4 year old with ADHD

[Shellguana]

Hello everyone. I am the mother of an almost 4 year old son that has been diagnosed with ADHD. He started on Foclin 2.5mg once a day, then went to Focalin XR 10mg once a day and it's really helped. 8 hours after he took the Focalin, you could really tell it had worn off. He became very aggressive, had bad mood swings and just gave us an awful time. At the last doctor visit he was prescribed Risperdal at bedtime. He's only been taking it for about 4 days now. I was wondering what good it does if you take it at night? He does sleep better and wakes up in a better mood so far.

I've read lots of postings about weight gain with Risperdal. My son is very underweight- he is almost four and weighs 34 pounds and wears a size 2T. I am hoping he gains weight! We have been worried about his weight because the Focalin really decreases his appetite.

Can anyone tell me from experience what to expect from him taking Risperdal? Any bad side effects?

Thanks for reading

[Shelley0928]

Hi I wanted to respond to you about the Risperadal and weight gain. My son is also 4. He had just turned 4 when he was put on Risperadal and when they say weight gain is a side effect, they're not lying! Unlike your little guy, my son was not underweight to begin with but was "normal" for his age. He wore a size 4 or 4T. He's been on Risperadal for about 7 months and has gained 20 pounds! I weighed him the other day and was shocked to see he weighs 68 pound. He is seeing a child psychiatrist for the first time next week and I'm hoping they'll put him on a medication that will help him lose some of the 20 he's gained. As for the effects of Risperadal: At first I thought my prayers had been answered. My little boy was enjoyable to be around. He was a different child. Now, it seems his medication isn't helping him at all and we're back to where we were before the medication. My son was diagnosed with ODD, however I believe that he's actually ADHD and was misdiagnosed. My son is just hungry all the time. His appetite is just unreal. Then his pediatritian tells me to give him "age appropriate meals and when it's gone do not give him more to eat." Easy for him to say when he's not the one dealing with the child screaming and tugging on the refrigerator door begging for more food because he's still hungry.

Good luck with your son.