Meds on weekend?

[Kalm0320]

My son was prescribed Metadate (concerta? Ritalin? Not sure what it is..) because Adderall was making him so aggressive, defiant, and not sleep. I know some people choose not to medicate on the weekends but some meds are better to give on weekends because they build up in their system. Does anyone use this med? If so have you seen any side effects? Do you meditate on weekends and holidays or just for school? I’m nervous since the last meds had such bad side effects but I know he needs it for school.

[Ldydy24]

Hi the medicine journey can be challenging. My son tried Concerta and was very irritable and Ritalin did not help with his lack of impulse control. We tried 7 different meds before we found Focalin that has worked very well for him. Every child’s body reacts differently and if you notice side effects that are impairing your child definitely stop the meds and ask your dr to try something new. We keep my son on medicine over the weekends because it’s just easier. Without it he would fight us on everything and have no impulse control. We do decrease the amount we give him as he doesn’t need as much if he’s not around his peers all day or in school. This also helps him gain some weight as the meds decrease his appetite during the day. Stay positive there are a lot of different meds for ADHD/ADD so don’t stop until you find one that helps. Good luck.

[Mudpies]

We give meds all of the time because he needs them and it helps us to maintain consistency. We are trying our first non stimulant medication because the stimulant meds exacerbated his defiance as made him very irritable. He also had a hard time falling asleep which didn’t help anything. Our son did loose weight but it leveled off. He drinks a lot of high calorie shakes and we switched over to whole milk for him. I’m not sure about Metadate, it isn’t one we have tried.

[Bdm06482 in reply to Mudpies]

New to this forum. Curious as to what the “non stimulant” based options are for adhd. We have him on focalin which helps with the focus but just like quillivant xr, the nail biting anxiety and perseveration is still a “9” when he’s on focalin. A non stim would be great but given the prefrontal cortex is ‘asleep’ without the stim, we are having to contemplate a Zoloft adder to keep the anxiety down.

[Mudpies in reply to Bdm06482]

I am new to this forum too.

Our son is currently taking catapres .1mg. ADHD is an off the label treatment with this med. and it requires the child being able to swallow a pill (we still use applesauce). His ticks (rolling/shrugging shoulders & pulling on the front of his shirt) are back but so his his appetite and ability to fall asleep. He has also quit picking at sores. He just started it a week ago so I don’t know how this is all going to play out. His aggression and anger management needs seem to have lessened in the past week also so I am hopeful.

[Onthemove1971]

Kalm0320-

Yes we take medication everyday becuase it's the same condition everyday. We want him to feel the same and in control everyday not just on weekdays. A large part of ADHD is controling emotions and the medication helps with that. We also know that consistency is important, every morning the first thing he does is take his medication so he starts to feel stable. Then the day begins... when we have tried anything else it doesn't go well.

When we tried a bunch of different medications we were not working with a pediatric psychiatrist who did not know how to properly balance dose and timing.

Now he takes medication in the evening to counter the stimulant. I really recommend you see someone who specializes in knowing how to deal with medication. I was afraid to take this step, but our lives changed as soon as we did it.

He takes 1 medication for impulse control in the AM ( extended release) and 1 short term in the afternoon. He then take on for focusing and sleeping in evening.

Perfect combination.

Hope this helps.

[Kalm0320 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thanks! He actually has a psychology appointment at the Children’s hospital where he does OT next week (we’ve been waiting since early June to get in). He saw a psychologist who was terrible so we didn’t make it far enough in sessions to get to the med part. I’m hoping since the new place is connected with the great OT and Children’s therapy that we can get advice from them rather than the pediatrician.

[Onthemove1971]

Yeah! Love that you are getting advice from a specialist and not his pediatrician. Please don't worry if you don't click with one provider move on a find a different one. Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. One piece of advice please be involved in the thearpy so you can be there to learn and kinda direct this. So if it is not working you can move to more individal, juat don' t waste a lot of time.

Best of luck, can't wait to hear about the visit.

[floydwhite]

ny son is on concerta methylphenidate is the generic name. i DO give meds everyday. we often have activities on the wknd and i also like continuity

[Elijah1]

The stimulants do not have to be taken every day if there is no need for use on days when there is no school. The effects decreases by the end of the day. You have to decide if he needs medication on weekends based on behavior and social needs (per the above comments).

[Ivygirl1977 in reply to Elijah1]

ADHD doesn’t only happen at school. The meds do need to be taken every day.

[Cjkchamp]

My son is taking 5 mg Focalin XR along with the non-stimulant Guanfacine ER 3 mg in the morning. The two seem to be a good combination. We medicate daily for consistency. He tends to have issues if we don’t. My son exhibits anxiety by sucking his lip but stopped after about a month. We also use a weighted blanket to help him sleep and the school uses different techniques like the blanket, play dough, and a cube chair to help him at school.