ADHD meds - is this the norm?

[Spryte]

I have a (genuine) question about ADHD meds. I can't ask my SIL about it, because at the slightest hint of a question about ADHD meds, she is off on a rant about how everyone judges her for using meds for my nephew's ADHD, and it makes her angry and upset. I don't want to upset her, or make her feel that I'm questioning her parenting. I'm not. I'm not against ADHD meds, I think no one knows her kiddo the way she does, and I *know* she's a good parent and making the best decisions she can, with the information she has, and with her resources. I love her. :)

 

Here's my question though... Are ADHD meds usually given every day? Or only on days the kids go to school? I don't know enough about the way ADHD meds work, but had imagined that they were taken daily. Is this the norm?

 

My nephew takes meds only when going to school, or on a weekend when there is an "event" (like a party at my parents' house). Otherwise, he does not take his meds.

 

Also, when a child takes their meds... Does it radically change their personality? ...Maybe that's the wrong wording, I'm not sure. My nephew stays himself, he is always a sweet boy, but when he does take his meds, he is ... not just quieter, but ... staring into space a lot. He seems disconnected somehow, and less engaged. I am confused by that, somehow. He certainly is less wiggly and energetic, but also seems ... flat-lined. I worry about him, and want to see him smile again.

 

I'm hoping this came out right. I am truly not against meds for ADHD! In fact, at one point, I was fairly sure my own kiddo needed them. :) I just want to understand better, and asking my SIL is not the way to go. So where else would I turn, but the Hive?

[tntgoodwin]

For me, I was told to take my meds the days I go to work or if I had something where I needed to be able to focus and concentrate, like if I were planning a family trip or something.

 

It depends on the meds, but the type I am on is supposed to not need time to build up in my system or anything. I take it the days I think I will need it, and don't the days I don't.

 

For me, it hasn't changed my personality, but has allowed me to not get overwhelmed with all my responsibilities. I am able to finish more of what I start, meet deadlines better, etc.

 

I tend to get frustrated much easier on days I don't take my meds, and my dw has noticed and commented on that.

[acurtis75]

I will start off by saying that my experience is limited and informal but I have a niece who was on meds and now isn't. I think the decision to medicate or not should be entirely up to the parents. In my niece's situation she took meds on school days and on weekends spent with her father who is the one who took her to the doctor to get meds. On weekends with my sil she didn't take them. The school initiated the process of checking in to adhd meds. I only see her a few times a year because of distance. This year - after meds were stopped - there was a drastic difference in her personality. Before she was very emotionally up and down, fought with her sisters and cousins a lot, seemed to move slowly and be "down" a lot. To me, her behavior and demeanor was very similar to that of people I've been around in the past who were impaired by alcohol or drugs.

 

In this case, I couldn't say that stopping the drugs alone made the difference for sure. She was taken out of public school and has now been homeschooled for two years which I'm sure has had an impact on her behavior and demeanor as well.

[Juniper]

It really depends on the child. ADHD is an umbrella diagnoses with many different factors. So, if your dn issues are more with innattentive type and less hyperactivity/impulsivity it is reasonable that he does not need to take them in circumstances where he does not have to make a concentrated effort to focus. It will affect his activity level, but that may not be the primary reason for taking meds.

 

 

I have identical mirror twins. One is primarily inattentive/hyper, but he does not have impulse control issues. His twin is completely off the scale with impulse control and a little more focused (but not much) than his brother. Because the impulse control is danger issue he is medicated everyday. His twin could get away with it only during school and special events, but with homeschooling "school" looks very different, so he is medicated daily.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited June 12, 2012 by Juniper

[Lady Florida.]

because at the slightest hint of a question about ADHD meds, she is off on a rant about how everyone judges her for using meds for my nephew's ADHD, and it makes her angry and upset.

 

I can understand her reaction. She probably gets a lot of anti-meds, ADHD doesn't exist comments. At some point you've just had it, and even sincere questions will set you off.

 

Here's my question though... Are ADHD meds usually given every day? Or only on days the kids go to school? I don't know enough about the way ADHD meds work, but had imagined that they were taken daily. Is this the norm?

 

My nephew takes meds only when going to school, or on a weekend when there is an "event" (like a party at my parents' house). Otherwise, he does not take his meds.

It really depends on the person with ADHD. Some people take it every day. Ds did take them daily (he stopped taking them last year, per a discussion with his doctor). ADHD affects all aspects of your life, not just school. However, since everyone is different, he might not need it except for the times you described. With the exception of Strattera, the medications do not stay in your system, so it isn't necessary to take them every day in order for them to be effective.

 

Also, when a child takes their meds... Does it radically change their personality? ...Maybe that's the wrong wording, I'm not sure. My nephew stays himself, he is always a sweet boy, but when he does take his meds, he is ... not just quieter, but ... staring into space a lot. He seems disconnected somehow, and less engaged. I am confused by that, somehow. He certainly is less wiggly and energetic, but also seems ... flat-lined. I worry about him, and want to see him smile again.

 

No, it does not change the person's personality or make them a "zombie". The situation you describe above sounds like either the wrong medication or the wrong dose. Do you know how long he's been on ADHD medication? If it's recent, his doctor could still be trying to find the right medication and dose for him. It's not uncommon to need to try several different times to get it right. If you can't discuss it with her, I have no advice for you. OTOH, if you can't discuss it with her, you might not be privy to the discussions going on between her and your dn's doctor. For all you know, the dr. is aware of the side effects and perhaps they are trying different meds to see which one works best.

[Renee in NC]

In the past, my ds took them everyday, but we were in a brain building mode. Now, he only takes them on school days. He doesn't need to take them for events, because he can control his behavior. He just can't learn without them.

 

As for the personality changes, yes it can "zombie" a kid. Ds had this problem on the dose he needed for it to last long enough, but he also lost too much weight. The doctor decided he could take the lower dose twice per day, so we'll see how that works. This allows the Vyvanse to work long enough without the "zombie" effect.

 

My ds is hyperactive, but the biggest impact on his life is his inability to learn without meds. He has been on meds for a little more than 18 months, and has jumped from a preschool/K level to a 4th grade level in that time.

[Spryte]

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful replies. I appreciate it, and think I understand a bit better now.

 

He's been on the meds for about a year, although whether they are still adjusting doses/meds - I can't say for sure. I have been very cautious with discussing details with SIL, as I don't want her to feel that I'm another of the nay-sayers in her life. I just want to be supportive.

 

Whatever they are doing has helped his academic performance, so it must be working on that end. I truly wouldn't dream of suggesting that they make changes, because I do know that my SIL is very thorough in her research and very open with their doctors - so I suspect that the doc is well aware of any changes or side effects, and they are addressing them. At least I hope so.

[EKS]

My son has taken ADHD meds since he was 12yo. For several years, we gave them to him for school time but not on weekends. In the past 6 months he has decided not to take them most of the time, except for tests (at school).

 

When he takes them, he can be more anxious. As he is coming off of them, he gets cranky and difficult. I think he could probably use a different medication or a different dose or schedule.

[Gingerbread Mama]

OP, it's been my (unprofessional) opinion that they often reduce meds to school/work days only because of the appetite decrease seen in children. At least that was one of the things I found parents most concerned about when I dealt with the meds dispensing in public school, and it would worry me, too. I also had an adult friend who tried Ritalin. She said it was wonderful for her concentration BUT she couldn't take it more than 2 days in a row before she became hateful and mean. She said after two days, she would start looking for reasons to snap at people. That is not her, at all! She finally quit taking it altogether for that reason.

 

 

 

ETA - I agree with MomatHWTK, she probably notices the difference. It may just be the lesser of two evils for her. It would stink to be in that situation.

Edited June 12, 2012 by Gingerbread Mama

[MomatHWTK]

I would assume that if she's opting not to use the medications except when it is "necessary" (i.e. school and stressful events), she is already aware of the seeming personality changing effect. I would not mention it.

There's no need to point out the downsides to a parent who is probably already painfully aware of them. KWIM?

[WeeBeaks]

My son takes more than one med for ADHD and related conditions. Some are very short acting (4 hours) and some take up to a week to build to a therapeutic blood level. He can take the short-acting or not and they are effective during the 4 hour window. Those he sometimes does miss doses if we are concerned about him not eating (very low weight). Older stimulant meds for ADHD are often like this.

 

The longer acting ones he needs to take consistently or they are not effective. They also can have side effects from abrupt withdrawal, so we can't start/stop. For example, he takes an antiseizure medication for mood lability. He needs this consistently.

[LittleIzumi]

My husband and one dd are on meds for ADHD-Inattentive. If either of them turned zombie we would have requested a med change. Hubby takes it every day. Dd takes it only when we have school generally. It wears off quickly, so by the evening she's med-free. I like her on the least amount of meds possible. She's on the lowest dose available and only once a day (the script says I can give it again at lunchtime. I don't). She can now focus and complete things and THINK clearly and pay attention and understand, but she also still draws constantly when she's not "in school" and catches insects and plays pretend with her siblings and runs around at the park and climbs trees. If I wanted her to stay in her seat for an entire public school day, I might want to up her meds, and I don't know what reaction that would have in her behavior. She's just not ready for sitting down that long and I can't imagine medicating her enough to do so. She might indeed turn zombie.