I have severe ADHD and don't respond well to stimulants. Some people just don't.

OP here. We had a full neuropsych eval done (to answer one of the PP's questions), and ADHD certainly tracks because DH and our other DC have it, but his presentation is different. It's possible it is a misdiagnosis - I am a little skeptical, as you have seen from my post - but I'm also interested in seeing if this could help. He struggles a lot with reading ane could use all the boost he can get there. We already have had him in tutoring and are doing an intensive summer program, so it's not that we are hoping the meds will magically fix it (although I would love if they helped with retention!). He's a super sweet kid and very smart but totally turned off of academics because it's so hard for him - and it's going to only get harder.

The psychiatrist today suggested another increase in meds and to try a different one if it does work.

Inattentive type v combined type is a little trickier. Keep titrating the dose, and if not try different formulations.

As others said, misdiagnosis.

My DC is on the highest dose of a stimulant. It's just what they needed - it all just clicked at that dose.

Anonymous wrote:No side effects or improvements has me wondering if simply need a higher dosage.

They have been increasing the dosage and there has been no change.

I would talk to the doctor and see if there is a medication that is known to work specifically with inattentive ADHD because you are not seeing any change with the Ritalin. I would also be concerned about a misdiagnosis.

Methlyphenidate did nothing for my kid too (although he was clearly ADHD-I). We switched to Adderall and it worked. Might be a medication that he doesn't metabolize, or perhaps a misdiagnosis.

No side effects or improvements has me wondering if simply need a higher dosage.

It sounds like his only symptom is reading challenges? Which aren’t responding to medication yet at all?

And this was all only flagged in a technical evaluation and not from symptom reporting?

Yeah sounds like clear misdiagnosis to me. I’d have him off meds asap.

I’d try adderall before you scrap meds, as that works much better for me and my daughter with inattentive adhd. But I also think it sounds like a misdiagnosis.

It's certainly possible it's a misdiagnosis and your son just has a reading disorder that can be better addressed working with a learning specialist to develop strong compensatory strategies.

My understanding is that ritalin is better for symptoms of impulsivity rather than inattention. But it might be worth trialing another medication to see if it has the same outcome before moving away from medication. We were able to rule out dyslexia when we found the right ADHD medication and my DS could suddenly learn to read. He moved from well below grade level to grade level quite quickly once he could sustain attention. I don't like to think about the damage to his self esteem if we had not figured out what he needed!

Inattentive ADHD doesn't always need medication or respond to medication.

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a misdiagnosis

Agree

Sounds like a misdiagnosis

My DC is 8 and has inattentive ADHD. He also has dyslexia and is doing a summer reading program. We were told the ADHD likely is contributing to his reading challenges, but we otherwise don't see a ton of ADHD symptoms.

He started on Ritalin a few weeks ago, and we've had to keep increasing the dosage but have not seen any real effects - no side effects or improvements. We've asked his teacher, and she has also not noticed a change.

Is this common? Wouldn't we expect some kind of impact? I've been wondering from the start of he really has ADHD because it was mostly seen in the screening test part of his neuropsych - not in anyone's report of observations of him. Does this mean he might not? Or that he just needs a different med?