My teen has a new diagnosis of ADHD- Inattentive type (and also a new diagnosis of motor delay and an old diagnosis, reconfirmed, of autism). He is very high functioning. These results are from a large, well respected university-based center and was a lengthy and thorough exam. Some may recall my recent posts where I complained that my insurance company refused to pay for this exam- that battle is still unresolved.
He will see his doc, a pediatrician, next week for his annual check up and to see if she will recommend medications.
I’m interested in any experiences folks have has with meds, personally or with their children such as effects, side effects, etc.
I was diagnosed ADHD way back when. I’ve been on medication for it pretty much ever since.
Side effects- never really noticed any. My Mom and Dad always worried about them though.
I also never viewed my parents as drug dealers or as forcing pills on me. Certain as I’m on methylphenidate, somebody will accuse you of both of these.
My meds did need to be changed a few times during my teen years as hormones did their thing. The pills would just stop working and we’d have to try something else.
Heh. My teen was also recently diagnosed with inattentive type recently, as well. Medication was recommended in her case, so she’s started on vyvanse. I’m not sure I’ve seen much of a change yet (she may be crabbier, hard to tell), but we’re still tinkering with the dosage. She has been very good about taking the meds, though - I think she feels more confident now that she’s taking them.
How old is your young 'un? I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD as a kid, and put on Cylert. Which worked very well; but at a certain age - around 12, if memory serves - our GP took me off 'em. Something about possible liver damage if taken past childhood. But that was back in the 70’s, and I imagine there’s been advances since then. Now I’m on Adderall, which doesn’t work as well as Vyvanse, but which my PPO will pay for.
My daughter was diagnosed around 9-10. She was on slow release methylphenidate (Concerta) and it helped her concentration a lot. The problem was she hated it, and would often refuse to take it. We didn’t want to force meds on her, and I didn’t really trust the doctor, so we let it go. When she got a bit older, she was able to explain that it made her feel anxious, which is apparently a possible side effect.
She says now that she likes the scattered way her brain works and doesn’t want to change it by taking medication. It does cause her a lot of problems at school.
Moon Unit tried Adderall when she was about 10 - it improved her attention span but also caused much more explosive behavior. We had been warned about this since she doesn’t necessarily have “true” ADHD but more likely some other issues that manifest as ADHD (her emotional issues).
We then tried her on a combination of Buspar (non-addictive anti-anxiety) plus Strattera (originally developed to help depression, found to not do well at that but to have some attention / anxiety benefits) and those helped though probably not enough.
She’s about to go back on Vyvanse - a newer “prodrug” that gets turned into one of the regular ADHD compounds by the body - supposed to happen more slowly so you don’t have the high / crash effect. She used it for a bit earlier in the year and we didn’t see any negative effects, though she was on a very low dose.
I’ve used Ritalin myself - not for attention issues, but for wakefulness when I need to drive while tired (I have some sleep disorders including idiopathic excessive daytime sleepiness). The benefit of that is that it wears off relatively quickly - e.g. 3-4 hours - so it can be taken later in the day w/o causing sleeplessness.
I don’t believe that Nuvigil / Provigil are used for ADHD, but just for wakefulness issues. I use those (Nuvigil now) myself. I’ve heard of people trying them to improve concentration, no idea how well it works and it’s certainly an off-label use. I have no bad side effects from them unless I take them too late in the day, or when I first restart them after a break.
My girlfriend’s daughter was diagnosed at age 6. I came on the scene when she was 10; she just turned 14 a few weeks ago. GF says she tried a bunch of different meds before settling on Vyvanse, which Daughter has been on since before I came into the picture.
When Daughter is on Vyvanse, she’s a normal person. If for some reason she doesn’t take her meds one day, we can totally see the difference. She can’t concentrate on anything, she gets belligerent, she gets hyper. This just happened a few days ago, when GF and Daughter accidentally took each other’s pills, which made for an interesting day. But I digress…
The only side effect I can think of is that Vyvanse totally kills the girl’s appetite. On school days, if we didn’t force her to eat in the morning, she would go all day without food, until she got home from school. On weekends, she generally doesn’t eat until she’s been awake for five or six hours. When we had that little mishap the other day, the girl ate three times as much as she usually does, while GF had a protien bar in the morning (before the drugs) and didn’t eat at all the rest of the day.
Anyway, everyone is different, so what works for one person might not for another.
My daughter has mild attention deficit (without hyperactivity), along with mild depression and anxiety. She started on a low dose of Straterra 3 or 4 months ago. It’s just enough to help her focus at school and to alleviate some of the depression and anxiety. She seems happier and I can definitely tell that she is able to stay on task when she is doing homework or chores. I’ve gotten some good feedback from her teachers as well.
My main concern is the cost: it was $150/month after insurance. I found a discount code on the company website and can get it now for half that. I’m also a little worried about her appetite. Straterra commonly causes weight gain, but her appetite is lower than ever. We go for a follow up next week; if she’s lost weight we will have to reconsider her prescription.
My son is ADHD, with autism. Meds have made a life changing difference for him. Without them, he can’t sit still, speaks so fast you can’t understand him, has trouble staying on task, had huge impulse control issues. He had to try different medications before he found meds that worked for his situation. The first thing we tried actually made him violent. He tried something that caused a serious allergic reaction.
All in all, be patient, and realize that you may have to go through a few things to get to the “best” option for your son. Talk with him about symptoms. There are a lot of options now, so don’t give up if the first try isn’t an instant success.
There may be appetite and sleep impact, so discuss with the doc. We make sure my son eats breakfast first, and then have him on a schedule for meals after that. We had to adjust things to help with the sleep issue. Just keep an eye on it. ADHD and autism both can impact it anyway. Add in the meds, and you may need to work in exercise in the evening, restrict caffeine, etc. if sleep drops enough, it can impact behavior. I learned that one the hard way…
Thank you for sharing your experiences everyone. I appreciate it.
My son has not yet been to the doc- his appointment is in a few days still. He seems reluctant to consider meds (he’s 17), but agreed to wait to make a decision until after he discusses it with his doc.
I’m at a loss with him right now. He says he wants to attend college and study a particular, complex field but may fail high school this year due to lack of effort. He’s always been a poorish student who learns slowly and who is also very bright.
I saw this crisis coming last fall when he said that ‘if he studies he doesn’t do well and that if he doesn’t study he also does not do well, so what is the point.’
I’ve tried to keep him focused on his verbalized long-term goal of college, but I just cannot see paying for college for a kid who puts so little effort into and does so poorly in HS. He knows that we (Mom and Dad) think this way but has not changed his efforts. We have quit helping, intervening, and/or nagging him about school. I feel like he should show us that he can do it (or not). I can only see at this point that what he says (college) and what he does (not much) point in two different directions.
I have sent his test results to the school and have asked for help there. The counselors called and talked about IDEA, 504 plans, an IEP, and some accommodations, but that may take a while. Maybe something there will help him perform better to reach his goals.
I’ve asked him to at least consider a 3-4 month medication trial. I hadn’t thought that he may need to try a couple of meds to find one that suits him. Do these meds kick in quickly or does it take them a while for them to reach theraputic levels?
I hate to say this, but his ADHD probably has nothing to do with his school situation. My step-daughter (8th grade) goes to school medicated, and still gets poor grades. The reason is, she just plain doesn’t care about school. Like your son, she is very bright, and could do the work… she just doesn’t want to. Her report cards indicate that she knows the material, and does well on tests, but she won’t turn in any assignments, projects, and whatever else.
On the flip-side, I teach at the community college level, and I’ve had several ADHD students in my classes. Some of them have been unmedicated. They are there because they want to be, and want to succeed. They’ve learned to cope, and have done very well.
I’m guessing that meds aren’t going to help with school. But, my experience is anecdotal, of course. Maybe meds will turn him around. Just be aware, and don’t set yourself up for disappointment.