Eye Ticks from ADHD Medication

[mamacodi]

My son is five years old. He was recently moved from Concerta 36mg once a day to Focalin XR 10mg twice a day but still takes Concerta .01mg at night. He is still rapidly blinking his eyes and his pupils are still dialated. Is this normal? If not does anyone have any advice?

[Hanna1968]

Have you tried weighted blanket?

[allmymarbles]

You story illustrates perfectly the practice of treating the symptom, not the cause.

[gjayme31]

Well said and well thought out!!!! Did you know that every old person I know is on Lyrica now? This medicine is for chronic pain. They are old and of course they have pain. Funny how on the commercial there is a 30yr old woman on it. Now I'd believe a 30yr old woman with chronic pain there may be a problem, but old people? My mother in-law was on it and I asked her what for. She told me she has 2 fingers numb and a section of her leg goes numb. I asked how long she'd been taking it and she said 5 months. So I asked if the numbness went away and she said no. I told her it sounds to me like you have a pinched nerve in your neck and thats the side you use your cain on. We'll get you a chiropractor.
The pain is gone and she got the feeling back in her fingers and leg. This stuff is terrible.
The side effects for that medicine are bad. She is diabetic and has heart trouble and taking medications for those. She was not supposed to be on it in the first place. Since she has a history with this doctor and he knows what meds she's on this was no mistake. She is 90yrs old with scoliosis. I mean hello...whats going on here?

[allmymarbles]

Oh, oh, you are trying to put the pharmaceutical companies out of business. Congressmen won't like you for attacking their source of income. And I am not surprised when schools push the quick-fix pill. It is so much easier than doing the job they were presumably trained for. And as for the parents, giving pills requires less effort and thought than concentrating on discipline, character, morals, and all of that old-fashioned, out-dated stuff. As for the "specialists" who prescribe this garbage, they ignore the first precept of medicine -- "do no harm."

The whole problem is one of ethics.

[gjayme31]

If someone teases my kid about his nose. I'm not going to look at my child and say yea your nose looks funny I'm going to take you to the Dr. and get you a nose job. I'm going to tell my child you look beautiful. You can change a childs opinion of himself by saying "don't care what other people think you're beautiful the way you are." A child is not sick if he's over anxious about school and being accepted there. It's perfectly normal. He only starts believing it when his parents confirm it. And the school tries him and convicts him before a psycoligist does.
There is nothing wrong with the 16 yr old that lives behind me. He only thinks so because his mother said everyone else is right and you are wrong. Now she is the one with tics because she is getting high on his drugs and he is out thieving to support her habbit and he has an excuse because he's crazy!
My child was over anxious about school because he wasn't accepted at daycare. The school perpetuates the problem because he is anxious. After having long talks with him about his self esteem he is settled down and now he can sleep well with no nightmares. The problem is fixed and the school can admit their mistake. If the school can do that why can't you? Help your child.
If you have diabetes you can at least try to fix it instead of relying on drugs to do it for you. Cholesterol is fixable. I admit there are somethings that need a doctor. But people rely on drugs too much.
If people understood the morals of stories and they watched Akeela and the Bee they would see that she won national spelling bees by stimming. Stimming is only a problem if sociaty thinks so and the parent confirms it.
I'm only bipolar if I think so and my kids are only bipolar if I think they are. I only said that because something bad happened to 4 of my kids the other 2 are pretty sure of themselves because nothing bad has ever happened to them. Bipolar is only the ability to feel hi periods or low periods and how long you feel that way. If I hold good thoughts for weeks or months at a time am I crazy? Of course not. If I get angry because someone tries to make me feel bad about myself for being happy am I crazy? No way! If I tell my kids he's crazy for feeling that way then I'm crazy. I only believe people on the bipolar page are silly because they are extremely intelligent people who only talk about "I can't wait till my meds kick in."" This pill and this pill work well together." "Stimming feels good to me and I should stop it because everyone else thinks so." If you have been diagnosed by a psychologist that you are bipolar I'd say geee that's great! I am able to feel feelings on both sides of the pole and not just depression. I may be depressed for a year but I have the ability to get out. I'm intelligent in cognitive functions. I make humorous jokes. I played Dr as a child (pretty normal). If I'm having hallucinations of ufo's and ghosts I'm not the only one! What is wrong with your thinking that this is bad? You only think I'm a health nut because I cured my son by changing his diet, and his sleep patterns. I also talked to him because if he is a master manipulator, and I know that to be true, then he is intelligent enough to see that by changing himself he can change other peoples mind. Stop trying to prove you’re crazy so that you can continue to manipulate all of your life and be a burden on society is kinda crazy. He is smart and has the ability to be anything he wants to be. And I will continue to believe that way.
You change your mood with your thoughts people. If you are thinking bad thoughts you will continue to think bad things about yourself and others.  If you think happy thoughts you will be happy. You can't control your heart. You can control breathing for a little while. You can control your thoughts and they way you feel about yourself or they can control you. You can't change others opinions but you can change yours. Michael Jackson was tried and convicted before the public for his second rape charge because he admitted to the first one. I was telling everyone the mother should be convicted for the second one because why would you let your child spend the night at someone’s house that admitted raping a child? That’s stupidity. Look what he did to himself!
There are things you can't fix in life. Like it’s highly unlikely I can solve the whole world’s drug problem but I do think it can be helped in our schools. It starts with one school at a time. The school almost did permanent damage to your child and I bet this is driving you crazy! I'm starting at my elementary school, are you? God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

[allmymarbles]

Interesting statistics. Horrifying too.

[Sandman2]

    Consumers Report Health did a study on who prescribed meds.  Pediatrician prescribed meds 77% of the time.  Psychiatrist prescribed 66% of the time.  Psychologists by far gave types of other kind of therapy, followed by Psychiatrists, and dismally behind were pediatricians.  A doctor who treats children without drugs would hopefully be a psychologist, and not some quick fix health food quack.  
   Personally, if my child had a suspected condition, I would want a doctor who specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of that condition.

[allmymarbles]

The last doctor I would take my child to is one who is specialized in handling ADD/ADHD children. People love their specialties and develop tunnel vision. Go to a doctor who treats children without drugs. You are probably not aware that ADD is a notoriously over-diagnosed condition. In America one out of ten boys aged 10 are given this diagnosis. (1) It is suspicious that afflicted boys outnumber girls (boys are more rambunctious -get the connection/) and, (2) common sense has to tell you that it is impossible for such a huge number of children to be abnormal. And, yes, ADD is an abnormal condition, no matter how people try to get around using that world.

[mamacodi]

Sandman his eyes seem to be dialated almost all the time. But my husband and I think it is the medication. That does not bother us too much. The eye tics do. Apparently it is not uncommon according to a different adhd website I search. But still there.

[Sandman2]

   This site has a pretty extensive list of side effects -
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/focalin-side-effects.html
       While I see motor or vocal twitching, I don't see any reference to "rapidly blinking his eyes and his pupils are still dialated."   Does this only happen when he wakes up and could be a response to the light?  or does it go on for a period of time afterward?  Eye dilation would be unusual once one had adjusted to the change in light.
   Either way, it sounds like your doctor would certainly be qualified to know what is going on and deal with it.  And that is certainly who I would ask.
   I am a bit curious to know why he is on the  .01 dose of concerta at night. That's new info to me.   Its gotta be a really small pill!  It is such a small dose, the doctor must have a reason.  If you don't mind sharing you can just leave me a note by clicking on my name hitting leave a note.   Good Luck!

[mamacodi]

I would like to say thank you to everyone for their responses.
I would like to clarify that the dr. who put my child on these in one of the number one doctors in the field of ADHD. He is a sufferer himself at his age. He helped to write the syllabus on ADHD for the American Academy of Pediatrics. We trust his opinions.

I guess I should have worded my question better to find out if anyone else had a child who suffers like my child does or has been in my shoes.

[gjayme31]

OMG, NOOOOOO thats not normal! Cure the sleep problem and not by taking drugs. Look up sleep deprivation and see what mental illness it causes. Its not adhd. There is no child that requires less sleep. Only children who need more sleep. Ask him if he's having bad dreams. If he is get him ready for bed at night by giving him a warm bath use and the baby soap from johnson and johnson called sleepy time or add lavender to his bath. It calms and relaxes. Fix him chamomile tea. Oregano is a strong seditive put it on his food at night. Feed him only meat and dairy for a week or two. It will take all of his energy away.  If you have to sleep with him then do it!!

[aranetone]

Try driving around with him may fall asleep that way.

[allmymarbles]

At his age he should not be on those medications, which are very dangerous.  In fact he should not be diagnosed with ADHD at that age. Find a better doctor before there is permanent damage to your child.