Stimulant medications are much more difficult to prescribe than, say, an antibiotic. Dosage is based on metabolism rather than age or weight, so it's trial and error. As well, your child will tolerate some ADD/ADHD medications and not others. What works for my son may be horrible for yours, or vice versa, and you just can't know until you try them.

My son tried every stimulant except one and we found that Concerta works the best for him, but it's not without side effects -- his appetite is almost non-existent up until late afternoon.

Be prepared to start with a medication at a low dose and monitor it for a week or two. You may increase the dose or you may find that you need to try another medication. My son has been on ADHD meds for two years and we are still "tweaking" it to try to come up with the best benefit for him with the least side effects. It truly is trial and error and it can be stressful.

This medication should not "change your son" or his personality. If it does, it isn't the right medication or dosage. An ADHD medication should reduce or eliminate the symptoms of ADHD to help your son's personality and talents shine through. The point of an ADHD medication is not to "drug" a child into submission. You will know a medication is right when it changes your family's life for the better and your son is happy and present.

Here's a list of articles on the ADDitudeMag.com site on medication side effects, adjusting the dose, and combating appetite loss: http://www.additudemag.com/topic/adhd-treatment/better-adhd-treatment.html

Let us know how it is going!

Penny W., ADDitudeMag.com Community Moderator

mom to Luke, ADHD, age 8

creator of the Website {a mom's view of ADHD} at http://aMomsViewOfADHD.com

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My name is Michael and I have been attempting to get the correct combination of meds for years. I am 15 and was diagnosed young with mild/moderate ADHD in addition to OCD and general anxiety disorder. The first med I tried was Strattera. For some it works very well, but it made me miserable. I got extremely depressed and panicky. I didn't feel like myself at all. Partially attributed to the OCD, but also from the Strattera, I would have to check my medicine container many times before I left the house and would always be scared that I took too much or not enough, and came home crying many days. I was miserable and wanted my old self back, and was sick of all the tears. I think we tried Concerta after that which worked well for the focus part, but did more harm then good, since it made me paranoid. At this point, I was very skeptical about trying new meds. My OCD got better through months of very difficult cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). I was ready to try meds again. I started off with a low dose of the Daytrana Methylphenidate Transdermal patch by Shire Pharmaceuticals. I was amazed. For the first time ever, I could focus and not feel completely overwhelmed by my homework. Worked very well into and out of middle school, and now I am a freshman in highschool. Since the patches only go up to a certain amount of mg/hr (3.3 I think), we added a generic version of the name brand drug Ritalin, in the Methylphenidate family (at least I think it is generic). It is called Metadate CD, a long lasting release capsule. I have increased the dosage over time, now with the highest patch and two- 20mg metadates a day, one in morning and one after school or as needed. This works very well and I love how it helps, It's just a matter of applying myself to my studies and putting in the hard work it takes for any kid, plus some. It DOES reduce my appetite quite a bit and for awhile, I was very underweight. That also had to do with my germ-phobia and not eating anything unless it was sanitary. With some protein shakes, I was brought back up to weight and now am even a little bit husky, which is better than too skinny I guess. So overall, these medications work very well for me, but if they don't provide enough stimulants for me at the time (it always depends on what my focus level needs to be) I just drink a strong coffee or a Red Bull and am able to sit right back down to do my work. I love the feeling these medications give me in long car rides, because I am finally able to make it through an 8 hour ride without going insane. I have had no bad side effects from them except the temporary weight loss. The one thing I will add is that I do find that sometimes, I don't feel like myself. I am usually very upbeat and humorous, but sometimes when I'm on the meds, I kind of lose that edge that I have and become hyper-focused and apathetic, but these periods only last for a short while. I hate that I lose a part of myself, but it is MORE than worth it based on the benefits. Please do your son this favor and start him on some stimulants, but please be cautious because of his heart condition. He will thank you. If you have any other questions, send me an email at mfuchs88@yahoo.com. Best of luck, Michael.

As a added note, these meds made me the happiest I have been in years and I don't know how I would manage without them. Please do not take the part about "losing part of myself" too strongly, it is a very minor issue and happens on an extremely small scale. I am happy and cracking jokes and hanging with friends and loving life. Enjoy.

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