My 9yr old is on a low dose fast acting methylphenidate twice a day and it’s not cutting it anymore, honestly I don’t know if it ever really was but he didn’t get bad side effects so I was willing to deal with it.
I wanted to look into jornay and wondered if anymore has tried it for their kids? Curious how long it lasts during the day, side effects?
We are struggling with 5/6pm baseball games and practice, he’s in lalaland and it’s so hard to watch. His coaches know that’s “How he is” but it’s to the point he’s losing good positions cause of it and I feel like it further reinforces the “I’m not good enough” feelings. Doc has suggested Zoloft in the past and I can’t bring myself to do it, and I’m not even sure why. Hes got a doc appt this week but always like the insight from this group. Thanks!
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Willowbee37
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Our son was the same way, could not get through the early evenings. What I wished I had know is that each medication works on different symptoms. A non-stimulant can help with focus and mood (especially getting really upset) a non stimulant can only work on impulsive behavior.
I was devastated when I was told our son needed both types of medication, but it was what was needed.
A non-stimulant ( Initiv) can be given in a 24 hour dose and at night so it helped with sleep.
Getting help from a Child Psychiatrist who really knew how to deal with the best type of medication, the best dose of medication and the appropriate timing was key to our son's success.
I also really appreciate the relationship I had so I could get help through the years as needed.
Medication needs to be adjusted as they grow.
It sounds like you know things need to be changed and it would be amazing for your son to get the help he needs.
Same issue over here. The evening baseball practices vs Saturday day games are night and day. As of two days ago we introduced guanfacine to help with the times the stimulant has worn off. Too soon to tell if it is working.
If the 2 short acting are not cutting it then it's worth trying out a long acting. It takes time to find the right combo/what works for your child. One person could have great experience, the next awful side effects. We had to try a few before we landed on what works for my son. He needs 2 long acting(one at 6am and another at 11am) PLUS a short acting in the later afternoon because he metabolizes so fast.As far as the zoloft goes, if you have any inkling that he could need it, I can tell you for my son, (also 9) it has made a huge difference for the good for him. We tried a few others that were not a good fit but the zoloft works wonders for him. Don't let your own fears about medicine take over. You can always try it and if it's not a good fit that's okay too.
Working with an experienced children's psychiatrist who specializes in adhd and anxiety has helped us a lot.
It has helped tremendously with anxiety and mood. We tried Celexa and Prozac first. Both were okay but he couldn't tolerate increasing the dose of either. I have always kept a med log/journal whenever we start something new or a new behavior pops up. This way I can look back if needed, which I have on several occasions!
have a 9 year old also in baseball with severe adhd. We are on twice a day methylphenidate ER, a short acting one low dose in the morning, as well as Lexapro (he did not have a good experience with Zoloft when we tried) and Intuniv. It seems to be a good combo and he’s doing great in baseball this year. Every now and then struggles to listen to the coach but overall better than past seasons particularly with the two non stimulants.
Our 9 year old is on Jornay PM. It has drastically helped the morning routine since it is working when he wakes up. If you are looking for help in the evenings you may need to add an afternoon dose. I think the Jornay stops working for our son around 4ish. We usually give it to him at 8:00 pm right before bed. It is such a delicate balance finding the right dose, medication, etc. Let me know if you have any other questions.
9y old on JournayPM mom here. He’s on 20mg and it does not last past 3pm. We tried 40mg and he was too hyper focused, could sit and listen to an audiobook the whole afternoon/evening, and did not want to hang out with friends, so we got back to 20mg again. He also does baseball, but he’s very into the game this year, and it seems he’s driving himself to pay attention. Day games are definitely much better. The coach is aware of his needs and make sure he is always responsible for something, so he has to be engaged somehow.
I will say, I don’t think the 20mg is doing much anymore, and he did get a growth spur, so maybe now he could be ready for a higher dose. Doctor suggested journayPM and booster dose, so we might go that route. He has no side effects on Journay, and seems more emotionally balanced.
Another option if you do not want him taking Zoloft is Wellbutrin. This has allowed us to not need a stimulant. It is also not a controlled medication which can be mailed to our house. Our son taken Initvi and Wellbutrin and the two together have been the best for him.
By the way if baseball doesn't work you could try Lacrosse. We love it and there is no wait in the outfield. Great fast sport.
I have been curious, I remember from past posts that your son was on stimulants before and is now high school age? Do you feel like the wellbutrin and guanfacine would have been enough back in his elementary and middle school days? They say the hyperactivity/impulsiveness is worst during those times so I was just curious your thoughts?
I wonder if anxiety could have been feeding into the impulsive behavior. I know there is not a way to isolate issues so Wellbutrin has really taken care of all of the behaviors.
Good point! When my sons anxiety was not under control the impulsiveness was really high which lead to more dysregulated behavior/getting into trouble.
I understand your hesitation with Zoloft (I was just like you a few months ago). My 9 year old son has been taking Focalin XR, but his anxiety and low self-esteem was still impacting him. We decided to enlist a child psychiatrist to handle our son’s medications, and I am so happy that we did. We finally agreed to adding Zoloft to the mix, and it has made a big difference. Also, my son used to play soccer, but he was always in “lalala land”. We followed the advice from his counselor to move him to a non-team sport, since his level of ADHD is too high to cope with all the demands of a team. He is now solo-swimming and he is doing much better.
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