I think we may need a med change
Please be gentle, it’s been a morning.
Just so we are clear from the start, she’s booked in with her paediatrician for a medication review a week after she turns 6 (less than a month from now) and we have her in with an occupational therapist every fortnight. I’m posting this for support and to see if anyone has had any similar experiences with their kid.
We live in Victoria, Australia. My daughter is 5, officially diagnosed with ADHD 6 months ago. We started slow on meds. Dexamphetamine 5mg, a quarter in the morning and a quarter at lunch time, moving up to half in the morning and half at lunch, then eventually we have ended up at 5mg morning, 5mg at lunch.
We noticed immediately the improved focus and impulse control, but it would slump pretty quickly (around 1.5 hours - 2 hours after taking) and she would become incredibly agitated and quite emotional, especially if we needed to do something that she didn’t want to do. She is pushing her friends away at school and all she wants to do is sit quietly and draw. Loud sounds bother her, they didn’t before (or maybe they did and she would express it in a different way). Anyway, all of that is still happening, even on the higher dose. We make sure that she has a good breakfast before I give her the tablet and send her off to school, but it also suppresses her appetite so much that she’s coming home with a mostly full lunch box. Even by dinner time, she’s disinterested in food, which escalates the agitation and emotional dis regulation. I’ve expressed my concerns with her doctor and only ever moved up the dose under his advice.
I booked an after hours appointment around a month ago to discuss moving her to a longer acting medication (vyvanse or concerta). I was told he can’t put her on longer acting until she’s 6 years old and to give her another half dose of Dex in the afternoon, after school. It didn’t help. As we could guess, it suppressed her appetite even more and moved the meltdown to bed time, instead of earlier.
Yesterday I took a dive and decided to take the day off from medication, what was the harm? It’s a Sunday and we have nowhere to be and nothing to do. Yes, everything came flooding back. The impulsive behaviours, the loud constant noises, not following directions/instructions, boundary pushing at every opportunity. Most importantly though, she was genuinely happy. She snacked all day, ate three good meals and actually wanted to play, not just sit and do crafts for hours and hours while zoned out.
I don’t know, my gut is telling me the meds aren’t right and while we are seeing some positive changes, there’s so many negatives and she just seems miserable.
My worry is that when she does turn 6 and is prescribed Vyvanse, that her appetite will be non existent. I had a really hard time adapting to Vyvanse myself, it took months for me.
What do we think? Is it worth the conversation for a swap over to Ritalin? If anyone has had any similar experiences or can offer a shoulder to sob on, I’d be forever grateful. Thanks in advance ❤️