ADHD medication for 5 year old

[Anonymous]

There was an interesting article on ADHD diagnosis and medication in the NY Times today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-attention-deficit-disorder.html?ref=health&_r=0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, 11:47.
It's interesting to me, how stimulants seem to help "settle" a child. How does this work? Would appreciate any help with understanding this, plus any links you recommend.

Anyone? Thanks!

Stimulants increase the availablity and receptiveness of certain chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which help transmit signals between nerves. When those levels are low/unreceptive, the body does things to increase their levels/receptivity - things like excessive movement. When the levels are low/unreceptive, it's difficult to regulate attention, alertness and executive functioning. It sounds counter-intuitive to give a hyper person a stimulant but when you understand the reasons why the person is hyperactive, it's more clear. Low level stimulants also help my DH and kids sleep. It allows them to 'shut off' their brains. But, too much and they don't sleep well. Timing is critical for us.

[Anonymous]

How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html:

"These behaviors associated with ADHD interfere with a child's social and intellectual development, causing problems with relationships with peers and adults, at school and at home. But what if ADHD isn't always the underlying cause of these symptoms? Signs of poor quality and insufficient sleep in children can look remarkably like symptoms of ADHD, as a number of recent studies show. There's particularly strong evidence that children with sleep-disordered breathing exhibit many of the same symptoms -- and suffer many of the same behavioral problems -- as children who've been diagnosed with ADHD."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html:

"These behaviors associated with ADHD interfere with a child's social and intellectual development, causing problems with relationships with peers and adults, at school and at home. But what if ADHD isn't always the underlying cause of these symptoms? Signs of poor quality and insufficient sleep in children can look remarkably like symptoms of ADHD, as a number of recent studies show. There's particularly strong evidence that children with sleep-disordered breathing exhibit many of the same symptoms -- and suffer many of the same behavioral problems -- as children who've been diagnosed with ADHD."

For comparison - think about how sharp you were when you had a newborn and sleep deprived. Gave me a whole new level of appreciation the difficulty my DH and kids have when their ADHD. I had a lot of the same symptoms due to sleep deprivation.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Age 5 1/2. Adderall XR.
Cons. Loss of appetite until about 3 pm. Couldn't fall asleep until 10 pm. Pros. Was able to function and get through the day safely and mostly, on target.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html:

"These behaviors associated with ADHD interfere with a child's social and intellectual development, causing problems with relationships with peers and adults, at school and at home. But what if ADHD isn't always the underlying cause of these symptoms? Signs of poor quality and insufficient sleep in children can look remarkably like symptoms of ADHD, as a number of recent studies show. There's particularly strong evidence that children with sleep-disordered breathing exhibit many of the same symptoms -- and suffer many of the same behavioral problems -- as children who've been diagnosed with ADHD."

This seems like common sense to me. Why not address the lack of adequate sleep before jumping into the meds?

[Anonymous]

My son got plenty of sleep but was unable to focus during the day in school or complete tasks at home. So, sleep deprivation was not an issue. Since he started on meds, he has been able to get work done at school and stay focused when it counts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html:

"These behaviors associated with ADHD interfere with a child's social and intellectual development, causing problems with relationships with peers and adults, at school and at home. But what if ADHD isn't always the underlying cause of these symptoms? Signs of poor quality and insufficient sleep in children can look remarkably like symptoms of ADHD, as a number of recent studies show. There's particularly strong evidence that children with sleep-disordered breathing exhibit many of the same symptoms -- and suffer many of the same behavioral problems -- as children who've been diagnosed with ADHD."

This seems like common sense to me. Why not address the lack of adequate sleep before jumping into the meds?

Also, it may not just be a matter of getting enough sleep but the quality of sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html:

"These behaviors associated with ADHD interfere with a child's social and intellectual development, causing problems with relationships with peers and adults, at school and at home. But what if ADHD isn't always the underlying cause of these symptoms? Signs of poor quality and insufficient sleep in children can look remarkably like symptoms of ADHD, as a number of recent studies show. There's particularly strong evidence that children with sleep-disordered breathing exhibit many of the same symptoms -- and suffer many of the same behavioral problems -- as children who've been diagnosed with ADHD."

This seems like common sense to me. Why not address the lack of adequate sleep before jumping into the meds?

Also, it may not just be a matter of getting enough sleep but the quality of sleep.

TV does interfere with sleep quality, not just for children, but for adults to.

[Anonymous]

Looks like people don't want to talk much about sleep issues.

[Anonymous]

Sleep is less the issue than appetite suppression at least for my DS from the medication. In fact, sleep has never been an issue because he takes the medication early in the day that by bedtime, it has pretty much run it's course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does sleep deprivation affect ADD behavior?

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html:

"These behaviors associated with ADHD interfere with a child's social and intellectual development, causing problems with relationships with peers and adults, at school and at home. But what if ADHD isn't always the underlying cause of these symptoms? Signs of poor quality and insufficient sleep in children can look remarkably like symptoms of ADHD, as a number of recent studies show. There's particularly strong evidence that children with sleep-disordered breathing exhibit many of the same symptoms -- and suffer many of the same behavioral problems -- as children who've been diagnosed with ADHD."

This seems like common sense to me. Why not address the lack of adequate sleep before jumping into the meds?

Can't speak for everyone else, but we DID address sleep first. Why are you assuming that people don't?

[Anonymous]

Is there an ADHD medication for young boys that doesn't affect weight and sleep? DS is already (with no meds) such a poor eater that it may be affecting his growth, according to our endocrinologist. He has always been a poor sleeper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there an ADHD medication for young boys that doesn't affect weight and sleep? DS is already (with no meds) such a poor eater that it may be affecting his growth, according to our endocrinologist. He has always been a poor sleeper.

There are non-stimulant ADHD medications that don't typically have an impact on sleep/appetite. Also, stimulants don't always negatively impact sleep and appetite. It's not an uncommon side effect but it's universal.

The thing about ADHD medications is that you can't predict how a person will be affected by them. Even if one family member does well/poorly with one class, there's no greater likelihood that others in the family will - and it can change over time. It's why you need to work with a professional skilled in treating ADHD and medication use must be monitored.

My older DS started on Focalin, lost too much weight and develop a tic. He switched to Intuniv (non-stimulant) for a couple years but when it became ineffective went back to Focalin. He's on the same dose as his younger brother who weighs 25 lbs less - it's just more than half what's considered a therapeutic dose for his size. But, it's far more effective this time around, the tic hasn't re-emerged and his weight loss hasn't been significant. It is harder for him to sleep but manageable. By comparison, we've seen absolutely no negative side effects in his younger brother - no decrease in appetite and no sleep issues.