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Hoping that I can get some BTDT insight. DS is 8 (soon to be 9) and going into 3rd grade. He has been on Vyvanse for ADHD since he was 5 starting at 20 mgs. and we are now at 50 mgs.. When he first started on it, it was like someone flipped a switch in his brain and he was so much better. Not as impulsive, able to focus and able to control his emotions.
He also has SPD and we did 6 months of OT which helped tremendously. It helped address what was SPD and helped me to identify the difference between SPD "behaviors" and ADHD "behaviors" for lack of a better term.
Lately, though, the Vyvanse is just not working and it's almost as if the ADHD symptoms have changed. I wouldn't say it's ODD, but it's in the neighborhood. Defiant, temper tantrums, wanting control, outbursts without thinking first, alienating friends and his sister. Until a few months ago the outbursts of temper were limited to home and usually worse later in the afternoon (after med wore off), but he's had a few outbursts in public early in the day which is very unusual.
Also, a few weeks ago he was at Day Camp and I forgot to give him his med one day. Several close friends asked what was different with him. I didn't realize how withdrawn, sad and down he had become while taking the Vyvanse. Without it he will talk to people, smiles more and is happier. The outbursts are still there, but not as bad as with the Vyvanse.
He definitely needs something for the ADHD. I have kept him off the Vyvanse for now, but that won't work when he goes back to school. What about non-stimulants? Can they be as effective but help his mood? It breaks my heart that kids don't want to play with him and that he hits himself in the head and says how stupid he is. He is remorseful and apologizes for his behavior after, but in the moment he says that he has no control. He doesn't want to be this way. Consequences for his behavior don't work because it is usually out of his control.
I have read The Explosive Child, The Out of Sync Child and Parenting Your Spirited Child and taken bits and pieces of each and applied them to DS where appropriate.
Any advice? We see his pediatrician on Thursday. We are both looking forward to it.:cheer:
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i've never had a child on Vyvance, but i have had 2 sons on various other meds for ADHD.
i can tell you that sometimes ADHD looks exactly like what you're describing. medications can cease to be effective, too. we generally had/have to look at new meds roughly every 2 years or so.
my oldest son has bipolar, ADHD, and ODD along with some other issues. the p-doc medicated his bipolar first. getting that under control helped immensely, but the ADHD and ODD were still humming along. after he was stable for several months, we began to tinker with the meds needed for those conditions. for him, in the days before Abilify and the other newer drugs, it took a mood stabilizer, 2 ADHD drugs, an anti-psychotic, and 2 antidepressants to control all of his symptoms. over time we weaned him off of some and on to others. at the moment, being 24 and married, he chooses to take only an antidepressant every other day, and not all of the time.
my youngest son is super exuberant. the only kind of defiance we get from him is generally contained to annoying to poop out of everyone when he's off his meds. he currently takes focalyn ER and Kapvay for his ADHD. he has some pretty serious tics while off of the meds and they can get downright nasty when his med levels are off or they stop working. he has been on methlyn and clonidine and intuniv at various times. i'm pretty sure there was something else, but i have swiss cheese brains!
my point? you just might need a med adjustment. when the kids gain weight they need them. when they hit a new developmental stage they need them. sometimes there's no apparent reason but they need it anyway. please see your p-doc. tell him/her what you've noticed both while on and off his meds. the mood changes are significant. a good p-doc will be more than willing to help you find the right protocol for your son that will help tame his issues while leaving his personality intact.
call.
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You could be describing my son. We recently ( 1 1/2 weeks ago) went from a stimulant to a non-stimulant ADHD med and he is much happier and more 'himself.' And the defiant behavior and tantrums are basically gone. It doesn't seem to control his ADHD behaviors quite as well but it is enough for summer vacation and I am hoping it will be enough for school. It is hard to tell after such a short time and most of it on vacation with family.
Feel free to message me if you want more specifics about what he has been on, behaviors, etc.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone for the replies. I am going to discuss a non-stimulant with his doctor tomorrow. I hope that this is just due to his growth and perhaps not needing the stimulant so much anymore. I hope that it will help him enough to still be successful in the classroom and help him to control his emotions.
As for the anxiety/hormonal aspect I think anxiety is definitely at play. The Vyvanse seems to also heighten his anxiety level lately and he is better off of it. His doctor and I discussed hormones at his last visit, but there are no other indicators that this could be the case.
I had no idea that this is what ADHD truly looks like in a child. I thought that children were just talkative and couldn't sit still. I didn't know about the impulsiveness, the temper issues, the sleep issues, the low self-esteem and self-confidence. I didn't know about the friendship issues, the low tolerance for frustration and the remarks of "I am so stupid, I hate myself, I wish I had never been born, I hate my brain and on and on."
I just want him to be happy, to like himself and know that he is loved. He doesn't have to be perfect, just happy.
alyssa&avery
I had no idea that this is what ADHD truly looks like in a child. I thought that children were just talkative and couldn't sit still. I didn't know about the impulsiveness, the temper issues, the sleep issues, the low self-esteem and self-confidence. I didn't know about the friendship issues, the low tolerance for frustration and the remarks of "I am so stupid, I hate myself, I wish I had never been born, I hate my brain and on and on."
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