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Would puberty effect a 14 yr old ADD DD on Adderall?

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

My DD is on Adderall . She use to take Rititan but we found it just didn’t help her. So far this year has been good. She has just started her period and her Discovery teacher asked her if she still was taking her medication. Discovery is a special program in her school that helps Ld children learn strategies for the classroom. I was wondering if I should talk to her doctor to see if the medication should be adjusted. Also should she be seeing a psychiatrist instead of a pediatrician?

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 02/02/2004 - 7:16 PM

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Adolescence is one of those times when medication may need to be adjusted. Of course, children grow a lot during that time and significant changes in weight can mean a higher dose is needed. On the other hand, sometimes teenagers actually need a smaller dose than they did when they were younger, because their metabolism isn’t running as fast as it did when they were small. (Hard to believe when you think about how much teenagers eat, but that is what my doc tells me.) So, check with your doctor about adjusting your daughters medication. My 14 yr old son grew about 5 inches since last spring and gained 20 lbs. and we recently had to double his adderall dose. I was nervous, but the change has been positive for him and did not cause any adverse effects on sleep or appetite. His meds are prescribed through a psychiatrist, but not everyone does it that way. If you feel like your pediatrician isn’t up on the latest info though, you might be happier consulting a specialist.

Submitted by sherryL on Mon, 02/02/2004 - 7:28 PM

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Thanks I’ll call the doctor. She grew abot 4 inches since she started taking the meds. She’s a real light weight though 92 pounds at 5’4. I think after reading alot of different sites puberty is what has cause her backward step in school.
sherry

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