Hi mamas. I’m curious about ADHD meds. Have your kids had any crazy side effects to medication? Such as fits of rage, aggression, suicidal thoughts, etc? If you’ve taken your kids off of meds, how are you managing their ADHD? Thanks!
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At first your Dr will usually do a trial for a month until you find the best one.
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It took about 5 different meds / doses to find the right fit
We tried a few different ones before we found the one that works the best. The dr does a recheck every 3 months to see how things are going
My son has been on different meds since he was about 6. He’s almost 11 now. We started out at a very low dose ritalin. When he started acting out a bit more and I brought to concerns and asked to increase the dose, they changed him to adderall that turned him into a total monster. He was very emotional and ragey. Stayed on that for a week before he asked to go back on his old meds. He’s now on 10 mg twice a day when he’s in school and recognizes that it really helps him calm down and focus on his school work. It can very much be trial and error. Especially for kiddos.
He does great on them. We switched around a few times though. If something is causing that bad of effects it’s time to try something new.
My daughter (16) started Adderall in September. We are still working to find the right dosage but she’s in a much better place
Our oldest was on adhd meds for 2 years. Over that time we tried 4 different ones and all had the same reaction. Suicidal, sleeplessness, lack of appetite, angry outbursts and tantrums (throwing or hitting things). He hated himself. We looked deep into herbal and natural ways to treat it and finally settled on magnesium and changed his diet. We limited his coloring (food coloring) and caffeine. That was 5th to 7th grade. He is now a junior in hs and is doing great
My son was on Ritalin, concerta then stratera. On Ritalin & concerta he had no appetite. Stratera lasts 24 hours & dorsnt effect his appetite
It did take several different medications and several months to find what works but the side effects are mild and life without the medication is much worse for him. His doc checks every month to make sure they are working well and how he is doing. He is on Concerta for ADD, Abilify and Lexapro for depression and doing well, no appetite issues or suicidal thoughts
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Usually teenagers will start on Adderall or another amphetamine. Smaller children should be started on a methylphenidate such as Focain or Ritalin. Start small and increase. Making sure your dr doesn’t give a child adderall and a methylphenidate instead will make all the difference in the world. This is fairly new and not all doctors are doing it.
Every child is different which means that often meds are a matter of finding the right one for the child.
For my son his “right” med is vyvanse. Hes been on it almost 2 years. No weight loss or appetite suppression. He still runs and plays like any other 7 year old.
Now we have had an issue here and there when the dose needs to be adjusted but otherwise it’s worked really really well for him.
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We tried several different kinds before we all liked one. Before medication he had lots of rage, aggression and suicidal ideations. He’s now 20 and unmedicated (his choice) but he struggled on occasion; which he’s fine with now. He lives on his own. He’s been working out which also helps him concentrate and use his time wisely; he also meditates to help him during stressful situations that he wouldn’t have been able to control without his medications.
Just finding and exploring new social, mental skills to help with ADHD helps so much. Different for all kids 
My kid threw hers down the toilet. She’s in her 50’s now and a successful artist.
Aggression at the end of the day when the pill is wearing off.
My son was diagnosed in kindergarten at 5. He’s now 7 in second grade. When we went in for the initial appointment, doctor said “I’ve been waiting for this call”. We have tried every ‘family’ of meds. He has had everything from severe aggression, insanely happy to ticked off at the world within seconds, you think of it - he’s had that side effect. Now here is the catch, he DOES NOT show side effects at school only at home! We are finally on the “perfect” one - and I use that very loosely. Just don’t give up and be consistent. Advocate for your child and do what is best for not only him/her but for the family! My son is text book case of ADHD! Good luck!
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My teen is on Focilin xr and a 10mg booster she can take at 3/4pm if she needs to focus for homework… and definitely can tell when she takes and when she doesn’t… diagnosed at age 8.
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I was on it for years as a child, 55mg of Adderall, then they switched me to the generic brand after a while. I personally now have side effects to this day and one of my main reasons why I couldn’t focus was because I was to hyperactive and I wasn’t in enough physical activities to where I could physically wear myself down. Each kids different and I’m sure medicines are different since I was a kid. However, if your kid comes to you acting like a zombie and they won’t eat and can’t sleep, take them off of it and tell their pediatrician the medication isn’t working. It’s trial and error, no amount of medication could help me even if they kept increasing the dosage. So my dad put me in sports and got me a tutor and it really helped me out. That and a child therapist, taught me to regulate my emotions properly and to slow down. Xx momma
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My son takes meds for ADHD he if fine on them curbs his appetite sometimes but at around 6/7 at night he’s hyper again
my 9 yr old has been on meds sense she was in start of 2nd grade . she has been doing good sofar . i only give to her during especially for school and has done better in school.i dont really give on weekends unless we are going some place.she is on 10 mg adderall. my niece was on meds as well dont know if still is. but she was also on during school hrs and my brother would not have her on during summers. dr. said i could do that to. but i dont i only dont give to her on weekends i dont want to re adjust a month before school starts .
My son takes concerta regularly for his ADHD (he’s 13 and in grade 8) and he’s never had any odd side effects at all. It’s been enormously helpful for him!
My daughter is 7, been on Adderall for almost 2 years. She does have some pretty wild mood swings. She can be fine one sec and the littlest thing will set her off and make her cry. I’m talking trivial things, like her shoe won’t go on easily. She does seem to lost patience quickly too. These could just be her getting older but it could also be the meds. I want to up her doseage because it feels like we have hit a plateau…not getting as much out of the meds as we used to but trying to wait and see if she improves on her own first.
My daughter is on adhd medication and is doing well. The only side effect is she eats very little at lunch but makes up for it at breakfast and dinner. Her doctor watches her closer. I have a bonus kid that isn’t medicated and does counseling. Medication would help him but his mom won’t give permission. It’s night and day between them. She went from cs and bs to A’s and b’s. He has been in counseling for years and he is making some A’s but there is F’s and D’S. But every kid is different. Try something if it doesn’t work try something else.
Every child is different. I grew up being a Guinea pig for every single ADHD medication on the market and a lot of them made me feel like that, including complete loss of appetite, hyper focus and insomnia. I finally stopped taking them when I hit 17 and could control myself. Also remember, depending on age, kids will be kids and will act as such.
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I have two children out of three that have adhd my middle one was aggressive when she was five she stabbed my son in the leg with a screw driver, that’s when she was diagnosed now she is 11 and is having issues again part I know is puberty and her doctor agreed but she was also diagnosed with ocd which leads to her aggression at times which can be co sided with adhd from what I have read
My son started on Ritalin but a low dose and we noticed he was more emotional and had rage tantrums
We switched him to concerta and it was honestly the best one but due to issues with insurance and financial issues we had to go back to Ritalin but a higher dose and he’s doing much better now
My son cant take addvdrall hes on foclian 40mg once s dsy hes doing much better now
My son was on Strattera but recently had to stop taking it. He developed itchy skin/rash to the medicine. We’re in the process of switching his medicine now.
My son is 7 and is on 10mg of focalin. He just started it and is doing well. His appetite has actually improved and doing so much better in school
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Following, my bonus daughter is on adderall. Used to do alright with it. The beginning of this year she started acting out. So her mom and dr kept her on it during the morning then afternoon put her on Ritalin. And she went super crazy. They took her off the Ritalin and left her on adderall. But she still acts out. Yes I know it’s not my place to say anything due to her not being my biological child. Just seeing if there’s anything else we could try to help her.
My daughter is great on Ritalin, my son got violent and went back to dexamphetamines
Yes, all of the above.
Daytrana is amazing,my daughter was put on it at age 4 shes 15 now and has outgrown the adhd but its a patch they wear and it worked great ,slowed her down enough to be able to function and comprehend but didn’t make her a zombie or make her lose her appetite
I was a child on adderall. I was depressed, lost too much weight, gained a heart condition, I self harmed, and had suicidal thoughts etc. Not everyone does, but I did. I am 27 and unmedicated because of my preteen/teen years.
Growing up with a lot of kids that were diagnosed (or misdiagnosed) with ADHD, I saw a lot of side effects from Adderall. The main one was suicidal thoughts and attempts in kids as young as 11.
I never though medicating kids for adhd was morally okay. Or at least with stimulants. It’s selfish kids, are naturally hyper doesn’t mean you need to drug them. It also alters your child’s reward system (dopamine). Kids with adhd already have issues with the reward systems in their brains and it slowly but surly makes it worse. Also adderall is pharmaceutical grade methamphetamine. So there’s that.
If your child is having those issue on the medicine, you need to contact your child’s Dr. My son takes meds for ADHD and every appointment his Dr tells me to call her if he has issues like that while taking meds.