I need advice about medication to help my son stay focus to complete homework. My son will be starting high school next week, and I think it may be time to add a medication for homework. My son struggled last year with completing homework. He currently takes Vyvanse 40 mg before school, but it's worn off by the time it's time to do homework. I'm a nurse, and I've seen a lot of kids on high doses of medications, which has made me leary with increasing the Vyvanse and adding another medication. I'm fear if I add more medication, it will increase his tolerance for addictive medications. However, if I don't, he will struggle with completing assignments and understanding all the new information he will learning in highschool. Also, I'm worried because my son made the football team and he needs to stay focus, so he does get hurt while playing. He's a slim guy already, and the Vyvanse doesn't help with this appetite. Although I'm a nurse, I must admit I feel like the worst mom in the world asking for suggestions for more medications for my son. Any suggestions you have would be much appreciated...Nervous mom of a new high schooler, who has ADHD!
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MySONshine
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Hello! Don't feel like the worst mom - many of us have been nervous to start / add / change medication. It's just one of the many ways we love our kiddos.
Your prescribing physician is probably the best person to consult about this. However, if the Vyvanse is still working well during the day, the an "evening booster" is probably not unreasonable. It's usually just a smaller, short acting form of the same medication to get you through the afternoon. (Though sometimes it may be a different med.) We'll probably be asking our doctor about it here at our visit next month.
Tolerance seems to be a weird thing with stimulant meds. You definitely see it in kids, but it seems to typically level off into adulthood. So, your son may be old enough that it'll be fine. As far as other addictive substances, the latest research is showing that people with ADHD who are being treated with medication are actually LESS likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than if they were untreated (and thus "self medicate"). A lot of the abuse of stimulant medications is actually by people without ADHD who are taking it.
Thanks so much for the information you provided. I'm glad to hear about the current research. I can't wait to read the article this evening. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my post. I'm a little under weather so I sincerely apologize for my late response.
Our psychiatrist has recommended L-theanine as Suntheanine. She indicated there has been a lot of success with it providing calming focus without drowsiness. Might be worth looking into for your son. Good luck!
I will definitely do some research on the medications you mentioned in your post. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to post. I'm a little under weather so I sincerely apologize for my late response.
I am also a nurse (psych!) and my son is now 25. I have to say several things....first of all, don't worry too much about the addiction part. I agree with the post below. My son took Vyvanse too (still does) and we added a 10mg methylphenidate around 3:30 or so for homework. My other advice is that if your son does not have at least a 504 plan, now is the time to get one. And tell them he will not be doing homework. Homework caused the biggest fights at our house and from what I can tell, was totally useless. Unless it's a test or maybe a project, ADHD kids don't need much homework. Football is much better - they do well with all the exercise!
Thanks for your response. I understand 100% about the fights with homework. It is a constant battle. I will look into a 504plan for him. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my post fellow nurse.
Hello. My son is twelve and takes 2 32mg pills each morning before school. They wear off by the time he comes home so we're both in the same boat, my friend. It's always very difficult to get him to do his homework and I'm just so tired of dealing with everything that I just give up and hope he doesn't get into trouble. I know that's so bad, but I have gone through hell with my 20 year old whole she was in school and now I'm dealing with it all over again. It's vera depressing.
We went through the same thing and by the time high school was over, my son hated school with a passion. Plus I think it really affected his relationship with us. We were constantly arguing, punishing, etc and none of it was very effective. I would have pushed for no homework if I had to do it again, so I think you're doing the right thing. I don't know if your 20 year old is in college, but my 25 year old is will finally graduate from community college next May. It's taken that long for him to decide to return to college (and he takes Vyvanse daily!).
It sounds like we are twins. I went through the same thing with my 28 year old and now my 14 year old. Let me give you a few word of encouragement my 28 year old in now in graduate school with 4.0 GPA and loving every minute of it. Keep your head it going to get better!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to my post and know that I understand about giving up with the struggles of homework.
Great responses. Have you considered a study skills class during school hours so he can get help from the school staff and get his homework done before he arrives home?
It does not solve the focus issue in the PM for sports and just being in the house.
Our son take Guanfacine he takes it at bed time and it is a 24 hour release it helps a lot with focus.
Thanks for your response. The information you provided gave some great options to look into. I'm a little under the weather, so I apologize for my late response.
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Frustrated Mom
Guanfacine
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Still here, still struggling. A mother's tears.
