Can I just say that I find ADHD meds confusing and mind numbing?

[AnnieW625]

So Dd2 (will be 10 in April) has the inattentive Adhd and has been medicated for the last 3 years since she was 6/1/2. I feel like nothing is working.

She started out on Vyvanse and was on that until she was almost 9. We felt it worked okay, but it was a huge appetite suppressant. She gained maybe maybe 7 pounds (she was 48 pounds when she started and 55 pounds when she stopped and she 4’ or so tall) in 2.5 years and so we would have to give her medication holidays whenever possible, but with that medication for about the last month when she wasn’t on it she was mean and nasty to everyone or she would have these awful temper tantrums.

She then took dexmethalphenidate ER (Focalin) for about 7 months but according to her teacher she was still not performing in school like she should. She was forgetting to do work, not focusing so we increased the dosage, and her teacher said that she was often zombie like in class. The worst part of that medication was it made her super paranoid and she be some scared of things like shots that had never bothered her before (she was in full on hysterics trying to get a flu shot....she finally got one in January)

So in January we switched her to Adderall 5 mg, and I honestly thought it was working a little bit better, she was eating and her overall attitude was pretty good, but again her teacher said she was still having problems focusing so at her last appointment on Friday the teacher upped the dose from 5 mg to 10 mg and this weekend especially yesterday Dd2 was almost hyper and her impulse controls were way off the charts. I caught her taking tea bags from a local cafe (she initially told me that one of them just ended up in her pocket when she gave it to me yesterday, but then last night I noticed two more by the car door so she took 3 total.....she doesn’t even drink tea.....I have to deal with this tonight because I found the other tea bag after she went to bed). We spent yesterday afternoon catching her up on her computer Language Arts program for school as well and while it was frustrating because she didn’t want to be doing that she got the work done, but I still had to sit by her in order for her to get it done.

One bonus is she has gained 4 pounds since November and now finally weighs 60 lbs., but she is still skinny and I don’t know whether that is normal (her sister has always been thin as well.....Dd1 is 5’3” and 113 pounds, but I think she was maybe 65 lbs by the time she turned 10) or the medication not working the way it should. Her doctor did tell me that Vyvanse was suppose to be the best for not suppressing appetite and that maybe the Adderall 5 mg wasn’t working because she still had her appetite.

If the Adderall 10 mg works in school then we will have to work on the other impulse issues and hyperactivity that so far in two days seems to come with it.

FWIW she is also supposed to be evaluated for a IEP but wale haven’t gotten the final report yet.

I am at my wits end because I just don’t know what is suppose to be normal and what isn’t.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk