Re side effects (citrus etc.)

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

Hi,
I am starting my son on 10 mg. XR Adderall tomorrow (for inattentive ADD) and, having read the accompanying info., see that taking it with fruit juices may cause stomach troubles. I was planning on explaining this to my son, to explain why he will be having his oj at night from now on. Is this generally a good precaution to take? I am not sure how frequently fruit drinks are a problem.

It also got me wondering about what to tell him, if anything, about other possible side effects, and wondering in general how others have introduced the topic of side effects to their children. I was going to explain the o.juice bit and just leave the topic until such time, if any, that any effects surfaced.

Obviously, I do not want to alarm him when the incidence of side effects other than some appetite suppression or trouble getting to sleep are not very common. Since he will mainly be focussed on the new video game he’s rented tomorrow, he won’t notice if I don’t put out his oj at breakfast, so I will just forego an explanation until I’ve collected others’ experiences on this.

Thanks.

Submitted by JenM on Sat, 10/30/2004 - 11:50 AM

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How old is your son? I don’t get into long explanations with my daughter. That’s the kind of thing that would cause her to get overworried which may not be an issue for you. I do tell her something like, this is a new medicine, if you feel any different you need to tell me. I also will check in with her from time to time just to make sure. I let the school nurse know as well.

As far as citrus juices my understanding is that the medicine should not be taken with it because it affects how it is absorbed into the body. Other than that there should be no reason not to have OJ. I could be wrong but the dr only put the restriction that the medicine should not be taken with any citrus juices.

Submitted by JanL on Sat, 10/30/2004 - 1:29 PM

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Thanks, Jen
He is 11 1/2. I was just planning on saying some kids take a few days to adjust to it; others adjust right away and to let me know if he noticed anything different, as you suggested.

There is no school nurse in our case. Since he is inattentive ADD (and NLD) I was not planning on telling his teachers, but, rather, waiting to hear reports of any impact. They know I have a prescription but I told them I would not be informing them as to when I would begin giving it; I would just like to hear of any changes they notice.

The info. I got (a “healthwatch” printout from the pharmacy, was a bit vague re citrus. If it affects absorption rather than increasing likelihood of stomach cramping then in the XR version, wouldn’t citrus be a bad idea until the pm when the drug has worn off?

Thanks.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 10/31/2004 - 6:25 PM

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Citrus juice interferes with the absorption of the Adderall, not because it may cause stomach pains.

It is actually listed in the Adderall insert that it should not be taken with citrus juices , not just orange juices but lemon, grapefruit and some mixed juice box too.

You can take the juices an hour after the meds to be save. Water actually helps with the absorption of all meds.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 11/01/2004 - 6:31 PM

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Hi there,
My son loves his juice in the am and does 10 mg of the Adderall. What we do is make “apple,orange,water juice” for him. 80% water and just a splash of the other two.

He was weepy at the end of the day when he started the med. I don’t know if you want to tell your child that or just be prepared for it yourself so you can plan on being extra paient and sensitive to him. My son always had a mild stomach ache at the end of the day too. I applied my own “nervous stomach” remedy that I use when school started this year. He has chocalte milk w/ lunch as well as a drinkable yogurt. Something about blander dairy that always settled my stomach. The few times we couldn’t do this he had the stomach ache when he got off the bus.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

Submitted by JenM on Mon, 11/01/2004 - 6:58 PM

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Just curious Binkyy, what does the dr think of the chocolate milk? My daughters neuro dr does not want them having any chocolate. She says the chemicals in the chocolate are not good for them. I compromise and we have one day a week (usually weekend) that is a chocolate day. It’s much harder on my older daughter than the younger one who could care less about chocolate. Both girls love Sunny Delight and will drink it all day long. Just not at breakfast with the meds.

Submitted by JanL on Tue, 11/02/2004 - 2:38 AM

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We haven’t noticed any dramatic side effects so far—just a little more difficulty than usual getting to sleep and a slight reduction in appetite. Do side effects typically diminish or increase over time?

Submitted by JenM on Tue, 11/02/2004 - 12:39 PM

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It’s hard to tell for us. The sleep thing did improve but in our case it’s real hard to determine what was causing all of the insomnia. Some of it was from the adderall but anxiety/depression was also a factor. The anxiety is being addressed also and that is when the sleep improved but it also could have been adjusting to the adderall. Appetite is a problem still. I try to offer plenty of healthy snacks. My daughter started out in the upper percentiles for weight so it’s not such an issue if she loses weight. I do worry about it but as long as she stays a typical weight it’s not such a concern.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 11/07/2004 - 7:55 PM

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Sorry I didn’t reply sooner Jen. I never had any warnings about chocalate. Generally (this weeek not counted :-)) we don’y have the real thing in the house so I was assuming one serving a day was ok and also assumming there wasn’t a ton of chocalate in the milk. Which I know I could be kidding myself. Again it’s all a balancing act. The increase in dairy seemd to have gotten rid of the afternoon stomache, which only happens when he is on the meds, so I am just looking for a successful mix.

Thanks

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