what medicines have worked best for your ADHD child?

Jennifer - posted on 01/30/2009

HI Robin, my son is on Concerta. We had tried it several years ago and had the same problems you had. Their bodies are always changing so he doing pretty good with it know. We also do an all natural (Mona-vie) that helps with the low weight issue and agression and all natural (Melatonin) which helps him fall asleep. The straterra did not work for us. Good luck!! :-)

Jennifer

Keihana - posted on 01/29/2009

I have an 8 year old with adhd. She is on Focalin XR 15 mg and has had wonderful results. She started taking it about 11 months ago and besides having about a 6-7 lb weight loss in the beginning she has not had any other side affects.  I only give it to her during school days or when she has a weekend activity that we must attend. It works about 10 hours for her not the full 12 but i would definately recommend giving it a try.

Celeste - posted on 01/29/2009

My daughter takes Methylin ER 20 mg. It does decrease her appetite during the day. But it works very well in school and she's able to focus..

Kerri - posted on 01/29/2009

My son is 7 and he is on Vyvanse. It has been a lifesaver! His personality didn't change at all, but it helped him calm down and stay focused at school. It lasts for 12 hours so he doesn't have to take more while he is at school!  The side effects we noticed were loss of appetite during the day and a little trouble sleeping at night. Our dr. suggested we give him melatonin in the evenings to help him sleep and it hasn't been a problem since.   

Stacy - posted on 01/28/2009

Quoting Stacee:

Alot of the moms are saying they don't give their lids the med on the wekends- our pediatrician and therapist have both said that with Straterra that is not an option- that it takes time for the med to build up and should we decide to go off it we would have to do a slow cut in the dosage until he is completely off it. I am a nurse and have heard that about several diff. meds for ADD and the like.

  It was actually my son's MD and his shrink who said it was perfectly all right to take 'vacations' from the meds. Straterra has a half life of about 5 hours, hence, the second dose on school days. I have been informed, by more than one doctor, that Straterra does not build up in the system so vacations are not a problem. After 3 years of doing things this way with no adverse effects whatsoever, I'm inclined to believe what they told me.

Renae - posted on 01/28/2009

My 11 year old is on Strattera and it has worked well. It is not a stimulant so it doesn't have its ups and downs during the day. It is a long acting medication. My son has had trouble falling asleep even before he was on Strattera, so he takes Melatonin at bedtime to help him fall asleep. Melatonin is sold with the vitamins and can be purchased in a chewable if preferred.

Stacee - posted on 01/28/2009

Alot of the moms are saying they don't give their lids the med on the wekends- our pediatrician and therapist have both said that with Straterra that is not an option- that it takes time for the med to build up and should we decide to go off it we would have to do a slow cut in the dosage until he is completely off it. I am a nurse and have heard that about several diff. meds for ADD and the like.

Stacee - posted on 01/28/2009

My son has been on Concerta and Focalin- our problem was at age 11 he couldn't get over 62 pounds in weight! About a month ago we started Straterra and have great results- weight is no longer an issue and his concentration is good.

Stacy - posted on 01/28/2009

Hi Robin, My 10-year-old daughter had the same issues with Concerta. Although it worked well for her concentration ,she wasn't sleeping well and loosing weight. She was also pretty cranky/moody on it. We switched her to Focalin XR. She is on 10mg and is doing wonderfully. No sleeplessness, no mood swings and her appetite is good. We have been at this for nearly three years on and off meds and playing around with the dosages, which I think is key. I am brand new to this Circle of Moms, but I've noticed other people having success with this particular med as well. Best of luck!

Stacy - posted on 01/28/2009

My 8 yr old is on 10mg of Strattera twice a day (except on weekends and school vacations) and hasn't had any problems.

Ellen - posted on 01/28/2009

Hi Robin. My 11 year old twin boys are on Foculin and it works wonderfully! They eat on it and can sleep at night unlike the Concerta they were on. My 9 year old daughter is on Medadate and I really like that too. She ate on it and wasnt all strung out like she was on Concerta. Hope this helps a little.

Stephanie - posted on 01/28/2009

My 15 year old has been taking 54mg of concerta for 3 years now. The only side effect he has is his lack of appetite. I make sure he gets a big breakfast before he takes his pill. He usually skips lunch, sometimes he will eat a protein bar. By dinner he is hungry. His sleep patterns were not affected. The medicine did not change his laziness though! Maybe your daughters dosage was too high. My neice had good luck with stratera. Good luck!

Joan - posted on 01/28/2009

Long and short acting focalin have worked best for us. My son has a high metabolism. He burns through medicine. The long acting will last 4 to 6 hours for him and the short lasts about 2 1/2 hours. We work around that. I try to get food in between dosages. For other people, it might last twice as long. There are also less side affects with focalin. We also do the smallest dosage of clonadin  about an hour before bed-time. That has helped a lot with sleeping and night anxiety.

Pam - posted on 01/27/2009

Hello Robin,i also have a son who is 11 and ADHD,ialso have a daughter who is 8 with ADHD,my son has tried alot of different meds,he is currently taking concerta,and the thing is is that it works well during thr day,but bedtime was always an issue,i have found through alot of research that basicly all mes for ADHD have the common side affect of insonmia,my son would stay awake all hours the night and of course this would play a key role on how he behaved the next day,he would be very crabby,to say the least,not enough sleep will do that to anyone,we have put him on a medication calle clonodine,he takes this one hour before bed.......he sleeps like abay,i do believe that this medication was gos sent not only for my sanity but for him as well he wakes up a much happier little man these days and i actuallt get enough sleep to be able to deal with all his demanding needs the next day,we are both very much more happy campers now,my daughter takes ritalin and she has the same prob,so i think it kinda goes hand in hand with any of the meds for ADHD,hope this help you.....