Do side effects from Vyvanse go away?

Amanda - posted on 04/19/2013

i too, think that 30 mg is too probably too much! My son was on Concerta for 2 yrs, and it stopped working for him and now we are trying adderall and he is doing better but we always start him out on a low dose and increase as needed

Sheri - posted on 04/19/2013

Karen-My 9 year old is on 20mg Vyvanse. 30 is too much for him. Starting at 30mg is too much as well. My son's Dr. started initially with 5mg Adderall to see if he even tolerated Stims. Then to 10 Adderall XR and then to 20 mg Vyvanse after he tolerated the others. Slow and Low is the key. I would suggest going down to 20mg to see if he tolerates it better.

Leeann - posted on 04/18/2013

Karen- of my three kids only one is diagnosed with ADHD. I would say it is fairly mild although he always gets more wild in the spring so at this moment, I would say it is moderate. He has almost made it through the school year without any medicine- only a couple of months to go! Undoubtedly he makes better grades ON medicine than off and we all know it. We just decided if he can do all right without them then we prefer that to great on them plus side effects. Middle school may be a different story though.

Interestingly, he has had no problems remembering to bring things home. Not that he remembers 100 percent of the time but he has friends calling him asking for word lists or math problems as well. He seems in line with the others in that regard. He does get his homework done independently and turned in. He gets himself ready for school (including a daily shower) by himself. Same thing for a bedtime routine.

He does not like to do assignments that involve a lot of writing and he loses most of his points in that area. Like, on a test, he will do really well on the multiple choice and then lose points on the written part for not having enough detail etc. He also doesn't like to read much but he does read Graphic novels and certain book series.

Phaedra - posted on 04/18/2013

i have twin girls and one was diagnosed with adhd with aggression and to me it seems that a lot of her acting out is them feeding off each other because when she is one on one she is a prefect sweet heart and so mellow

Phaedra - posted on 04/18/2013

have u tried concerta it is a non narcotic

Phaedra - posted on 04/18/2013

my daughter is just starting them to and she was figgety and felt like her body was numb i was told if the symptoms didnt go away in a week to call the dr back. She was on concerta before

Christy - posted on 04/11/2013

I think he the doctor needs to change his medicine if he is nauseous. My son is 12 and has been on almost all ADHD meds and never had he been nauseous. Also, the grouchy-ness in the evening is what I call the detox time (every evening). It is when the medicine is wearing off and their little brains are starting to go back to the ADHD way which leaves them grumpy. I tried my sons medicine once just to see and that's how I realized what he goes through every evening. We learned how to plan our evenings around his 2 hour detox time. He has been on meds (very high doses) since age 5 and now that he is 12, I am noticing we don't have the detoxing hours as bad as we used to. Guess he is getting older and maturing and learning how to deal with the changes. I hope this helps!!! God Bless!!!

Tanya - posted on 04/05/2013

Karen...its common to have loss of appetite but not nausea how long has your chil been on it?if doesn't get better it may be a type of allergy or too strong
Always have them eat with Med.

Sherry - posted on 04/05/2013

I would like to know the answer to the question of whether side effects of vyvanse tend to decrease with time... my 6 year old has adhd combined type, and he tried adderall and then vyvanse, there were pros and cons to both of the meds for my son. I liked the way vyvanse worked except for my son was so zombie like, no personality at all and I wondered if I had given it more time if it would have decreased or leveled off ?

Vyvanse Pros: Helped with concentration/hyperactivity , Seemed to last long (12 hrs) Smoother, less highs and lows, not whiney or sad.
20 mg Vyvanse Cons : Blank personality/no sparkle or humour. Hard to fall asleep, appetite loss,

10 mg Adderall xr Pros: More himself -sparkle,humour etc. Helped with concentration/hyperactivity, no problem sleeping,

Adderall xr Cons, Whiney and cranky, lasted only 8 hrs, sometimes fell asleep mid-day in class, he said his heart felt fast (we then took him off med), loss of appetite.

Right now we have decided to take him off both meds, the side effects were too scary for us. We are trying caffeine with behabiour modification and it is working pretty good.
I give him a couple choc covered expresso beans in the morning with a cup of caffeinated energy drink, and send some of each to school with him. The teacher is very informed on what I am doing and she said she notices a difference with the caffeine, it is definitely more subtle than meds, but also more natural and less side effects. Caffeine is a stimulant too, so there are still some risks and side effects, but if carefully controlled, I feel is safer than the stim meds. This probably would not work for a more severe cases of adhd, or adhd combined with other disorders but my son has moderate adhd-combined type and a very supportive family and school environment and this seems to take the edge off of the hyperactivity adn gives him enough focus to concentrate at school.

Jennifer - posted on 03/15/2013

My 7 year old is on it and he is grouchy but he has no problem eating.if it continues call doctor.they dont like them to lose weight.

Beth - posted on 03/15/2013

Karen,
ADD is just a form of ADHD. It's also called ADHD-I or ADHD- Inattentive type.
There is also
ADHD-Hyperactive type
And ADHD-Combined type

Kyriake - posted on 03/15/2013

yes my son gets grouchy at night , Does your son eat before he takes the pill? because you shouldnt take it on empty stomach it makes my son sick

Karen - posted on 09/27/2012

Hi Ladies! I am so glad we have the support of each other also! First of all, it's so difficult to have a child that other people think you should be "controlling" better....and second of all, it's so looked down upon by many people to medicate your kids. The last thing we want to have to do is put our children on medication. But I believe we are all doing it to help our children be the best they can be....and also to be fair to the rest of our family members.



The question that Leeann posted about the medication perhaps causing other "disorders" was a good one. I definitely think there is a good chance that this may be happening, after seeing the types of side effects that we have from these meds. The Pediatrician, in our case, recognized some ODD and OCD in our Son before he went on the medication....but the medication definitely heightened both other issues....as Catherine also noticed in her Daughter.



Leeann, you also brought up a good point about what our kids will think in the future! Ugh, why do we do this to ourselves?? We worry about the decisions we make for them in the present...we worry about what we have done in the past....and we are also worrying about how our decisions might affect them in the future....lol. It's exhausting...lol. It's so hard to predict how our kids will feel one day down the road...all we can do now is use our best judgement and know that we are doing all we can for them because we love them. If we do anything wrong or make any decisions that we could have made differently, all we can do is apologize for that if the time ever comes.



Do most of your children have ADD or ADHD? My Son has both. My younger Son seems to more have ADD, with mild ADHD....although, sometimes I wonder if the 2 boys feed off of each other, and it appears that my younger Son has ADHD?

LoveMyFamily - posted on 09/27/2012

When I read the posts it actually brought me to tears. We love our children so much and try to do anything to help them and prepare them for success. Life throws us a curve ball and we feel so alone, like we are the only ones in the world going through these difficult times.



The words of support and encouragement mean so much and I thank you all for them. We have stopped using the Vynase and will work with our doctor to come up with an alternative. We already now that Focalin XR will not work, as it had the same results/side effects as Vynase. I will discuss other options with our doctor including the ones mentioned here.



Thank you all for your virtual support.

Leeann - posted on 09/27/2012

Catherine, I completely agree with your wise daughter that "There has to be a better way!" Good for you for hearing her clearly. Like you and your daughter, I am not sure that stacking medicines to offset side effects is a good idea. I guess it depends greatly on each child and how they metabolize the different medicines.



I think for me, that is the hardest part. I wish I could look into a crystal ball and see my son's future. I only want to do what is right for him, like we all do, but the difficulty is in knowing which path is the right one and which path causes more harm. When he grows up, will he say "I could have done better in school if you would have helped me by giving me medicine" or will he say "I would have been fine with being an average or below average student. You gave me drugs that made me feel sad and angry and I wish you hadn't done that." It really is being caught between a rock and a hard place. My brother WAS given a tranquilizer (mellaril?) from preschool age to 14 and he really resents it. I was clearly ADD in retrospect, was untreated and while a small part of me is irritated by all I missed knowledge-wise in school, after seeing how the drugs affect my son, I am so glad I was not medicated. I matured in high school and was able to do well from then on. I still had issues with impulsivity etc until my late twenties and even early thirties but have surrounded myself with level headed people who were able to help me make good decisions. I am hoping for a similar path for my son.

Catherine - posted on 09/27/2012

Leeann, I am thinking we will be able to come off the Intuniv which they take for anger now that they are off the Vyvanse. In the case of my children, I would say that the anger was more related to the Vyvanse and I have already seen it essencially dissappear. Also, my daughter has OCD and she was worse on the Vyvanse. They wanted to start her on Abilify for that on top of the Vyvanse for ADD and Intuniv for the "anger." She is 14 and she said, "This is ridiculous! There has to be a better way." I'm going to agree with her. We are going to start over. I know they have ADD, but much of the rest is side effects to the treatment of the ADD. Argh!

Leeann - posted on 09/27/2012

I was glad to share and in no way was I indicting the use of meds at all. I have come to see ADHD as a spectrum, just like a spectrum for autism, and it can be very, very wide. Just like with autism, as the spectrum has widened, more kids are under the "umbrella" of the spectrum, who at one time wouldn't be called autistic at all.



I think my son is quite mild and that is why I am hoping to get away with not medicating him. Do I think I will see his grades drop some? Absolutely I do. And I guess we'll have to see how far that goes in order to see what we need to do next, if anything. But he's a kid who gets himself ready for school in the morning with minimal prompting, comes home and is able to do his homework independently and doesn't have any social problems with other kids. He meets his chore requirements independently at home.



After this year, we are moving him to the small parochial school that my other two kids attend. He'll be starting sixth grade then. I will be able to help track his assignments and grades online and with it being a small school, it will be easier to maintain communication with the teachers and for them to keep an eye on him.



Hey, have you guys read a book called "ADHD And Me"? Reading it has been enlightening, to say the least!



Catherine, I agree about our kids learning some skills while on the medicine. I've seen that too, in my son.



Here's another question and I'm not meaning to start up a big controversy here at all but I've been thinking about this a lot. I wonder how many kids who get diagnosed with conduct issues or whatnot, I wonder how much of that could be attributable to the medication they are on causing irritability vs the actual child himself? That first year my son was on Vyvanse, at 40 mg, I would not have been surprised if a pediatrician who didn't know him well might have thought he had ODD or a conduct issue, when the irritability and nastiness was a side effect of the drug itself.

Catherine - posted on 09/27/2012

Leeann, I am hopeful after reading your post. I feel my kids have learned some skills and habits while on meds for ADHD. I see them trying to apply those behaviors off thier meds with little success and feeling frusterated, however, I still feel very confident I am doing the right thing coming off the Vyvanse. We see our psyc on Tuesday and am hoping for some sort of comprimise drug like straterra. I don't know what to do, but it is so fun to see my kids again. I've missed them.

Karen - posted on 09/27/2012

Wow Leeann!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! That is some journey your family has been on with Vyvanse!!! It's pretty sad (yet good) when our children are doing better OFF the medication than on!!! It sure doesn't say much for the medication!!! And...what is wrong with Doctors??? I was lucky that my Sons Doctor supported us taking him off the meds, and she said that the anger side effects were not good. But there are so many Doctors out there that are just medication pushers!! I am a Mental Health Social Worker, and its frightening to see how often I see Doctors NOT listening to their patients' concerns with meds. I'll say it again...we are our kids' best advocates, and they rely on us to speak for them and do what is best for them. I think we are all doing a great job! I think its great Leann, that you put your foot down with your Doctor...who knows your child better than you? My Son is only on Cipralex at the moment (to help with his mood/anger), and we still deal with alot of behavioural stuff at home with him (he is very immature for his age at home). I can deal with that stuff (sort of....lol), but I worry more about how he is doing at school. I want him to be on ADHD meds so that he can be successful at school (he is now in grade 7) and keep up with his peers.

Thanks again for posting and sharing your experiences with us, Leeann!! When I started reading your post, I almost hoped that you were going to share a positive experience with Vyvanse....lol. I think they should just take it off the market!!

Leeann - posted on 09/26/2012

Karen and Catherine,



I wanted to jump in with this discussion. My son, now 10.5, started on Vyvanse at the mid-point of third grade.. I want to say it was February. By the beginning of June I was in the pediatrician's office, literally sobbing "I don't know how to parent this child!" I couldn't even recognize this angry, nasty kid. And how do you discipline a child who is nasty b/c of medicines you are giving him??



I took him off all summer. When the school year was preparing to start again (last year, fourth grade) I said No Way, No How are we doing 40 mg ever again. So we started him on 30 and he stayed there all year. I could tell that by March is was starting to not work well and by the beginning of May not at all, so rather than go up to 40 I just took him off for the summer. Within a couple of days I had my sweet boy back. Although, since the dose was low, he had been doing pretty okay anyway with eating and sleeping that year.



Now to current time- fifth grade, age 10.5. He'd been off all summer and done fine. He was even doing a math program for an hour twice a week and doing fine there too, including having to sit through the testing for it.



A couple of days before school started, I got him started up again with Vyvanse 30 mg (20mg first day then 30.) I lasted one week, Friday-Friday, and then I just said "This is ridiculous. He is cranky and his siblings are avoiding him more when he is MEDICATED than when he is not. This may be good for school but it is a nightmare for his relationship with his family members and that is at LEAST as important as school."



So I pulled him off the Friday before Labor Day, emailed the teacher to let her know I was taking him off a med and we would be starting him on something different after I spoke to the Dr, and I was happy with that decision.



Spoke to the Dr and he wanted to take my son up to 40 mg Vyvanse. I said no. I explained the anger etc and he said the dose needed to be higher, I refused. We discussed other alternatives and ultimately decided to do a trial without, just to see how it goes.



That was three weeks ago. So far, so good. No meds, one call from the teacher that his "writing wasn't up to above grade level standards." When I asked how he was doing otherwise (Mind you, teacher does NOT know he is not on meds, thought we started a new med after Labor Day) she said he is "doing well, participating, paying attention. I can really see a difference from that first week, when his medication wasn't working." Hmm, funny b/c that is the only week he medicated at ALL.



So I'm just watching and waiting. I'm hoping he's matured some and can get by with no medicine at all. I found the anger and intensity from the Vyvance to be a nightmare.



I just wanted to share our experience. Anger is DEFINITELY a problem on Vyvanse, even though my pediatrician says it's not. Moms know their kids.

Karen - posted on 09/26/2012

Catherine...I was so encouraged to read your post!! Thanks for sharing! Don't beat yourself up about keeping them on it for so long. I was the same. We are just trying our best to do what is best for our kids....but it seems that no matter what we choose, we always feel guilty as Moms! You have done the right thing and are moving forward to help your kids in another way. It sounds like we are all in the same boat right now.....with no stimulants for our kids....lol. We will have to keep each other posted as to what medication our kids get put on. My Son sees the Doc at the end of October. His attention and focus at school have also gone by the wayside since he came off the ADHD meds....but like you, I am happy that his mood has been better. We will all try again and see how that goes. We are our kids' best advocates....and I think the fact that we care so much and are on here trying to get support, shows just how much we love them and want what is best for them!!!

Catherine - posted on 09/26/2012

I took my kids off the Vyvanse yesterday and there was already a huge change. My daughter even commented on how she had no angry feelings toward her sister and said it must have been the Vyvanse as she has hated her for no reason for months. I can't believe I let this go on this long! Now, she got almost no school work done and she attends the most difficult high school in the state so we have to find something, but it won't be the Vyvanse. My son also seemed happier off the meds. This was a great reminder to listen to my gut. I had been anxious sinse our appointment last week about staying on Vyvanse and I feel a huge wieght lifted now that I took them off. I don't know what the right this to do is, but I KNOW that coming off the Vyvanse is what we are supposed to do.

My advise to LoveMyFamily is to try Straterra. It doesn't work as well as a stimulant, but then it also doesn't carry the side effects of a stimulant. We're in the same boat now. We are going to give up some rock star status at school in exchange, but I will have my sweet kids back and that's what I am choosing.

Karen - posted on 09/26/2012

Ugh...it's almost as though they should just take it off the market!! I am yet to hear someone say that it worked for their child!! All the feedback on Vyvanse is so negative....me included. I hope someone on here can give you some advice.....I feel a bit useless, as I live in Canada and don't have the same medications available as what you all do in the US....ie. we don't have Focalin. Good luck!

LoveMyFamily - posted on 09/25/2012

My 11 year old was diagnosed with ADD and has generalized epilepsy. We tried Focalin (that did not work for us) and started using Vynanse. This greatly decreased my son's appetite and as a result he lost a lot of weight. He didn't seem to help much with his ability to focus and the side effects are too great. Like some of the other mom's described, we are also experiencing the depressed type state and crying for the slightest reasons. This medicine does not seem to be working for us. Does anyone have any other thoughts on other options?

Karen - posted on 09/24/2012

Catherine....rest assured, you are not alone!!! After I posted my initial question (which I too, have never before done....lol), I was overwhelmed at the responses from other parents who are experiencing such similar things!! We do often feel alone....and many other parents who have children that do not have any "issues" can help contribute to that lonliness. But on sites like this, it is so refreshing and comforting to know that your child is not "abnormal" and neither is your family or your parenting! Sometimes we just need support from other people who KNOW what we are going through (you know the old saying "misery loves company"....lol). I also agree....it was no mistake that you found this post!!! Good luck with your kids....and your phone call to the Doctor!!! Let us know how it goes!!

Catherine - posted on 09/24/2012

Thanks for the support Karen. It is no accident that I found this today. I never post on lists, but today was one of those days when I thought, "We can't be the only people in the whole world having this problem!" Sure enough. I'm so glad to have found this resource. I'm so tired and burned out trying to figure this all out on my own. Thanks again.

Karen - posted on 09/24/2012

Hi Catherine!!

Oh no....I can totally understand what you are going through!!! The medication seems to turn them into little monsters! It seems to be very common with this particular medication! I did take my Son off the Vyvanse, and then put him on Adderall (which super increased his hyperactivity). He is currently not on any "ADHD" meds, but is on Cipralex to help manage his moods (and will soon have an additional ADHD med added on for the inattention). As soon as he came off the ADHD meds, he went back to his normal self!! He is a pretty moody and temperamental kid....but it was soooo bad with the Vyvanse. I think taking your kids off the Vyvanse is a wise move. You're right.....its not fair to them or you or the rest of your family! There are so many other alternative ADHD medications out there other than Vyvanse, so hopefully they can put your 2 kids on something different that will help them better and not make them so angry.

I'm so glad you came across this post today!! It sounds like it was good timing!! Please keep me posted on how you are doing!!!

Catherine - posted on 09/24/2012

I bumped into this posting after having a huge mommy melt down today. Two of my kids take Vyvanse for ADHD and Intunive to manage the anger. It finally hit me that the Vyvanse was causing the anger and that a different med might make it possible to come off the intunive. Why aren't doctors talking about this side effect? I know these children and they are not angry, mean children. Even they cannot comprehend what has happened to them. I called the office and said that I am taking them off tomorrow. I will try something else, but right now, I'd rather live with the inattention (which is off the charts), than go another day with such ugliness. My non-ADHD kids don't deserve to be treated like this and niether do I. I'm done with the Vyvanse.

Melissa - posted on 05/13/2012

Amy,

Currently my daughter is not on any medication for her ADHD we have an appointment on May 29th with a child psycholoigst so we will wait and see what he recommends for her.

Karen,

I am not sure about what we will do this summer as far as meds go for my daughter during the summer. We don't have a lot of problems with her being hyper during the summer she stays busy and does not have any behavioral issues that we can't handle through behavior modification.

Amy - posted on 05/11/2012

HI Karen,

I am really sorry to hear about your ds. My son also tried Vyvanse and had terrible stomach aches. He also complained about his food tasting wierd.



Anyway, I stopped it after about a week, because he wouldn't eat and he is skinny already.



Good luck,

Amy



Also, Melissa -

When you took your daughter off the Vyvanse, did you put her on something else, or just stop all medication?



Thanks,

Amy

Karen - posted on 05/10/2012

Hi Melissa! Oh, I'm so glad to hear that your Daughter is back to her normal self...that is so encouraging! It's kind of scary to think that medication can make our kids like little monsters. So, you are not going to put her on any other meds until she returns back to school? My Son has the focus issues at school, but the behavioural and hyperactive issues at home, so I don't think I could go through the summer without the meds....although we have done it every other year...lol. Keep us posted on how your Daughter is doing!!!!

Karen - posted on 05/10/2012

Crystal, that's great that the Vyvanse has worked so well. It's so weird how the meds all affect people so differently. The lack of appetite definitely seems to be with all the ADHD meds. My Son started on Concerta the other day and again has no appetite until the evening. Thanks for your post!!!

Melissa - posted on 05/09/2012

Karen I have noticed a HUGE difference in my daughter this week with taking her off of the Vyvanse. She is eager to get up in the morning time, she has not yelled at us, hit us, or showed any ofther kind of aggression towards us this week. She is happy and singing again like her old self. When I spoke to her teacher about us taking her off of the medicine she said that her son had been on vyvanse and that she too had to take him off of it for anger issues. I am so happy that she is off of it they only have 4 1/2 days of school left so I am going to figure out something else for next school year.

Crystal - posted on 05/09/2012

My son has ADHD, I love the vyvanne. He has never had a side affect. Which is good. He won't eat lunch but get very hungry when the pill wears off. He has anger issues but has O.D.D. It is manageable with Therapy

Karen - posted on 05/08/2012

Melissa, Those were exactly the things we saw in our Son. And also, just very irritable and angry. Have you been noticing a difference in her since you have been weaning her off the Vyvanse? Don't be discouraged....you Daughter is in there....you will get her back when the Vyvanse is out of her system.

Melissa - posted on 05/04/2012

WOW is all I can say my daughter has been on 30mg of Vyvanse for ADHD and her anger issues have taken over our home. I have been told at school she is fine but at home a completely different story she is disrespectful, rude, and even abusive physically and verbally to me and her Dad. We talked to her pediatrician and he said that it was not the Vyvanse causing the anger but we have already started winging her off of this medication because a child psychologist said that it could be the medicine causing this type of anger. Lord I pray that I get my little girl back because life for us on Vyvanse has been awful.

Trisha - posted on 05/04/2012

I seen some change in my son he is doing his homework and listening more. But no nausea he does eat he have gain weight since he was change from Concerta. When he was on Concerta he would not eat until the evenings.

Beth - posted on 05/04/2012

Trisha ,
Your son's need for a medication change likely has to do with puberty coming.
Body chemistry changes then that includes in the brain and those associated with ADHD.

Jen - posted on 05/04/2012

Hi, my 17 son tired Vyvanse but didn't like it. It was not because of nausea.
I don't think nausea is an normal side effect. It may suggest the dose or medication may not be suitable for your son.
Anytime I want an immediate answer, I speak with my pharmacist. Then I contact my doctor.
IMO, this medication isn't something you or or son can live with.
Best to you and your son!

P.S.
This is a great networking group for ADHD

http://adderworld.ning.com

Trisha - posted on 04/29/2012

My son was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 5 years old. The first meds where Starra that work for a minute but he start complaining about dry mouth so the doctor switch him to Focolin that work for awhile also. But the the doctor switch him to Concerta 36mg and the Concerta was working for like 4 or 5 years until I started seeing changes in him like getting in trouble in school, suspenions being aggresive with his younger brother and also angry problems and he can be hyper at times. He also told me that the meds make him angry and did not like to be bother with anyone so I talked to his doctor and he switch his meds again to Vyvanse 30mg and intuniv 1mg this is his second day taking the meds so I'm hoping it works.

Karen - posted on 04/26/2012

Haha....thanks for your honesty, Lisa!!! I guess we're all only human, right?? I think it's awesome that you are so accepting of your Son's personality and that you apologize when you lose your temper with him. I think I need to take the time to understand my Son's personality a bit better. I am a reader and I learn best through books....are there any good ADHD books that anyone can recommend? I do also find it very frustrating having 2 very hyperactive boys! They totally feed off of each other....and yet, their personalities (and the way the ADHD affects them both) are so completely different....arghh!!! lol

Lisa7315 - posted on 04/25/2012

Oh Karen..... I have my days too. I have to remind myself during the summer that the excessive activity and constant chatter is not his fault, not a character flaw, it's just how he is wired. He is an only child so that makes it a little easier than if there were 2 or more. And at the end of the day I love who he is. If I do snap at him I do make it a point to apoligize to him and heart fully explain to him why I yelled and that is my lack of self control and not something bad about him. We are human, we will make mistakes and we learn and grow as we go!

Lisa7315 - posted on 04/25/2012

We have. My son is 14 now and very vocal about hating the way he feels on it. I so hate giving him something that makes him feel so bad. As a mom I want to protect him from anything bad yet I am the one that hands him that pill every morning. I hope I am doing the right thing.......it's just the guilt I suppose.

Karen - posted on 04/24/2012

Heather....that makes sense. I guess its like any type of medication.....what works for one person, may not work for another. It's interesting to hear though what people's experiences have been. I am going to google Focalin XR, but I have a feeling we don't have it here (I am in Canada...not sure if everyone on here is?).
I wish I could be more easygoing like Lisa....but I just do not have the patience for all the hyperactivity with my 2 boys. I find it very very emotionally exhausting, and I get annoyed at them because I feel as though they should be a bit more mature than the way they act (for their ages). I wish I could just ignore some of it, but I just can't....and I'm not sure how I would find having him off meds for the summer....after finding something that works for him. I hope that doesn't sound bad!!

Heather - posted on 04/24/2012

In our experience, my son did not get any benefit from Concerta. No improvement in attitude, schoolwork, etc. It did not seem to have the anger component that Vyvanse had, though. Concerta may work very well for your son since it is in a different drug class than Vyvanse, and some kids do better on one than the other. My son seems to work better on the methylphendate based meds(Daytrana, Concerta, Ritalin, Focalin XR), just some meds in the class work better for him than others. Right now he is on Focalin XR and is doing very well.



My son was on regular Ritalin for a year, and it was one med that worked very well for him. He did have to take it during the day during the school year(7th grade), and he was a little embarressed about it, but the bigger issue was that he would forget to go to the nurses office(which could have been deliberate, of course), so he made the decision this year to try something else. Our Dr. does not recommend a vacation break, and we have found that it isn't very helpful for my kids. While my son's appetite is much better on Focalin XR, in the past we tried to take him off meds to gain weight during the summer. It led to very stressful summers for us, especially if something out of the ordinary occurred(vacation, visitors, etc.). My daughter stays on her meds because she really needs them to drive.

Lisa7315 - posted on 04/24/2012

For us it works for him to be off for the summer. I am a pretty laid back personality so I just go with it. We started this a couple of summers ago at his drs request. His weight was not progressing. He is 14 & only 80 lbs..... So I love when he is off since he will eat eat eat! I am still very skeptical of the long term effects of chemicals while his body is growing and developing. I liked it better in elementary school because I had him on regular Ritalin so he would eat breakfast then take it, 4hrs later he would eat lunch then go to the school nurse and take the next dose, come home and snack take a half dose for homework.....it worked great. Unfortunately in 5th grade he was too embarrassed to go to the nurse every day so we have been on the quest for the lesser of all evils since. Ritalin la gave him headaches and was too big, datrana patch worked great (especially since it was now processes throught the liver) but gave him horrible allergic rashes. Stratera has been too controversial for me.

Karen - posted on 04/24/2012

Wow! I haven't been on here for awhile, and I am overwhelmed at all the posts and support I have received!! Thank you! I am so grateful that I found this "community"...it's so comforting to know that there are other people who can relate to what you (and your child) are experiencing. I almost feel embarassed when I tell people that my Son is being so grouchy and moody due to medication....because I feel as though they are thinking that I am just making excuses for his behaviour. It's not that I want other kids to experience these side effects....but at the same time, it is refreshing to know that I am not just making "excuses", as it seems that this is a very common side effect of these ADHD meds.

He has been on the Vyvanse for about a month now and aside from being super grumpy in the evenings and on the weekends, as well as super hyper in the mornings and evenings.....his Teacher has not noticed much of a difference in his schoolwork or ability to focus (very small improvement). I spoke to the Pediatrician yesterday and she agreed that the Vyvanse was not working well for my Son and suggested that we take him off it for 2 weeks and then start him on Concerta. What have people's experiences been like with Concerta? I am afraid that it will have the same results as the Vyvanse and that I will be kicking myself for taking him off of it. In comparison to some of the side effects some of your children have experienced, my Sons side effects seem quite minor.

Thank you again for the support and for sharing your own experiences!!!!
Thank you Laura, for your kind words....I think, by the sounds of it, all our kids are all lucky to have all of us Moms!!

Laura - posted on 04/24/2012

Hello Karen! I'm very sorry about your son's diagnosis. I remember having that discussion with my son's kindergarten teacher when she asked us to have him evaluated. It was one of the hardest things in my life, being told that my precious son is different from other children. But now, almost 5 years later things are a bit easier, thank goodness. Vyvanse was the first medication that we tried. It worked great but we had a problem with Dylan being able to swallow pills (he was only 5 years old at the time) So we tried the Daytrana Patch and that gave him "ticks" (he would compulsivly twist his hands and wrists and blink and stutter) and irritated his skin. So, obviously, that wasn't good! So we switched him to Focalin but once again, that was a pill and he had a hard time swallowing them. Over the course of a year we would open the pill every morning and mix it with a spoonfull of applesauce and that's how he would take it. The problem with that was that since it wasn't in the time release capsule, all the medicine would be out of his system before he even got home from school and that meant that homeowrk time was a nightmare. We ended up teaching him to swallow mini m&ms candies and that got him use to pills. We switched him back to Vyvanse because he was on the highest dose of Focalin but it wasn't enough.



I know that this must sound awful, all the times we've had to switch his meds, but they all work different and have different side affects. With everything he's ever been on, he has always had ZERO appetite for lunch which makes him super grumpy and miserable by the time he gets home from school (since he hasn't eaten since breakfast). He was also losing weight so the doctor told us to try a medication called Cyproheptadine (4mg) and that helped to stimulate him to eat some lunch. I give him that and Vyvanse at breakfast time, and then when he comes home from the bus stop around 4:30 he gets another 4mg of that to help with his moodiness from coming off of the Vyvanse (and a big peanut butter and jelly sandwhich since I know he has lunch at school around 10 am). Dinner is usually at 6 or 6:30. At 7:00 pm he takes 0.1 mg of Clonidine to help him calm down and be ready for bed by 8:00 pm. My son does get headaches occasionally but it's usually from not eating enough. I must also add that the Cyproheptadine helped with his anger and arguing because it helped make the transition off of Vyvanse at the end of the day much smoother. I hope this helps! I know how hard it is, believe me! You're doing a great job and your son is a very lucky boy to have you :)

Jennifer - posted on 04/22/2012

My son eats like it is his last meal and has been like that for a good year and has only gained 2 pounds in the past 2 years. He will loose a few pounds and gain it back very slowly. Its like a non stop roller coaster ride with these poor kids. It does sucks. I feel like I have to punish my child with the medications ( and it seems like every year they add another one) just to help them to have a normal happy childhood. My son in the past year is taking 5 different pills and it kills me cause he is only 9.

Sofie - posted on 04/22/2012

Same thing happened to us, our 9yr old would crash at the end of the day in a "black cloud mood". Our Dr suggested opening the Vyvance and taking 3/4 in the morning and saving 1/4th for the early evening. That has helped so much. No more crashing and she is pleasant and not argumentative through to bedtime.