Hey guys, it has been awhile since I've posted but I'm back for some guidance. I have a 14 year old son that has been treated with Concertasince 5 years old until about 2 months ago. He was having a horrible time at school and failing every subject. I took him to a child psychologist and his meds were changed to 10 MG instant release aderall. Major improvement at school and grades but it wasn't lasting long enough to get through school. He changed it to aderall 10 xr. It has been about 3 weeks now. School seems to still be going OK, but home life has taken a plunge. He has always been argumentative but he has been severely defiant lately just for thr sake if being defiant, it seems. Everything I say makes him mad so I haven't been able to talk with him about how his meds ate working for him without a sparky remark. Everything is an argument and he has recently started breaking things and cursing me out. It has been a living hell. Do you think the change to extended release caused this? He has always been moody and doesnt follow directions ir commands, but the defiance and blatant lack of respect is new. Im trying to do some research and get some advice before I call his doctor. His doctor brushes off many of my concerns so I want to he prepared. I'll take any advice that you guys can give.
Adderall xr and defiance/irritability - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
Adderall xr and defiance/irritability
Thanks for seeking out advice. Often children with ADHD need: medication, thearpy and an educational plan. We did not find success with our 15 year old until we had all 3 in place. We also pay for private tutoring and I am constantly involved with school. The thearpy has helped both of us since we do it together. I find when he is alone, "he has no problems"..but when I bring up issues he will engage in discussions and see the real side.
Attitude is something we talk about all the time.. our son also functions about 2 years ( which is very common for children with ADHD) younger. So he is still walking away from everything he does and leaves a trail behind. We also require him help around the house, it is our "community" and we all need to jump in.
As far as medication, we did not have any luck when he was on a single medication, of Ritilin becuase he lacked focus and was to moody. He takes both Ritilin and Initiv which is the best for him.
I wish you the best and hope you figure out what is best for him.
Stimulant medication can aggravate any underlying anxiety and make the children moody, irritable and temperamental. If you noticed an association with the XR, why not stop it for a few days and see what happens?
spring break is this upcoming week, so I plan on doing that. He is already a moody 14 year old, so it has been hard to determine if his meds have anything to do with it. He doesn't seem to really know his own body or how something is affecting him (or at least able to communicate it) so feedback from him hasn't been helpful. It has just been really tough lately. Thanks for the comment and support.
My 14-yr old son is on Adderall for only 3 months now and he says it does not last the whole day as it used to. We are waiting for the next appointment with our Dr in 2 weeks to change his meds. So, thank you for sharing with your experience with XR in case we move into that. I am sorry to hear about your troubles. Our son is fairly calm but gets really emotional. I am glad to hear from Onthemove1971 . As suggested by the school counselor, I should check their app if he is behind on school work but the teachers don't really post everything. So, I will find that he didn't do some of required work only at the end of the quarter. He says he doesn't have to do all the required work to learn and that it is hard for him to do it all and he would not like to do repetitive tasks. I don't have a good argument against this. I will wait for the results of this quarter and will probably talk to his counselor. He gets really sensitive when we push too much.
My son has the exact feelings about schoolwork and finds it useless to do busy work (and it's hard to argue against that). I've found as my son gets older and his adhd doesn't manifest as it did as a younger child (hyper, talking too much, very easy to see issues that disrupt the class) that his teachers don't empathize as much. It has been a real struggle and hearing from other parents like you makes me feel not so alone. Please keep me posted on the changes that were made and the impact it has on your son. Good luck ♡♡
Hi,My son has been taking Adderall XR since age 7. It takes few months for medication to set in. Initially for 2 months there were several mood swings and meltdowns. Doc advised to take Melatonin to calm him down. Now he is fine. He is on 15 mg since last 3 years. He has been consistent with his grades. No issues at school and gets his home work done independently. He is now 13 yrs old.
I'm so glad you guys have found something that works for you!
I have a 15 year old grandson who has had anxiety and severe anger issues for years. He has finally stopped being physically aggressive.Medications work differently for everyone. I have found the 2-3 week mark are when they start showing signs that medication is making things worse. I have had to demand med changes if he gets more angry or aggressive on a medication.
Good luck finding what works for your child.
Thank you for this! We are 25 days in. Next week is Spring Break so he will not be on any medication and hopefully, I can determine then if it's a medication issue. Do you mind me asking what all he has taken and what he is on now? What have you had good results with? I know all kids are different and what works for yours may not work for mine, but I like to hear different experiences.
Also, when did he start becoming physically aggressive? This is a new development for my son and it seems to be due to puberty. (I'm assuming due to the hormones etc.) He has always been argumentative but he has become outright defiant. Example: Clean your room Response: if you want the room clean go do it yourself. Before he would just never get around to doing it. We take away his privileges and give him the option to earn them back, but it seems to make him only more stubborn about the situation. He has told me that if I make his life miserable then he is going to do the same to me. He can't get his head around how irrational that is and that his behavior is the reason for the consequences, so it seems like a never-ending cycle where he is constantly grounded but still not complying. It feels like no one wins. It's just been really rough.
Finding the right medication can be daunting but you’re doing the right thing by being so tuned in to the changes he experiences when changing meds or doses. Kids aren’t always great at knowing what they feel.
May I also suggest Vyvanse which is a long acting stimulant. I have a high schooler and college student who are prescribed both. My college student describes Adderall as more “sharp” meaning it hits sooner but can also aggravate him. He only uses it when his long acting Vyvanse has worn off if he has evening homework. He likes the Vyvanse better because while it takes longer to get into his system (about an hour) he isn’t edgy like he is when he’s on the Adderall. The same is true with my high school student.
Just a thought!
Note: If I were you, I would also causally (without telling my son) shop for a new psychiatrist. There are kind ones out there and a rude doctor (brushing off your concerns is rude) combined with a frustrated teen is a recipe for a teen who will eventually refuse going to the doctor.
Best of luck to you. The monitoring never ends. I’ve found it best to accept that but not let it consume my life.
Alot of good advice on here. I know the teen years are a bear. My son has a pediatrician, psychiatrist that prescribes the meds, psychologist that does the testing, and a counselor that talks with him and advises the psychiatrist for treatment. My son did better when he was younger. He was in play therapy then with his counselor. Now he sees counseling as an invasion of his privacy. It is all a real challenge and even though I recognize he has add, I also don't tolerate any backtalk. He has responsibilities & he's expected to do them in a specific time frame. I explain life rules and what is respect & how I deserve respect. If he can't be respectful, I take his phone. Yeah he mouths off, slams a few things, etc & it might take a day or 2 but until he establishes self control and displays respect - no phone.
My 9yo had the same reaction on Adderall 10mg XR. Super irritable and major tantrums which isn’t like him. We stopped after 3 days because it was so disruptive to our family life. It was the first Med we tried.
My husband was changed to the xr and he had major irritability from it. He reduced his dose. Wasn't as effective but he wasn't as angry either.
I had the same experience with my daughter who tried Ritalin/Adderall/Vyvanse and it made her more angry,irritable, defiant and didn't sleep well. She's almost 15 and she's taking 36 mg of Concerta. It has balanced her cooperation, not acting out at school when something frustrates her and she seems to be more positive. Again, it does take trial and error. For us, it took us 4/5 different medications. From people I've talked to, Vyvanse works better in the high school/adult years but of course it may work for any age. Hang in there 🙏
27 mg of Concerta was a life saver from 6th to 8th grade, but seemed to have stopped working in 8th grade. He was unable to stay focused at school and basically just zoned out. We increased to 36mg but didn't seem to change things. I decided to go to a child psychiatrist. And they changed it to adderall. You're right it is definitely trial and error. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
I may end up having to change her medication also. It works a little but she feels zoned out too 😞
Oh, I forgot to add Daytrana. I liked that it helped her all around but she started getting rashes. Again, it may work for someone else.
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