i want to thank you all for your patience with all my "newbie" ignorance. i am learning so much, so thank you!
we have been using the Daytrana patch for 4 days, today will be day 5. i noticed a slight "lower gear" on the first day (we did it on sunday so that i could observe changes in him). but since then, his days at school seem to have progressed pretty much in the same way. multiple - MULTIPLE warnings, a couple time outs. the teacher contacted me monday afternoon and stated that she had to give him several warnings but fewer than before. i haven't heard from her since (am REALLY hoping she contacts me soon!) but my son has said he's had a couple time outs each day. - but he hasn't said he's had to be removed, so that's an improvement...but still. that's not acceptable either, he can't do well in school if he's in time out constantly! that was the whole POINT of going through all of this.
so i am getting a little frustrated. can anyone tell me what i can expect - how long till i see changes, IF i see them? should i be seeing them by now? or should it take a couple of weeks?
evenings and mornings have pretty much gone back to "normal" for us. side effect symptoms have been sporadic at best, and difficult to pin down. on sunday he complained of a stomach ache in the morning, but it went away and hasn't come back. he had an emotional episode yesterday morning, not anger, but tears and sadness over a balloon that he let "get away" probably 2 years ago (really - actual tears and heartache as though it was brand-new). then last night it took him about an hour to get to bed (SO not like him - but it has happened occasionally so not really a huge red flag there). he did complain of a headache the other night - also not that unusual. the fact that they're all happening in a 4 day period tells me it's probably side effects...but nothing too critical at this point.
i feel like nothing is happening. or maybe it is. this sucks. help!
thanks mamas!
This might not be a good fit for him.
We tried multiple meds before we settled on a good one for us. Two actually...a cocktail of stimulants and non-stimulants to help with the withdrawl symptoms from the stimulants.
Talk to the doctor.
You need to talk to the doctor about a change in medication. One of the things I've notied with the ADHD medications is that it tends to make my son more talkative - which can cause issues at school. Do some research about medication -there are sooooo many. My son was on the lowest dose of Ritalin LA possible - and that worked for many years. But as he got older and the hyperactivitiy became less of an issue and focus was more important we tried a few other medications and ended up with focalin XR. Prior medications ended up causing problems sleeping, headaches, angry outbursts, etc.
Most kids need only a very low dose of whatever medication ends up working. My son is now 13 yrs old, 6'1" & 185 pounds and has only changed to a dose higher than the lowest dose. I also found that the longest acting medications weren't the best for my kid. I really only wanted him to get through school and be able to learn - I can work with his distratibility when he's home. So the focalin XR gets us through school and homework. I have friends whose kids were on the longer acting medication
and they could not fall asleep at night. That's not a problem I wanted to deal with.
The link I've attached below takes you to a chart of the different ADHD medications that exist. Have your doc try a new medication and see how that works. It's also a good idea to have your child work with a counselor to help him learn age appropriate self-control and resonable expectations. In our district ADHD makes my son eligible for special learning programs in school - which is an enormous help. Some people don't like the "special education" label but if it gets your son into a class with a teacher who understands him and knows how to channel his energy & intelligence it can make a HUGE difference. Some of my son's teachers have made all the difference in the world.
Set reasonable expectations for your son and commincate to hime that you know he can do them (make a chart to help him visualize achievement - use small chunks at first - such as: "morning in school with no acting out in class". When he achieves a goal use stickers - when he's go a row of stickers he gets a special something. There will be some trial and error and he won't always succeed - but when he nails it and fulfills positive expecations he will gain confidence in his abilities. Reinforce positive behavior - wow, atta boy, I'm so proud of you I knew you could do it, you're doing so well, etc. when you have to work with him on times he misses the mark be matter of fact, not sad, no show of disappointment just matter of fact "hey dude, I hear you had a tough time this morning in class - bummer - what do you think you can do next time that will help you handle that better?" We all respond better to positive reinforcement of good acts so you go mama.
My son, who was the lowest level reader in the school (out of 85 kids) in 1st grade, and the most distracted child (his kindergarten teacher was always frustrated with him - but that's another story) is now in 8th grade and doing well - his grade average was 87 in the first quarter this year. And I thought he'd never learn to read, never be able to sit still in a class, etc.
Your boy will come along - with your encouragement and guidence, with good teachers that you work along side with. Good luck mama - you'll get through this - I promise!
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/adhd-medication-chart
It sometimes takes a while to find the right med and the right dose. Stimulant meds are in and out, they don't build up so you should see results right away.
You need to talk to your doctor about what is going on. It may be the wrong med or the wrong dose but only your doctor can make that call.
If your son was on the right med, you would see an immediate change -- adhd meds don't need time to 'build up' like other meds. Patches never worked for my son... I'd contact the doc and let him know what's going on.
Also -- waiting to hear back from a teacher (in my book) is not OK when there is a new/change in medication. I'd call and keep calling her. She needs to understand that what's going on with your son is a big deal and she needs to be on board with you and your family and your doc so you can work as a team to help your little guy get the help he needs!
I think you need to contact the doctor and speak to him/her about either a dosage change or medication change. We stopped Daytrana b/c it didn't work for us at all.
Also speak to the teacher to make sure that she knows that he has just started meds and to ask her to be aware that it isn't an instant fix and give him some extra help not negatives
If he was on the right type of medication you should have seen a change right away in his behaviors. At least that is how it was for my daughter. It took a couple different medication trials to find the "right" one. These types of meds are supposed to work right away. Talk to your doctor to find a different medication/dosage.
One thing I have noticed with the patch is it has to gi right in that hip area like the diagram notes. And i am not sure when your son is getting in trouble but the doctor should have hopefully informed you that unlike the pills it can take up to 2 hours for the patch to kick in!
And others are correct he may need a med change!
I agree with the others. Call the doctor. This medication isn't a good match for your son. Daytrana goes into the system much differently than oral forms of Ritalin, so it may be this doesn't suit him. It may also be that the Ritalin family of meds aren't a good match, either. Only your doctor can help you determine the next best option to try.
Definitely don't wait longer to see if things improve. You know right away with stimulants if they're right or wrong for your child.
To me, it sounds like the patch isn't working. Maybe you need a stronger dose? My daugter was only on the patch for a few days and got a horrible rash from it so they took her off it, but we definately saw improvement almost immediately.
Good luck!
I would suspect that this medication is not going to work for him but I would ask the doctor that prescribed it. There is a lot a variability in what meds work for what kids. Our journey was that most medications (ritalin, concerta, focalin) would seem to work great for about a month and then we would be right back where we started. We have now been on adderall (a different class) than the others for about a year and doing great. Had lots of sleep issues on the other drugs too. It takes a lot of trial and error to find the right medication sometimes but don't despair - hopefully you can find the right fit for your little guy.
