You may want to find another doctor, a psychiatrist if you are not seeing one. Someone who is knowledgable about not only ADHD, but other disorders that might complicate treatment, and someone who has a good understanding of medication. In some cases, treating ADHD can unmask another problem, such as anxiety or depression that comes to the forefront when the ADHD is treated. Document all of the meds, dosages and the responses you have seen.

A good family history is important too. For example, if someone in the family has bipolar disorder, there is a greater risk that a child might have child onset bipolar disorder, which shows up differently than the adult onset version. I know of a mother whose child did not respond well to ADHD medication but got worse, and after many doctors, she eventually got the right diagnosis and treatment. He had bipolar disorder in addition to ADHD and once he had the bipolar disorder stabilized, he did well on the ADHD medication.

Pediatiricians are not always able to deal with complicated situtaions that may involve ADHD plus something else, i.e, childhood depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right doctor who is able to figure out what the problem(s) is and how best to treat it. A child psychiatrist would be a great choice, but unfortunately there aren't a lot of them.

And maybe it is simply ADHD and nothing else, but I would keep searching. The right doctor can make a huge difference.

I wish you luck in finding an answer.

Elaine

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We already see a psychiatrist regarding this. He is very experienced, willing to change up what we do and try different things, etc. I don't see any signs of anything else going on with her, and doctor doesn't really either. Though I am no expert, I know that this daughter only really seems to show signs of hyperactivity, impulsively, and inability to sit still and focus.

One of my other daughters DOES have other issues that are currently untreated, partially diagnosed, and doesn't respond well to medicine either (she refused, is 13, and unwilling to admit that there are problems...another story altogether that we are dealing with). I think that we have a family of people that have high metabolizing livers or something...I have to take high dosages of medications to have any effect, but then they give me headaches. The doctor has had trouble finding the right medication for me as well.

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After trying many medications, my son has had continued success with short acting Ritilin. It has enabled him to control the dosage, depending on his courses and sports schedules. Sometimes he will take two, 10mg. Sometimes he will cut a pill in half and take that. He now can eat lunch and an afternoon snack and be ready for after school sports. This has been effective for around 4 years.

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Does the short acting kick in sooner?

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Find a doctor that uses muscle testing to determine which med and how much will work for your kid. Trial and error takes too long, is too expensive, and could have some bad side-effects. Naturopathic (sp?) doctors can prescribe meds, and may do muscle testing. A phone call can determine if they do. I'm lucky to have an MD in my area who became an "alternative" practitioner. NAET doctors can test meds, but usually can't prescribe them, and mine have been reluctant to suggest a treatment.

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My son is 10 and we've had pretty similar experiences. Short -acting seemd to work best for him but that requires a dosage at school & it is somewhat hard to gauge when it wears off (you really have to rely on the school to tell you how your child responds after 3, 4, or 5 hours. Even with short acting, the dosage only seems effective for a short period of time. It seems my son either outgrows the dosage or develops immunity to it. By the way, he's on Adderall. He started on Focalin - it made him so mean and hateful, I cried. Then we tried Straterra, that wound him up, super hyper, I didn't think he could get more hyper, various dose of Adderral and we tried XR, that was a joke (not a funny one). We tried Vyvanese & and day 1, we thought it was Heaven sent, it was wonderful, day 2 - my child seemed possessed of the devil, that was the scariest ever. Like I said I feel your pain. It has been 5 years on this roller coaster. One other downfall of the short acting. He take a morning and afternoon dose, by the time he come home in the evening, he is completely free of med, hyper and supercharged and it really hard to get him to sleep. Good luck to you. You're certainly not alone.

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It is always painful when the first choice of medication does not work. Both the parent and the child often lose their motivation to even attempt to try another approach which is tragic. I think a large part of the problem is that most doctors don't realize that their are actually six different types of ADD. A stimulant will help most of them, but it acts horribly with at least two types. In 15% of the cases a person will have too many side effects to stimulants even if it would be appropriate for their type of ADD.

I would suggest reading Healing ADD the Six Types by Dr. Amen and maybe considering getting a SPECT scan for your child. It is also very possible that ADD-care might be helpful because it is all natural, yet as effective as a stimulant for most people. Good luck. Jef

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Kallard - Hang in there. I have a DD too, she was always impulsive, loud, fun, funny, hyper (I put her in all kinds of sports) and made friends easily (keeping them is a whole other story). She was always smart as a whip and got A's and B's in school until.... High School. I had always suspected she was ADHD but as the pressure got really hot in HS for grades, sports, etc. she was struggling. After a hugh fight with a pediatrician in her Dr's office we got with a neurologist that is great. She is current on Focalin XR 20 which she does on her way to school. She does a short acting Focalin 10 (not XR) after school for sports practices and/or one for homework depending on her day. She is now experimenting with the patch for her long days and then just her XR 20 for regular. I have to say its been great, she has more anxiety on days she doesn't take her meds!! Her self esteem went up, her grades everything. She's been on it for about 2 years. I can only give you our experience, but I hope it helps. Good luck finding the right meds is tough and can take awhile. It will work out!

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I am an adult with ADHD, your son sounds like me growing up. I take welbutrin. This is not FDA approved for ADHD, however some Drs do prescribe this. For the most part it helps me in every day life. Reading email sitting in one to two hour meetings. Waiting for the other person to finish their sentence. Organization. However, eight hour meetings, sitting in the same chair continuously. It is not enough. After 2.5 hours, I am not paying attention, getting up in the middle of the class/meetoing looking for something else to do. So on those days I weigh the side effects with what I am trying to accomplish. If important I will take an adderall about 10mg. Knowing I will have a rough night sleep, about 8pm I will take Sun-theanine or melatonin. My sleep is important, which is why I don't take any for long periods of time. Welbutrin does not affect my social life or my personality and I don't have side effects, except dry mouth. Some days I don't take it, like when I am off from work. It does not affect my sleep either. Kimberly

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