My 7 yr old son was officially diagnosed with adhd about 7 months ago. He started on 5 mg of adderall that did well for about a week. We have increased his dosage many times and added an afternoon dose. Every time we have made the dosage change the results have been great however every change in dosage only seemed to work for a couple weeks. The last doses were 30 mg adderral in the morning and 20mg at 1 pm. This worked amazingly and it worked for 6 weeks. Now we are back to him being disrespectful to me and my wife. I try to talk with him and he doesn’t want to talk or hear anything I say. If we try to get him to calm down when he is getting to wound up with friends and we pull him inside, he flips out. Hysterical crying and throwing things. Everything is going good at school still, we haven’t heard any bad reports from his teacher. But we have noticed a dip in his school work. For some reason this time around he has focused his anger on me. I feel like everything I do upsets him. I am devastated by this latest episode because after 6 weeks of things going great I thought we were good to go. There would be some tough spots but we would be good. Now with him being on a high dose of adderall and it failing again I am worried that my sons future is going to be one of pain and struggle. Ours as well. I am having a hard time believing that switching medicine will make a difference. I just feel like I lost my little buddy and that he will never be the same again.
My sons experience with Adderral - CHADD's ADHD Pare...
My sons experience with Adderral
Have you tried talking to your son's doctor about adding on a non stimulant? Guanfacine is a popular one (my son, age 8, is on it along with Focalin.) It has really helped balance out the big emotional responses. Have you only tried the Adderall? Its definitely worth a shot trying out a different one to see if he has the same response to it only lasting for a few weeks. My son did great on Adderall behavior wise, but the side effects (could not stay asleep anymore) made it a non option. We had to try several different stimulants before we landed on Focalin.
Also, you didn't specify any details alluding to it, but is it possible anxiety is part of the equation? My son's behavior when his anxiety was not being treated was pretty terrible. Big blow ups, rude and snapping at family. Once we treated the anxiety properly with medication we saw our kiddo back.
Last thing I will recommend is looking into ADHD dude and GrownNowAdhd. Both excellent sources to help you navigate how to parent a child with adhd.
Thank you very much for your response. Yes, the only thing we have tried is Adderall. You could be on to something with the anxiety because I do get treated for anxiety. He also has trouble going to bed at a reasonable time. He is currently on spring break and has been able to sleep in the last couple of days and he has been in a great mood.
I have learned a lot over the past 2 years about how anxiety can present in many different ways. We have had to switch medication a few times within the stimulant classes as well as antidepressants to finally find a good combo. When his anxiety med has stopped working as it should, his behavior escalates so much it seems like he has not even taken a stimulant. It's so wild to me, but just reinforces that kids really need the tripod approach (Good IEP at school, the right medication, and solid parent training) to be successful and for everyone in the house to get along..for the most part
Last thing I will throw in, drastically reducing screen time/games in our house has been life changing. They get it for one hour in the evening and thats it. It sounds dramatic, but it's true! We did this one year ago and it has made such a big difference in my 2 boys. I never hear them whine about being bored anymore, no more arguments about when is it I pad time. They got their imaginations back and play outside alot more. They can now wait in lines, be in the car, sit for appointments. Learning how to sit through boring times is an important life skill. To be clear, this doesn't mean TV time. They can still watch regular cartoons and movies a bit everyday just as long as it's not youtube. Sorry got off topic a bit but I have been hearing more and more parents going the no I pad/game or reducing greatly route and really seeing improvement in kiddos behavior
That’s some great insight! I didn’t hunk about anxiety, but this is definitely a possibility. I know when me, my partner or my stepkid are without anxiety meds, we all have to walk on eggshells.
Hello Formyson8,
Thank you for contacting CHADD National Resource Center on ADHD. I understand the challenges you're facing, and it's commendable that you're seeking support. It might be beneficial to discuss your son's medication and his behavior with his pediatrician or medical doctor who prescribed it.
Here at CHADD, we're dedicated to providing assistance and support. We offer various resources that may be helpful for you, such as our parent support groups chadd.org/affiliate-locator/ or our parent-to-parent course chadd.org/parent-to-parent/. Additionally, considering therapy for your son, as well as family therapy, could be beneficial. chadd.org/professional-dire... Behavioral therapy can also be a great option to help your son learn strategies to manage his behavior more effectively.
Please know that you're not alone in this journey, and we're here to provide guidance and support every step of the way. Feel free to explore our resources further, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions or concerns.
Best regards,
Liseth
Health Information Specialist
CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD
I had one med that I tried at first, and felt like no difference. I hear this is common.it is also possible that it’s a side effect. You can look into a gene sight test that helps determine what mental health meds work specifically with his genetics. If that doesn’t sound helpful, many people try different meds and have similar issues. They try a different med.
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