Any suggestions for ADHD meds?

Signe - posted on 06/07/2012

I just noticed today that my son has a bald spot on the side of his head from picking at his hair too, he says it feels funny. He has only been on Concerta but has been taking it for over a year now....but the bald spot and hair picking is new. My son just turned 10. What happened with your son and is he still on Concerta?

Jennifer - posted on 09/20/2011

Hi, I'm writing as a Mother who had 2 kids, 1 with ADHD the other with ADD. I also have ADHD in a severe form, was diagnosed at 30 to my relief. Both of my kids were medicated for a couple of years where (particularly my eldest son) learned to concentrate and formulate study patterns. Both of my sons chose not to continue with medication but the pattern was by then ingrained. My son Sean is still studying at uni while holding down a hectic job in hospitality. I've found out a lot about this condition in the past 17 years and while mine runs solely in my Father's side. He's Romany and perhaps ADHD could be accepted more easily with the knowledge of ancestry but the attention deficit side can be altered with help from other sources. I recently read of a place in Geelong, in Pakington St, where people have been "training" children with this condition. Good Luck on your journey. Believe in Yourself and enjoy the novelty of having a Child who is aware of EVERYTHING that is going on around them and just can't block it out. Take Care

Helen - posted on 09/15/2011

Pls try the herbal alternatives!

Amy - posted on 09/14/2011

My son is slowly being weened off of his concerta, his doctor has started him on strattera, my step-daughter is on strattera and adderall and other than forgetting to eat when taking them(which gives her a upset stomach) there has been no other side effects and they last from 8 am till the end of school

Melissa - posted on 09/09/2011

We had our son on the Daytrana patch when he was 7 because he couldn't swallow a pill. It worked well, until he decided he didn't want to wear it and just took it off. You alternate hips and the spot gets dry so you would just need to put lotion on. Might be a good choice if he would keep it on. My son is now on concerta and doing very well.

Brittany - posted on 09/08/2011

Your son sounds very similar to mine. We had a terrible time on Vyvanse too! Concerta made him aggressive, Intuniv was a joke - did nothing at all. Focalin would work for a few days but we kept having to up his dose, I was really uncomfortable with that. We recently started the old standby, Adderall XR - we titrated up to his ideal dose of 15mg. He is doing very well on it, his grades are at an all time high, no sleep disturbances, his appetite is back within normal range. My only issue is in the late afternoon when it starts to wear off, he crashes a little and is still adjusting to it - hoping his behavior will improve there.

Kim - posted on 09/07/2011

Each kiddo will react differently, so you will have to keep that in mind with any medication you decide to try. We initially had the same issues with Vyvanse that you did, but have returned to it with success, and use a small dose of Focalin (available in a generic) to get our son through the afternoon. Be sure to keep in mind the WHOLE child, as we are discovering that part of our son's focus challenges and irritability are being caused by his eating habits (or lack thereof). I say research all of your options, and choose what you think may be the best fit for your child at the time.

Kim - posted on 09/07/2011

My son has been on Aderall XR for 3 years now and it works wonders. He had been on many others too and this one really helps.

Helen - posted on 09/07/2011

Try the natural products: biostrath, Naturally High (a Solgar product) and L-glutamine. It has worked extremely well and quickly for my son who is now 7.

Shelly - posted on 09/02/2011

Hello, I completely understand your frustrations...My daughter is 11 we started meds middle 3rd grade. Let me start by saying my daughter is a very shy (bit of anixety over new adventures), quiet, serious, scientific,strong willed sort of personality. Very loyal & loving but prefers quiet small groups...Not at all the typical preteen laughing, giggle girly type. I believe a childs natural personality should be consider when comparing meds. First she was given Strattera...MY gosh she was NOT A NICE CHILD... emotional, angry, agressive, just simply mean. However her grades did improve a bit so stuck with it for about 6 months in hopes her mood would improved (as suggested by our doctor) Finally we said enough is a enough!! We'd rather her have F's then to be the way she was. So,Then we tried Concerta and she was on it for about 9 months. We did noticed a flatness to her personality, bit moody but compared to the agressive child we had experienced for the past 6 mos this was an improvement. It did help curb her impulsivity...but not her focus. So our doctor suggested short acting Ritalin...WOW...That didn't go well! She crashed hard and would be throwing things, screming &/or in tears. So back to Concerta. At this point I just didn't want to try YET another medicine. (Another 3 mos on concerta...At the end of 5th grade her grades were terrrible & she said she didn't feel it worked. So (my husband & I) decided to take her off meds for the summer. (not by my doctors suggestion) I began researching all the different ADHD meds and decided on short acting Adderall. Brie has been on it for 3 weeks now and it's been Super!! She is much more personal & Smiley! A pleasure to be around!! She talks about her day and her grades have improved! I should mention the first 2 days she was emotional~ (5mg am & 5mg pm) after 1 week we upped her and again for 2 days she was emotional. (10mg am & 5mg pm) But our Doctor said an adjustment period is normal. We decided on Adderall because it was a different medication combo then Concerta/ritalin/strattera. Many patients have less anxiety & crashing. I have decided to stay with the short acting because studies have shown the short acting is just as effective as the long acting. The short acting is way less expensive and it is easier to adjust on days she may sleep in late or have sleepovers. I know we haven't been on adderall very long but thus far we have had WAY better results then than any other medications!! I don't have a great knowledge but I hope it is somewhat helpful! :) Great Luck!!



Just as a side note I TOTALLY agree with post of reteaching proper behavior. Once Brie was put on Concerta & she had a bit more self control we have had to help her with making better choices.

Rabecca - posted on 09/02/2011

its hard because we also tried 5 different meds before we have hopefully settled on Adderall and not the extended release my son takes three pills a day because the extended adderall would waer off before 2 each day and have some rebound effects but we have been on this one for about 2 yrs now and overall I am very happy its all trial and error with these meds and they can seem great for awhile and then just stop working or the kids can devlop ticks or side effects that are not what we want for them and the thing is dont settle if you are not thinking than speak up tell your doc sometimes the fix is just readjusting the amount or the time of day its a hard struggle and fustrating when you get a med and feel like ok this is working and all the sudden you are noticeing things dont seem right .and youare here we go again trust me I have been in your shoes but dont give up hope there is something out there that will work . And try to keep in mind meds are not a cure all they are just a tool to give them that pause to consider there actions or be able to think things through before they act or be able to sit long enough to hear directions I have found that most of these kids once they are on the right med still need to be retaught proper behavior becaue they havent been displayed it before that they need to beable to practice it awhile before it becomes habit dont worry and dont give up its so worth the fight