Hey all! I just want to share our story. Disclaimer: we all know that every child is different and what works for one may not work for the other. That being said, we came completely off of stimulants. My son currently takes two medications, Clonidine and Amantadine to help with ADHD and with focus in school. I have my son back! He is able to sit and do homework, he is getting straight A’s, but most importantly he is the very best version of himself. The version I knew he could be with the right medication to help. He is kind, loving, and affectionate. When he does get frustrated he is easily talked down and I’m able to connect with him immediately. We have REALLY struggled for over a year to find the right medication(s) to help him. The same thing happened with my best friend and her son so I went to the psychiatrist and talked to him about it. He was willing to give it a try. He said that none of these are what they try first but since the others had such negative side effects we could try. I don’t know if he ever would have suggested them if I hadn’t asked. So often we (doctors included) chalk it up to the ADHD and the impulse control but after seeing the changes in my son I had to share with all of you. My son still has to be reminded multiple times to do things but he realizes as soon as I say it and he’s apologetic. Y’all, I couldn’t be more excited to have my boy back! If you’re in the thick of it right now, I feel your pain. I have been there. Big hugs and keep up the hardest work you’ll ever do! We are all brave men and women doing everything we can for our kiddos. 💗
Free from angry outbursts : Hey all! I... - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
Free from angry outbursts
I am SOOO happy you found what works. I know you’ve been struggling with his behavior, and this must be a huge weight off your shoulders.
I can’t even adequately put it into words. Being able to come to this forum with all of you has been such a tremendous help! I can’t thank you all enough for being here for me through al of this!!!! 💗
We have the same experience with my 2 grandsons. One did well on stimulants until middle school, the other 1 couldn't handle stimulants at all. Now neither of them are on them.
So glad things are going well for you
Congratulations and thank you for the success story! It’s wonderful to hear about the light at the end of the tunnel. Very motivating to keep going! Enjoy your son!!
I’m trying to convince my wife to try experimenting with a different medication because my feeling is the stimulants are either not working or making it worse. He’s crazier and more defiant after the medicine often. However, he’s worse after it wears off which makes me think it’s withdrawals. Not sure until we give it a try for at least a week to see. I’m going to ask psychiatrist if we can try it over Speing break perhaps.
That is what happened with my son on stimulants. He was yelling at me, throwing things, stomping his feet, he even re-broke his arm in a cast banging it on the counter in frustration. He only ate from 7:00-8:00 pm and had trouble falling asleep. For us it took a full 3 days to get out from under all of that once he stopped taking the stimulants. The Amantadine helps with focus and the Clonidine helps with everything else. He eats well, he sleeps well, and it has made a world of difference for us. I think talking to your doctor is an excellent idea, they are definitely the professionals. 😉
Thanks for this. Knowing about possible meds and combinations of meds is helpful. We are just starting to consider meds and I am very nervous about a stimulant making our son even more aggressive and hard to handle. Just want to have this combo in the back of my mind as another possibility. It is crazy that we have to experiment like this. Congrats on finding something that works for your son!!
That is exactly why I wanted to share! If my friend hadn’t shared with me I wouldn’t have brought it up to the doctor. We have been at this for a year trying to find the right meds and right combinations. If my post could help anyone narrow down that time even just a little it would make my day. It has not been easy but it has been worth it. I always told my son we wouldn’t give up. We’re in this together and we will do whatever it takes to find the right meds to help him be his very best self. We finally got there and he feels so good about that too. ❤️❤️❤️
It's great to hear your son's improvement. Glad he is back to being himself with little effects and that home is calm. Kudos to you for keeping at it and finding him the right balance of meds!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. We are headed to a new doctor for a second opinion and I would love to see if this might work for our son!!!
Congratulations to you and your family!!! I know your holidays are going to be joyous. I know for your son he's relieved. We think we stressed but I feel the kids are stressed just as much. So again Congratulations!
Mudpies I know this post is very old, but are you still using the same meds? We are about to try Amantadine after many trials and errors with stimulants and other meds. Looking for some hope!
yes! He’s still taking Amantadine & Clonidine. We did add in Vyvanse last school year without incident. He only takes Vyvanse on school days and takes slow release Clonidine & amantadine 2 times daily. It has worked amazingly well.
Mudpies thank you so much for taking the time to reply. How old was your son when he started Amantadine?
We pick up our prescription today. Fingers crossed for a good result!
this post brings me so much hope but also terrifies me. I’m so glad you found something that works for your son. We’ve done 4 medication trials over the past 6 months and it’s been awful. I hate putting my kid through it. And at the same time I want to believe there’s something out there that will help him.
It’s terrifying to think we as parents and not drs should need to recommend what to try next. I’ve tried to stop myself from suggesting meds that have worked for friends bc obviously every child’s reaction to medication is different. But your experience makes me question that.
How long did it take for the Amantsdine to start working? My son started 100mg a week ago but no improvements yet.
Violent, threatening outbursts
Clonidine
Undiagnosed kids changing from homeschool to public school
Changing meds
Anger issues/ explosive outbursts 
