My son has been taking Adderall for school along with Effexor (antidepressant to offset the side effects of the Adderall) for two years. Since he is off of the Adderall for the summer, his doctor said we could try to wean him off of the Effexor. He has been on a half dose for a week and will be on the same for one more week and then stop.
Since he has been off of the Effexor, I have noticed a decrease in impulsive behavior. When he started it, I thought at the time that he was more goofy— not less. He went from being very cautious about things like roller coasters, jumping off of high rocks into the swimming hole, etc., to much more fearless. He also seemed to be more “mouthy” and less thoughtful about what he said. I thought at the time I was just imagining things, but now I am seeing the reverse since he has been cutting down the dose.
Has anyone else seen this happen?
Re: Better OFF meds??
My son was switched from Adderall to Concerta during the Spring break this past year due to his complaints about going to the nurse during lunch. My doctor kept convincing me to stick it out until after a month when his grades had gone down and his teacher begged me to put him back on his old meds. I had noticed him acting just plain “weird” on the Concerta, he thought bathroom humor was suddenly the best thing in the world and was more impulsive than ever. Needless to say, he is back on Adderall.
Some meds work for some kids and others don’t. I have heard the best things about Concerta from most parents and teachers but it did not work for my son. Sometimes it is all just trial and error to find which meds work the best.
It is possible that your son has comorbid conditions that are made worse by the adderall and anti-depressants. Many ADD kids have anxiety or mood disorders, which are made worse, sometimes much much worse, on stimulants and antidepressants. When they stop the medication, their ADD isn’t better but all of the other behavior symptoms are, so it looks like they are better when off medication. You may want to check out a website called www. bpkids.org and post on their medication board. While this cite is for bipolar kids, lots of ADHD parents post because of the mood and other behavior problems caused by the ADHD medicine.