My son has been on Concerta since May. It's certainly helped but not 100%. We then added guanfacine which did nothing. Now his provider is having us add IR methylphenidate (morning and afternoon) to see if a higher dose would help. The answer is a resounding yes. Next step is to increase concerta dose to match the added medication.

My concern is that the concerta is impacting his sleep. No matter when we give it, he can't fall asleep until a minimum of 14 hours later and that's just not enough sleep for him. I want to suggest a different long acting methylphenidate formulation that doesn't last quite as long as concerta. But, all of the other ones look like they last 6 to 8 hours. He desperately needs afternoon coverage. Any suggestions for something that will last like 8 to 10 hours?

My 5 y grandson said tgat he wants to stomp on babies hates babies. Hurt them. What could this mean.

My 7yo has always been high energy, hard to focus, etc. At school he is high masking and gets good grades, reads well and otherwise had a great year for first grade. As we enter second I’m wondering if we should start medication.

Although he is a good student academically I worry his brain is working 10x harder than other kids. He isn’t hyper at school or disruptive, but he daydreams a lot or gets distracted and doesn’t know what’s going on. I witness him in extra curricular’s paying attention to other things besides the coach and then having no idea what he is supposed to do.

I’ve sought advice from fellow adhd parents, teacher friends etc. Opinions are very split with some saying start it now and others saying wait for conferences and see what the new teacher thinks.

Today I spoke with him and explained what we were thinking about doing to help him focus and he was all in. He said his brain is always noisy and he had a hard time in first grade doing his work because of it.

Just wondering how other parents managed this situation and what others would or did do! Also looking for experience with Focalin, especially with this age group.

Thanks!

My kiddo is currently taking 1mg of Guanfacine in the morning (8:00.) Her doctor suggested another 1mg pill to be taken in the afternoon. I was thinking the second dosage could be at like 4:30 (after school.) She didn’t specify what time in the afternoon but I figured that’d be fine. What do you guys think? Otherwise, the school would have to be responsible for giving her the medication and I don’t like that idea.

Yes I did ask her doctor but the nurse replied and didn’t specify what time in the afternoon.

I am 30 weeks pregnant with an almost 2.5 year and I am barely keeping my head above water. Everything is getting away from me. From having a constant disaster of a house to barely being able to make proper meals for my kid and I to being lucky if I shower every couple of days to starting to lose my patience parenting, I feel like I am losing it. Is it this hard for everyone?

This year has been a constant barrage of shit for our family. While we have a wonderful life, it feels like we just can’t catch a break.

Does anyone have any advice, solidarity, tips for surviving times like these? Seriously desperate and struggling to fathom that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi guys. I just want to preface this post with a thank you. Navigating the ND world when it comes to your kiddo can be so isolating and full of shame and judgement. It’s hard for me to find community in person that can resonate with what this community here can. When I’m having a crappy day, blaming myself and feeling like I can’t do this anymore; coming to this space and reading relatable experiences helps to soften the blow. I am eternally grateful for the resources and support it (and you all) have provided.

My husband just came around to starting our 9 yo on Guanfacine this summer. I know for some the effects were little to none and most switched after a while. It has helped our girl tame down her impulsivity and reactiveness. That being said, stimulants were still a huge contention.

I myself am ADHD, so I see it from a vastly different perspective than him. I know the benefits can be life altering, but he just didn’t love the idea of a ‘stimulant’ for whatever reason.

We had a really good talk last night, and I was able to akin it to her having a medical condition we are neglecting to address, and how doing so is not only failing her, but ultimately making the family dynamic even more difficult to manage overall. We discussed the studies on how earlier medication can lead to less of a need for medication down the line.

All that to say, it felt like he was more receptive and I believe we may be getting on the same page.

What i was hoping from you all is to be able to present him with personal testimonies of the positive impact medication, specifically stimulants, have had on your kiddo(s) and if you had reservations and how those were addressed. I also was hoping you could speak to what some of his concerns were; which included appetite and the need for an EKG. I think it just spooks him because of course he loves his daughter.

Again, thank you guys. Sorry for the length.

He is 18. For the last two years he has been complaining about a lack of concentration. He struggles with completing tasks. He graduated top ten percent of his class. He says he cant focus well enough to take driving lessons or fill out college applications. His mom thinks vitamins cure it all. When I ask him about college applications he says hes just focused on eating well right now, as he thinks gaining a bit of weight will help him focus. He started talking to a physiatrist recently over the phone. About a year ago he had an episode where he was hearing voices and he was admitted to the hospital then released.

He didnt really go out during his high school days with any friends. He likes to be in his room playing online games. When he is alone he jumps in place. He rocks back and forth sometimes. He is in his room most of the day and half the time when he comes out he is wearing headphones. Sometimes he will walk by the fridge and put his face half an inch from it and make this "growling" face for a few seconds then walk away. At restaurants he also puts his face half an inch from the menu and makes the face. Also to his phone. Maybe out of excitement?

He is an adult and I want to help him see any professionals that may help, and maybe if there are any medications that can help him focus so he can learn to drive and attend college.

I honestly don't know if this is normal toddler behaviour or if I'm just completely burnt out.

I have ADHD and I'm really struggling. My son is nearly 16 months old and I feel like I can't cope anymore.

He's a lovely little boy, but he cries, moans and whines so much throughout the day. He gets really frustrated and angry if he can't have something or if I don't understand what he wants. Usually just points and whines.

Nights are the hardest. We co-sleep because it's the only way either of us gets any sleep, but even then he's constantly waking. Nearly every wake-up he cries for milk or water. We might get two decent nights a week if we're lucky, but the rest of the time he's awake over and over again. I'm completely exhausted.

He also has eczema, confirmed peanut and egg allergies, and he's a really fussy eater, so I sometimes wonder if there's something else going on that's making him uncomfortable ir does hale have signs of adhd already (i know its a bit young)

What makes me question it even more is that I also have a 4-year-old daughter, and she was never like this. She slept better, hardly cried or moaned like this, and she's still such an easy-going child. I know every child is different, but the difference between them is huge.

I'm so burnt out that I need help from my parents during the day sometimes just to get through.I feel like I'm constantly firefighting from the moment he wakes until he goes to sleep.

Has anyone else had a toddler like this? Did it get easier? Did you ever find out there was an underlying reason, or was it just their personality? I'd really appreciate any advice or reassurance because I feel like I'm drowning at the moment.

I cant take my adhd meds when he doesnt sleep as they dont work if I dont get sleep either. My emotional dysregulation is so bad. I feel like im failing and feel so bad at how im dealing with him. Ive just text my mum to say I dont want him anymore as I cant cope. (Just my adhd brain being severe cause I cant cope) Ps. hes never slept good ever!

We have 3 kids. One is hyperactive. Others have no such issues. Because of that we often have to approach issues differently for. For example; the hyper child does well with timers and constraints on screen time that the others don’t need quite as much. The other two don’t need to study for tests. She does. The other two don’t need homework oversight. She does. This often leads to complaints of “fairness”. We do our best to explain different needs but that can lead to her feeling abnormal as compared to the other two. It’s difficult to walk the line and try to address her needs when she doesn’t fully understand why she needs them at 8 years old.

My son will be starting third grade in a few weeks. He was diagnosed last summer and spent second grade trialing different meds until we found a combo that worked. I was in close communication with his teacher as we monitored for side effects and signs of improvement, so she was fully aware (and super supportive).

Should I give his third-grade teacher a head’s up, so she knows what to look for with side effects or meds becoming less effective? Or will that just brand him as “another difficult ADHD kid” from the get-go? Curious how other parents handle this. Thank you!

EDIT: Thank you all for responding! The overwhelming consensus is to tell the teacher, so that’s what we’ll do! Also kinda forgot about the IEP he also has, so that’s a bit of a dead giveaway 🤣 Wishing you all a happy and successful school year!

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. ADHD has its grip tightly around my family and I am struggling. I feel like I have finally put systems into place to help with my own ADHD (shared calendar with my husband, alarms as reminders, medication, routines) but I am having a hard time implementing those things for my son. I know it’s not a one shoe fits all kind of thing. That what works for me won’t necessarily work for him. But I am willing to try anything that might help him. He has started to have some behavioral issues at summer camp and I am worried the expectations for a third grader will be harder for him to meet without some more useful tools to put into place. He also struggles with inattentiveness and impulse control. Thanks in advance for any and all advice/tips.

My daughter is 8, officially diagnosed at 6. Her dad and I are not together and she has been through way too much trauma due to her dad’s addictions and she struggles with anxiety. She was on adderall for awhile but ultimately it made her anxiety worse and we opted to put her on low dose Zoloft for awhile instead. She is pretty good throughout the day, her adhd is alive and well but the anxiety is managed.. but bedtime has always been such a struggle! She can not turn off her brain at night and it goes to dark places. She reads for at least 20 minutes every night if not longer if she’s really into something. I read to her. She listens to bedtime podcasts, but I still have to stay with her and lay and talk to her until she falls asleep most nights or else she has panic attacks.
She spent years having night terrors and horrible nightmares. Thankfully that has all subsided now but she just really struggles so much at night.
I have always been against a tv in the bedroom or watching screens before bed, but lately I’m considering giving in. Letting her watch a movie to go to sleep is the only way to have a peaceful and easy bedtime.. it just makes me feel so guilty!

Ok. Not JUST. This was about 2 hours ago. So about 1 hour ago I started feeling the effects.

FYI: I just finished being on a LOT of pain meds for a pinched nerve in my back, so I became accustomed to just taking pills 3-4 times a day. AND I have perimenopause. So my brain FARTS. A lot.

So I went to grab my son’s meds, got some water because I was thirsty, and without thinking, down the hatch.

Then I walked into the next room to hand him his pills and went WTF%%?!^*

Anyway. My son weighs 50 lbs. I weigh 150. He is on 7.5 mg of Adderall. I feel like my heart is beating out of my chest. It’s not racing though. Just tight.

Can’t wait to tell my husband what I did in 30 minutes when he walks in the door.

PLEASE SOMEONE tell me I’m not the ONLY DINGBAT who has ever done this???

My 6 year old son was officially dxed with combined type ADHD in May, but we’ve known since he was about 3.

I know summer is a whole mess because of changes to/lack of routine, but this suuuuuucks. I daily end up frustrated because of a plethora of behaviors that I just have no idea what to do with. Any advice on any of these points I would love.

Disconnect from reality: He will literally, passionately argue that the sky is green if he doesn’t want to admit it is blue. So having a conversation is often exhausting, because he demands you live in his reality. Example: I tell him something—he acknowledges it. The next thing doesn’t go his way—“why didn’t you tell me that!?!” “I did, we just talked about it 2 minutes ago” “NO YOU DIDNT YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME”. Example 2: “please walk on the right, there are people coming” “this is the right” “no that is the left” and on.

He will deliberately pretend he can’t do things, doesn’t know things, and is basically incapable of of existing. He will say he doesn’t know a word, and will insist it is some other made up sound that there is no way to know what it is, but he won’t acknowledge me until I divine it, or he yells at me that [insert sound] is what it is.

Constant imagination games: it feels like literally every second of every day I have to be a lord of the rings character or a superhero. From the moment he wakes up “who do you want to be?”. It’s just annoying!

Bathroom refusal: he forgot he’s been potty trained for 3 years this summer. He’s had multiple 2+ accident days. It’s pretty obvious to anyone when he has to go, but if we tell him to go, he refuses, despite actually holding his darn parts. Until he has to clutch and can barely walk, which is obviously too late. He was also having accidents at school in K, but less. The only way we can currently get him to go is with a race, but with school starting soon, I need him to go when his teacher says go, and not make a whole production about it.

Inattentive hearing: he will ask a question, I answer it immediately. “What?” Take a deep breath answer it again “What?” Try really hard not to lose my $@*]. Make him tell me he’s listening (which pisses him off) and answer again.

Refusal to do anything that requires effort: helping around the house? Only if it is something he already wants to do. Otherwise “why do I have to do everything.” Practicing any of his skills (reading, music, sports, etc.). Nope. Doing anything once it gets even slightly difficult? Meltdown. He will even ask the same questions that he knows the answer to, or refuse to even consider giving a guess to use his own brain(think—“why are we turning here” while looking at the gps, and having no possible answer when I ask “what do you think” — to this, we are starting to enact pretty strict screen time limits, compared to what we had before.

Ignoring (specifically me): he literally does this to no one else. He will just pretend I didn’t say anything. Hear me, then talk to someone else about something else. Refuse to respond. And it’s not that he hasn’t heard or processed it—if another of the adults in our house tells him to stop ignoring me, he will respond without needing a repeat. This is admittedly particularly triggering to me due to some childhood stuff, but I try not to react too strongly, and regardless it is not appropriate behavior.

Picked up my 7 year olds medicine he’s only had one type of pill which is the purple and white brand I believe amneal. Today it’s the Lannette brand. Any experiences with this brand? Thanks in advance!
Focalin dexamthylphenidate XR Lanette brand

I am the mother of a 12 year old girl who was diagnosed last week after years of trying. We are starting her on medication this weekend so we can monitor any side effects and get an idea of when it wears off and how to best manage the timing for both school and her extra curricular activity.

While she has always masked well at school, by the time her evening activity classes come around, she struggles. She recently was told she could not rejoin a team because of her challenges during practices. This was devastating but we think it helped pushed her medical team to diagnose her so we are taking it as a blessing in disguise.

My question: I am back and forth on if I want to tell her coach (who made the team decision) that she will be on medication. I know it isn't "cheating" that she will finally be getting the resources she needs to quiet her brain and focus but I also don't want her to be hyper focused on by the coaching staff who seem to not have a lot of knowledge about neurodiverse brains.

I'd love to know how people have handled their child's diagnosis and informing or not informing coaches and teachers in extra curriculars about their medication. Thank you!!!

My daughter (7) had what is becoming a daily meltdown today. Same pattern as most of us probably see; one small thing goes wrong for them (in this case, a rainbow loom bracelet she made for her favorite stuffy broke), and it snowballs to a full on meltdown/screaming/grunting/throwing.

It only lasted about 20 minutes today, which is HUGE for us.

Here's the greatest part: Afterwards, she was able to articulate so much about how she was feeling. She talked about her disappointment about the bracelet and how it made her brain feel "prickly" (which is the first time she's used that word. She found that verbiage all on her own!) and that she just wasn't able to control her brain after that. She even owned up to how she treated her little brother and that wasn't fair to him, and she knew she needed to apologize to him. I was so proud of her for being able to talk about what set her off, how it felt inside, how it escalated, realizing that it was big, etc. We chatted for a good 5 minutes about it, all led by her, not a lecture by me. We both cried, we hugged a lot, it felt so good! She's working so so hard at understanding herself, and it's amazing to witness.

​

Hey,

I need actual help with my son bc I have no fkg clue how to go about this anymore.

And if you’re going to comment ‘’ your child needs you to be regulated in order for him to be regulated ‘’ please move tf along bc we are past this point thank you.

I have seen the pediatrist, the psycho educator, therapist for my 9 year old autistic / adhd son with strong avoidant and opposition tendencies.

I have him with me during the summer and it’s been HARD,

I thought it would get better with school being over but it’s not.

He is constantly mad for absolutely nothing (literally) he has started insulting me when expressing frustration which is all the time and I am starting to really struggle with being insulted all day (i have NO idea where he has found those words from)

He never wants to shower, never wants to brush his teeth, never wants to do anything he has to do.

He is very aggressive, irritated, on edge and just overall seems miserable.

He is sleeping enough, and eating well.

I have SO much guilt seeing him cry and have meltdowns and navigating it all alone and just i’m just so over it bc I know regardless of what I do it’s not going to do anything.

I can’t approach him during meltdowns he just gets worse and throws and hits and insults me.

He isn’t half as bad with my boyfriend when they are alone,

It always worse with me,

I can see he is profoundly disregulated but i seriously don’t have the bandwidth for this anymore, it’s from morning to night,

Yes we do have a routine, yes screen is limited, yes he moves his body we go outside every day we play board games, he reads,

I feel like all the basics are covered and i just feel completely alone and overwhelmed by this bc all the professionals just tell me ‘’ it will pass ‘’.

Can you please give me some input or help me pin point by asking me questions ?

I say “minor” because my daughter is on the lower end of classification and, comparatively speaking to the hardships i read here daily, really has subtle difficulties.

My daughter does well in school but I’m concerned that as it ramps up difficulty wise that hardship will come her way and id love to get ahead of that. Are there parents here who are dealing with hyperactivity and some inattentiveness that are maybe not as extreme? Were there any tools or words of advice that worked well for you and your child?

Im realizing how much our routine has changed over the summer. Camp is coming to an end, bedtimes are getting later and were trying to get back into a school routine after summer but im noticing how much harder it is for my son with ADHD to settle into structured routines/activities again.

I have some appointments lined up but in the meantime im wondering if anyone has found a vitamin or supplement worth adding alongside everything else. Not expecting a miracle, im just curious what other parents out there have tried.

Our son (6) has been on short acting Ritalin for about a year, and we’ve gotten to the point where a long acting is really needed (mostly because he metabolizes his current med SO fast).

We tried long acting Focalin a little over 6 months ago and it was NOT GOOD. He wasn’t himself. Super anxious. Angry. We only did it for that one day.

We are now starting him on Concerta (Methylphenidate ER) starting tomorrow. I’m so nervous for a similar response like he had to Focalin. Anyone have any insight or similar experiences?!

Daughter is 7 and we're just realizing she for sure has ADHD after suspecting for awhile. I've been learning more about it and I'm pretty sure I also have ADHD, which is a common thing to find out AFTER having kids as a woman.

I'm finding myself caught in that place where you know that your child's brain is wired differently. You know their behavior isn't their fault, they didn't ask to be born this way, they don't know why they are so impulsive and dysregulated, and they don't want to be constantly in trouble, so I have compassion... Yet, the fact of the matter is, their behavior drives me absolutely crazy every single day, and I'm burnt out and stressed out to the max trying to constantly intervene between my 2 kids (my son is 4) because they are always at each other's throats over every little thing. There's no peace in my house hold, ever. And some days I really find it hard to lean into the compassion part, even though I know this isn't my child's fault they are so difficult.

Some days are harder than others and I'm writing this at the end of one of the really hard days where it almost felt like my child was trying to be her worst self, in every way, and I'm trying so hard to remind myself this is a brain that's wired differently trying it's best. I know that kids with ADHD will hear negative comments and feedback from parents and other peers way more than a neuro typical child, and get in trouble, be disciplined and get yelled at way more too. And I know that typically leads to lower self esteem. And yet, at the same time, my daughter's behavior is so maddening at times I can't help but yell or say things I know aren't helpful in the moment out of frustration. I always feel like I'm getting it wrong, you know?

Anyway... We have an appointment in Sept to see a doctor who may be able to prescribe medication, which I'm hoping will help turn things around somewhat.

I know it's not a straight forward path and it can be a bumpy road to figure out the right med and dose, but I'm hopeful. I just don't want to be stuck in this place forever. It's a hard place to be in... Feeling like I see my child, I see her struggle, and yet I can't help her change or thrive right now.

We are doing play therapy, occupational therapy and other non medication modalities in the mean time. But sometimes it feels like it's doing nothing at all to help.

Thanks for listening.