ADHD and addiction to prescription meds

[Anonymous]

OP here. There were some mean posts earlier — all gone. Whoever reported, thanks.
It was quite puzzling and somewhat upsetting to see those posts.
Some people do not realize what it’s like to deal with ADHD challenges.

You have to resort to serenity prayer throughout your day to stay calm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meds def helped both adult dd and dh get through challenging school/work situations. They both dislike stimulants, even though they help. So the opposite of addiction.

This is OP. Thanks for sharing.
I watched a few YouTube videos of people reviewing their experience with adhd meds.
Those were adults. Overwhelmingly, recommendation is to use meds.

Is 20mg daily dose of methylphenidate LA okay or not for my skinny 13 y.o., given eating issues? Down the road, is it addictive and could it present a larger risk of needing higher dose or leading to some crushes in mood that are too severe? - We don’t have all answers, as evidence is uneven.

As it looks now, we have decided to give it a try and assess in a couple of months. For the most part, this decision is a result of sheer exhaustion of both parents to deal with providing help for getting basic homework done and helping to navigate deadlines. Untreated ADHD drains energy - we all can use a break. We shall see if the meds help…

Thanks for helpful replies. I will keep reading adhd related trails started by others as well and continue learning about it. We have not been able to see psychiatrist yet; family doctor prescribed the meds. I’ll try to get a consult with psychiatrist as well. - They are extremely difficult - almost impossible to book in this area…

DP here. Look into also getting an executive function coach or a tutor for your child. Does he have a 504 at school? These are other tools you should consider along with the meds. In our case, the meds helped my DD use all of the self-regulation tools she had been learning (but wasn’t able to successfully implement before going on meds).

And yes, the dose may have to increase as he gets taller and heavier. The current dose may not even do anything for him. Don’t get hung up on the dosage before you even start. You’ll likely need to tweak it for a bit until you figure out the dosage and type of medication that works best for him. Crashes as the medication wears off is one of the potential side effects but not because it’s an addiction issue. That’s just how the medication can affect some people (in which case it might be better to try a different med).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. There were some mean posts earlier — all gone. Whoever reported, thanks.
It was quite puzzling and somewhat upsetting to see those posts.
Some people do not realize what it’s like to deal with ADHD challenges.

You have to resort to serenity prayer throughout your day to stay calm.

OP. This is a cruel website. You know that. So don't crowdsource here. And stop
sccolding and reporting those who do. It's Third Grade Juvenile.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meds def helped both adult dd and dh get through challenging school/work situations. They both dislike stimulants, even though they help. So the opposite of addiction.

This is OP. Thanks for sharing.
I watched a few YouTube videos of people reviewing their experience with adhd meds.
Those were adults. Overwhelmingly, recommendation is to use meds.

Is 20mg daily dose of methylphenidate LA okay or not for my skinny 13 y.o., given eating issues? Down the road, is it addictive and could it present a larger risk of needing higher dose or leading to some crushes in mood that are too severe? - We don’t have all answers, as evidence is uneven.

As it looks now, we have decided to give it a try and assess in a couple of months. For the most part, this decision is a result of sheer exhaustion of both parents to deal with providing help for getting basic homework done and helping to navigate deadlines. Untreated ADHD drains energy - we all can use a break. We shall see if the meds help…

Thanks for helpful replies. I will keep reading adhd related trails started by others as well and continue learning about it. We have not been able to see psychiatrist yet; family doctor prescribed the meds. I’ll try to get a consult with psychiatrist as well. - They are extremely difficult - almost impossible to book in this area…

DP here. Look into also getting an executive function coach or a tutor for your child. Does he have a 504 at school? These are other tools you should consider along with the meds. In our case, the meds helped my DD use all of the self-regulation tools she had been learning (but wasn’t able to successfully implement before going on meds).

And yes, the dose may have to increase as he gets taller and heavier. The current dose may not even do anything for him. Don’t get hung up on the dosage before you even start. You’ll likely need to tweak it for a bit until you figure out the dosage and type of medication that works best for him. Crashes as the medication wears off is one of the potential side effects but not because it’s an addiction issue. That’s just how the medication can affect some people (in which case it might be better to try a different med).

Stimulant doses are not based on size/weight. Things can change and the dose or even the medication itself may need to be changed, but it’s not based on physical growth.

[Anonymous]

My DD16 has been on stimulants since she was 7. Because she is so skinny (2nd percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height) and the stimulants suppress her appetite, we only give her stimulants Monday — Friday during the school year and she’s unmedicated on weekends, when the demands on her executive functioning are far less. In the summer, we only give her half the dose she’d take for school. On days she gets her full dose of her stimulant, we also give her Ciproheptadine to increase her appetite.

She’s not addicted. If I don’t give her the medication, she forgets all about it. She’s never come to me, wanting to take it, and none of her pills have ever gone missing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meds def helped both adult dd and dh get through challenging school/work situations. They both dislike stimulants, even though they help. So the opposite of addiction.

This is OP. Thanks for sharing.
I watched a few YouTube videos of people reviewing their experience with adhd meds.
Those were adults. Overwhelmingly, recommendation is to use meds.

Is 20mg daily dose of methylphenidate LA okay or not for my skinny 13 y.o., given eating issues? Down the road, is it addictive and could it present a larger risk of needing higher dose or leading to some crushes in mood that are too severe? - We don’t have all answers, as evidence is uneven.

As it looks now, we have decided to give it a try and assess in a couple of months. For the most part, this decision is a result of sheer exhaustion of both parents to deal with providing help for getting basic homework done and helping to navigate deadlines. Untreated ADHD drains energy - we all can use a break. We shall see if the meds help…

Thanks for helpful replies. I will keep reading adhd related trails started by others as well and continue learning about it. We have not been able to see psychiatrist yet; family doctor prescribed the meds. I’ll try to get a consult with psychiatrist as well. - They are extremely difficult - almost impossible to book in this area…

Given that your son's situation is complex and you have questions about the dosage, I highly recommend you get him into see a psychiatrist to manage his meds. Medication has been helpful for my kid. He has a complex medical profile, so his meds are managed by a psychiatrist. I do not think it would have gone well with a pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

Try taking the meds yourself and then you can decide if it is something you want your kids to be taking daily.

[Anonymous]

Certain stimulants have been shown to increase risk of psychosis and mania at high dosages, so it’s important to utilize other strategies in conjunction with medication to avoid having to increase dosage. However, ritalin did not seem to have this issue in the studies.
https://www.sciencealert.com/high-doses-of-adhd-drug-can-cause-serious-side-effects-study-warns

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/09/high-doses-of-adderall-may-increase-psychosis-risk/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is a troll.

Either that or they have something similar to Munchausen's by proxy. OP does not want to hear the truth - that Ritalin is not addictive per the US Dept. of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs6/6444/index.htm#:~:text=Medical%20studies%20have%20shown%20that,complications%2C%20and%20severe%20psychological%20addiction.

She is overinvested here with proving she is right - perhaps to show DH or a physician, "See, I told you so! I am right!". She continues to return to the thread to make defensive statements to justify her actions. And to what end? Depriving her son for six months of meds that two medical professionals say he would benefit from - by falsely and loudly claiming it's addictive?

Go back and read her responses. It's all "I". "I", "I". No information on how the kid could benefit. It's all about her and her ego.

And she doesn"t listen to advice. So why is she crowdsourcing here?

[Anonymous]

20 doesn’t sound high to me except that it does seem high to start. Most psychiatrists will start with a low number (probably more like 5 or 10) and then move up gradually until you see a positive difference. If you see negative side effects, you stop increasing and maybe back track.
My kid is on a much higher dose but it took a while to get there. His sibling is on a much lower dose but has milder symptoms, better coping mechanisms and some other health issues we are working around so she just takes a small amount as sort of an assist for her coping strategies.

[Anonymous]

It’s been a game changer for my kid. Behavior, grades, etc all dramatically improved. It does reduce his appetite at lunch and he’s a skinny, picky eater (not as restrictive as OP’s it sounds like.) I’ve decided I’m ok if he buys ice cream at school every day-at least I know he’s eating something that way!

No signs of addiction-we skip lots of weekend/vacation days to get more calories in him and it’s not an issue at all. No other side effects for us, and we work around the appetite thing with big breakfasts, normal dinner, and a healthy pre-bed snack. Your doctor will monitor weight and side effects and can suggest alternative meds if needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think studies have demonstrated that kids whose adhd and behavioral disorders are properly medicated and managed are less likely to struggle with addiction.

There are some studies that show this but tbh the area is not well studied, especially considering the population, i.e., children. And that the population is increasing.

Methylphenidate is literally the most studied medication in pediatrics.

[Anonymous]

Two kids on ADHD meds for 8+ years. Both had an initial drop in weight and then it leveled off after the first 6-9 months. They are now both in the 50th percentile for weight and

Kid 1: Eats a HUGE breakfast every morning before meds kick in and then eats around 5 and snack around 9. Eats a wide variety of foods.

Kid 2: Often doesn't eat anything till 3-4pm (huge meal) and then eats another huge meal 9/10ish. Has a very limited array of foods he will eat (this was true prior to meds.)

The benefits of the meds far outweigh the crazy eating patterns. They both went to failing middle school to 4.1 GPA in HS and are now both at a T50 school doing well. I anticipate they will need it for their rest of their lives....just like insulin or any other med.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is a troll.

OP is indeed a troll. She made statements that may have been deleted that contradict herself. She was called out by numerous people.