ADD meds

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According to my favorite med book, Child and Adolescent Clinical Pharmacology Made Simple (available from Amazon.com), switching to Focalin (brand name Dexmethlphenidate, in the same class as Ritalin [drug class Methylphenidate]), may be tried for reduced appetite.

I also know that Intuniv is sometimes used for ADHD as well as anxiety; however, it causes sleepiness and would probably only be warranted if there is a lot of anxiety and hyperactivity on top of the ADHD. This drug does not reduce appetite. It is in the same class as Clonidine, which my kids take before bed for sleep and anxiety. Daytime Intuniv makes them too drowsy, and I know of another mom whose kid also had the problem of excessive drowsiness. However, one adult that I know of with low functioning classic autism is doing well on the drug.

Why is she so skinny? Is she just blessed with a high metabolism? Does she have GI issues? Eating/taste sensitivity issues? Stomach issues? If you explore the reasons why she is a stringbean, you and your doctor may be ble to find a way to get her to a healthy weight before starting medications.

Our experience with Concerta yeilded a day or three of upset stomach but that was all. My daughter's weight wasn't affected up or down although for the first two weeks she did curb her snacking behavior. We, as a family, have viking genes though - we are all solid. Big bone structure, daddy is 6'6" tall and my viking princess is racing to meet him there. Skinny does scare me much more than heavy simply because there is no room for 'error'. A medication reaction or an illness can quickly become a crisis for skinny minis. But there are ways to put on some healthy weight once you identify the reasons why.

She is built skinny. She has my small bones and my husbands long bones. Like me, she is built narrow - measurement from shoulder to shoulder is more narrow than most. She has no hips. She eats as much as she can, but I allow little junk food and won't allow more just so she can be on meds. I've seen a mom chase her daughter around with candy bars and that's not me. She could use more exercise - often that gets shoved off the schedule because she doesn't get much else done.
Weight will be my major concern. Maybe she should try meds which wear off so she can get in a good breakfast at least. Maybe nothing will work. Maybe I should wait until she becomes a teen. Often kids gain weight then.

I actually have to let my kids have junk food--especially my younger one--otherwise, they get too thin also. I think that low weight was actually preventing my older son from staying where he needed to be on the growth curve at one point.

I try to make junk food choices that have some nutritional value--chocolate milk, high protein chocolate candies with nuts or raisins, vitamin-fortified children's sugary cereals (dry or with whole milk), 100% juice, etc. We also do vitamins (children's gummies) and chewable calcium.

I've gotten some criticism from others about letting them eat junk food, but I'm always like, "Look, we tried limiting the junk food, and it just made the kids underweight. They like junk food and it keeps them where they need to be on the weight and height chart. They take plenty of vitamins and do not have nutritional deficiencies."

Luckily, I could lose a few pounds, mainly gained from always having milk in my coffee and sugar when no artificial sweetener is available. My weight seems to be directly connected to whether my caffeinated beverages are sweetened or not. I don't eat a lot of sweets and get a moderate amount of exercise.

I never guessed 20 years ago that my kids would be eating junk food or taking meds, but circumstances have changed my thinking.

I know that some kids are very hard to find the right meds for. (We tried several different things with my older son.) Good luck!

No you should not put aside those concerns, medications can be very dangerous....especially if used for the wrong reasons. I mean what sort of symptoms does she exibit and how severe are they. If you want her medicated more so its easier for you to homeschool her I would say that is not a very good reason, if she is seriously suffering from her symptoms and needs them medicated then I would look at it as a possibility. Also your son does not even have ADD according to this thread, so putting him on adderall or ritilin would probably just cause problems.

Good question. We am overwhelmed by her symptoms so that's why I think they are severe. She gets very little done, and yet she is so bright. She can't learn if she can't concentrate so her education is compromised. I put great effort into teaching her and she still can't concentrate. Her IQ is above average.

I'm not at this time thinking of meds for my son but he has been diagnosed twice with Aspergers and ADHD. Some say ADD is part of Aspergers but the school psychologist says his low processing speed defines ADD. Any kid with his processing speed would be labelled as ADD. I was surprised that they also labelled him as hyper. No one who knows him would say he is hyper. His stubborness and opposition to me define him as hyper, according to the psychologist.

I can relate to what you are saying, ADHD it not about a child bouncing off walls it about concentration and its different for each child. My daughter dx with ADD is very quiet but my son dx with ADHD is very active. At the same time they don't seem to display behavioural problems in the class room but they get bored very easily and distracted. They cannot focus for long periods and need to move on quickly, they can also hpyer focus on activities they enjoy.

My son gets bored so quickly if we have decide on something, he still needs to know what is going to happen after this is constant. Whilst my daughter needs to known minute by minute what's happening it crazy any answers.

One other thing that I would like to note is that not every kid with learning problems has ADD or ADHD, and that kids with ADD and ADHD can have comorbid learning disabilities.

My son with classic autism, for instance, has information retrieval problems, anxiety, and short-term memory issues, which some teachers have been a little too eager to see as ADD or ADHD because these things are on their radar. Another parent had a child with eyesight issues which were initially thought to be attention-related.

Have you run into the Adderall shortage (link) issue yet? My personal experience is actually worse than that described in the link. I've been having problems off and on for close to a year now getting prescriptions filled...and of course since Adderall is a "Schedule II Drug (link)" (same category as cocaine and morphine ) refills are not allowed. In fact, I've had prescriptions rejected b/c the shrink forgot to put his DEA # on the scrip, because they only had XR when my scrip was for regular...and vice versa (scrip for XR, pharmacy only had regular.)

And right now NOBODY around here has it. In any form, or any dosage. FWIW, I seem to have the constitution of a Clydesdale when it comes to tolerating drugs. I've been as high as 90 mg/day, and not noticed a difference in either sleep patterns or other behavior. Right now I'm supposed to be on 60mg/day, and while I didn't seem to notice the medication while taking it, I'm noticing its absence. There're times when I practically fall asleep on my feet. It is especially bad from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. And if I do fall asleep I find myself unable to get to bed and sleep at a normal hour.

Funny to think I had no sleep problems taking Adderall, but am having them now that I can't get it. I must be a junkie. Hooked on a Class II Substance.

Around here (Austin, TX) Adderal instant release is harder to get than the extended release formula. I have not tried any other stimulants, other than caffeine, and I have told my doctor that I would be willing to switch to a different med if the shortage thing is too bad.