Concerta-Adderral-10 year old???

[lodzpol]

My 10 year son has been on Adderall for a little over 2 months now.  He was moody, distant, and very emotional.  The doctor is now switching him to Concerta. Any thought son this medication?  I am new at trying to deal with ADHA, my son is diagnosed with the concentration protion of ADHA. He can not focus for the life of him!  It is so confusing to try and help him when I know

[wonder26]

I've Been Dealing With ADD/ADHD Since I Was 5. If You Have Any Questions Send Me A Message I'll Be Glad To Answer Any Questions You May Have.

[lodzpol]

Thank you. My son has been on Concerta for a week now and I have to say that he is much better than when he was on the Adderall. He is happy and is focusing, it is great.  He too doesn't eat as much, but at night, before bed he does usually pig out!  The doctor said this is normal. He usually will eat carrots, yogurt, a sandwich, etc. So it isn't bad.  The doctor actually said to let him do that since duringthe day he isn't eating as much. But, so far so good. I am very pleased. Now maybe his grades will go up!  He did bring home a passing test last wekk (84)!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How exciting.

[Mommy3Girls]

Both my 7 year old and 10 year old daughters  are on concerta. I like it. It is a gradual release form of ritalin and doesnt turn them into zombies. We make sure they have it every morning because if my 7 year old misses a day the first day back on it she doesnt eat hardly at all. But now that they have both been on it for some time they both eat regularly and are doing well. Their appetites are still a little bit curbed but at least they eat enough to be healthy and stay alive. They weigh between 48 and 52 pounds and both take 1 36mg pill each morning. Their studies in school have increased tremendously, they can stay focused and get their work done neatly and the answers are correct. I like COncerta, though it is not for every child, I do like it. Hope this helps.

[Captain_Rit]

Jennifer I am sorry but you need to stop ONLY looking at the bad research, and start looking at that that is positive as well.    There is LOADS of more research saying the positive affects of the medicines for treating ADHD than there are negative ones.   And like everyone is saying you have NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE ALL GOING THROUGH!    It is not possible for those with ADHD to will themselves into concentration.    I do all of those alternative treatments that you have talked about.   I run, i meditate, i have a strict diet (i am a vegitarian) and i go see a psychologist once a month.    No medicine alone did not work, but i did try using all of the alternatives with out the meds for a month and it was a disaster, i still need them to function.   And if you tell me thats called an addiction then you were addicted to you chemo meds.    I need mine to function you need yours.   Also I have done my research on the subject so have my parents, heck i am currently studying to become a doctor, pharmaco therapy books are strewn all over my house, if there was anything halfway serious or even eyebrow raising THAT HAS BEEN SUFFICIENTLY PROVEN AND BACKED UP i would know.    But as of yet, nothing.    Look at the research that shows the benefits.    With out the meds i would have failed out of school, but instead because of them i am well on my way into med school.   And don't say its my enviroments fault either, i was breast fed, almost never in daycare, went to the best school in my city for grade school, and the 24th best school in the country for high school (which i failed out of once because my ADHD killed me, and i didn't have it in check.  So i went to a place that specializes in ADHD got a psychologist, learned how to meditate (by the way i HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT FOR EVERYONE! ESPECIALLY THE OLDER TEENS WITH ADHD ITS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!!!! for me its second to the meds, so i got my adhd in check and went back.)     What i am trying to say is that no Meds are NOT the only way to go and are useless if they are done alone (by the way i dont recommend letting a pediatrician handle your childs adhd, they usually aren't very good at it, especially when it comes to helping your child find the correct type/ amount of medicine to take, i recommend a specialist if it can be afforded, and if it cant say so on the forum and i will try and find you the progams you need to get it) so use as many techniquies as you can they all add up, but in the end the medicine is almost always number one.

and for those who say that the medicine wears off for some it does.    BUT FOR MOST IT DOES NOT!   i have been taking some form of methylphenedate (active ingrediant in ritalin and concerta) since i was six.  

and yes some people also have horrible side affects to these meds.    HOWEVER that could be A. their body naturally reacts badly to these meds   B.  they are not on the right med  or C.   what i believe to be the most common, they have not hit what my psychologists and now i call the "theraputic window".    The theraputic window is the window of medication where you hit optimal preformance of the medicine.    IF you are in that window the side affects will be at their least, mood deficines at their least, and concentration at its greatest.   HOWEVER if you are above or below this "theraputic window" the side affects can be absolutely horrible!   The theraputic window is based on weight height sex and personal biology it is not always the recommended dosage, and don't be afraid to go above or below it with in reason.   (that doesnt meen a 6 year olds theraputic window could be at the 100mg mark, the window is usually somewhat close to the recommended dosage, for example my window is 20mg less than the recommended dosage) One of the beautys of stimulants is that you know if its the right medicine for you with in the first one or two days because they take about an hour to kick in so you dont need a month long period (that is if your excluding factors like sleep mood etc.)     So for all of you parents out there reading this talk to your doctors about tweeking your childs meds if you think that their sideaffects are too rash from this.  

And about the original topic of adderall.    I was on Adderall for a short period of time and i HATED it.     I had censitivity to light, headaches, and my concentration was horrible.    And i know Jennifer is gonna say something like im proving her point well guess what im not.    Its very comprable to the sideaffects of someone taking allergy meds and having a bad reaction to those.    It DID NOT CAUSE ANY DAMAGE WHAT SO EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   AND BIOLOGICALLY FOR MY BODY BECAUSE I LIKE 99.9% OF THE POPULATION CAN NOT BE HARMED BY THE CORRECT DOSAGES OF THESE MEDS.    

anyways there is my two bits and as i said before meditation is amazing

[lodzpol]

Yes I will and so far so good, MUCH better than prior to the medication.  I have spent too many years frustrated with my son. I will not waste more valuable time with him when I can clearly help him.

[Jennifer375]

Thats a shame,, but the choice is clearly yours and no onelse's and you will have to live with the outcome of those choices for the rest of your natural life as will you child.

*Blessings to you and your family*