hi there , we have change our sons meds a few times now and found that the dex were the best for his concentration etc but as for all the anger , he still has that and i to get called meanest mum , you sux, i hate you's, ya big meaney etc and to am sick of it aswell but im currently looking into a ADHD meditation /hypnotheropy cd that he will listen to at night still waiting for it to arrive in mail but im hopeing that this will help sorry not to shed any light on your situation but takecare be strong and good luck!!

natty:)

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My son was taking Adderall XR 15 mg and he got really nasty and moody with this medicine. If you do some research you will see that it is a side effect. He now takes Concerta 54mg which works great for him, plus he takes a mood stabilizer.

After you give your sons the medicine, leave the area where they are and go do something else. I usually wake up, give him the medicine, then go take a shower and get dressed. By the time I am done, he is somewhat calmed down. If I don't leave the area, I get stressed out and explode, which makes him irritate me more on purpose.

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danni5 said: ANYONE with experience, even with one 10 year old boy. I am going out of my mind. My boys are currently on 10 mg. of Adderall XR a day. I give it to them at 7:30 a.m. Tell me what you think of Adderall. Before and after the medication is really rough for me. Maybe I need to toughen up a bit, but I am tired of being called a "jerk", "evil", "the meanest mother in the world". The anger is unbelievable. Has anyone been through this and switched medications to something better. We tried Metadate before this too that was not good either. They have no problems in school with behavior. HELP!!

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I have twins (boy/girl) that just turned 17. Although I think they both have ADD, my son was only diagnosed last year and we have delt with the anger issue about taking the meds as well. My son actually says things like "you are trying to give me drugs!" I know what it is like to be "ganged up on" by your twins. I suggest giving them their medicine one at a time, meaning that they are not together when they take it. Twins are sooooo good at working together to push mom's buttons. Seperating them for discipline will work wonders, especially when as they get older. I can't hold my own against two 17 ap add debaters. The one thing you have going for you is that they are still young, so you can develop a habit and help them see the benefits of medicine before they have too strong of opinions against it. I need to pick up my younger son from school- but I'm sure people can help brainstorm ideas of how to help do that.... good luck....

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I experience the same thing in the AM and the PM with my 11 year old son. It is like a switch when his meds are working he is the most helpful and sweet kid, but without the meds the simpliest request seems to set him off.

We have used a relaxation CD form the Indigo Dream series which helped some. Physical activity seems to also take the edge off. He is in martial arts and does better on nights he has had class. A run around the fence of our half acre yard works in a pinch. We also limit TV and video games during non-medication time because he can't handle the adjustment when asked to stop or when he is interupted. We also try to limit requests such as homework, chores, etc. when the medication has worn off.

We did do a boaster dose of a second medication in the AM for awhile which helped him because it got in the system quickly while we waited for the time release to kick in. He is now walking to school in the AM so we haven't been needing the booster dose. In the evening, you can always go for an earlier bedtime. Hopes this helps.

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Hi there, I understand how difficult it can be when you believe you are doing the right thing and they don't get it. I have a 10 year old boy who I have decided to stop medicating and have instead chosen behavior modification and cutting sugar back. My opinion is that sugar is a huge contributing factor to the negative symptoms of ADHD. Every child has varying degrees of ADHD and I believe that it is up to us as Mom's (parents) to follow our intuitive knowing to guide us through these seemingly difficult times. You may want to ask the boys why they believe you are "evil" etc. The biggest question to them might be "What do you need from me right now?" They are old enough to know if the meds work for them or not. They have already begun using logic, reason, analyzing and decision making at this stage of their developement. I am not a licensed professional however, I am a Hypnotherapist, ADHD myself and mother of 2 with ADHD. Know your options (all of them) research, research, research. What is positive about ADHD! I have found in my practice these children and adults to be exceptionally bright. Most have an entrepreneurial spirit. Discover about who they are as individuals and what inspires them. They will tell you if you listen. They simply do not learn the conventional way. Being quiet can be difficult because when they receive inspiration they feel a tremendous urge to share. Love that in them. I hope this gives you some relief. Gina

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My 11 year old is on the Daytrana patch 30mg - which works great when he has it on! He has the angry outbursts when things upset him before and after school, and it's like we walk on eggshells not to upset him at these times. We've started putting the patch on at 6 am and removing it at 4 pm and about half the days he gets up in a decent mood. However, he has problems getting to sleep if we don't give him a dose of Benadryl about 6 in the evening, which makes the next morning horrible. So, all that to say, he's been on the patch for 3 1/2 years (he did the clinical trials) and overall it works great! We just put my 6 year old on it for ADD, and it seems to be helping him. Any suggestions though on addressing the anger issues? My belief is that's the impulsive part of ADHD but I just don't know how to deal with him -

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Hi,

I am having the same experience with my younger son. He is only 6 and he talks like he's 13. All the way to school he would just scream at me for whatever perceived offense was suffered. Anyway, I had great success with routine outbursts by creating an incentive program. I don't know what would work with boys your age, but this is what we did: While he was calm, I explained to him the problem and that it was unacceptable. I asked him if there was a special treat he would like in his lunch and he said "goldfish." So, I told him the exact requirements--when I say time to leave, you get on your coat and shoes, you go out the door and you walk to school saying only pleasant things. It has worked beautifully. When these things happen, you receive goldfish in your backpack. After 2 months, he seems in the routine of some degree of control.

Now, the weakness of this is that I can't figure out how to apply the same idea to non-routines . So, last night he blew about who knows what and said similar things to me along the lines of me being a terrible mother. I had no tool other than "I don't listen to that talk, go to your room and say those things. When you're ready to be respectful you may come down--and you must apologize and help me set the table." Well, that all happened, but I would like to find the same kind of trick to help him learn to control it to begin with! Well, anyway, there it is. One success, one sort-of-failure . . . I would LOVE to know if you come up with anything that works with boys your age as I imagine this will be a long-term struggle! Please report! Failures help to know about too since, as Thomas Edison said about the 100s of failures re the light bulb, "now we know what won't work." !!!

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I have a 10 year old son that was diagnosed with ADHD about 1 1/2 years ago. He has had behavioral, and anger issues from a very young age. In Kindergarten we went to a Doctor who thought he may be ODD. After years of seeing a Naturopathic physician, allergy testing, diet changes you name it we decided to go to a Psychologist to try medication. He is taking 36mg Concerta. It has made a huge difference, in his focus, grades family and peer relationships. He still has the anger issues at times, morninging being the worst however they have diminished considerably. The approach that we have is that he needs to accept that he has ADHD and to own the good parts and the bad. We talk through the anger as calmly as we can to figure out what the trigger was. Usually it is frustration over something small but then spirals out of control. We have drawn a temperature chart that looks like a thermometer that has 1-10 written on the side with words that describe what level of anger he is feeling. For instance #1 is Unhappy where #10 is explode. We put a sticky note with the date and why he was angry on it to track it and refer to it at the end of the month to discuss ways to improve for next month. This has helped him as well as our whole family. I truly feel that teaching him to be aware of his behaviors and anger and having him own his actions is what has made the difference.

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I have a 9 year old son who was diagnoses with ADD and OCD 3 years ago. We have tried all the meds that are out there. Adderall had a very negative side effect and made our son very depressed and angry. When he was on Adderall, my husband and I could never do anything right according to our son and he kept telling us that he wish he could just die. Once we switched meds he was fine. Concerta and the new patch seem to work the best because the medicine level goes up gradually and goes down gradually so children are able to deal with their body readjusting easier. My son uses Concerta because the patch gives him a rash but I have heard very possitive feedback from other parents.

You had said that "Maybe I need to toughen up a bit" but I think it is just the opposite. You might need to loose up a bit before they have their meds and after the meds wear off. I have learned that a lot of the actions my son does before he is on his meds and after they wear off are a bit out of his control. I have found that I have to give him a lot of kindly reminders in the morning and in the evenings find activities that he can handle. I have also taken the time to explain to him what it means for him to have ADD and what behavior I see that he does when he is not on meds. I have let my son be in on the process or finding solutions for how to handle things and giving him goals to work toward. It has taken a lot of time and a lot of patience on my part but by working together with my son he has matured so much and he is realizing how to handle and control his own behavior. I found that I can't just rely on the medicine to "fix" the issues but that the parents and the child has to work together.

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I understand all about the anger issues. My son has for many years now would yell and scream at me for being a mean mom. He would also bang on the walls and sometimes even put a hole in the wall. My husband is good at patching now. But I just tell him that means I am doing my job!! I think you would all agree that giving your child medicine everyday is hard but not having the medication is even worse. You might have seen the poem about mean moms outlining all the restrictions moms put on their children because it is for their benefit. Such as no TV on school nights, no sugar, no soda, no candy, no water on the floor from a bath, no PG13 movies because you are 12 etc. This is just one other thing we need to do for our child's benefit. When my son was 7 he was diagnosed and he started Ritalin. He started on Ritalin because you could separate the pills and add it to some food ( he could not swallow pills then). So I put it in ice cream. He was the only kid in the neighborhood that has a Mom who gives their child ice cream for breakfast. Now he is on Concerta (up to 72mg and now down to 36mg.) I have consulted with a psychiatrist whose specialty is medications and I also consulted with a MD who also has a practice in wholistic medicine. My son is now on 1,000 mg of fish oil among other supplements. Fish oil is one of the elelments that ADHD kids are deficient in. Being on this has helped his behavior. Not all the time but most of the time. You can find children's fish oil in wholistic grocery stores and whole foods etc with flavorings such as strawberries. I have also put him on the Feingold diet which gives you a breakdown of what foods have no preservitives that may give your child a reaction. My son told me then he was a kid and did not need to be on a diet. That was a struggle too. Growing up helps a lot , an outlet for all that energy helps and boys scouts helps with the social stuff. Good luck.

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