Metadate - Changed ADHD Meds again...any Experience?

Sure. It's Ritalin family.

Things to watch out for (not a good fit) would be
- nausea ; especially when happy or excited
- flat aspect (personality stomp)
- over emotional / inconsolable / short tempered

Neuro meds react differently WITH EVERYONE. My niece is on metadate and has been for years and it's a PERFECT fit for her. I can't take *any* Ritalin family drugs (bad reactions), and my nephew was just taken off of metadate (tried it for 6 months) but it kicked him into severe mood swings / unconsolable depression (my neice, nephew, & myself are all adhd. Technically we're "united colors of" adhd... since I'm "c", my neice is "i", and my nephew is "h").

Finding the right drug and dosage can be a real journey (or there'd only be 1 on the market, instead of 80+), so keep your chin up. You know you've found the 'right' one... when you don't have awful side effects (like nausea or depression, or rage)... but it can take awhile. If your son DOES get super emotional on metadate, he probably *won't* get super emotional on adderall (although he may), and vice versa.

((A pretty common 'pathway' for testing adhd meds is Ritalin family, Adderall / amphetamine family, Straterra... because that hits the 3 major families of adhd meds... and then to skip sideways and try "antidepressant" meds alone (not because an adhd kiddo is depressed, just brain chemistry) OR to start doing combos of drugs. More drugs isn't a "bad" thing, it's a personal "tweak" thing. Adderall, for example is combo drug in one pill... but some people react badly to one of the ingredients... but the OTHER ingredient is perfect for them.))

Unfortunately (or not) we can't jam a needle in our brains to test for our own brain chemistry, so we 'test' for our brain chemistry by med trials. It can be really really frustrating when you just keep 'going down the list'... especially with ignorant people's assumptions about diet/sleep/parenting/etc.

2 moms found this helpful

Yes, our son was on Metadate before Concerta. It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure the reason we switched from Metadate was that our son processed it faster than Concerta and Concerta was known for lasting longer. They are very similar meds. He did great on Metadate when it was working.

What was the bad reaction you saw with Concerta? We've been very fortunate and have had overall really good experiences with meds. Really, really transforming for our son. I hope you find one that's the right match for your son. It can take some trial and error, so don't get discouraged if Metadate isn't the winner, either. There are a lot of options out there and it's so worth sticking with it to find just the right one.

1 mom found this helpful

Just curious, have you ever heard of the feingold diet? www.feingold.org. I am sure that I could take my son to the doctor and get him on meds but I refuse to drug my child with a type II or type III prescription drug. I am sure that there are some cases out there that really do require some meds. The diet eliminates all artificial coloring, flavorings, and preservatives. May be worth checking out.

My 10 yo son is on 30mg of Metadate and has been for awhile - works well for us!!!