Medacations for ADHD

My oldest son had/has ADHD. He was diagnosed with this when he was about 5. He was on several different medications before I finally found out about a drug called Straterra. This is a non stimulant medication that worked wonderful for my son. On all of the other medications he was like a Zombie most of the time and was a VERY picky eater and had TONS of difficulty sleeping at night. After I switched him to the Straterra life was very different. he is now 17 and is going without medication this year. Sometimes it is still a struggle, but it seems like he has learned how to control it on his own. Good Luck and I hope this helps you. J. Shoemaker ____@____.com

Hi S.,
My 13 yr old son is on adderall for ADHD and ODD.
He has been taking it for about 2 yrs now , we have had to change the dosage a few times .
I had been told since he was 5 that he needed to be on meds, but I was VERY resistent ....
I don't know what I was thinking , I now wish I would have !
He is doing great in school, and he has started playing sports, and he even has a few friends , which is a big improvment.
And I think the most important thing is how much it has improved his own self-esteem.
But be prepared that it is alot of trial and error, My son tried 5 different types and doses before we found which one best fit him.
I don't want to bring you down but if you don't do something now , it will get worse !
Best of luck to you.

When you pick the medication up from the pharmacy, have the pharmacist tell you all about it. When you get that question from the technician, "do you have any questions for the pharmacist?" Tell the person you want to know side effects, what time of day to take it, how long it will take to work, and any other concern you have.
A broad overview of ADHD meds: they are mostly very similar in the way they work (Straterra is the different one). The major difference is in how long the pills last. For example, Adderall is made as a regular tablet that lasts through part of the day, and a capsule that slowly releases the medication
all day long. Some kids only need the medication during the time they are in school and don't take it on weekends, others need it all the time. One of the other people who replied to you was absolutely correct in saying it is trial and error. Good luck to you.

Hello,
I am a mother with ADD and I have 2 sons on ADHD medication as well. Medications for Mental problems can be a try and fail sort of thing right now. The bad news is that it may take trying 3 or more different times to find the right one, The good news is there are Many different types and there is one out there that will work for your son. my oldest and I take Strattera, and my middle son takes focolin.

The Best news is that when they are on the right medication, The phone calls from the school stop coming, The kids get better grades, You don't frequent the emergancy room anymore, and mom isn't pulling her hair out at home. Just remember that This too shall pass.

PS. make sure you go to a good doctor that specializes in ADD, We go to the Children's center in Idaho Falls and Dr Meyers is AMAZING! Good luck and keep me posted on how it goes
L.

My step son is on something called adderall. I don't know too much about it and I'm not the one that put him on it but it definetly changed him a lot. With this medicine he is very relaxed and in control of situations. I dont know what all the side affects are or anything but I did read that it was a common thing for kids to take.

Well all I can say for adhd medications is that they are try and see tyes of meds. My daughter has been on alost all of them. She first started out on metadate. that is a stimiulent medication. we had to change the dosage on that one alot. finally we gave up with that one and tried going to adderall. then we tried adderall xr. both of those actually brought out the worst side of her adhd. we ended up having to take her of of these cause they actually made her more hyper and very defiant. Then we went to strattera. this worked well for a while but we had to keep switching the dose on her. we ended up giving up on this one as well since it made her more defiant and extrememly moody. Then we went to concerta. with this one she gained alot of weight. this med also brought out the worst of her attitude. So now we are on abilify, wellbutrin, and seroquel. But please keep in mind that every child responds to medications differetly. what works for one child may not work for yours. yo have to try and see with these meds and keep a journal of everything. things will come together.

I want to tell you, my friend just had to change her sons meds. too and it turns out he is diabetic so watch him carefully.