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Post by EllenR on Nov 24, 2003 8:34:50 GMT -5
We will be starting my DS on 10mg Adderall XR this Friday (so he can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner  ). The ped. told us about the loss of appetite and mood change has it wears off at the end of the day. I've read on here about some of the side effects that may/may not be temporary and the information sheet that came with the drug. I'm concerned about watching out for citric acid since he loves juice and about what constitutes too much caffeine. He likes coke but only gets it on an irregular basis and if we're in charge, it's caffeine free and the same for tea. What has been y'all's experiences with this. Anything else I should be looking out for? What would be a sign that this is not the right drug for him -- still having problems after 3 days? a week? Any suggestions as to what to look for are greatly appreciated. |
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Post by lovemyson on Nov 24, 2003 8:58:30 GMT -5
EllenR....we are currently giving my son (6) 5 mg adderall XR and the first week we noticed some moodiness, weepiness and no sleeping. It has all leveled out and it took about a week for this to happen. It is definitelly working for him, his teacher has noticed a great improvement in school since we have started. Of course after it wears off (about 8-10 hours) he is bouncing off the walls again but I can deal with that! I just want him to succeed in school. His appetite is up and down....some days he eats nothing and some days he eats normal. We stay away from the caffine drinks and he is not a big fan of Citrus juices, although he does eat a few oranges.....Good luck with the meds and hope your son enjoys Thanksgiving!
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Post by vickilyn32 on Nov 24, 2003 10:03:09 GMT -5
my ds-13 has been on adderall and then adderall xr for 5 years now. we told him about the caffene and he has been great about not drinking cokes or tea when he goes to other places without us. His teachers have even said that he reminds them he needs 7-up when they have parties at school. We dont do adderall on the weekends, so we allow a soda or two and orange juice at that time. He also eats us out of house and home when the meds wear off. He does not eat alot when on the meds. I just make sure to keep lots of good food in easy reach. Luckily for me he loves fruit and veggies and eats them like potato chips. Also being involved in sports, he is starting to be more careful about what he eats because the coaches talk about taking care of their bodies, and warn the kids to not drink much soda because it is not good for them. The kids listen to the coaches when they will not listen to us.
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Post by Honeysmom on Nov 24, 2003 11:53:34 GMT -5
Honey is also on Adderall XR. 5mg, and he is 4 yo. I don't allow soda at all b/c my kids have really bad teeth to start. The dentist loves us. His side effects like being emotional wore off in about a week or so. I do notice a strong rebound at the end of the day, but being so young I can adjust the times I give it to him. On school days it is early, but the rest of the week he has it at about 11 AM and it lasts until about 8 PM.
His appetite is actually better, but he never ate much before the meds. He has actually gained about 2 lbs overall.
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Post by geminiangel on Nov 25, 2003 16:37:49 GMT -5
Would someone please let me know about the caffeine and juice. I just started my son on Adderall this past weekend and did not know this. Guess I did not read the side effects etc... good enough. So far so good for me!!!
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Post by EllenR on Nov 26, 2003 8:51:26 GMT -5
Thanks for all the advice. When he takes it, is it better if he eats something first? If it causes an upset stomache, can you only offer sympathy or will milk or something else help calm it down? He's never taken a pill before so I'm hoping that it won't be too much of a problem. It's a small pill and he's seen it so we'll see. The ped. said if necessary we can break it and put it in applesauce or yogurt. I hope he can swallow it.  I asked him one day what he thought about taking the medicine. He told me that he thought it would take a while before it worked. He's out of school today and when I left for work, he blew me a kiss  He's such a sweetheart! |
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Post by Honeysmom on Nov 26, 2003 12:14:42 GMT -5
Honey cannot take the pill. I sprinkle it in applesause. He calls it his "magic applesauce." I never give it too him with food. (other than a bite of applesause) I guess he never said if it bothered him one way or another. It doesn't say on the bottle to take with food so it is probably up to the individual.
I think you will be suprised at how fast it works. It is not like strattera that has to build up in your system. If I skip a day (or forget) with him I can tell a huge difference in him. Once you are over the intital side effects as he adjusts to it I hope you love it as much as we do.
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Post by Dad2Brooke on Nov 27, 2003 0:02:27 GMT -5
EllenR, what I found that worked with Brooke when she first tried to take a pill was to be calm and act like it was no big deal. I took an aspirin to show how it was done and then let her take her pill. I didn't even act like she wouldn't be successful. She was four. It was little messy, but she got it down. Now if I could only teach my 35 year old wife the same thing.  Any med she takes, she chews up, because she can't swallow a pill. UGH
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