Week 1

[Sweetkid]

So we finally decided to try Adderall XR for my 10 year old son and I just want to know if anyone out there has experience with this. The first day at school was terrible. This week he has been coming home and is just quiet and not responding to anything I ask him. He use to come home and be ok doing homework. He hasn’t attempted any homework this week. Yesterday he was just really quiet ignoring anything I would ask him. He also doesn’t play with his younger brother or sister anymore. He also didn’t eat anything but cereal later. He usually is a happy child, who has a lot to say. It wasn’t til about 7PM til the meds wore off that he got back to normal. But before that he was mute. At night he started telling me all these things that happened at school, with other kids being mean and his teacher screaming and he was really sad. Usually these things don’t bother him. I don’t know if the meds are making him more emotional. or what. Do you think I should stop the meds

[Hidden]

Ugh, the adjusting to meds thing is just really hard. Maybe he needs a lower dose, maybe a different med. We are on the second kid of medication and just yesterday changed the dose. I wouldn't give up just yet, as you will see from other people, it takes some trial and error to find the right medication. Do you see a psychiatrist? My daughters pediatric psychiatric NP has been wonderful helping us to get the right dosage of medications for her. She also has a mood disorder so treating both of those has been tricky. HUGS, it's hard to watch our kiddos go through these changes, but I do believe it is worth it to get the right dosage!

[Sweetkid in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply. I hate that it’s not a one size fits all. I just couldn’t bare seeing him in that state. It was scary. I can’t stand our pediatrician. I am probably going to see someone else. Every time I tell her something she acts like I’m overreacting. Her go to is Adderall. She didn’t even discuss any other methods or meds.

[beautyoutofashes54]

Sweetkid I will be honest I have had no experience with Adderall. When my son was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia, I chose to find other ways to help him. Charts and list became our friends. I cut him back on caffeine and sweets. I know most people with ADHD are hands-on learners and need to be active and moving. I also believe that this is why they seem antsier in regular school. I mean take a hands-on kid and put them in a seat to sit for hours. You would be antsy too. I then chose to homeschool. By the time he was in high school, I found one that had hands-on programs, He flew through with flying colors, he graduated and has gone on to be an Automotive Technician. The biggest thing I learned and would say to you is you know your child best, do what you believe is in his best interest and yours. The educational systems need to start having more programs for kids like ours and not want to just medicate them. But again, you know what is best for him you and your family. Looking forward to hearing from you and I am here to encourage you. beautyoutofashes54

[Sweetkid in reply to beautyoutofashes54]

Thank you so much for your reply. My heart tells me that this isn’t what I should be doing. I love who he is and all the great things he does. He’s just not structured for the school system. I don’t feel like the Adderall is making any difference other than making him feel sad,down and agitated. I felt like I lost my son this week. He was no longer corky and lovable and he had no interest in his favorite sport soccer. I’m just sick of the teacher contacting me. I would really like to homeschool my child. But I don’t know how to go about doing that. If you could provide me with any info to get me started I’d appreciate it. I love to hear these stories about successful children who struggled in school. I can tell you that it has been a real battle since kindergarten and my heart breaks for him. All I want to do is help him be successful and live a happy life.

[beautyoutofashes54 in reply to Sweetkid]

I would love to give you the information to homeschool. I am not sure what state you live, but it is not hard at all. It is even more excepted nowadays than when I started and you don't have to be anything other than a loving, caring mom to teach your child. I am going to see if we can message one another privately. I'll get back to you once I find out how to do that.

[Sweetkid in reply to beautyoutofashes54]

Thank you so much. I live in Georgia. I will wait to hear back from you.

[MunchkinMommy537]

It sounds like this isn’t the right stimulant for your son. These types of medications are usually fast acting, so you don’t have to wait 6-8 weeks to see if it’s going to help. I would talk to his doctor about trying a lower dose, or if he’s on the lowest dose trying a different medication.

[Cjkchamp]

I would take him off. My son was aggressive on adderral and I mistakenly lived with it for three weeks waiting for him to adjust. Psychiatrist said in the future if a positive change isn’t seen right away contact her so they can change things. Sure enough, tried Focalin next and the difference was immediate. His appetite took a while to adjust, but his behavior at school was night and day. Don’t give up, just sounds like this one wasn’t right.

[Adhd-mom]

So a few things:

1- doesn’t sound like the Adderall (or dosage) is the right fit. So that will need to change. Either different medication, different dosage or you may decide to try non-drug route. Most experts say (if tolerated) stimulant medication does help tremendously. It’s finding the right one/dose that can be difficult. And also remembering that with or without medication there still needs to be behavioral modification and executive functioning skill building.

2- looks like you need to find a new doc to help you. One that is experienced with ADHD and someone you feel comfortable with (pediatric psychiatrist or neurodevelopmental specialist). ADHD is a marathon not a sprint so this doctor will be going on this journey with you- so you need someone you can trust. The CHADD website has a physician locator- so that may be a good place to start.

3- learn as much as you can about the ADHD brain. My son was diagnosed at 5 yrs and he is now 17. Some things that helped me learn (and also educate him AND EDUCATE HIS TEACHERS) included:

Dr Hallowell’s books- Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction (he also had a podcast that I listened to as I was driving to work. Not sure he is still doing it but the old ones are available to listen to).

Book from Carol Dweck about the Growth Mindset ( there is also a program that teaches the growth mindset).

Impact ADHD- Sanity School ( a intro course that teaches parents/caregivers how to deal with some of the issues these complex kids may have and how to tackle them one at a time.)

Jessica McCabes YouTube channel - How to ADHD ( might be something your kid can watch to hear from others going through the same/similar issues. She also explains in an easy way, why some symptoms happen. )

Recently there was a “ADHD Parents Palooza” (co-hosted by the owners of Impact ADHD) which was basically a week of interviews with ADHD experts (I think there were like 30 different experts) on a wide range of topics. It was very interesting and triggered ideas for some other ways I could help my son.

Lastly, we recently hired an ADHD coach to work with my son and so far so good. We tried one two years ago but he just wasn’t ready and it ended up being a waste of money. But now he is more mature and a little more focused on setting and working towards his goals and it’s going well. It’s given me the chance to step back and be less of the teacher and more of the mom he wanted back.

Now all I need to do is win the Lottery to pay for all this stuff. Lol

[Kiandra]

You can Lower the dosage. Make sure he eats a big meal before taking them. My son was on Folican XR my daughter takes 10mg of addrell Xr as her afternoon pill and shes 7. She takes vayvanse in the am 20mg and this same son takes 30 mg of vayvanse. I like vayvanse because they can eat and they act normal. My son was the exact same way on Folican but he did what he was suppose to do. What dosage is he taking? And the kids have to get use to how it makes them feel. I went threw a few differnt scripts before we got it right. But give it a chance. Give it to him on the weekends so you can montier him. I use to open the capsule and poor a little out sometimes. Good luck.

[Sweetkid in reply to Kiandra]

He is on 10mg of Adderall XR. He has been eating a big breakfast before taking it. Other then how he was acting, he kinda ignored any request I made. He didn’t do any homework and by the time it wore off it was 7PM. That is when he listened and did his homework. I did notice he rushed through it more quickly than usual. My doctor said Vyvanse was for a longer period of use so she didn’t recommend it. He also has a passion for soccer and he didn’t want to go to soccer camp. Which is very out of the ordinary. My doctor told me he shouldn’t lose interest in things he likes, he actually should get better at it. But with no motivation how are you suppose to get better. It was just something I didn’t like to see. He also didn’t eat anything. He usually is a big eater. He said things like this is nasty. When he usaually likes everything. He let me know that he didn’t like how it made him feel. I wonder what difference it made for him in school other then moving less.

[Kiandra in reply to Sweetkid]

My daughter pill is blue and it's easy to break in half. See if you can break it in half. And even thou she says Vayvanse last a long time your son medication is lasting untill 7pm. And hes only getting 10mg and my daughter is getting the same dosage as her afternoon pill and she is a tiny 7yr old girl. All kids are different, and meds are different, but dont keep him in that dosage for to long or that script if you dont see a change. Now we have tried Folican. My daughter it didnt work for she was still hyper at a 10mg my son 15mg had him withdrawn and not eating but the 10mg had him hyper at school. Go figure....good luck

[janeejo1]

We tried Adderall. Wasn't a good fit for my son, age 10. We are now using Daytrana patch which seems to be doing well. Making judgement about meds is so hard. Hate seeing the negative effects while we go through trial and error!

[azgin]

My son had a bad reaction to Adderall too. we were on just 5mg and he had the worst day at school. I think he was crying uncontrollably, arguing with the teacher. it was bad. he was on it one day. I took him right off. He's been on Focalin 5mg xr for a week now and it's much, much better.