Hi stressed out mommy:

Most doctors actually start each new ADHD prescription at /q&a/ask_the_add_medical_expert/1287.html:"the lowest possible dose and adjust upward as needed every five days or so. It's likely that your son's doctor was playing it safe with the lowest dose to begin. I wouldn't give up on the medication all together just yet, but I would give the doctor a call and plea for a higher dosage now - not in 4 days...

Good luck!

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I take Dexedrine IR and I'm a adult. The dosage of 10mg 3 times daily is the lowest dosage of that form. My daughter who is 6 is just tring out med's. They put her on Vyvanse 30mg daily, which is said to be like my med,but it drove her emotions terriable. My daughter has the ADD without the H, she just needs help focusing to learn. We tried Concerta and her teacher says she has no energy or ability to focus on that. I am thinking of asking about the Dexedrine IR, same as I take as my next choice. Please let me know if you or anyone else has any sujestions! God bless you in your efforts to help your son. Things will get better. He will know how you are there for him! Quote:

Adrienne B. said: Hey all - We are going through a really rough meds adjustment phase, all with the goal of getting my son on a longer-acting med so that he doesn't have the ups and downs during school that he's had with straight Ritalin. About a week and a half ago we started him on Dexedrine IR(short acting), which seems like a miracle to me after the nightmarish past 4 months of trial and error meds (well, really, the past 4 years, but that's another story). He seems calm but not stoned, like he'd get on too much Ritalin, and his mood has been very positive, which is surprising b/c he's normally a little low and grouchy, but now I'm wondering if it's been his meds. He got even lower on Concerta and Daytrana, so our trials of those didn't last very long - the best until now has been Ritalin IR but it only lasts about 2 1/2 -3 hours for him, so he'd be up and down all day long. Dexedrine IR would last 4 -4 1/2 hours/dose, which is not ideal, but better than 2 1/2. So today we started a trial of Dexedrine Spansule, in the hope that he could get through most of the school day without a dip in effectiveness. It has been a terrible day, to say the least. Screaming, tantrums, massive impulsivity, bad mood, noise, defiance, etc. etc. - everything that is him when he's unmedicated - has shown up today. The contrast with the past week and a half on the Dexedrine IR is remarkable. So - part of me wants to go back to the IR since I can't send him to school like this tomorrow, but part of me is also questioning my dr's dosage. I need help. He was taking 10 mg. Dexedrine IR 3x/day (he has always needed highish dosages to see any kind of symptom control) Now she's put him on 10 mg. Dexedrine spansule 1-2 times a day. I've read on some message board that the spansule dose should be double the IR dose, but that's not what she did. Before I second-guess her I wanted to hear what other people's experiences have been with the spansules. Did your dr. prescibe the exact same dose as the IR? I feel like she made a mistake, but perhaps I'm misunderstanding how the medication works. Thanks in advance, Adrienne (a stressed out mommy)

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