My son is 9 and last fall we started him on Concerta 18 mg that was prescribed from a Pediatric Psychologist. It worked for a while but not with the greatist results. We increased dosage and again saw results for a while before going to the 56 and even to 72mg. All doeses worked for a while (about 7 mons total) before they just seemed to quit working! Our dr changed his prescription to Vyvanse 70 mg and we're having wonderful results! My advise (and I still feel so lost dealing with ADHD that I can't believe I'm saying that) is to not give up. Seek another professional opinion if you want more information and keep an open mind about trying something new. Something out there will work for your son and you'll get to see him shine!

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Suzemom,

Generally, it has been said that medication helps 80 to 90% of the time. I would highly recommend seeing a specialist in ADHD. They understand it better and usually have a better understanding of the medications and more experience dealing with ADHD. Some doctors undertreat ADHD and some aren't able to recognize other disorders that may be complicating the picture.

My son had been taking 72mg. of Concerta and had been doing find until about 9 months ago. He is 16 now. Our doctor had mentioned that he had found that many adolescents and adults do better on either Adderall or Vyvanse, even though Concerta might have worked fine for them before. My son is on the Vyvanse now, along with my adult daughter, who is 26. My husband is on the Adderall and I am on the Vyvanse, after recently being diagnosed in April. I hadn't been on any other medications since I was just diagnosed but I am very happy with Vyvanse. I noticed a big difference in how I thought (faster mental processing and more organized thinking), I was better able to follow what others said, to prioritize, organize, etc.

I would definitely try to find an ADHD specialist though. He might be able to figure something out sooner than the pediatrician would.

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I am a licenced social worker who works with children with ADD and ADHD. It is often recommended that children with ADD or ADHD work with a therapist trained in behavioral therapy in conjunction to recieving medication management from a pediatrican or a pscyhiatrist. Often times a child with ADD or ADHD can benefit from learning behavioral startegies that may help them become more organized, stay on task, reduce impulsivity, and the like. It may be helful if you seek out a trained clinical social worker or child psychologist who utilizes cognitive behavioral strategies to work with children so they may better be able to self monitor their own behaviors with assistance from their family, teachers, and friends.

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