We just started our 5 year old who is between 45 and 50 pounds on 10 mg. He is doing great on this medication. (Meaningful conversations; Discussions about what he is doing in school; Still active, but more attentive; Able to gently hold my hand when walking instead of me hanging on for dear life; less meltdowns, actually able to go to 3 kid's homes to see if they can play and not cry when he heard no from the first house.) It is the first we've tried based on talking through his diagnosis with his pediatrician and the fact that you can start it in the morning and it covers a solid 11 hours for our guy (maybe a little more or less depending on the kiddo) before we start to see it wear off.

Upset Stomach - Minimal: There was an initial couple of days when we started that the little guy had tummy trouble but it was taken care of with one tums each day just when he needed it. That only happened 3 times.

Less Mucus - big change: My child has very bad allergies, yet couldn't take Claritin nor Zyrtec because he was even more hyper and out of focus when he was on them. We had him on 2 to 3 benedryl melt tabs a day based on his need. Since we've started him on this medicine, we've been able to knock that down to one before bed. If we miss that he has sinus pressure and mucus again. It seems to give his body the break it needs to deal with the allergins. During the day. The doctor's say there is nothing in the liturature, and I'm not sure why this is helping. Maybe he is just more aware of his body's needs and is taking care of it.

Benefit - not having to holler at him all the time to make sure he is listening to me, and learning about what is going on in his world is priceless.

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My little guy is doing really well on this medication. He asked if he could have one more "thinking pill" so we put the dosage up to 20 mg, which the Doctor seemed to expect.

Reminder: He is definately NOT a zombie and this does not mean that everything is magically fixed. He still has habits that he has to work on. We had to see a different doctor in the practice and they offered to up his meds again because he wasn't interested in sitting still while we talked. But as his mom, I know he needed to work on his skills, not take more pills. I am teaching him to be quiet and to wait while I talk to others, and thought a lot of parents alreay have their kids in this habit, we had done all we could in the past. The benefits just didn't click for him. I'd say to give your kid a break, t back up and tutor your child on what is expected and watch them grow. Be honest and positive with them that they will learn to do it and it helps to have a mentor in the form of an older child who they love to be with to help them see the comparison. Because of past experiences we have to do almost all of our teaching through posative reinforcement and preplanning. He can be sensative about correction that other kids might see as good info so we discuss ahead of time what is expected so he can be told how great he did. He is learning to be more considerate of other people's needs, and he does have a lot to learn about patience. He is getting it now that his brain is getting a chance to process AND he is still having fun being 5.

Heads Up: Mornings & nights are harder after the medicine wears off. Don't get frustrated that your kiddo can't do what they can when they are on Meds, but keep challenging them. He is developing habits and awareness that he can work harder during this time and do well. It seemed to really help him when he first started taking his medicine to explain to him what is going on with his body. He felt very anxious when his medicine wore off and he needed lots of hugs. Sometimes after a full day he still needs that as the medicine leaves his system.

Benefits: His artwork has flourished. His story telling is now unrivaled and he is having a very successful summer camp, even with "quiet time" during the afternoon. He talks with me, not at me and we have a new connection.

Still trying to figure out: If he is having reflux problems. As best I can tell, they are mild and only happen when he lays flat, but now that they do that for quiet time at camp, I think we need to pay attention and figure this out. I'm not sure this is because of the meds. He always slept better with the top of his bed raised.

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