ADHD meds might have made my son worse?

[Missylee]

Hello parents,

I've been looking everywhere online about this and looking for feedback. My son who is now 13 was diagnosed with Adhd when he was 8 and I was also diagnosed with adhd right after him. Now a back story at this time me and his father had been going through a nasty divorce and I was drinking to cope. With lots of changes and help. I am now 3yrs sober and his dad and I get along somewhat. Anyway my son first was on Vyvanse it was great and then covid hit he struggled as did I at the time. But I started to see anger and binge eating. The issues at school started right back up too. We then tried Ritilan that was a no go as well. Then we tried a long acting one that was ok but not great. So then afterwards we tried settera that did absolutely nothing. So then we tried Concerta with intuniv for sleep. My son never had issues with sleep but as soon as the meds came along he had sleep issues. He then gained a lot of weight so his self-esteem was shot and he became depressed. So we tried adding a mild anti depressant. It helped for 2 months and then boom he was back to being angry and sad. He always hated taking the meds but I just did what the doctor's had been telling me because the school was still constantly complaining about his outbursts, anger, and he simply didn't care about anyone or anything but himself. And at points he had talked about self harm and wanting to just die. We tried therapy....you name it. Until finally in gr8 we saw a new doctor and after the doc hearing my son complain about how much he hates the meds. The doctor said well let's try a break ok? So we did and on day 7 everything seems to be OK? He's sleeping better, in a good mood, positive, I'm not getting any emails or calls from the school. I did see his forgetfulness but that's absolutely fine with me. I only want my son to be happy. He use to be very silly, happy and thin. Now after years of meds he was obese angry and sad. I know it's still early but I'm really scratching my head at this? Do I have my silly, happy son back? I am shocked to hear he's not getting in trouble either. He use to hate everyone and now he's fine with everyone and doesn't obsess over how much he hates things or people. I'm really shocked. Anyone else experience this? I mean it's still early so who knows. We see the doctor next week.

[Brazilianmom]

I am glad you found a doctor who is willing to listen to your son and make him a shared decision partner in his treatment journey (within reason ) I hope the positive trend continues .

[Lanego]

Curious to know if your son with ADHD prior to meds was more on the inattentive side or more high energy,impulsive. Both my kids were more irritable,angry and more prone to outbursts on stimulants so for my son, at least, we're only on intuniv for his ADHD. I hope the positive behavior continues!

[Missylee in reply to Lanego]

He is a touch of both. He also gets anxiety if he doesn't sleep well. Intuniv made him very tired and cranky, even on the smallest dose. It's still soon but I'm really scratching my head at how he is improving without the meds. My partner keeps telling me it is way too soon to tell. He thinks my son might be putting on an act so he doesn't have to take the meds. My son said I just want to be a normal kid, I'm sick of constant doctors, medications, and therapy. Just let me be me.

[Missylee]

Thank you for your support. This road has been a very stressful one. ❤️

[Elijah1]

could be he has anxiety that was aggravated by some of the medications

[Missylee in reply to Elijah1]

That's what I'm thinking. He said he isn't willing to take anything for anxiety which is fine but he's stubborn and won't really use the tools to help. Like diet, exercise, meditation etc. Sigh...

[penn_adhd in reply to Missylee]

Here's the thing. Some meds can cause anxiety to get worse and anxiety can look like other things if you don't know the symptoms. What some people don't realize is yes, some people do have to always be on meds for anxiety, but not everyone. Some people who take Xanax can be off of it most of the time and just take one when needed. Some take them for a while then can stop completely. Even if you have to take something daily, that's OK.

The idea with starting meds, at least with my doctor, was you the meds help you get some control once it is in your system (it can take a month for SSRIs) and over time you learn your triggers and coping mechanisms. After you've learned this, if you feel comfortable with it, you can try to lower the dose or wean yourself off of meds with you doctor's help. I was on meds for 3 years myself and have been off of them for 10 years. I had moderately severe general anxiety disorder. My anxiety is situational so when things build up I might get anxiety. Anymore I just have a few breakthroughs a year, not even once a month generally.

I haven't been on meds for my ADHD, but some people can't do the stimulants and need non-stimulant meds. Vyvanse has worked for my kid, but Ritalin and Adderall did not. The kid down the streets takes a combination of 2 or 3 meds - one during the day and a shorter booster after school.

[Missylee in reply to penn_adhd]

Ah, that makes sense. His life has changed. He's in high-school, lives in a nice home now and his birth parents get along. I told him if anything changes let me know and we can talk to the doctor again. Or if I see your behavior and grades slip, we need to take another look at what's going on. That put my mind at ease penn_adhd thanks so much. This has been a very supportive place. Thanks all.

[STEM_Dad]

You mentioned that your son is now 13, and that he was first diagnosed at 8. The body can go through big changes with puberty.

So, your adolescent son may not have as much of a need for medication to help manage his ADHD as he did when he was prepubescent.

That doesn't mean that he won't need ADHD meds in the future. (More changes are coming, after all.)

If your son is experiencing less emotional dysregulation without meds than he was with ADHD meds, then it seems like going off the medication was a helpful change.

Medication is just one form of treatment for ADHD (though often an effective one). As long as he is continuing to get necessary accomodations, learning helpful strategies, and also learning self-advocacy, he will probably do well. You might have to work out a regular check-in routine* with him, to make sure that he is remembering to do his school work. Keep the lines of communication with him open.

*(I was very forgetful about my homework in K-12 school, and scrambled to finish it right before class or on the bus on the way to school. My parents and teachers didn't know, because I almost always got my homework turned in. If I had told them, I might have gotten help with creating better routines and strategies to stay on top of my work.)

~~~~~

BTW - if there does come a time to consider medication again, there's a newer non-stimulant called Qelbree that you might consider trying.)

[marinecyan]

There is definitely evidence that stimulant medications can make things worse for some kids. I’m glad you new doctor was able to recognize that the side effects were too much to justify.

If your son starts to have troubling symptoms again, you may consider supporting him with vitamin or mineral supplements, which do not have the side effects that medications do. If you’re interested, check out the book Finally Focused by James Greenblatt.

Full disclosure: I’m a holistic nutritionist and I manage my son’s hyperactivity, impulsivity and aggression through supplements alone. He’s his happy, goofy self again.

[Missylee in reply to marinecyan]

Thank you, yes I have tried that route before the medication and drove myself crazy trying everything. I personally see a naturopath alongside with my GP. But my son isn't open to it. He might be if things start to show up.