[KarynB]

Hey guys,

So, after putting it off for three years we finally agreed to try meds to help our son improve his focus and reduce his impulsivity. His ped. prescribed dexadrine, and it has only been one day, but last night he could not fall asleep and was up until 1 or 1:30. I am worried that this will rebound and effect his behaviour in a negative way.

Does anyone know if the body gets used to the drug and eventually regulates sleep, or will this be a problem for us? He is such a good sleeper, it is NOT something I want to toy with....

Also, does anyone know why he would prescribe dexadrine and not Adderral? Just curious...

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Lorraine123]

From what I understand, Adderall is a derivative of Dexedrine. They both work in the same way and any side effects (difficulty sleeping, weight loss) will be the same. The difficulty sleeping should decrease as his body adjusts to the med. Don't give it to him late in the day and that also should help.

[mrsred]

Our 7 1/2 year old son has been on adhd meds for a year and a half. Last fall the psychiatrist switched him from Concerta to Adderal. He developed motor tics with the adderall, so switched him to dextroamphet (dexedrine). he has had problems sleeping in the past, takes clonidine to help him sleep, but with the dextroamphet it was much worse. We upped his clonidine and he still was not sleeping. Some nights he would be awake well past midnight! He also lost 9 pounds in two months. That is a big weight loss for a kid only 4' tall! His pants were literally falling off of him. He was absolutely miserable on top of it. he was either yelling at someone or crying most of the day. I kept expressing my concerns to the therapist, but he dismissed me. so, after two months I dismissed him!
He is now back on a low dose (18mg) of concerta, prescribed by his pediatrician. Our pediatriciian was quite surprised that the psychiatrist had rx'ed dext. as it does cause weight loss more than soe of the other meds. Since getting off the dext. he has gained back the weight he lost.
So, I advise you to keep a very close watch on his weight, as well as his sleep patterns. There are so many adhd meds, and different kids respond differently to different meds. If the one is having adverse effects try a different one.
The nice thing about most adhd meds is that the results are immediate. If it is going to work, you can tell right away. And if it has adverse effects you will see those right away too. And, adhd meds do not stay in the system, so once you get him off the adverse symptoms will go away immediately.
Just a note too, most adhd meds can be 'flushed' from the system with orange juice, dextredrine included. Try giving him a large glass of orange juice about a half hour before bed. (and avoid it in the mornings!)
Besides our 1st grader I also have two fifth graders on adhd meds. Our bio son has been on meds since 1st grade, and our adopted daughter for a couple years.

[KarynB]

Thanks, you guys, that is very helpful. We are going to start giving him milk in the am (opposed to OJ) and a glass of OJ with dinner - maybe that will help.

I can't even believe how fast these meds work, just two days and the difference in this kid is amazing.

[Lorraine123]

Yes, Adderall can cause tics and they do not always go away after stopping the med. My son took adderall probably 7 years ago for 2 months and he still has the tics. Be cautious.