Reply to How long to know if anxiety is related to adhd meds?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We knew DS’s medication, Focalin XR, was causing his anxiety within a week of getting off the med.  He was on Focalin for about three yrs at that point from 7 yrs old to 10.
DS has ASD/ADHD and he is a tournament chess player since he was 8 in the top 100 list in the USA for his age.

The anxiety started last October because he started losing on time at chess tournaments which he never did prior and steadily got worse:  by Dec,  he was losing on time a lot afraid to make the wrong move.

We took DS off his medication in May and it was like pushing a switch.  DS started playing chess way too fast making blunders/silly mistakes which he hasn’t done since he was a beginner.  Literally like a different kid.

Within three days of being off the med, DS was having reciprocal conversations with his peers at his initiative without prompting.  Stopped stimming - he would stare at his hand while moving them palm up, palm down and zoning out - everyone had thought these were stims from his ASD but apparently not because he no longer did this once off the Focalin.  He stopped being fully independent in writing at school, needs a lot more assistance and prompts to stay on task academically including in math - which he never did before on the Focalin.

DS is not on any medication for the summer.  DS is over his time issue in chess:  it took a few months but he managed to slow down without medication.   He is going to Auburn this fall and we are going to see if he needs go back on ADHD medication once School starts.

Try going off the ADHD med for the summer, you maybe surprised.  We were.

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Wanted to add that DS does not have anxiety according to his two neuropsych evaluations at 7 and 10 (he got tested not on any medication both times).  Also, we took DS off his ADHD meds at his insistence.  Everyone, his psychiatrist, neuropsych, teachers, etc and we his parents were against going off it, but now am glad to have listened to DS.  DS has ADHD, combined type, and ASD and tests above grade level academically across the board.  We are hoping that small class size will be enough but if not, DS will go back on medication just not Focalin.
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DS tells us it was much easier for him to slow down his chess off his medication (which he is able to do, took about 10 wks) than when he was trying to speed it up and not lose on time while on the Focalin:  he was unable to do it even after 6 months of trying his hardest.  Anxiety can suck even more than the ASD/ADHD.[/quote]

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