son has been so angry and irritable after school

[lisaanne0220]

My son just started medication for ADHD, only 10 mg... he was doing so well the first month and now he is not focusing again at school and as soon as he gets home he is just so angry. I try to help him with his homework and he yells and slams things. This is so not him. He is a quiet kid. Anyone else experience this? what could it be?? I am so stressed I dont know what to do. We do have a dr. apt. this friday... my thoughts are he is holding everything in and when he gets home he just unloads.... could he just be use to the dosage and he is coming down off of it earlier and it needs to be increased??

[Misp]

This is what I fear

Meds might change my son. He is such a sweet loving boy.

[Aubreyneveau]

I assume you’re talking about methylphenidate? 10 mg is a pretty small dose. My 7 year old was rebounding from methylphenidate 10mg only about 2 hours after taking it so yes it may help to increase dose and give it throughout the day to make it last as long as possible without disrupting sleep too much. Probably will rebound at end of day but at least maybe he will be more functional during school day.

[Crunchby]

How old is your son? Coming off the quick release really sucks. . .its like a crash. My daughter experienced this and was really a miserable human being. I also experienced it first hand (I have adhd). Anyway, Vvyanse or another long acting really helped us/me. The meds are what the adhd brain needs, it won't change your child, it will help them. Good video on adhd from dr. Barkley and the role of medicine on my profile page. Good luck!!

[Amyvicr5]

Hello, we recently put our 10 year old on vyvanse. We also had adjustment struggles. The doctor actually increased his dosage and it helped. About two weeks into the higher dose he was almost manic, super hyper and unmanageable. It was an adjustment period. After a week or two of that he’s so much better. The school says he’s been 💯 improved! It’s tough each day but we’re glad he has the meds. They really help him and he’s the same little boy! I also have found that headphones help him when he’s overstimulated at home. Hope this helps!

[reg2018]

I also found that a long-acting dose worked better for my kids (vyvanse). And because homework time is a tough time their doctor added a short acting dose in addition to the vyvanse. So they take vyvanse in the morning to last for the day, but also an afternoon dose of adderol when they get home from school to take them through the afternoon.

Finding the right dose can be tricky, but I've seen a difference between on medication versus off.

Good luck!

[Tbruner1969]

What is he currently taking? My son is taking Focalin 15 Xr in am, then takes a booster at 11:30 which is 10mg; he takes a 5mg at 4pm if he has swim class or karate. It will take time to adjust to his meds if he just started them. However, some of these meds its a side effect and I found Focalin to have them least side effects of this sort. He’s been on his meds for a little over a year now and is a total different kid.

[lisaanne0220 in reply to Tbruner1969]

he takes 10mg before school around 7:30 and thats it. We do have an apt friday to discuss whats going on. I just have never seen him like this. It freaks me out a little.

[dredoug02]

Maybe you should request a change in medication. My son had severe mood swings on Aderal. It make him moody and snappy.

[anirush]

Either he needs a boost in the medication or the medication is starting to make him angry. I have found it takes 3 or 4 weeks to know if medication is going to be good or bad. We have tried upping meds in the past and then finding out that makes it even worse. But sometimes it takes more time to adjust. It's really trial and error