Med’s vacation

[VolcanoMom]

Hi!

Our new pediatric psychiatrist wants us to take our son (12) off of his vyvanse on the weekends. I’m not opposed to it, but is anyone else taking med breaks too? He says he doesn’t like out of control his ADD is when he is off his meds. I’ll have him talk to his dr. At his next session, but looking to see how other families are handling this.

Thanks!

[MomOfAMermaid]

I would honor your son's perspective and not take breaks (unless there is a life threatening reason). My daughter is also able to tell me that she feels better with her medication. I believe her meds support her in doing the things she desires to do and it helps her to enjoy life. Without her meds she is angry at how hard or almost inpossible most everything feels. I wish you well in your decision!

[lrt1]

There are pros and cons to the breaks. Our doctor (whose son is also on vyvanse, so I do like her perspective as both doctor and ADHD parent) recommended not to take breaks as the body adjusts to the side effects better when you take it continuously - so the insomnia and decreased appetite should reduce over time. That said, she said she would recommend breaks only when the loss of appetite is severe and the child is falling off their normal growth chart due to lack of nutrition. Using supplement shakes can help with that (i.e. boost, ensure, etc..). Ask your doctor why she/he is recommending the breaks and then you and your child can discuss together and make an informed decision. Best of luck!!

[seller]

How does he get his homework done without his meds on the weekends? Or do sports or other activities? He will definitely need his meds once he starts driving! In fact, you really want your kid to have the most control on the weekends once they hit those teen years. It says a lot that your son realizes that he needs the control from his meds. I would not take him off on the weekends.

[Wendyloree]

Please keep us posted. Not sure why the dr. would suggest that, hey VolcanoMom you know what is best for your child

[VolcanoMom]

Yeah... dr's thought is that the med's effectiveness decrease over time. I don't know how much I agree with that. She's a new dr. for us, so she might not be a good fit for our family philosophy.

[anirush]

I too would trust your son's opinion of his medication and how it makes him feel.

I think it's wonderful that he's that in tune with himself

[vickimad]

Our doctor leaves it to us, however her advise is not to. My 7 year old appreciates how his meds take his life easier so we don’t have breaks.

[baba8]

Hey so our son is 8 years old and recently we started taking med breaks due to appetite loss that was causing a drop in his weight. His pediatrician was away on vacation so we had to see another. I was equal parts scared and confused at how easy the new pediatrician said it. “ meds breaks are actually good”

So we started two days a week Saturday and Sunday. Our son seemed to have learned certain behavior like sitting still during meals and a couple of other little things that as a mom I felt like as much as the medicine is important it’s also important to be able not to fear what might happen when he is not on it.

During summer he takes it every other day and his appetite is great on the day he is off.

You know your child better. It’s quite scary to imagine a child a day without it but if you have a chance to see your child off it you will feel differently and less scared.

[katcald]

my son's doctor told me the same thing this week as he is not gaining enough weight.