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Post by mommy007 on Dec 9, 2003 7:21:44 GMT -5
My son has been on 15mgs of adderall XR - It is working for him. He has a few tics - but nothing extream. Every so often he has a meltdown - very emotional - he stepped in the dogs water bowl and cryed one night saying everything is all his fault. We never even reacted to the spilled water, it's only water. I had to tell him over an over that it's just water - chill out.
Has anyone else had this type of experience?
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Post by Jorgy on Dec 9, 2003 7:31:31 GMT -5
Adderall worked well for my son also but it eventually changed a sweet easy going kid into a raging monster. He started becoming very emotional and then progressed to attacking us. We changed meds after he tried to stab his sister with a fork. Off Adderall he again became his sweet self. He also had tics that at the time I did not realise were tics. Those stopped too. You have to wiegh the pros and cons. For us the cons became way too great. Good luck, Sue
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Post by JellyBeansMom on Dec 9, 2003 8:51:14 GMT -5
Pretty much the same experience for us. 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!)  |
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Post by Honeysmom on Dec 9, 2003 11:43:45 GMT -5
Honey is also on Adderall XR and I have only had one major meltdown. And I think that could have been avoided b/c he just wanted to sit in his room and watch Finding Nemo and my MIL was trying to watch it with him and he was getting annoyed with her, which led to screaming, yelling, and the whole bit.
He can get emotional occoasionally, but he has always been emotional so I do not think it is side effects, I think it is just him. We see the doc next week b/c I do not think that the "XR" part of the meds are working. It seems to only last 4 or 5 hours and then he is a nut again.
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Post by EllenR on Dec 9, 2003 11:51:21 GMT -5
Jorgy,
You said your son had tics that you didn't realize were tics at first -- what did they look/sound like? My DS is on 10mg Adderall XR and I want to keep a lookout for this. Sometimes he'll say something and neither my husband nor I understand it and have to ask him to repeat what he said. Hasn't happened often but am beginning to wonder about it.
He also tends to be a bit emotional but was before as well. It's hard to tell sometimes what's normal and what's not, but his teacher said he was more weepy last week than usual (his first week on it). I'm trying to keep track of whether his meltdowns are becoming more frequent. He had one last night because I wouldn't turn off music I was enjoying because he wanted to watch Scooby-Doo and the Arabian Nights. I turned off the music eventually but he didn't get to watch the tape and he was okay with it.
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Post by Honeysmom on Dec 9, 2003 22:39:58 GMT -5
Ellen, I did notice the first week or two of Honey taking Adderall that he was more emotional. He did eventually "even out" and it did not take long. Also, keep in mind some of what the kids are doing is just normal kid stuff. I know when Honey started meds I thought everything was related to them, I just needed to sort it out for myself.
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Post by Jorgy on Dec 10, 2003 0:51:15 GMT -5
Ellen, My son's ticks were picking at his lips and nose till they bled. I never realised until he was off it that this was a tic. He was also extremely constipated because he would'nt eat or drink. He lost 30 pounds in the first couple weeks. The med really helped his attention and focusing problems though so we kept going in our ignorance until he attacked his sister. This is extreme and I have known kids that Adderall worked with no side effects at all. Unfortunatly Jake was'nt one of them. On the fortunate side, we have found a combination that does work for him with no side effects. It all depends on the kid so don't take this as a horror story that happens to everyone. Just be aware that it can happen. I wish I would have had a clue back then. I found this site and it helped me a lot on things to look for. good luck, Sue |
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Post by EllenR on Dec 10, 2003 8:36:01 GMT -5
Thanks, Honeysmom and Jorgy, for the advice and for what to look for for tics (which probably would be any behavior that becomes habitual and not present before meds?). I try to remember that some of his behaviors were there before and the balancing act is determining at what point it's more than normal for him.
This is a great site with wonderful people and I'm so glad I found it. ;D
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Post by AustinsMom on Dec 10, 2003 13:02:55 GMT -5
EllenR, Yes, tics can be hard to recognize and that makes it tough. My ds would blink his eyes, or clear his throat and would smooth his hair down. They were small little actions, but if you paid attention you would see they happened with amazing frequency. All of that stopped once we stopped the medicine though, thankfully. I would never have recognized them as tic-like behavior, but my dh (a psychologist) certainly did. Good luck, and I hope you do not have this problem:-)
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Post by lovemyson on Dec 10, 2003 13:10:05 GMT -5
My son aslo on Adderall XR has only one tic that I can identify, which is making a weird noise in the back of his throat. He also has been chewing his fingers more than usual.....But all in all the Adderal is working great ;D
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Post by Dad2Brooke on Dec 10, 2003 13:48:20 GMT -5
My loving little girl completely disappeared on Adderall XR, and was replaced by a monster. So Adderall did not last long in our house. Then we went to Concerta and things got better.
When Brooke was on Adderall XR and Concerta both she had tics that we didn't know were tics.
Clearing the throat, picking her nose, licking her lips.
Once she came of the stims and started the Strattera, those are all gone.
One that hasn't dissappeared, and may not be a tic, and was with her before Strattera is making her teeth squeek, I guess she is grinding them somehow, but it drives me and my wife up a wall. Unfortunately, we bother react instantly to it, and maybe that is why she does it.
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Post by tridlette on Dec 12, 2003 0:15:31 GMT -5
Michael also was the Incredible Hulk after a while on Adderall XR. It was a gradual change, and I didn't realize how bad it was until the fully loaded book bag flew at me from the top of the staircase along with some profanity.  I suspected that some of his behaviors were tics, but they were never diagnosed, since DH insisted it was just allergies (sniffling, sniffling, sniffling) and (if I may quote from the old board!) the tapping, tapping, tapping...  No Adderall XR since June, now he sniffles when he has a cold. And he only drums on everything  ... well... he is a drummer in the band, so I have to believe that is just the musician in him  , not a tic! Oh,  the other tic-like behavior, was biting his toe nails while watching TV . I am THRILLED to announce that one has long since disappeared too! Tics may not be earth shattering, and they certainly are not intentional, but they can be the cause of some uncomfortable social moments. |
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Post by BBW4EVR1 on Dec 15, 2003 9:44:01 GMT -5
Here, Here; Add our household to the "No Adderall" allowed. Our son lost weight, had meltdowns that eventually became violent, and yes, he bit his fingernails until they bled!! We have since changed meds-he now hugs instead of hits, he now eats, and best of all, we bond while I CLIP his fingernails! Adderall may work for attention, but at our house--that just wasn't good enough! |
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Post by Lost and Looking on Dec 15, 2003 12:46:31 GMT -5
Oh, Thank God! I thought I was the only one. My son has reacted this way to every Stimulant Medication he has been on, but the Adderall was the worst. Extreme melt downs and depression. On the Aderall he cried all the time.
We tried him on Concerta and saw improvement in his focus, but the slightest thing would send him spiraling out of control.
Now we are trying Strattera. No melt downs so far. He has been on it for about 2 weeks. Takes 25 mg. His teachers are not happy because they do not see immediate improvement in his focus, but I simply cannot give him those stimulant medications.
just glad to see others have had some similar experiences. I was starting to think mybe there is something entirely different wrong with my son.
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