I forgot to mention that my son took the genetic testing and all the adhd meds were in the red zone. Which meant he had a significant gene drug interaction with all the adhd meds. My doctor did not explain what that meant. When I went home I read the report and understood that none of those meds will work with his build up. She still recommended we try Adderall xr. But he has not shown any improvement. He is agitated and he isn’t focusing any better. I wanted to ask if anyone has had this experience and what did you do. He did have a moderate reaction to intuniv. But his genotype suggest a reduced response to this med as well. I would like to hear from anybody who has had this testing done. Also do you think I am wasting my time with Adderall? He has an eip teacher and doesn’t like her. She continues to belittle him and screams at him. In return he is disrespectful and I guess can’t handle the pressure. This is his first year in special ed and this has been his worse year ever. It seems that he is learning bad behavior from other kids who r in that class as well. I feel like I made a mistake for pulling him. He isn’t learning anything positive. I would appreciate any help.
Genesight: I forgot to mention that my... - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
Genesight
Sweetkid- sounds like a lot is going on. If the teacher is not a good fit, you have a few choices ( it is mid-way through the year) wait it out, have a meeting, or ask to change teachers. All of them have pros and cons. But in m uh opinion getting him stable on a medication is the best answer, becuase there will always be something or someone to deal with the more fo used and stable the less drama there will be (speaking from personal experience).
I would recommend you have him seen by a psychiatrist who specializes in medication ol n management. It will most likely take 2 different medication to really be effective ( please remember things maybe different in the future as he matures and his learning environment changes.
I know you said he was "in Sp.. Ed" does that mean he is in a smaller class with a special teacher? Becuase you can be sp. Ed. And be in regular education.
Yes, if he is with other kids that have behaviors it will impact his behavior.
Hope this helps.
Thank you for your response. He is in the regular classroom for everything except writing and reading. His eip is in his reading class for reading and he goes to her for writing. They keep giving reading assignments like articles and questions. He gets all those wrong and rushes through them. This in turn upsets his teacher. We are trying to get him the right meds that will help him focus better. Last year he had the worst teacher ever and I think his eip reminds him of her. She’s very demanding and oversees everything. I think he sometimes needs some freedom and a breather. His main problem use to be focus and incomplete assignments. Now he is beginning to have behavior problems. His eip teacher is constantly emailing me and I don’t see the point of him being in there if he refuses to work with her.
Just curious, did "she" help write the iep? I assume you have given her feedback about how he is feeling. I know it really feels overwhelming, but if you focus on the medication he will do much better.
Yes I did. We had a meeting at the beginning of the year discussing how he feels about her sharing his low grades and making a big deal that he failed infront of everyone. In the meeting the first step was to better her relationship with him. We let her know if he feels attacked he can’t perform well. She sent me an email saying I know that he doesn’t like me, but she can’t tolerate his disrespect for an hour a day and that she is going to start documenting and writing him up. He is doing the work in a rush and failing and it’s upsetting her. Then she wants him sitting next to her while he does his assignment online. I know this is suppose to help him stay on task, but it becomes more of a battle and he ends up not doing it and getting in trouble. I really don’t know what else to do. He is on Adderall now and we will see what happens with that. When will I notice if the meds are benefiting him or not. After how long will I know if we need to try something else.
Is there an assistant in the class that could help him instead of the teacher? I really don't know what is happening in the classroom, but it sounds like requesting a new teacher if he has to have her again next year would be the best plan.
As far as giving medication a chance I would call the doctor and l would tell them what he is experiencing.
Good luck, so much to deal with.
Have you considered an anti anxiety med? We tried both main types of ADHD meds, neither of them seemed to work well. What has made the biggest difference is the drug Stratera. Apparently kids with ADHD have a lot of anxiety. The other thing we have come to find is to lay off of foods high in sugar. It hasn’t been an easy road, but after several different meds and different dosages of those meds, we now have a kid that no longer needs to spend 6 hours a night of doing homework. She is much more confident and it shows.
Hang in there.
When you first were giving her Strattera did she have any meltdowns? We tried 3 different stimulants which caused evening anger and meltdowns. So now trying Strattera. Our 8 yo son was on it half dose for 5 days (work up to the full dose which he had this morning, 2 pills 18 ea), this morning happy and goofy and this afternoon, having an epic meltdown. Kicking, throwing things, screaming. Saying he wants to kill himself, pointing his finger like a gun at his dad and saying horrible things etc. (And sadly we were on our way to a /playdate /lemonade sale with a friend from school. We had to ditch, turn around and go home).
My son definitely had increased meltdowns on Strattera at age 6, almost like he was a toddler again (only much bigger.) After about 2 days on Strattera, He could not handle disappointment AT ALL while he was on it.
It calmed a little after a few weeks, but not completely. He also developed a really negative attitude - super judgmental & declaring he hated everything or thought it was stupid.
I would recommend contacting your prescribing physician- they may want you to give it a few days & see ifnside effects wears off. But sayin he wants to kill himself, especially on this medication, is something your doctor definitely needs to be in the loop about.
Thank you. We left a message on the doctor's machine and will talk to her tomorrow. Unfortunately, he's said the same things on the 3 different stimulants we tried as well so it wasn't a surprise to hear it today. He came out of the meltdown eventually after doing a new lego set and then watching TV. And then taking him to bed tonight he was giggly and wanted to tickle as I tried to read to him. I want so badly for him to be this way all the time. :(. This trial and error meds thing is so painful for all of us. So is your child still on Strattera? We feel his underlying anxiety and possible depression is the culprit more so than the meds.
My son had the GeneSight test done as well, but his pediatrician also didn’t seem to know what it meant. We started going to a psychiatrist and she new exactly how to use it, and explained what it meant. Just because a medication is red doesn’t mean it absolutely won’t work, but there might be a gene reaction that makes it not work as well. There is also a part that explains how medications are processed and metabolized in the body, which greatly affects their effectiveness. I would find a psychiatrist who can help you find the right medication (or combination of medications) that works for your son.
As far as the IEP teacher goes, if she can’t be mature enough to ignore a disrespectful attitude for an hour a day, then she has no business teaching kids with special needs. It’s a vicious circle: your son doesn’t like her so he’s disrespectful, so she punished him in some way, which makes him not like her. Belittling him and making a big deal about his failures isn’t going to help him, and it’s childish. If this were my child I would demand an IEP meeting without her and insist on a new IEP teacher. The current one isn’t working and it’s not doing anyone any favors. If they push back about his behavior being unacceptable remind them that he is not necessarily in control of everything he says and does. If you have any advocates who are on your side and have suggestions about how to help him include them in the meeting. I would do this now before the holiday break so everything is in place for the rest of the school year. Good luck.
Immediately start documenting his days and interactions with her each day, dated and a rough estimate of when (before/after lunch, etc). He needs to be placed with a new teacher that to say it kindly has a different style and approach that can help him in an effective way.
My daughter did genetic testing as well, I don't recall red zones like your talking about. If you look on my profile you'll find a post where I linked to her results. I think all meds build up and are less effective after some time. Guessing your son's test indicates the metabolizes dopamine fast... Only high doses effective... And even those will lose effectiveness after a while. There are supplements that can bind to the meth and help it get through. Someone on this forum shared supplements they use. Electric something.. I'm following them. Anyway good luck and sorry u r going through this.
I saw your report. On mine the red zone is the part on yours that says use with caution. None of his were in the use as directed. He showed no therapeutic response to all adhd meds and may require a high dose for use. I don’t really know what to make out of this. I called the gene site to better explain. She basically told me that he may not respond well to any in the red zone because he metabolizes it quickly and his gene makeup has a blockade on these meds. We are still trying Adderall. He tells me he doesn’t think it helps.
We did the Genesight testing for my son. Adderral was listed as a good med for him but when he tried it things were horrible. Focalin and Guanfacine were listed in the drug interaction category but they have worked the best for him... My understanding is Adderral is actually a drug better used for adults. If it isn’t working the way it should, meet with your dr and get it changed. I would definitely have and IEP meeting to discuss his needs and requesting full testing be done if it hasn’t already. A negative school environment will not help your child. Good luck!
Hi there. I had the genesight done for my daughter a year or so ago because I was tired of trying a new med and waiting to see if it worked. Are there any meds in the yellow? Those meds just need to be modified and watched closely... what kinds of behavior are you seeing? I just found out about L-methylpro (methylpro.com) from the provider that took care of my daughter for about a week due to aggressive behaviors and frequent outbursts.... are you in contact with a PAVE advocate. Your child shouldn’t be treated with disrespect. I’m a teacher and a mom so let me know if you have other questions.
There is one med in the moderate interaction, Intuniv. But it has a 4 next to it which suggest a reduced response to this med. my pediatrician suggested Adderall. It’s like her go to med. I am seeing that while on it, he’s agitated and alittle emotional. He is not himself til about 7PM when it wears off. He use to come home and be ok with doing homework. Now he really doesn’t want to do it. This morning he really didn’t want to take it. He said he doesn’t like how it makes him feel. As far as his eip teacher, I don’t know what’s the deal. We discuss that in order for him to work with you, he has to have a good relationship with you. I thought he would be better with an eip, but honestly this has been the worse year. She takes things too personal and doesn’t know how to work with him. She’s too demanding and a helicopter teacher. There’s a better way to get a child to learn. It’s like her way or no way. He is in 4th grade and he has to go to a 5th grade reading class to be with her and the other kids who have eip. I don’t understand the system.
On your comments on the bad teachers, I’ve learned while you can’t request a specific teacher, you can ask for traits of a teacher whose style will work well with your child, to help someone who is struggling. Both the principal and school counselor can be approached in tandem for this. When my son had alarming low self esteem the school offered this voluntarily around May/June time when they were making classes for the next year and I have been very grateful. It opens my eyes to the fact that you can advocate for this too as a parent when needed. Ideas like someone who is especially supportive, etc. The school knows we’ll what the teachers are like. Best of luck to you.
His home room teacher is great! He’s a male and understands him very well. But it’s his eip teacher who is not working for him. It also seems like they don’t have enough eip teachers per grade so they are combining grade levels and behavior/special needs kids in one. I am not sure how it works exactly. So I will try to meet next week and see what I can do for him. Thank you for your reply.
The interpretation of the Genesight testing is not straight forward (coincidentally, I just did some reading on this topic because of my curiosity). The results for the antidepressants that are broken down in the cytochrome P450 system (such as 2D6, which is a breakdown pathway for fluoxetine and atomoxetine) can be helpful. The test results for the ADHD stimulant medications are a bit more iffy, as shown by the above comments, and may not be very helpful in choosing a medication. Test results for the antipsychotics and other medications used for behavioral problems may or may not be useful. Somehow, the idea that running the test will provide clear guidance on medication choice has become almost dogma for some psychiatrists. We have to remember that are other factors that influence the response to a medication, including having the correct diagnosis, family and school stressors, the amount of sleep, making sure that the medicine is being used properly, etc. This gene testing may have more value if done in the situation when the diagnosis is correct but medication does not seem to work or causes more side effects than expected.
Hi there I feel for you. Mine is six and with an IEP as well for behavioral support. We do not have him on meds because I am petrified of the side effects and long-term effects. What we do to is regular physical activity, and we have taken sugar and artificial foods out of his diet. I give him supplements for brain support in focused like loads of organic fish oil with DHA support etc. We also do concentrated play activity (legos, coloring, reading) and I have taken more time to invest myself in the things he enjoys, to build up his confidence and our relationship. His aid in school for his IEP gives him breaks - they go out of class and play physical activities for 10 minutes or so before returning to class. This helps tremendously with focus. I tried a psychiatrist and they found nothing wrong (as I don’t believe our children have psychological problems- the issues are surrounding hyper activity, focus and impulse control). What was suggested to do was get him into behavioral groups for support. Instead of all of this I have just decided to deal with the fact that he is a little charismatic genius with ADHD and we will have to work very hard to build tools to help him manage himself and self regulate. In life he cannot be on medication forever and when medication wears off they are just ‘nuts’. My husband and I give him some solutions to help with focus and impulsivity. There are a million conversations happening at my house lol.
I think the mistake I made was to overthink it when he became emotional or upset or agitated or completely unfocused. This is a part of the way they are wired neurologically. Now, I just except that he struggles in certain areas, he IS his emotions and impulses and we are literally working with him so that he can not have a breakdown every time he is upset. He now is starting to communicate effectively when he is upset. He stops and thinks before he speaks etc. He is doing so well this year and I am really proud of him. 100 percent on tests. Sometimes we just have to believe in them and be patient... as they grow they learn more about who they are... it’s so hard from 0-10 - Even though it is so exhausting at times, we are making it work.
Best of luck to you.
Thank you for replying. I am so glad you found what works for you. I do think he would benefit from behavior therapy and learning skills to help him in school. He continues to struggle with school work and test. I feel like even when he is on meds and focused he is still brining the same results. He has a visual spatial disorder too. Could this be effecting him as well? I am starting to accept that he is wired differently and that he needs to be approached differently too, til he learns to deal with it. Thanks again for the advice.
My son took the genetic test too, they say Wellbutrin is another good option
Oh. I’m so sorry. We afterfive years still have not found an effective med. and when you have a teacher quick to elevate the vibe, it is mirroback, which she should certainly know as a professional. Hearing that makes me so angry and sad for him. My daughter has been in special ed for a long time now (sixth grade) and this is the first year that while there is no question academically she needs it (5 grade levels behind in reading tests). But her group there is made up of all boys and each is a behavioral problem, severely impaired or both. How long until she acts the way that is terrible yet accepted and the norm there? Ugh. I could go on for days. I’m a royal basket case because there is no possible solution that this public school can do to advance her educationally and keep her social well-being in tact. And to top it all, it is not only her first year in middle school, but also her first year in this new town in this new state.
Based on the GeneSight testing—Does your son have the MTHFR mutation? That impacts how he methylates. And does he have the COMT variation (specifically the Met/Met variant or the Met/Val variant)? The COMT genetic variant is something to research. It impacts epinephrine metabolization (think adrenaline).
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