Amantadine for ADHD

[MommaBsue]

Hello,My son is 13. He has ADHD, anxiety disorder, odd and Autistic tendencies. We have tried several meds, vitamins, oils, etc over the years to help relieve symptoms for him. For the past 3 years he has been taking Vyvanse, which had worked for the most part, but he is so hyper at night and in the morning and had a hard time with not making appropriate comments when it wears off or even some days Vyvanse can worsen symptoms.

The doctor prescribed Amantadine to help him to be more calm and maybe not pick or hit himself as much. Has anyone given their child Amantadine for Adhd? I would appreciate any feedback before deciding to give it to him.

He is very involved in all sports and just started his first job as an umpire so I don't want to disrupt his routine, but I do feel he could use something to help him be a little more calm and not be so unpredictable.

He's currently on Vyvanse 40 mg, ginkgo biloba vitamin and lion's mane gummy.

At night clonodine and Trazodone.

[Mamamichl]

my partner is taking vibrid along with vyvanse. It helps him with his outbursts, as it is an anxiety med.

[crossfitter15]

the one thing to remember is meditation is a tool not a solution. if he’s on an iep at school talk with his case manager or social worker for some tips and tricks to help with his behavior outbursts. they may suggest things you didn’t even think about. some things i love for when i need to calm my body down are: weighted blankets, noise canceling headphones, breathing exercises, simple heavy waited exercises (think wall pushups, walking around with a heavy backpack, exercise band pull-a-parts, etc). another question to ask yourself is, is his behavior outbursts “normal” for someone his age. with also being neurodivergent, i tend to forget that some of the behaviors i have everyone else has too (neurotypical or not). for example, if he got frustrated at losing a baseball game that makes total sense. also, talk with his med doc if you feel like the vyvanse is making his symptoms worse there might be a better medication out there for him. also, ask your son what he thinks HE needs or how his meds are making HIM feel. I remember the days when I was in grade school it felt like everyone was deciding for me (including how I should act, if I need extra support in classes, them thinking my meds weren’t working even though I thought they where, things like that). I know that was a lot of information I thew at you. just know it’s all a suggestion and you know your son best.

[MommaBsue in reply to crossfitter15]

Thank you, these are good questions to ask! My son and I talk openly about his needs and frustrations. I always ask him how he feels with taking medication now that he is able to communicate a little bit better. He still has a typical time knowing if a medication is helping him or not. Unfortunately we go to a very small school and they are not very supportive with his needs. He has a 504 plan that I really had to push for and get a doctor's order. Unfortunately he's been a little singled out due to him having a 504 plan and there are only three people in his school that have one grades Pre-K to 12

[anirush]

As the kids age their bodies change. I found a medication that worked for a long time could suddenly stop working or another med needed to be added. Talk to your child's doctor about symptoms

[AlsuDreamer]

13 years old.. wow I understand your frustration.. I was on Vyvanse, and I got too anxious especially at night. I stoped and transitioned to Aderall 5mg. But then I realized that all these meds are making things worse in the long run and mess up with my mind a lot. I am not myself when I am taking them.

I wish you could stop and go to therapy and just have family time together more.

Vitamins : ginkgo and meds are the worst collaboration. A lot of stimulation at once I tried it too. It’s like coffee and meds same. Too jittery and psychosis afterwards.

I liked ginkgo without meds and omega3. L thianine and ashwaganda are the best to fall asleep naturally and make you feel less anxious or very calm.

[MommaBsue in reply to AlsuDreamer]

I am sorry to hear that you had anxiety with Vyvanse. My son also has anxiety, but we have tried a variety of different medications and this is the one that seems to work best with him. It seems like he also needs something else to help him relax a little bit as well. We do try natural methods as well, essential oils, massage therapy, exercises and stretching. I am not a fan of anxiety medications as I have read too much about what they do long-term to the brain and Suicidal Tendencies in the future. Thank you for your willingness to open up about your situation

[BVBV]

My son started Amantsdine last month. We just increased his dose from 100mg to 200mg, split between evening and morning. I have yet to see a difference but we are going t o give it another month. My son cannot take stimulants anymore and didn’t have success with non-stimulants.

[MommaBsue in reply to BVBV]

I hope that your son is doing well with amantadine. We did try it for about 3 months, but then we noticed weight gain in our son and he was just losing interest in things and seemed almost a little depressed. He did not want to do any sports anymore, which he participates in every sport that there is. It did help him to be calm and his grades were a lot better and he was able to focus better. Our concerned was depression and that's why we discontinued. I am curious to know if your son is still taking the amantadine and how he is doing?