Adderall XR vs. Concerta?

I have a 7 year old son who has been on the adderall xr since February…….have never heard that or experienced it?? We did try the concerta but my son had a real hard time swallowing pills and with the aderall xr you can put in applesauce!!!!! I also work in a family practice/doctor’s office and handle the prescription desk and have not heard anything unusual from my patients?! My son does experience a little insomnia and a decrease in appetite,which are normal to expect. I hope this helps…….

Tammy

SPEED IS SPEED

My son tried Concerta last year and after a month was taken off due to what we termed “borderline psychotic” behavior-at 9 he threatened to kill himself. He went back on the Adderall he had been on for 2 years. This last NOvember, as soon as Adderall XR came onto the market, he switched to that and it has been WONDERFUL. Many children can only take one or the other (I have a niece who took Ritalin and now Concerta who reacted badly to Adderall), it’s a guess as to which one will work but it’s better to try now and find out before school starts.

One will work better than the other. It’s also possible neither will work or work well at all. There is no way to predict in advance exactly how a particular med will work or not work for the person who takes it. That’s just the real world. Good luck.

Agree 100% with your comments. How a person reacts to a medicine is very individual as you clearly explain.

Thank you to those of you who answered my question politely! I was thrilled to find a place where people are going through the same things I am, especially as the parent just starting on this road.
I have to say I have been disappointed to read through the messages here and find people who are, to be polite, less than supportive. I don’t know about anyone else, but for our family, the decision to try meds, was a difficult one. We have not entered into this blindly, or because we were told we had to, or because of any pressure from our Dr. The last thing I need to hear is how we are “ruining” our child, turning him into an addict or doing this to make our lives “easier”. Trust me, nothing in this process has been “easy”. I will continue to visit here and post when I need to, I’ve just learned to ingore messages that are posted by select authors.

My son is on Concerta and does VERY. It ok hiut a week tot coomortable swallowing the pillbut says now it’s no big deal. I asked my son’s Dr. if Concerta has a food effect and she said no but has seen that Adderall XR does fluctuate depending on what the patient eats. I am thrilled with Concerta and my sons weight has increased.

Our pediatrician told us that everyone responds to the various meds differently. Just because one med in the class of drugs does not work does not mean another does not work. If you are receiving the desired response it is worth trying a second or even thrid type of med. The medication can always

My husband was dead set against not utilizing medication. After the third opinion, reading about ADHD behavior in several books, talking with parents who have kids on meds and those who decided not to……..We started our son on Adderall (short-acting) 10 days ago.

We started with 1 pill for the first 7 days and doubled the dose thereafter.
I work with my son one-on-one with some of the different sensory integration mentods (Orton Gillingham, Project Read). I have seen less frustration on his part during our 45 minute sessions and more willingness to take risks with encoding and decoding words. He is less frustrated with working on multiplication math facts drills. There are still tears and cries of “I’m stupid”, “I want to be like a regular kid”, but he says it less often. He knows how to pull my strings, and is a master of avoiding what’s hard. I think the medication is allowing him to experience less frustration with difficult tasks and allowing him to hear me when I say I love him during these remediation sessions, he is very smart, he has multiple gifts and his new teachers, his mom and dad are here to help him with the way he learns differently.

Godd bless!

I was cautioned against giving adderall with orange juice-frankly I dont know if its the citrus or acidity but I stay away from anything close to orange juice and give milk or ‘pseudo-juice’ in the morning. Its not that hard and I figure better safe than sorry.

The fruit juices effect the rate of absorption into the blood stream. This is true of any fruit juice. The printout that the pharmacy is supposed to give should state this. I have found that giving it with milk, with breakfast works best for my son.

Note to Laura-sorry you found negativity here. All of us have very strong feelings and opinions about meds-going both directions. Everyone needs to understand that parents have to do what is best for their child. If a parent who does not believe in meds gives their child meds, the likelihood is that they (and their child) will have a bad experience. Somewhat like a self-fulfilling prophesy.

I hope it all works out for you

I say “AMEN” to what you wrote.. I only wish there had been “meds” for me back in the 1950’s. I would have been happier and much more successfull these 53yrs that I’ve spent on this earth. I was “lucky” enough to find the answer to “my problem” when I was 41yrs old.
PLEASE …All of you parents DON’T let the well meaning “do-gooders” stop you from helping your children succede and help your children feel good about themselves

I’m ADD and Happy!
Dave

I think tonight of all nights, I needed to read your post. We are currently in the same position, but my son is able to hold it together long enough during testing that everyone says he does not need drugs. I started this wher I was totally against meds, but like you I am now thinking it may be our salvation. I don’t know where to go now since he is able to hold it together during testing and it seems that someone has to know him awhile before it becomes obvious. HELP! I know that he needs something and I dont’ know where to turn. We’ve gone the route with our pediatrition, counselors, testing for LD. I also tried the school system, but due to his extremely high scores on SAT and The testing for LD, they don’t believe it would show anything but have offered to test. He believes that each time we have him tested it is to find out what is wrong with him. He hates each and every new avenue we try and therein lies the problem, we need to make definite positive steps and quit stabbing in the dark. Suggestion??? Sorry this is so long.

Have you seen a pediatric neurologist who specializes in LD/ADHD? Sometimes that is what is needed to really pin down the source of the problem. Also, kids with ADHD usually DON’T show it during one-on-one testing. Usually that setting is different and stimulating enough that the kid is more able to stay in focus. If you have a kid who is not hyperactive or impulsive but instead is more in the space cadet mode, it can be difficult to diagnose ADHD. One hallmark is the inability to persevere on hard or boring tasks. Everyone does that to some extent, but the inattentive ADHD kids are the ones who give up quickly, or never even get started on any thing that looks to hard or too boring to them. That can sometimes mean almost everything that goes on in the school day. A diagnosis of ADHD requires that symptoms show up in more than just the school setting, but for inattentive ADHD children the signs at home can be rather subtle. You really do need an accurate diagnosis from a specialist. A positive response to medication alone is not considered diagnostic. The other thing to consider is whether your son is gifted and not being sufficiently challenged. Gifted kids can look like they have ADHD if their educational needs are not being met. On the other hand, ADHD occurs more often in kids with above-average to gifted IQs. My own child is gifted with LDs and inattentive ADHD. He has done well with stimulant medications and they made a big difference in his achievement and in his motivation.

Andrea

Thank you so much for your answers, your descriptions are right on the mark. Yes, I do believe he is gifted and has tested extremely high, but since he is in a private school there is no gifted program. He does not want to attempt anything that stretches his mind and normally would be labled as lazy. I don’t really think this is the case, though I also have accused him of such. He does become hyper when he is familiar with his surroundings and it seems that he is trying to take the focus off of what he cannot do.Normally he could slide by in class with a C or B average, but is totally capable of more. He enters into 7th grade this year and I know the worse is yet to come. I have scheduled an appointment with a specialist for ADD/ADHD so hopefully that will help, but I am becoming so discouraged. Again Thank you.

My 10 year old has been on Concerta for one year. He had previously been on Adderall and Ritalin. He could not gain weight. He would never eat. He was sluggish (even on different mg). The Concerta has improved his appetite. He eats all the time. He has finally started to gain weight. He went from 60 lb to 69 lb in a year. He feels better and is doing great in school. The only problem we have are mornings (before med. kicks in) After the med kicks in he is a different child. It has been great for us, but as said by others each person has a different body chemistry.

God Bless.

Thank you.

There is some excellent information on twice exception children from the eric clearing house.
Some kids are LD and Gifted or ADD and gifted. These children fall through the cracks because they do alright in school until they become competely bored and tune out.

Go to google and type in twice exceptional, dual exceptional, and gifted and LD. Try each one separately.

You should see the articles from the ERIC clearinghouse which is a Fed gov’t sponsered clearinghouse of the latest research in education.

These articles are amazing and may explain alot. Perhaps you could use the information they provide to get the school to test him for a hidden LD.

Paula,

You can find some good information on the problem of gifted underachievment as well as on gt/ld at Hoagies Gifted Page, http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

Andrea

Hi, i just clicked on your post and was drawn into responding.Our son who is now 12,has had behavior issues scince birth.During the years up to 3rd grade we had his teachers and school officials push twards medicating him,we resistted for many reasons, but the main one being his small size and low weight.Twards the end of third grade he was really struggling with behavior control AND learning disabilities.i pushed for testing at school and got it ,however he scored just a tad above where he would be eligable for services,during this time we also paid a bundle to have him assesed for adhd (he has it ).We were able to get him some acomedations under the 504 law, but teachers were not really following it and still very focused on his misbehavior.He was getting in trouble alot and was HATING school and everything connected to it.I was getting very worried that he would give up entirely.One day he came home from school and said “mom,theres a kid at school who’s kinda like me and he takes a medcine that helps him get his work done,can I try that ?I was totally blown away at his request and felt I had to at least let him give it a try.We did and it helped him considerably ,however it helped with focus and attitude he still has dyslexia and that is still very much a struggle for him.I do feel if we had not medicated him he would have given up on school entirely.We were able to have him retested at school for disabilities at the end of 4th grade and finally they found him eligable, Even with being covered under the IDEA laws ,the school was helping him the absolute minimum that they could get away with,we had hired a specialized tutor back (when he was first tested and found uneligable)then and she has been the main reason he has done so well up to now.Not one person on this board has the right to pass judgment on anyones choices in their attempts to help their children make it through school,until they have been your childs parent they have no clue what your child needs or wants.Be true to your child a disrequard the negative responses,chalk them up to irrelavent,you know your child better then anyone.Good luck to you and your child,my heart goes out to you .Galadriel