a 5 or 6 year old with ADHD to lay down for 2 hours. And when my son would "pull a card" he would lose his playtime on the playground. Those are the worst things you can do to a hyper child. (Sorry for venting, that just really gets me worked up when people cannot understand how to help with your child.)
Anyway back to the point, we have tried many different meds and are currently taking daytrana, but just added straterra to it. Hope that after 6 weeks we can just use straterra.

My point is-every child is diffrent, and they all respond diffrently (sp?) to the meds. You just have to keep trying. There is a lot of info on this site that has helped me. Good luck!

www.adhdnews.com/forum/default/asp.

 

[sbpuckett]

DS(7) has been on Concerta 36mg since July with much success. It lasts 12 hours so it covers the school day and afterschool. The only problem is if we don't give it early enough in the day then he has a hard time falling a sleep at night. We have noticed a loss of appetite during the middle of the day, but he still eats a good breakfast and dinner so it is not a huge concern.

What form does this come in? Meaning, Daytrana is a patch they wear on their hip... Adderall is a capsule that we open and give him mixed with a spoon of applesauce... we definitely need something that lasts about 12 hours b/c he takes it so early in the morning.

 

[sbpuckett]

My DS8 is on 36 mg of starterra. It took 8 weeks to see any difference. He takes 18 mg in the morning and 18 mg. at dinner time. He can concentrate a lot better.

I take this myself (I'm ADD) but am up to 80mg. I know this one makes me nauseas... I don't know if he could take this one at his age.

 

[sbpuckett]

I know how frustrated you are. I was in the same postion with my son at that age. I cannot for the life of me figure out why schools want a 5 or 6 year old with ADHD to lay down for 2 hours. And when my son would "pull a card" he would lose his playtime on the playground. Those are the worst things you can do to a hyper child. (Sorry for venting, that just really gets me worked up when people cannot understand how to help with your child.)
Anyway back to the point, we have tried many different meds and are currently taking daytrana, but just added straterra to it. Hope that after 6 weeks we can just use straterra.

My point is-every child is diffrent, and they all respond diffrently (sp?) to the meds. You just have to keep trying. There is a lot of info on this site that has helped me. Good luck!

www.adhdnews.com/forum/default/asp.

Thanks - I know you're right about every child being different. What works for yours may not work for mine and vice versus... it is a very difficult thing to deal with. It's been the longest school year I've ever had to endure and I can't even imagine how much more difficult it's been for him. We're waiting to hear whether they have gotten into one of the magnet schools... I think it would be perfect for them both. I actually have an appointment scheduled to have both boys looked at this coming week. DS7's teacher recommended I have him tested as well, some issues have popped up this year and we want to make sure it's not something like ADD. I'm pretty sure he's a bit OCD but who knows... I wonder why someone decided we needed to label every little thing? I also wonder if it really makes anything better... I sometimes feel that public education just wanted a way to cop out of failing so many of these kids... I'm a teacher myself so I'm not putting teachers down in any way. I'm just saying that the education system we have going right now (at least in my area) is very broken and it just seems to get worse. Add a disability or disorder to the mix and it's a very frustrating experience

 

[RF536]

The concerta is a tablet, but is not very large and he has been able to swallow it with no problems.

 

[robroy]

My daughter (9 now) started out on Adderall and she did well at school but would crash hard about 2:30. They moved it up a notch and she just stopped eating all most all together, maybe 10 bites a day. She is realy skinny to start with and lost over 10% of her body weight in one month. She is now on Metadate and is very slowly gaining a pound or two back slowly. The low dose helps her get through school and no meltdowns as long as homework is as soon as she walks in the door. She could use a dose just slightly higher but is doing much better than before (we take what we can get). The saving grace this year for her has been her Teacher at school, who has realy helped her get caught up with the rest of the class. We are now at gradelevel and getting straight A's. Granted she only has a moderate case of ADHD, but its either a choice of learning something at school or eatting so she can grow. It can be a hard balance for her.

 

[tweedlemom]

My DS6 has been on Daytrana, 10 mg, for over a month and it has made a huge difference!

 

[sbpuckett]

My DS6 has been on Daytrana, 10 mg, for over a month and it has made a huge difference!

If by chance they end up needing to up his dosage watch out for hallucinations... DS5 started out on 10 mg and then had to be bumped up to 15mg... he began hallucinating and would freak out daily over imaginary bugs and bees... of course every child is different, but noone ever warned me about that and I never read that this could be a side effect. I called the doctor about it and he was amazed - said he'd never heard of that before!!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

7 yo very ADHD ds takes 30 mg of Concerta every morning. It really helps to calm him down so he can focus, but it make him too "flat" personality-wise if his surroundings are not very stimulating. We tried a smaller dose, but it wasn't enough for when he's in school, involved in sports, or with a pack of friends. Another negative is the affect it has on his appetite. It's not as bad as Adderall was. He does eat, but he eats late at night. Also, he sometimes has trouble sleeping.

As mentioned above, Adderall did not work out for our ds. For the first couple of months, it was like a miracle cure for his ADHD. Then, his behavior really changed. He seemed depressed and cried very easily while taking it. Also, he ate and slept very little.

Both his older brother and his dad take Adderall for ADD. (There HAS to be a genetic component to this!!!) It serves them very well.

 

[DAPford]

my dd12 is on metadate cd which is a 12 hour dosage but in reality lasts @ 10 to 11 hrs ( 7:30-6ish ) long enough for school / homework and wearing off as she is in swim team practice where the energy gets burned she's been on this since 4th grade with 3 dosage changes and I thank God every day for the ease that it has been she has the usual no appetite during the day but eats well at breakfast and dinner plus all weekend when we have a no meds rule (unless a big project and then we do Sunday and Sat free) so she can see and feel the difference and work on her own self control . It was hard enough to convince my DH to agree to the meds but even he now says it has made a world of difference for her learning before she struggle to get b's because we had to constantly review everything she "missed" in class but now she is able to stay on task. We always use a "glasses" metphor for her meds , she can see without her glasses but the glasses make it clearer and more focused ie she can learn and work on self control without the meds but they make it easier so she can stay focused We never let her ADHD be her excuse for misbehavior hope this helps since I had't seen metadate mentioned

 

[snowman1035]

Our ds 11 has been on concerta. Although at first we had issues with putting him on it. His school said that he had adhd and we weren't so convinced. We spoke with the dr. and went over all the test the school did with him and even she wasn't convinced he had adhd, so to make the school happy she put him on a small dose of concerta (27mg). We did see a difference with his eating and sleeping, lack of I should say. However as far as school work he has done alot better, but at times gets off track (bored). We don't give it to him while he is at home on the weekends or during the summer break. I hope you find the right medicine for you child, it is difficult trying to figure out what the right medicine.

 

[JoiseyMom]

My DD11 is on Daytrana. We started her on 20 mg, and then the Neuro upped it to 30. The change was amazing. We have lowered it to 15 though, and not on weekends.

DS6 was harder. Daytrana did nothing for him, neither did Stattera. We then tried Focalin XR, and that worked, for a while. It then stopped. Where DD is ADD, DS is ADHD, emphasis on the H. We now have him on Vyvanse. Wow..much better than the Folcalin. He is doing really well on it, and he still eats. Not as much as he did, but he eats his sandwich and I can get protein in him for dinner. He of couse would eat junk if I let him.

My DD has a 504 in school to help deal iwth her condition. She has an extra set of books at home, to make sure she never forgets and can't do her homework, and she gets extra time for tests and work. I am a bit disappointed in her teachers this year though. She is in a class with an extra teacher, but the 6th grade has disappointed me very much. In a period of 3 days I was notified, she was doing poorly in Math, SS, Science and English. This was aobut 2 weeks before the marking period. There was no real way to boost her grade or to help her. Prior to this I was having issues with her and HW, and my mil (a reitred NYC Special Ed teacher), come over in the afternoons and worked with both kids to get them to do thier hw. I was at the end of my rope. I was having difficulty, and after raising 2 older children without these issues, i was really at a loss. Both children are very very bright...too bright in some ways. DD report card was horrible, but she has learned a valuable lesson, and is doing much better with her work. With her at this age, part of it is the ADD, part of it is the age...I am not looking forward to middle school next year at all.

DS6 on the other hand has the most wonderful teachers. They are both certified special ed and deal with him wonderfully. He was purposely placed in this class. He was in private Kindergarten, and I went to the District to have him observed, since they couldn't test him until he was in their school. We are currently having him evaluated and his second IEP meeting is this Tuesday. We will see if he needs the IEP or just the 504.

I am not sure how it works in private school with IEP's or 504s, but shouldn't they be able to deal with his not being able to stay still for 2 1/2 hours. I mean geez..that is hard for a normal 5 year old, let alone one with ADHD. The private school should be working with you to meet the needs of your son. You should speak to them about it.

Good luck!! It's a tough road, and you aren't alone.

 

[TiggerStac]

We started DS (had just turned 6) on concerta, lowest dose, we ended up bumping him up 2 doses over 2 months, because we saw benefits, but still having some issues. once he hit the 3rd dose (I believe 27 mg) the side effects outweighted benefits. He was rambling and overly sensitive, he's very sensitive as it is, but it was bad.

He's been on Adderal 10mg for 4 or 5 months now. We talked about uping his does, but he has had weight loss, so we are going to hold off unless his behaviors increase. He gets it at about 7am (can't give it later because he goes to a before school program) it wears off around 3:-3:30, when he is boarding the bus to head to afterschool program. Dr said it lasts 8-10 hours, which is less than concerta...and right in this time frame. He is doing much better at school on focusing and school tasks, but he is still impulsive. There have been a few days the his teacher actually asked if he had taken his meds. If his weight stablizes, we'll probably try the next dose up in May. He has lost 2 lbs in 3 months and had lost about 1.5 lbs before that in a 3 or 4 month time frame. He's, also, had a growth spurt, so we can tell the weight loss. We are giving him supplements and pretty much letting him eat as he wants. He hasn't had trouble w/his meals, he just isn't snacking.

Nap for 2.5 hours is a long time, even for my 14 month old!! The only reason he does it once in a while is because he's getting on the toddler schedule of 1 nap/day.


I'm going to agree w/previous poster...evenings are tough and I don't notice a difference on weekends. If we are doing a structured activity (craft, drawing, cooking) I can see it, but I can't do structured activity for 48 hours on weekends and night time from 5p-bedtime. That's part of why we are looking to increase his dose.