Comments on: ADHD Medication: Safety and Warnings

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:36:21 +0000

Mike-
While biphentin and adderall are both stimulants, they are in different families. That could account for how they work differently.
Obviously, I can’t diagnose over a blog. If your son was tested then he likely does have ADHD. If he had poor eye contact, maybe there is also some PDD. I am saying this only so that you can do some reading on it- though you’ll need to talk to your doctor.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:50:38 +0000

Hello Dr. Handelman:
I have a couple of questions. First of all, my son was on Adderall when initially diagnosed with ADHD at 8 years, and had significant side effects so that we had to switch him, ie: loss of appetite, insomnia, increased anxiety and mood swings. He responded better to biphentin. Why is this so, if they are both stimulants from same family of drugs? Also, I think he’s an unusual “case” and just wondering if you have seen this in your practice. He was never the type of toddler one would view as ADHD. He was calm, easy with transitions, never hyperactive or restless, an “angel” baby, happy all the time. However, always seemed a bit spacey because didn’t make eye contact, but heard everything. As he got further ahead in school, he became more hyperactive, and restless especially, more talkative, and anxious. Is this typical? Could he be misdiagnosed? Also, he’s only on 15mg of biphentin and I have no idea if it is doing anything. Teachers don’t seem to know, but not sure if they even “believe” adhd is a real diagnosis (despite him having a comprehensive psychoeucational assessment on file at the school). Any clarification with these issues would be helpful, Thanks, Mike

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:43:49 +0000

Amanda – in the US, there are other options other than pills.
1) Daytrana – the methylphenidate patch – this is applied to the skin for the medication to work.
2) Methylin – this is a medication which comes as a ‘chewable’ and a liquid.
also – the new medication Vyvanse can be opened and poured into water so that it can be swallowed with liquid.
I hope that helps.
Dr. Kenny

By: Amanda Hill

Amanda Hill — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 00:07:51 +0000

my daughters doctor told me in oct 2010 that she has ADHD. the doctor only knew us for 30 mins or less and had alanna on 5mg adderall well she would not take the pill so the doctor said to crush it in applesauce well that didnt work so the doctor started giving her adderall xr in a 10mg cap. the doctor told us to open the pill and poor it in her mouth well that didnt work cause she got really sick off of it. alanna take other meds just fine as long as its not a pill. So my question is what can a 5 year old take that is not a pill?

By: RICK RENFROW

RICK RENFROW — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:53:35 +0000

DR. KENNY ALITTLE BACK GROUND ON MYSELF I SHOULD ADD I SELF MEDICATED WITH METH FOR 28 YRS AS I NEVER KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT ADD OR ADHD I JUST FELT I WAS DIFFERANT THEN EVERYONE ELSE SO I WAS EMBARRASSED ON HOW AND WHAT I DID ( meaning using meth) TO BE ABLE TO THINK, STUDY, CONCENTRATE, COMPLETE ANYTHING, CALM ME DOWN AS I WAS VERY HYPER, UNABLE TO FOCUS, ETC……… BEFORE COMING TO ASK FOR HELP I WAS USING 1/4 OZ. OF METH PER DAY SELF MEDICATING UNTIL I CAME WITHIN A MINUITE OF DYING AS MY BODY HAD SHUT DOWN THEN AFTER GETING OUT OF INTENSIVE CARE I ASKED FOR HELP AND LEARNED THERE WAS HELP AND THAT I HAD ADD…………. rick5514@ gmail.com

By: RICK RENFROW

RICK RENFROW — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:36:18 +0000

dr.Kenny Im currently taking 45mg adderall IR in the am and 45mg Adderall IR in the early after noon my problem is that late afternoon early evening im completely out of juice. Im 52 yr old male in good health. I guess what asking is it or would it be ok and safe to add 30mg which would make my daily intake 120mg adderall IR. Previously about a year ago i was on 120 mg per day of Ritilin IR. My next question is the 120 mg of Ritilin ir equal to and the same as 120mg of aDDERALL ir. i HAVE TRIED CONCERTTA AND IT DID NOT WORK FOR ME AS I HAVE BOWL AND INTESTINAL PROBLEM WITH MOST OF INTESTINE BEING REMOVED THE CONCERTTA WOULD PASS THROUGH ME AND THATS WHY IM ON IR. nOW THAT YOU HAVE HEARD MY CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS PLEASE GIVE YOUR ADVICE THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT DAY….GOB BLESS rick5514@gmail.com

By: Angie

Angie — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:50:38 +0000

Just to update, after starting the 20 mg Adderall XR my daughter had severe headaches and nausea the first day and was crying and totally a wreck. I called the doctor and he lowered her dosage to 10 mg. Things were better on this dosage but it still took her a good 2 weeks to start adjusting to the side effects. Don’t let anyone fool you. It can be a rough start for the kids going on this stuff. However, 3 days into the medication the teachers at school were reporting that she was like a different child in the classroom and wanted to know what had changed. We had not told them she was starting medication so that the school psychologist could get an unbiased evaluation on her performance. She has since pulled her F in math up to a C and her 2 C’s up to Bs. Most of the side effects of the medication seem to have subsided other than she still has a bit of a hard time getting to sleep at night. She does say that she feels she can concentrate better in school now and is starting to be happy about it all. It has been an emotional struggle for me as a parent but I do see some improvements. She is also able to not take the med. on the weekend and that has been good for when she wants to spend the night at a friend’s house. I guess for now this is a working solution.

By: Angie

Angie — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:55:30 +0000

After all the evaluations with the psychologist and a visit to our family doctor yesterday, my daughter was given a prescription for 20 mg of Adderall XR. She started it this morning. About an hour and 15 mins. after she took it she was complaining of a headache and feeling dizzy so I gave her a Tylenol. I took her to school about 15 mins after that. She was sitting in the car with her head against the seat and her eyes closed saying she was trying to ease her head.

I must admit that I am a nervous wreck about all this. I didn’t sleep much at all last night because I kept wondering if we are doing the right thing. I have read so much information about addiction with the long term use of this drug at higher doses. I don’t know if her dosage is considered high or not but I did see on the pamphlet they gave me that there are lower and higher dosages and hers seems to be about in the middle. How does one know if addiction is becoming a problem in a 12 year old? Also, how long before I will know if this is helping or making things worse?

On the flip side, I don’t know what else we can do but to try this because our daughter is doing so poorly in school. She has always made good grades until last year when things started slipping a bit and now she is barely passing 2 subjects and failing in another. She is still to have testing for learning dsiabilities once her medication is regulated. At least that is the plan assuming the medication helps her to concentrate better.

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 05:43:56 +0000

Hi Angie,

Thank you for sharing your concerns.
There are a few comments I can make.
1) Make sure there is a thorough assessment to ensure there is in fact ADD there.
2) Psychological testing is almost always needed, but particularly in your daughter’s case – so do get that when it is possible.
3) I hear that you are concerned about the risks of medicine. My advice to you is to get clear advice from the doctor involved, and then give the medicine a try. Rather than waiting years out of concern for side effects, try the medicine for 1-3 months to ‘test it out’. If in fact your daughter has ADD, and the medicine works (about a 75% chance it will), then you will know if the side effects are a problem.

The issue of growth slowing is likely only a concern for about 3% of children. The doctor can monitor your daughter’s height and weight over time to ensure that she is not in that 3%. If she is, then the doctor can catch it, and discuss options with you.

I hope these comments help you in your discussions with your doctor about treating your daughter’s (possible) ADD.

By: Angie

Angie — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 04:45:11 +0000

Hi. I have a 12 yo. daughter who has struggled off an on with staying focused. She is now in 6th grade and is pretty much overwhelmed with it. She is passing but very frustrated. Homework time in the evenings is like pulling hair out for me. I have to constantly stay on her to get it done and sometimes the math takes us hours. Her teachers complain that she turns in incomplete work all the time, she shows some comprehension problems in school and has sequencing problems in math. We have talked with our school counselor who is also a recently retired child psychologist. After much discussion/evaluation with us parents, my child’s teachers as well as my child herself he feels that she has ADD. She is not hyperactive. In fact, she is the perfect student. It is being suggested that we put her on medication such as Adderall XR or a similar drug for a trial period to see if this helps and then have her evaluated for learning disabilites in math. We are in process now of getting an appointment with the necessary doctors and such. I am very scared about the side effects of medication. I am also concerned since my daughter is in the throws of puberty as to whether or not these medications can effect that since I read somewhere they can affect growth. I am desparate to see this child get some help yet afraid of making the wrong decision about medication. Any advice would be appreciated.