We recently started our almost 8 year old son on Adderall XR - first 5 mg, and now up to 15mg for a few days... His teachers noticed some improvement in attention and participation on the 10 mg dose. We only gave him 15 mg for a few days (trying to see if there was any response in a non-school situation) and he seems to become a little subdued when the 15 mg is first given (within an hour or so). He also may be talking back more and somewhat more aggressive at times, which really hasnt been his personality (or at least doing it more than he normally does.

My question is - could we expect similar results/side effects from other amphetamine based meds? Ive heard the methylphenidate meds are less potent - is this actually the case? His problems are mostly attention in school and impulsivity issues (at home). No real behavioral problems at school. When we first started. the developmental pediatrician we saw (have follow up in a month, so will ask her too) said she usually started with either Adderall XR or Metadate CD. Im thinking we might need to give the Metadate a try.

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