Methylphenidate caused my teen to break down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Searching trying to find out, how many days are enough for a trial?

I thought 1-2 weeks but as side effects aren't lessening and kid is a zombie on lowest dose available, reasonable to end sooner?

A few days are enough for a trial. You should switch to a different family of medication (Eg if on Ritalin family try adderall or vice versa)

Thanks. These med trials are much more difficult than I had anticipated. I'm worried about our kid refusing for the same reason as OP.

DP. I agree that it shouldn't take long to know if the medication is a good fit. When my DSs have been 'zombie-like' or 'flat', it's because the dose was too high. If your DS is on the lowest dose then it's likely not a good fit.

And, yes, the trials are difficult. It's so very hard, emotionally, but research supports a good fit leads to better outcomes. Hugs.

[Anonymous]

Wellbutrin is an antidepressant and has some effect on attention issues. It may help you with both issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are strong drugs OP. Just let him
be unmedicated. He’s 17 and old enough to decide for himself. Many adults report they do not like the experience of ADHD meds and that stimulants do not actually help with producing work.

This is such bad advice. Many kids at 17 do not have enough knowledge of ADHD to make rationale choices.

Many adults really find medication helpful - both stimulant and non-stimulant. I'm one of them. In fact, studies show ADHD meds work about 80% of the time.

OP, here is a good resource for understanding medication:

https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/how-does-adhd-medication-work/?src=embed_link

Of course, if a kid doesn't want to take medication, a parent shouldn't/can't force him/her to. But, they're kids, so continued discussion and access to professionals is appropriate.

My ADHD DC didn't want to take meds or see a therapist and angrily refused both. Over time he changed his mind and today he finds medication helpful and is much happier.

He’s 17 and expressed that the stimulant was having really negative side effects. It would be horrible to try to force him to take medication he does not want and possibly does not need.

Taking a medication with bad side effects is horrible. On top of that he has anxiety and you push for a stimulant? That’s torture. He needs to lighten his load of classes if he’s overwhelmed. No student who is taking the right classes is staying up until 3 am on a regular basis.

Look at what he’s having difficulty with and change it. ADHD went away when he was doing fine and now the work is difficult you’re claiming ADHD

Don’t keep giving a medication to anyone who has those kind of side effects.

[Anonymous]

OP, it's hard to say since you've only provided the name of the active ingredient. Sometimes meds are metabolized differently based on the filler ingredients.

We found that Focalin was great, but that the generic had more of a crash. When that went out of stock, we tried Azstarys and the crash was 1000 times worse- the active ingredient is the same in all of these drugs.

It's really just trial and error. It sounds like you're very early on in your journey, so keep your chin up.

[Anonymous]

We have found concerta led to significant anxiety and OCD like symptoms in my DS. He seems to respond to straterra and an SSRI for now.

[Anonymous]

You need to relax! It takes at least a few weeks to get used to it. Expect insomnia, mood swings, euphoria, appetite ups and downs. It will moderate and they will become their new and improved selves. It's like saying wow those glasses made my nose bridge uncomfortable at the end of the day. Guess I'll just be blind instead!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has a tough rebound after dexemthylphendiate. We’re working through it. I’ve heard that sometimes a booster in a half dose can help.

We had a very bad experience with qelbree, but my son is young and maybe just too little for it.

This medication is super rough and I would only recommend for kids in college that have extremely demanding workloads, I would try methyphenidate instead. It's very smooth.

[Anonymous]

Cut doses in half and see how less works out. Maybe spread out, instead of two a day, one in AM, half and then half later.

[Anonymous]

If you are trying medication, you need to do it everyday. "Just the weekends" is making it harder on your child to adjust. Also it works best to ramp up the medications slowly to just the amount that works and no more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has a tough rebound after dexemthylphendiate. We’re working through it. I’ve heard that sometimes a booster in a half dose can help.

We had a very bad experience with qelbree, but my son is young and maybe just too little for it.

This medication is super rough and I would only recommend for kids in college that have extremely demanding workloads, I would try methyphenidate instead. It's very smooth.

I have one child on Focalin and it works well with no side effects. My other one couldn't tolerate that or Quillivant. The matching of med and kid is really individual.