Younger Kids on ADHD meds - ADD / ADHD Message Board

monkey3 · 11-17-2006, 12:16 PM

Can any of you let me know your experiences with your younger children 5-8 on medication. I have just been given Adderall for my son 4.5 years old who was diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist with ADHD with impulsivity and in addition he has autism. The Dr. was fully aware that some of the same behaviors are present in both conditions but was confident that my son in addition to the autism indeed has ADHD. Do you notice a dramatic change or none at all - I suppose that depends on dosage, age, etc. Any insights you could provide would be very helpful.

Thanks
Charlotte

Lelore · 11-17-2006, 01:02 PM

My son began taking adderall when he was 8. His behaviour was really not the problem before he was diagnosed. He was hyper (still is) but not mean or out of control. He just could not stay focused on a task and could not follow directions for an assignment. It became an issue in 3rd grade because he was supposed to work more independently. He couldn't ask the kid next to him "what's the next step?"

The major change that we noticed was in his ability to get his homework completed. Before adderall, he would bring the homework home and struggle to complete it. It took quite a bit of time and he was constantly getting distracted. This is after spending an hour working on it at the afterschool program he attended. After adderall, he was getting all of his homework done in the afterschool program.

His teacher's were pleased with his behaviour in class. He was more attentive. At home, things were pretty much the same since the version of adderall that he is on wears off around 6:00pm every day.

So, there was a change but not a really drastic change. I can say though to be careful with the dosage. The doctors tend to want to increase the dosage just because the child has gained weight. When my son is on a dose that is too high, he develops tics - like constantly licking his lips (until they are raw) - and he had trouble controling his emotions. He would cry over little things and became aggressive when angry. When we dropped the dosage back down, these problems went away.

Lelore

monkey3 · 11-20-2006, 08:20 AM

thanks for your suggestions, I will keep a close eye out.

Katrina Marie · 11-20-2006, 10:59 AM

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was a little over 4.
It started in Kinder she could not sit still or work independently. She cannot do her homework alone and cannot focus for more than 2 or 3 minutes. It made her half hour of homework last hours on end. We tried for years to cope with this without meds. And when she was 7 we started her on Strattera. In my opinion when she takes this med she is not herself. She walks around all day looking lost and tired. She would also laugh at anything then suddenly start crying. Yeah she gets her work done but with all these meds out here and side effects. I am sticking with the NO MEDS option. She only took Strattera for about 6 months. Its hard and takes more time but thats what I signed up for when I had her. Best or worst right. She is now in 5th grade and on the B Honor Roll. She went from F's in 1st to A's and B's in 5th. She just turned 10 and still very hyper but school is getting better slowly. I have helped her by researching and reading books.

Katrina

Epeaf · 11-21-2006, 09:16 AM

you might also want to be aware of minor growth problems, the medications being stimulants and working the way they do, contradict with growth in most cases and on average a person on medication is 2 inches shorter than one without, also the medicine will make the child less hungry and therefore on average a person on medicine is 4 lbs lighter than those without. just minor problems in growth, nothing major, but i thought you might want to be aware. and to katrina, my sister is the same way, its also ADHD but it could be a small signal of bi-polar