ADHD Meds- can these traits coexist?

[Anonymous]

My 8 yr old son is ADHD Inattentive and has been on Adderall XR 10mg for 3 months now. The meds have been life changing academically- finally finishing worksheets, not daydreaming between math problems, more present during class discussions, etc. BUT now his teacher is a bit concerned he’s just too serious and she misses his happy-go-lucky/carefree/joking personality that she isn’t seeing as much of. I saw what she meant during a parent volunteer event last week. He isn’t an emotionless zombie just crazy focused and serious about his work now. At recess he still has fun with friends I should add.

So are we asking too much? Can you be both focused and a serious hard working student but also still be “carefree” and a jokester?

I don’t want to try another med just to find out this is as good as it gets.

[Anonymous]

This is just like our 10yo DS. Unmedicated he is an exuberant and funny goofball who can't do anything sustained. On the Adderall he's focused, serious, quiet, and solitary. I don't give him the medicine on weekends sometimes just because he has so much more fun. But it has to be the right environment/day, so that bouncing off the walls won't be a huge problem.

Dosage is everything. You might experiment with going down to 5, or 7.5, and see if that feels more like a happy medium to you. We have tried about everything between 10 and 20.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, when we started with Adderral XR, I think we were on something much smaller, like 2.5 mg or 5 mg. So you might find a happy balance at a lower dosage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, when we started with Adderral XR, I think we were on something much smaller, like 2.5 mg or 5 mg. So you might find a happy balance at a lower dosage.

Thanks for the reply. 5mg didn’t seem to have any effect so after 2 weeks he was bumped up to 10mg. His doc said there was no dosage in between the 5 and 10mg. Is this incorrect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, when we started with Adderral XR, I think we were on something much smaller, like 2.5 mg or 5 mg. So you might find a happy balance at a lower dosage.

Thanks for the reply. 5mg didn’t seem to have any effect so after 2 weeks he was bumped up to 10mg. His doc said there was no dosage in between the 5 and 10mg. Is this incorrect?

There is a 7.5 mg version https://www.drugs.com/imprints/ad-7-5-1121.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, when we started with Adderral XR, I think we were on something much smaller, like 2.5 mg or 5 mg. So you might find a happy balance at a lower dosage.

Thanks for the reply. 5mg didn’t seem to have any effect so after 2 weeks he was bumped up to 10mg. His doc said there was no dosage in between the 5 and 10mg. Is this incorrect?

There is a 7.5 mg version https://www.drugs.com/imprints/ad-7-5-1121.html

Unfortunately that is regular not XR. XR is only available in 5mg then jumps to 10mg.

[Anonymous]

Same here, and it's been our experience with three different stimulants (generic and brand name Focalin, Concerta and Adderall). We can tell the meds have worn off, or the dose is too small, when he becomes whimsical and jokey again!

My son is 13 and on 20mg Adderall XR.

[Anonymous]

PP here who said we have tried every increment. I mean we cut it ourselves. There is no 15mg so we get a prescription for two 10mg capsules and every other morning take one apart and separate the grains roughly in half. It's not that hard to make your own dose as long as you have capsules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here who said we have tried every increment. I mean we cut it ourselves. There is no 15mg so we get a prescription for two 10mg capsules and every other morning take one apart and separate the grains roughly in half. It's not that hard to make your own dose as long as you have capsules.

OP here, I was wondering if people did this, thanks. My 8 yr old swallows pills easy so this would be harder work but I’ll keep in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Same here, and it's been our experience with three different stimulants (generic and brand name Focalin, Concerta and Adderall). We can tell the meds have worn off, or the dose is too small, when he becomes whimsical and jokey again!

My son is 13 and on 20mg Adderall XR.

OP here, thanks for the reply. That’s what I’m afraid of- that this is as good as it gets and we can’t have everything- serious student and whimsical personality at school. So did you just come to terms with it? I mean, at home he’s better but I feel bad how serious he is at school now.

[Anonymous]

NP here - let's put this question a different way. Perhaps he's always had a serious, studious side, but his brain's wiring was getting in the way of being allowed to showcase that side of himself. So, now, with the help of medication, he gets to benefit from all of his talents - both his serious/studious side that can get things accomplished, and his whimsical, fun-loving self that perhaps looks at things differently than the neurotypical child. My view is as long as he's not "flat" meaning that he has no responsiveness to stimuli, doesn't react, etc., I think the meds are doing what they are supposed to be doing. I understand - my boy is very similar to yours, but his sense of humor still comes through even on medication - and the filtering of inappropriateness and/or the ability to monitor what he's saying is much better on medication than when the medication where's off. And he's much more able to concentrate in class without disrupting the classroom with "whimsical" behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Same here, and it's been our experience with three different stimulants (generic and brand name Focalin, Concerta and Adderall). We can tell the meds have worn off, or the dose is too small, when he becomes whimsical and jokey again!

My son is 13 and on 20mg Adderall XR.

OP here, thanks for the reply. That’s what I’m afraid of- that this is as good as it gets and we can’t have everything- serious student and whimsical personality at school. So did you just come to terms with it? I mean, at home he’s better but I feel bad how serious he is at school now.

Honestly, OP, I worry more about cardiac or long-term dementia-like effects than a temporary change in personality. There is a discussion in another thread right now where posters raised old concerns about sudden death due to cardiac complications in patients treated with stimulants. I am a scientist and prior to medicating my son, researched all published studies on the long-term effects of stimulants. I could not find any reliable study about it. What we know is that patients should be checked for cardiac anomalies before being put on stimulants, because we think they are at greater risk. There is a growing suspicion, but no real evidence, that people with ADHD might have more dementia-related issues at a younger age than people without ADHD (and no evidence that this is accelerated or diminished by meds). And of course, many medications, some of them OTC and widely used, have the potential to cause serious injury or death.

My best advice is to use the minimal effective dose, and not to medicate more days than necessary. Since he is young, perhaps you can skip the weekends and holidays. My son's particular issue is his slow-processing speed, but he does not take meds on Sundays, however long it takes him to do his homework. I think next year we will have to talk to the school about a reduced homework load, because I would rather do that than medicate him more.

I know. Nothing is perfect.

[Anonymous]

My DD is similar. Without the Adderall she is happier, but just so obnoxious. She also eats a ton and goes to sleep quicker when she's off the drug. On the medicine, she is more taciturn and moody, but she does great at school. It's hard to know what's best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is similar. Without the Adderall she is happier, but just so obnoxious. She also eats a ton and goes to sleep quicker when she's off the drug. On the medicine, she is more taciturn and moody, but she does great at school. It's hard to know what's best!

Yup my DS with ASD/ADHD too. Off his ADHD medication, DS is hilarious, happier, personable, and initiates reciprocal conversations with his peers without prompting in topics of their choice not his. He eats more.

On Focalin XR, he is more focused and serious but and also more anxious, has performance and social anxiety, feels judged by others, and is generally less social and not as funny. Seems less happy.

Academically, he does well on or off the medication, is above grade level across the board, although he speaks more in the foreign language he takes off his medication - generally talks more

Whether DS is on or off the medication is most obvious in playing sports and chess. In chess, on the the Focalin XR - he has a lot of time issues. Plays way too slowly and loses on time a lot even in long games. Has performance anxiety and is afraid of making mistakes.

It is like turning a switch off the medication - like a completely different kid. DS plays way too fast and makes more mistakes because he isn't taking the time to think. Too impulsive. Generally less focused off the med which is to be expected.

Waiting for just right

Currently, DS is not on his ADHD medication since it does not impact his academics. He eats more too. His teachers and his coaches have told me that they prefer DS off his medication, he is happier and more personable, but we will revisit periodically.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for all the relpies. Interesting about the early dementia research in ADHD people, I haven’t read that before. We did do a EKG prior to meds and he never takes on weekends, holidays and not going to take this summer.

Thanks to the poster who explained to try to look at it a different way.

Medicating your child with these drugs has got to be one of the hardest decisions.