My question is in regards to my son’s ADHD med, Adderall XR. He seemed to be doing really well with it for the past four months. However, he has been having trouble lately focusing. Our physician suggested raising it to 15MG, which didn’t seem to help. He then suggested 20MG. I don’t feel really comfortable raising it that high, as our son is only six years old.
Is it possible another medication may work better, even in the same stimulant family, like Focalin that can be sprinkled? Is it unusual for a child to do really well on a medication for four months and then have difficulties again? Thank you!!
The dose of any of the stimulant medications used for ADHD (Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin, etc.) is not based on age or body weight. Thus, the only way to know is to start at a low dose, usually 5 mg. Then, about every 5 – 7 days, the dose is increased to 10 mg, then 15 mg, then 20 mg until the best dose is found. (Be aware that Adderall XR __ is an eight hour release form. Thus, Adderall XR 20 means that it releases about 10 mg initially and about 10 mg four hours later for a total of 20 mg).
Topic
ADHD