I was afraid of this very thing. My 11 year old son has been on 10 mg of Adderall XR for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It has been sheer bliss. No homework, total focus, success in school (finally!! yea), etc. This week has been a different story. If I hadn’t seen the kid swallow the meds myself, I would have thought he forgot to take them. I know he’s taking them as he reminds ME that he needs to take them. That’s how well he does on the drug. I’m questioning why all of a sudden it would quit working. His teacher noticed a dramatic difference on Monday morning. Back to the old ways, very unfocused, poor handwriting, etc. She asked me if perhaps he hadn’t taken it. I called my doc but of course he’s out of the office until May 9th so the nurse advised that we keep on with the 10 mg. once a day and see how he does the rest of the week. She said the only thing they could think of is that he missed a dose on Sunday (I wasn’t planning on giving it to him on the weekends) and maybe that screwed him up. I can’t believe that as Adderall XR is a drug that goes in the body very quickly and is completely out of the body after 12 hours. That is what my pediatrician told me anyway. Anyone out there ever have this experience?
Re: Yet another ? about Adderall XR
What is he eating for breakfast? A study a year or so ago showed that taking adderall XR with a high fat breakfast reduces the benefits of the medication. Also, taking it with a citrus juice can affect how it works.
Thanks for the replies!!
Someone else suggested the relationship to the high fat content breakfast and citrus juice. He takes the pill between 7:30-7:45 am with water and maybe a small bowl of cereal. Then when he gets to school he eats breakfast as a rule, which as we all know has the potential of being a high fat content breakfast since it’s a school breakfast. He usually gets a juice then but it’s not usually O.J. (apple or fruit blend juice). Do you think that is too close to the time he’s taking the meds? My doctor told me that the meds should be in his body within 20-30 minutes.
As far as his behavior goes, he has never displayed any aggression, depression, belligerance. He just lost his focus and went back to his old ways of not getting his work done at school. His teacher is VERY understanding and told me to hang in there and that this is all very new so it will probably take some “tweaking”. She then said there will be a LOT of tweaking going on as he grows and changes. Oh great!! That’s all I could say about that.
He did tell me that he thinks he should take it over the weekend. He felt like stopping for the weekend and then starting back up was like starting all over again and Monday was very hard he said. I guess he’s the best judge! He told me he was just trying to save me money by not taking it over the weekend. Awwwww. Such a great lil’ guy I’ve got.
I am intrigued by the lack of sleep suggestion too. The Adderall IS affecting his sleep to some degree. Not like the third day he took the 20 mg and we were up ‘til 2 stinkin’ AM but the lower dosage is still making a slight difference. He can’t really settle down for bed until around 10-10:30. Luckily, we live 2 minutes from school so he doesn’t have to get up until around 7:00-7:15. But as he told me the other night, it’s staying light out longer so that could be part of the problem too. Who knows. I guess it’s all just a big hit or miss thing. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.
Thanks for all the help, support and advice. I am SOOOOO very grateful that I ran across this forum quite by accident. You guys are great!
Re: Thanks for the replies!!
[quote:1e43608f76=”Dimples”]My doctor told me that the meds should be in his body within 20-30 minutes.
[/quote]
Adderall XR combines a dose of immediate release adderall (effective in about 20 minutes) with a second, time-released dose that kicks in about 4 hours later. So, eating a high fat breakfast (or perhaps even a high fat lunch) could well interfere with how the meds are working. Perhaps you could talk to your child about how to make lower-fat breakfast choices from what is offered at school. He sounds like a child who is tuned in to the purpose and effect of the medication and is motivated to do what is necessary for it to work well for him.
Another day without focus!
Well today was another day without much focus for the boy. His teacher e-mailed me and said he just wasn’t able to concentrate today at all. She said she really notices his self confidence isn’t what it was last week and he’s just not as happy or satisfied with himself. She keeps encouraging me that we’ll get the dosage figured out and he’ll be fine.
I gave him his meds about 15 minutes earlier than usual today and did not let him have juice. I also had him eat a low fat breakfast so it didn’t really seem to make much difference. I did call the pharmacist today (remember his regular pediatrician is out of the office until Monday the 9th) and he said there are many factors that can affect the meds. ie: lack of sleep, stress, etc. He thinks that maybe we’ll need to go up to 15 mg or even try 2 pills one day and 1 pill the next….sort of tailor make a schedule for him. He assures me we will find what works. I sure hope so. It makes me sad to think how successful he was last week and then this week…nothing.
Re: Yet another ? about Adderall XR
Hi Dimples,
I just recieved an article from the UK Guardian reporting on a series of trials carried out at the Oxford Uni’s Physiology Dept into the effectiveness of using a fish oil derivative: Omega 3 to remediate dyslexia, dyspraxia and behaviour problems.
Perhaps you might like to have a look at it, and give it some consideration?
Geoff.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1476219,00.html
Adderall XR
:D I am new here so I thought I would throw this in. My granddaughter that lives with me takes 36MG XR in the AM and then the reg Adderall 36MG at lunch. She takes a 3MG Melatonin about 30 minutes before bed and usually will be asleep in an hour. Melatonin is something the doctor suggested and it can be bought over the counter. I truley wish we only needed 10MG a day. She also takes 1.5 MG of Abilify every AM. I hope I was helpful.
Nana C[img] :lol: [/img]
missing a dose should not have made a difference like that IME
The only issue I had with stopping and restarting was an upset stomach, etc-IOW some return of the same symptoms you are likley to experience the first time out
I think taking the 10 mg and waiting to see the dr sounds good unless he really does something out of character. If he is just going back to the way he was pre-meds, oh well.
But if he becomes belliegerent, aggressive or retreats into himself, seems depressed, etc-I would take him off until the dr sees him again
Could it be lack of sleep? Is teh adderall affecting this-I can see how an hour or two less over a period of time could catch up with him but not be obvious immediately
Or…it could be related to his age, emotions, etc and have nothing to do with the meds
Keep us posted as teh week wears on-Im always happy to give an opinion although it is, of course, just one moms thoughts