ADHD meds

[Anonymous]

Which dosage and meds work best for your teen?

[Anonymous]

It is so variable by person and whether impulsivity or inattention is the bigger problem and whether there is also underlying anxiety. What works for my kid may not work for yours and vice versa. Are you working with a good child psychiatrist with lots of experience and who communicates quickly and thoroughly with you?

[Anonymous]

Also may want to look under special needs forum.

And, yes, what works for one may do nothing for someone else.

For ex. My son must have name brand or it's like he's eating jelly beans.

[Anonymous]

My DS has taken Vyvanse since 3rd grade. It was the first and only medicine he tried. It lasts for nearly 12 hours. He is tiny (maybe 95lbs) and takes 40mg a day.

[Anonymous]

SN families seem to endlessly be struggling with finding something that "works" - and then managing the side effects. I don't think that qualifies as true science. Each person is a different experiment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so variable by person and whether impulsivity or inattention is the bigger problem and whether there is also underlying anxiety. What works for my kid may not work for yours and vice versa. Are you working with a good child psychiatrist with lots of experience and who communicates quickly and thoroughly with you?

Agree. I have three kids that have ADHD and are medicated. One takes vyvanse, another takes intuniv and vyvanse, and the third takes intuniv and concerta. Each one has different ADHD issues.

[Anonymous]

Everyone in my family is medicated ADHD. Ahhhhh... genetics.

I’m on Adderall and have been on and off for 20 years. DD did well on Adderall until puberty, then it stopped working. She moved to Concerta and is doing well. DH and DS are both Vyvanse.

We haven’t had side effect issues for the most part. Both kids are in Hs and can take a booster for homework. If their medication wears off and they have a lot of work and haven’t taken their booster, they have trouble with emotional regulation. But for all of us, it helps with mood and decreasing anxiety as well as concentration. No physical side effects, except that O also need to take a BP med.

There is a genetic test you can get done to help you see which drug is best for you, but I’m not sure how reliable it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also may want to look under special needs forum.

And, yes, what works for one may do nothing for someone else.

For ex. My son must have name brand or it's like he's eating jelly beans.

It’s crazy how unique it is. DD and I both take versions of Adderall. 20 mg each. I use generic and she takes name brand. Once she ran out before we picked up her refill and I let her have mine, thinking it’s the same thing. She said it made her feel jittery and it was like the dose was too high to help. I took her Adderall once in a similar situation and my reaction wasn’t like hers, but I really didn’t like how it made me feel. Once my pharmacy changed from one generic to another, and I can tell the difference and have a preference, but it’s not noticeable enough to go out of my way to find the old formula.

You might have to try a few different brands, versions of a brand, and different doses before finding the right one. The nice thing is you can usually tell right away if it’s a terrible fit for you. You can also tell right away if it’s helpful, but tweaking it to go from good to great can be tricky.

[Anonymous]

13y has been taking 45mg of Concerta (an 18mg and 27mg) for 15 months. Aside from lack of appetitie (lost 15lbs, but he needed to) everything has been fine. We are going to keep an eye on perhaps giving a booster dose in the afternoon for homework/sports.

Concerta was the 3rd med we tried. Quillivant was so hard to get and Focalin made him ragey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also may want to look under special needs forum.

And, yes, what works for one may do nothing for someone else.

For ex. My son must have name brand or it's like he's eating jelly beans.

It’s crazy how unique it is. DD and I both take versions of Adderall. 20 mg each. I use generic and she takes name brand. Once she ran out before we picked up her refill and I let her have mine, thinking it’s the same thing. She said it made her feel jittery and it was like the dose was too high to help. I took her Adderall once in a similar situation and my reaction wasn’t like hers, but I really didn’t like how it made me feel. Once my pharmacy changed from one generic to another, and I can tell the difference and have a preference, but it’s not noticeable enough to go out of my way to find the old formula.

You might have to try a few different brands, versions of a brand, and different doses before finding the right one. The nice thing is you can usually tell right away if it’s a terrible fit for you. You can also tell right away if it’s helpful, but tweaking it to go from good to great can be tricky.

Similar here. Adult, I take the name brand of mine. The generic causes me to feel very jittery.

[Anonymous]

My son has been on Focalin XR since he was 7. We've upped the dose a few times, and now he takes 20 mg each morning. He's 12 now, and the Focalin seems less effective than it was in the past. We may talk with his psychiatrist about trying a different med if things don't improve with his focus and impulsivity.