What should we try next? for 12 yr old

[eddyreddy]

I am new here, but have been dealing with my 12 yr. DD for alomst 9 yrs of ADHD medication. She is going through puberty and it seems like the Adderal XR 25 mg isn't working. I would like to just up the dose and call it a day. The teachers opinion (she has been a 6th gr teacher for 16 yr.) said that her experience the long acting meds don't work as well as the short ones. DD has been on XR for about two yrs., since they came out. Concerta costs us more, I thought Adderall worked okay until this fall. DD thought med.s weren't working, so after mtg with teachers, I have an app. today w/ doctor.
Any thoughts on what to do next for meds? I have an idea what I will do, but I want to hear from you other experts that are out there, too. We all know what it is like to change medication. DD is also on Effexor 25 mg for anxity. I had her on the XR of that, too. But switched to reg. release. I think I will go back to XR on that, too.
Thank you!

[AnneM]

Oh I WISH I had a ready, easy answer for you!! .... but medication and what works/doesn't work can vary so much from child to child and is so individual ... I could tell you that concerta works really well for my 15 year old son and has done for 2 years ... which is true ... BUT equally there will be others who will say it was a disaster for them! .... so its impossible to make any specific recommendations!

But what I can do is wish you lots of luck in your search for the right med for your daughter .... and at 12 years old as you say - puberty is really beginning to strike ... (UGH!) .... 12 and 13 (particularly 13) was a very difficult time for my my son .... the good news is we have found 14 and 15 much better!

GOOD LUCK ... please keep us posted.

[vickilyn32]

My DS-13 was on adderall since he was 7. First reg adderall then adderall XR untill he was 12. Thats when it did not seem to work for him. Our problem was that he got angry and depressed on it. We switched to concerta and it was worse (just like you said AnneM) So we than switched to strattera. Strat is working great for his moods and temper, but we just found out that it is not working for the schoolwork. We went to the doc today and are going to try the strattera and the adderall xr together. Strat at night like now, and adderall each morning.

[eddyreddy]

We just got back from the dr. he agreed w/ daughter and up'd her Adderall to 30 mg. He thought that to have her go back to the short term medication would be a big mistake. The up-down mood swings wern't worth it. He thought that since we slowly took her off the Effexor, she should do okay.
What I din't realize was that DD had not taken any Effexor all this past week. She had complained of dizziness and stomach upset, all week, too. I put her med.s in a seven day dispencer and I apperently did not put in the Effexor. Dr. thought that would be it for her then, and she is done with the Effexor.
Thanks for the advice.
My only wish was I had something like this when I first started out with DD and her medications. It really is up to us, as parents and the feedback from our kids to get this medication stuff right. Plus having a place to bounce ideas off of each other on a place like this.

[Veronika]

If your daughters teacher is in agreement that the shorter span meds work better, than I would try it.

I'm just talking for myself here....the main reason we put our son (12 yrs old) on a slow release med was becasue of the 'ups and downs' he would get from the short span meds. We would get calls from the teachers all the time saying "He's ok in the morning, but the afternoon is really bad!" Even though he got a pill at lunch.

So if the teacher understands what will happen with the short span meds I would try it. It is very difficult to find the right meds, and doseages for kids going through puberty. Their hormones take CONTROL of their bodies!!