Emotional!

[rysmom]

Hi Everybody,

Ok people, I know this has probably been asked before but here's my situation. My 5 yr old son has been on Adderall XR 10mg for a month, ever since he started taking it he freaks out about everything. Like yesterday he was doing his homework where he had to draw a picture with markers. Well the markers went through to the next page and he totally lost it. Sometimes when he gets upset he starts saying that we don't like him and says he wants to leave home. Granted this behavior is very short lived and it usually happens in the afternoon. He has also started saying that none of his friends like him at school, which is not true. He is always playing with them. He said that they say they like him but they are really lying. WHen this is not happening he is a great boy. Happy and singing! What should I do? Has anybody else experienced this?

[swmom]

When we were on Adderall, we had similar things happen. Very emotional, angry, etc. We finally had to switch meds. We're on Strattera and it's much better.
Still seeing some moody stuff but nothing like when we were on Adderall.

[AnneM]

From what I have read (and read, and read!!) .... adderall particularly seems to come up with an "emotional response" ... I have seen this mentioned so often it is impossible to dismiss it .... However, rysmom you DO say this is very short lived ... so as long as the "pros" are well outweighting the "cons" AND so long as the emotional outbursts are VERY short-lived then you are still on the right track. However, if you find that the emotionalality (is there such a word??) is becoming too noticeable then my advice is to speak to your doctor about alternatives....


GOOD LUCK!!

[lisle]

Hi,
It sounds like the meds are making him hyperfocus. Is this during the wearoff period or too soon for that?
Yes, you hear this often with adderall, though for some it is definitely the med of choice. We had the same thing with strattera, unfortunately. Had to quit. We are on no meds.

[MomA]

Have you tried the regular Adderall yet? My son started Adderall when he was 5 (he's 6 now), and though he was always more emotional as it wore off, it wasn't a problem. This past summer I aked to switch to the XR formula so he wouldn't have to take medicine at school. Big mistake!

He was more emotional right away, but I let it go for 3 weeks. At that point, "emotional" turned into "rage."

I called the doctor in a panic and he switched us back to the regular right away. He's never had the problem again.

The XR is the same medicine and should work the same way, but, for some kids it seems to come out too strong.

[EllenR]

My 7yo is on Adderall XR as well (only for a little over a week now). While he's not having emotional issues to this extent, he has become very sensitive -- his teacher told us last week, that he's been very weepy at school. The running away and nobody likes me, we got before meds. Like your son, rysmom, my DS does usually seem to calm down and get control of himself fairly quickly. So far, his worst day seems to be Sunday with the rage for some reason. Hopefully, both our sons will adjust or, like others, we'll switch to something else.

[rysmom]

I"m sooo happy I'm not alone out there I think I will be calling the doctor tomorrow about the behavior.

Thanks

[matjosjoloml]

Rysmom, We experienced very similar behaviors as the Adderrall began wearing off in the evenings. The pediatrician at the time did not seem too concerned, therefore, we switched peds. With the new MD, we tried Strattera only--ineffective. Then increased the Strattera to 60 mg with the addition of Concerta--still ineffective. We went back today and he stated that his initial Adderrall dosage was too high for his weight and feels the emotional behaviors were related to the high dosage. He also stated that it needs to be taken on an empty stomach (30 minutes before breakfast), that if taken with food, the absorption rate is different, which could be another reason for the difficulty in the evening. We are trying a low dose of Adderral to see if this works. I'm crossing my fingers!!!! Good luck!!!!

[JellyBeansMom]

Yes, we were on Adderall for 10 days. The emotional meltdowns started increasing in number per day and intensity to the point where on Thanksgiving Day, our son had three episodes and was hitting himself into the couch. All this because he thought it was against some rule that you can't go anywhere once it gets dark outside. I was so scared. I called the doctor and he had us give him some Benedril and took him off the Adderall immediately. He was only taking 10mg but we were switched to longer lasting form of Ritalin. We're at 20mg and doing much better. Strattera made our son violently ill so we're glad to finally find something that seems to be working (fingers crossed!)

[Dad2Brooke]

JellyBeansMom, I hope that you have found the right med as well.

Good luck.

Adderall caused many major meltdowns with Brooke as well, and she didn't last long on it at all.

[BBW4EVR1]

Adderall was not good for our little guy. His outbursts increased to the point of physical violence against himself, his dad, his sister, and me. He was out of control. No more Adderall at this house!