ADHD Medication HELP..

[mamat22]

I am totally getting depressed because I feel I can not help my son. He is 11 years old and has been diagnosed with ADHD. We have tried the following medications...Adderal, Adderal XR, Meditate, Medidate XR, Daytran all dosages and now we are on Vycanse 40mg. The problem is that he is being very uncooperative in school. Starts crying and throwing fits to the point where he has to be taking out of class. He is refusing to do works and says that he does not understand it. I believe he cannot focus anymore. He says that the other kids are saying things to him and the teachers states she has not heard any of it. With the Vyvanse he does not have the crash at night like he did with the Daytrana but he is WIDE open. Is there a medication out ther that might be another alternative. How about Stretara or Concerta? Any and All input is greatly appreciated.

[CBL1984]

I appreciate you taking a look at the study, but the problem is that they haven't tested the long term effects on the mental health of children with ADD / ADHD. And the tests done so far were done on rats not children. How do we know that giving a child with ADD / ADHD ritalin will not cause them to be depressed over time? We don't because no long term studies have been done on children (with or without ADD / ADHD). All of the individuals who I know who were diagnosed with ADD / ADHD as children and did not take stimulants are all fine now. Everyone I know who was diagnosed and put on stimulants has mental health problems. Yes, they could be comorbid disorders that would have showed up anyway. The bottom line is that these are powerful drugs and the long term mental health effects should be studied. Even though these doctors are saying that these results highlight the importance of a proper diagnosis, they are still not able to give us the answers of how these drugs impact the ADD / ADHD brain long-term.

[Sandman2]

  Certainly agree with your comments on food.  Pretty good link about that on the right side of this page - "9 worst foods for ADD".
     Researched the study you mentioned.  Very interesting.
However, the study related to "normal" children.  Those without ADHD or ADD.  The authors stressed the importance of knowing that your child really does have ADHD.  The depressive effects were seen when normal kids were exposed to stimulants.  You can read the study here.   http://www.mclean.harvard.edu/news/press/current.php?id=65

[CBL1984]

I was put on ADHD medication at 6 years old. I was on it for many years and it gave me disabling depression because it causes damage to the fragile dopamine system. I was a normal happy kid with way too much energy. Now I'm adult who can't work and struggles to get out of bed because of what this drug did to me. The dopamine system is not only responsible for attention but pleasure, too, and when you bombard that system with a drug like a prescription stimulant every day for many years you disrupt it, and then you end with a someone who not only has ADD, but depression as well. I never knew what happened to the wonderful kid that I was until I found a study by Harvard McClean on rats that found that juvenile rats who were given Ritalin over extended periods of time in the same doses that they give to children were depressed as adults. The drugs disrupt the brain in a similar way that illegal stimulants do and create a similar result: depression, difficulty feeling pleasure. And I am not alone. I am meeting and hearing of more and more people who this has happened to. You can read my story and related research on my website ritalinawareness.com. There are so many supplements and life style changes to try that may help. You just have to look for them. Make sure he gets exercise. Try to eliminate processed foods from his diet. Make sure that none of the foods you feed him have pesticides. (In other words try to buy organic. There has been a link between pesticides and ADD/ADHD.) Take him to a natropath or nutritionist if you can. Supplements like fish oil, flax seed oil, DL-phenylalanine or tyrosine, or SAM-E may help. Best of luck to you and your boy. Don't lose hope. I have several friends who were diagnosed with ADD / ADHD as youngsters, never medicated or only medicated briefly and they are med free and doing well today. They are some of the most delightful, innovative people I know, in fact. :)

[Sandman2]

   Realizing that there are consequences for your actions is usually not a strong point for someone with ADHD, at least at his age.  Maybe by late high school.
   There can be good reasons to hold a child back.  Just don't make it that he will learn a lesson.  If anything (assuming it happens), you DON'T want to treat it as a punishment, but as an opportunity to get ahead.  If you take the negative route with being held back, I personally and professionally believe that you will regret it.  Best wishes.

[mamat22]

Maybe I should have made myself a little more clearer. My son was diagnosied at age 6. He is now 11 will be 12 next month. The meds we have been trying have been over a 6 year period. He does have a IEP in school and all his teachers are VERY aware of the ADHD. He is wide open at home in the evening which is to be expected, like I said there is no crsh in the evenings. His doctors is very familiar with the ADHD because is own son is ADHD s he knws what we are going through. My son has his ggod days and his bad days. He is more out going an active with the Vyvanse than he was with the Daytrana, I am cncerned that it may not be strong enough. I am already antisipating that he will probably be held back this year in school and maybe that would be a good thing. He would then realize that there are consequences for his actions. I guess maybe I just needed a little reasurrance that I am not the only one going through this. Thanks to all who posted.

[jmk1138]

Maybe he's reacting violently to the medicines.  My grandfather used to tell me the story about the guy who took one medicine for some condition and then a whole bunch of other medicines to combat the side effects of all the other medicines.  It may be an urban legend, but who know?

Try a consistent approach with a behavoiral modification plan.  It takes time, tears (and sometimes your own blood), but it can work.  If you're committed, the hardest part is to get the teachers to buy into it, too.  Give your son's teachers the same loving support you'd give to your son.

[Sandman2]

      Not sure what you mean when you say he is,"WIDE open."  Do you mean that he is still hyperactive during the day - all day or something else?  If so, that would be an indication that the dosage is not working.  30mgs is the recommended starting dose for the youngest patients.  Its possible that 40mg is not enough.  At any rate, all of this needs to be shared with your doctor.  As you are finding out, it is a trial and error process.  Having said that, it seems like there is a lot of "trial" going on here.  What kind of a doctor are you seeing?  Does he specialize in ADHD kids?
    Your son definitely is showing signs of frustration and anxiety.  I does sound like the school could be more supportative.  Does your son have a 504 or an IEP?  It would help a bit.  Kind of sounds like they are asking him to do things that he is not able to.  That shows either a serious disregard for him or an lack of awareness about him.
   I also wonder if he is getting any behavioral therapy or just the meds.  He also needs to fully understand ADHD and what it is doing to him.  It is easier to cope if you know what you have to cope with.
   Finally, your doctor is the best person to recommend meds as he knows the child and what the child has tried (and his reaction to it).  However, this is based on the fact that your doctor knows what he is doing.
   Anyway, I would certainly be talking to his teacher and the school psychologist and finding out what is going on there.  I think that they can help the situation.
   Hope this helps.  Please post if  you have other questions or need more resources.  Best wishes.