Extreme behavior after stopping adderall

[SunshineF]

We just stopped giving my 4.5 yr old son 2.5 mg of adderal. He was on it for almost two weeks but his symptoms weren’t better. They were worse. Is it normal to see him basically out of control after stopping the low dose? Is this withdrawal symptoms?

[FrankenMummy]

We tried 5mg Adderall only for one weekend,as it was scary, his mood and tantrums went to the extreme, with him even punching himself in the head. I know even for only being on it for 2 days, my 6 year old took a couple weeks to get back to normal. Not sure if it's specifically withdrawal, just my experience with it. Hopefully it gets better!!

[SunshineF in reply to FrankenMummy]

thanks for this! Did you end up switching him to another stimulant that worked?

[FrankenMummy in reply to SunshineF]

No, it was the second stimulant with a bad reaction so we didn't move further....we have him on guanfacine ER 2mg and just moved up on atomoxetine to 18mg to hopefully see if it works for his focus...so far it seems to be okay, but will see more once it's not the first week after winter break

[SunshineF in reply to FrankenMummy]

if you don’t mind me asking, was his bad reaction to the other stimulant the same as you described with adderall? Or was it completely different? My son’s also on guanfacine but just 1mg a day so far. And yes we’re learning that coming off winter break and the holidays complicates things.

[Hidden]

It might be something to do that temporarily neurotransmitters in his brain got into havoc. But don’t quote me on this. It’s just sort of common sense that you introduced something that was daily altering neurotransmitters and clearly in his case it was altering but not doing any hood, and then you took it away and brain has to make sense of it? It’s about homeostasis I suppose.

When my son stopped stimulant ADHD medication (because it was making him worse and not better!) we immediately next day gave him his new non stimulant medication. This way he didn’t suffer... withdrawal (as much as everyone says that there is no withdrawal…). I never looked back, I can actually see therapeutic value of his non stimulant medication, whereas stimulant felt like torturing my son. Giving a child a stimulant, well it does seem to me like giving them drugs and yes daily withdrawal when medication comes out of system and all, in my opinion young children shouldn’t be put through this as they can’t make sense of this. This is only my opinion as a parent and also knowing adults who had encounter with stimulant ADHD medication.

[Jadenm in reply to Hidden]

Which non stimulant did you buy? I will love to take off Adderall. Thanks

[Hidden in reply to Jadenm]

My son tried only one stimulant (Methylphenidate XR or something, basically some extended reliese- it’s ‘first line of treatment’ in the UK but I think it’s ‘first’ not because it’s good for children but because it’s cheapest, non branded -generic and all children in the UK get medication free of charge even if prescribing doctor was private). It seems that normal guidance in the UK if ‘first’ causes side effects is to then try ‘other’ stimulants let’s say Adderall but my child’s psychiatrist knew that I wasn’t prepared to try any other stimulants.

So basically then second line of treatment is non stimulants- Atomoxetine or third Guanfacine and I chose Atomoxetine for my son. Never looked back, he’s happy, stable, he sleeps and eats and he can cope with daily demands from the time he gets up until he’s time- he has tuition and after school clubs, he copes with stuff that I never thought he’d cope before he got Atomoxetine.

[Jadenm in reply to Hidden]

Thank you! I will try it and see if he focus with the non stimulant, he get distracted very easily.

[Hidden in reply to Jadenm]

I’d say with non stimulant - it builds up in the system so there is no instantaneous effect. You’d need to persevere over a period of about 6 weeks to see gradual change- ADHD symptom control. Equally it might be that your son won’t respond well to this medication but you have a few non stimulant on the market to try and they are all slightly different, working on slightly different pathways in the brain.

Also let’s say Atomoxetine capsule has to be taken whole, it can’t be broken and mixed with apple sauce etc so child has to be comfortable to take it whole.

It seems your son is very young and as he grows older his focus might get better as his brain matures, regardless of medication. My son started medication when he was 8… Saying that, I wish he started earlier! So many wasted years when he couldn’t focus at school…

[anirush]

My grandson also had a terrible reaction to Adderall but it was uncontrollable tics, dragging one leg, constantly shrugging. But we switched immediately to Straterra. He is also on guanfacine.

[Elijah1]

Many children who react this way to stimulant medications have some type of anxiety. Withdrawal does not happen from the doses used for ADHD since the medication is gone from the body by the end of the day.

[SunshineF in reply to Elijah1]

interesting. We’ve been wondering if my son has anxiety - I should say we know he does a little but I’m not sure it’s enough to be an anxiety disorder, if that’s makes sense. Not sure if it even matters… are you saying kids w anxiety can’t tolerate any stimulants?

[SunshineF]

interesting. We’ve been wondering if my son has anxiety - I should say we know he does a little but I’m not sure it’s enough to be an anxiety disorder, if that’s makes sense. Not sure if it even matters… are you saying kids w anxiety can’t tolerate any stimulants?

[Momtrying in reply to SunshineF]

it’s hard to group all kids together. My son with ADHD has a bit of anxiety, but not enough to treat. He started adderall when he was 9 and it was rough at first. I think if he had been any younger it probably would have been worse. He would take his medicine when he was with me, but when he went to his dads, he wasn’t given it, so when he would come back home, I always felt like he was even more crazy and acted out, but it was different then just not being on medication. I really felt like he acted worse some days on the medication and some days off the medication. When we got his dose right, and he began taking it every single day without breaks, we noticed a big difference and things were actually working. We did also need to add an afternoon short acting dose because when he would come off the meds in the afternoon, he had a hard time. I feel like it took us a few months to see the benefits, and now I’m so glad we stuck with it, but I think that would be harder with a younger child. AND, I have read enough on this forum to know that sometimes stimulants just don’t help children and can make problems worse.

I don’t know if this was helpful at all, but good luck in your journey! I know it’s a hard one, but we keep trying!

[Hominid711 in reply to SunshineF]

So you've had the answer already? I got to this post via today's and getting curious about your son and if there are more clues to what could go on. If he is a little anxious he may in fact be very anxious and needs that addressing by as specialised a doctor as possible. This from a doctor (GP who knows the limits of any generalist vs soecialist) and sympathetic very anxious ex-child. It may well be a phase but if not properly evaluated could equally start him on the journey to an anxiety/depression disorder. Which is what happened to me. Mind you it was 1971 and as a child you hid everything feeling guilty, at fault, responsible for whatever was wrong.

[Elijah1]

What you think is a little anxiety may just be the tip of the iceberg. Some children with anxiety have their anxiety aggravated by stimulants. Others have no problem. Our son had problems with stimulants when younger and none now.

[SunshineF in reply to Elijah1]

ok so you were able to go back to stimulants once he got a little older?

[Elijah1]

Yes and after his anxiety was treated.

[SunshineF in reply to Elijah1]

ok sorry for all the questions - were very new to this. So your son was treated with anxiety medications first then added a stimulant once he was older to help with his adhd symptoms?

If I have that right, did the anxiety meds help at all with his adhd while you waited for him yo be able to tolerate stimulants?

[Elijah1]

No, ADHD was treated but anxiety became more obvious. He was placed on anxiety medication and, when that improved, retried stimulants with success. Typical anxiety medications do nothing for ADHD but will improve attention and reduce activity if those behaviors are related to anxiety.

And I will wager that anxiety is present in other close family members of your child (either now or in the past), as was in our family.

[SunshineF in reply to Elijah1]

ahhh ok! What worked for his ADHD when he was young? And did the stimulant replace that once he was older or was it in addition to?

[Elijah1]

He is old enough that I don't remember all the medications that were tried when he was younger. Each individual has their own 'best medication' profile so his experience cannot be transferred to your child.

[SunshineF in reply to Elijah1]

of course just wondering if non stimulants helped hold him over or not until he could tolerate the stimulants.

[Elijah1]

Didn't work as well. But, remember, his experience may not be yours.

[SunshineF in reply to Elijah1]

yes I know. Thanks for sharing. I’m trying to learn as much as I can just so I know the right questions to ask when I need to. Understanding others’ experiences helps too despite knowing every child is different with different chemical makeups and responses to medications.

[Elijah1]

The key item to discuss with the prescriber is whether anxiety/nervousness/worrying is present and, if so, whether anxiety or ADHD is the bigger issue.

[NYCmom2]

Consult with your child’s psychiatrist and/or pediatrician regarding medication. This forum is super helpful and informative to hear personal stories of what works and doesn’t work for them and their family. It can help guide you to advocate for your child. But you should ultimately get medical advice from the doctor your family has been forming a relationship with.

There are a number of medications that can be used to treat ADHD and related symptoms. Your child will respond better to some over others. Unfortunately getting the medication right is a little trial and error. Report in with a medical professional each step of the way.