Reply to ADHD meds long term

Forum Index » Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Reply to "ADHD meds long term"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If ADHD meds work does this mean that your child will be on them continuously through adulthood? I have read that young children don't develop a tolerance to the drug as adults do but I would assume that the dosage increases overtime. Does anyone have a teen who started meds around age 7-8 and has stayed on them for 10 years?

DD's current dosage is the lowest and is having a mild but noticable positive effect with no real side effects. I'm hesitent to up the dosage to get better effects and trade off getting side effects and my concern about how this play out long term. [/quote]

There is no real answer to the question.  For kids who suffer primarily from hyperactivity, many do "outgrow" it at some point and can manage without medication.  For primarily inattentive kids, my understanding is that they often do continue on them.

Dosage does tend to increase over time, but again, it depends on the child and how they react to medication.  Some kids find a medication and are able to stay on it long-term with no effects.  Some never find a medication that really works, and some do need an increased dose.  We happen to have a DS who has been on low doses of different ADHD meds -- increasing the dosage in his case has not been helpful at all.  So far, he's taken only long-acting meds, but we are considering going forward with more of a mix of long- and short-acting.  The long-acting don't last nearly as long as they are supposed to (DS has a high metabolism) and his psychiatrist thinks short-acting may actually work better for him.  (DS started meds at 6 and is now 9).

Good luck, OP![/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics