Parents of children with ADHD taking Adderall XR I need your opinions!!!!!?

Question

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and after trying one med was switched to Adderall XR. Although her attention has been somewhat better she has become extremely irritable since being put on it. Has this happened to you? Did you switch meds? How did you handle it??

I need the opinions of parents with first hand knowledge only. Someone who is anti-medication has no first hand knowledge of the possible side affects.

Answer 1

My youngest son is ADHD and has tried a few diff. meds. Adderall made him really irritable and he seemed to cry alot while on it. He is now on concerta and is doing well. He doesnt have highs and lows that the other meds seem to cause. He only takes concerta when hes going to school and is off all summer, holidays and school breaks and doesnt take it on weekends, unlike other meds I dont see any withdrawls from the concerta. You have to find what works for her, mmost parents of ADD or ADHD children will try many different meds before finding the right one for that child, once you find the right one then its about finding the right dose. Its all trial and error. We are also looking into herbal meds that have very good reviews(they take them along with thier current meds). GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 2

Adderall Xr Reviews

Answer 3

My 11yr son is on Adderall XR 15mg and does get good on it, but to make him less irritable his doc put him Rispdal and it's has helped ALOT. He got into so much trouble at school and at home until they switched to these meds and now he's gotten his grades back up and stays out of trouble. If she hasn't been on it very long give it a little time but if she stills is moody then see a doctor that specialize in ADHD. I had to find a doctor that seen nothing but ADHD kids and I feel alot more comfortable about it. Just have some faith in her cause I know what you are going through personally.

Answer 4

Adderall Side Effects In Children

Answer 5

My son was diagnosed as ADHD 3 years ago in kindergarten. He switched from the old fashioned 2x/day Ritalin to Adderall XR this past Sept. He did go through about 2 weeks of being irritable especially around dinner time (when it wore off), but is much better now. He has told me that he feels much more in control on medication. We give him "holidays" on non-school days because he does eat less on the meds. One thing we have noticed is that he has very dry eyes on the Adderall and we now use eye drops 2x day.
I will say though, that we also tried Concerta, another all-day pill and he was almost psychotic on it - yelling and screaming one minute and crying and saying he was sorry the next. It was an extreme personality change. We switched to the Adderall and he's doing fine on that pill now.
If the irritibility is extreme, try another medication. I wasn't a big fan of medication at first, but watching the increase in self-esteem in my son has made the difference. My husband, who is also ADHD, is now on Adderall himself too. He realized that the meds didn't change who are son was, they just gave him the self-control to be successful in school and social situations.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Parents of children with ADHD taking Adderall XR I need your opinions!!!!!?
My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and after trying one med was switched to Adderall XR. Although her attention has been somewhat better she has become extremely irritable since being put on it. Has this happened to you? Did you switch meds? How did you handle it??

Answer 7

My son was switch just last year from Adderall XR to Concerta because his aggression and irritability. He hit a plateau. That happens with all behavior drugs. Adderall works great but watch out for the plateaus and the weaning off. Oh don't forget to make sure her medicine is filled before she runs out because withdrawal is hard on the whole family. Also watch for crying jags if she just started. Good Luck

Answer 8

My son was on it for about 1 year. He was taking 30 mgs per day at 7 am and at 11 am. He had behaviour problems. After taking it for a while he was quiet and to himself. He flaps his hand alot but he did it ever worse while on Adderall his wrist would pop. I don't think he realized he was doing it, I would tell him he was he trying to fly away. He did lose 65 to 80 lbs while on Adderall. Which was a good thing because he has Syndrome X, and caused him to gain weight. He is now off of it (my choice) because I saw a difference in his behaviour, and especially after the News kept saying that children have died using it. It apparently causes problems with the heart. The doctor told me it depends on the miligrams they are prescribed. I played it safe and took him off of it. If he has an out burst I just leave him alone and if trys to hit me, I immediately telll him that hitting is not good and that I will have to hit back and somehow it snaps him back.

Have patience.

Answer 9

There's a couple things I thought of when I read your note 1) Schools are NOT allowed to tell you to medicate your child as they are not health professionals. It is technically illegal for them to do that. 2) My son took meds while he was in school. In no way did it make my life easier because he didn't take them when he was at home. 3) When he started taking them and could suddenly concentrate in class and learn something he said (and I quote) "You mean I'm not stupid"?? It was the first time that he realized that he could do something other then get in trouble and never focus on his work. 4) Why would you keep your son from being able to learn? Kids with real ADHD cannot focus in school because they need to move all the time. You aren't medicating your child for the school system or for yourself, you are giving them meds FOR THEM. Why deny your child a chance to learn properly? You don't have to use the FDA approved meds. There are natural products that work just as well not to mention dietary changes that can help. Getting a spanking doesn't help kids be able to sit in a classroom and learn. 5) Now that we homeschool we no longer need the meds. He can learn how he wants, where he wants and most of the time that's sitting on the trampoline in the backyard where he can still move and bounce but do his work at the same time. That's something you can't do in a classroom.

Answer 10

My son was on Adderall XR also. He would be so irritated, angry and difficult. We finally had to take him off that medication and try two others before we finally found one he could take, wasn't so irritated and was still able to concentrate at school. It's a challenge, but our doctor was wonderful in helping us find what was right for our son. Explain all the side effects that are undesirable to your doctor and he/she will try to find the medication that is right for your daughter. Have your daughter talk to your doctor about the side effects that bother her (yours may be different) and if she is anything like my son, pretty much anything that came out of my mouth irritated him. She may be more forthcoming with her doctor. The doctor would prescribe enough for my son to try it out for a few weeks so it wasn't quite as expensive as filling a prescription for a whole month. It's trial and error, but worth it. Hang in there. Good Luck!