Update ADHD!

My 9 year old son started on Adderall 2 years ago & the results have been positively transforming. We tried some others first & they did not work. I have full faith in Adderall. He started on 10 mg, we went down to 5, not enough & went back on 10, which worked great until this summer (he has grown) & we went to 15 mg with excellent results.
S.

my daughter (10 years old) is on Focalin XR - it is a capsule and she is also unable to swallow it whole -

we open it up and put it in a teaspoon of applesause -

recently - we have started pulling the top of the capsule off and bending the bottom in half (with a little bit of water to make it stick) - and she is able to swallow that with some water...

she has have AWESOME results from the Focalin

Baby steps.......

A.

I have heard so many wonderful testimonies from just taking this liquid nutriton and changes in those with ADD, ADHD, and even autism. Just yesterday I met a mom whose child was at rock bottom. They were about to move her to a learning disabled school. She had started drinking this and started to be able to do things she was unable to do before. Now she is doing great and in the gifted and talented program. Hard to belive, but I met the mom! I have a friend whose child has autism and he now speaks to them and not at them. They are thrilled with the changes. As the body gets the proper vitamins and minerals it needs, it heals itself. The head is sitting on the body, I heard a doctor on TV remind us, and a healthy body means a healthy mind. He was not even talking about this. He was on a morning talk show. You can call me. ###-###-####.

L., Please try altenatives to med, I have great inromation that is food supplements that has helped kids with ADD/ADHD, and many other issues without the side effects. I can have you speak with moms who had life changing result with their kids. I hope you will at least check it out.

Let me know.

A.
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My daughter is 8 and is on Vyvanse for ADHD and it works really well for her. She has never had a problem swallowing pills but it comes in capsule form so I would think that you could open it and place the medicine in her pudding. The other good thing about Vyvanse is that it has the least amout of side effects out of any of the ADD/ADHD medications. I know how hard it is to start medicating your child, but in my case it was the best decision I ever made. She is so much happier now that she is doing great in school! I applaud you for giving the medication a shot! Good luck!

My son (17) has been taking Vyvanse for a year now, and we have had great success with it. It comes in capsule form and looks like you could pull it apart. It also does not have as severe side affects as some other medication, and from some of the literature I read, it is not as likely to be abused because it does not create the desired effect that apparently some people take it for that do not have ADHD.

I really understand the ADHD problems. You already have some good feedback. I just want to add that your daughter really needs to learn to swallow pills. Doctors seem to run out of patience at about your daughter's age. We had a lot of trouble until a friend suggested trying TIC-TACs. Have her deliberately try to swallow one, if she succeeds great, if she can't at first no harm done and NO BITTER TASTE. Just keep trying. Once she can get over the hesitation, she will be well on her way to taking any kind of medicine the doctor prescribes. And I sincerely hope you can find just the right combination to help her with the ADHD.

I just attended a seminar on sugar substitutes, and had no idea that aspartame (NutraSweet) can cause ADHD. do you have a lot of those sugar-free products around? You might want to pull your daughter off all of those that contain NutraSweet, Neotame, any of the -tol sugar substitutes (maltitol, xylitol, etc), and Splenda for 30 days and see how she does. This lady is a world-renowned expert in environmental toxicology and had some really scary statistics about those things. In fact, she says the only safe powdered sweeteners are saccharin (!) and stevia. Oh, and regular sugar. Go figure. Anyway, she really got my attention. Thought I'd share.

Hey L., My husband (adult ADD) has taken Vyvanse for about 16 months and it works great. He was on Stratera for about 5 years before that. The only side effect from the Vyvanse that we saw was weight loss. He put it back on about the one year mark. The vyvanse has about a 12 hour half life so basically it is designed to cover them when they are at school (or work) and then it wears off. I think it works really well for him. Hope this helps. M.

Hi L., u might also look into the patch it is called Daytrana or if u cant find it that way drop the y. You just put if on around the hip area and switch sides daily it can remain on for up to 12 hours.

My son has been taking Vyvanse for over a year. When the doctor suggested it, I had never heard of it before but he was on Concerta and that did not work for him at all.

His pill is 50mg and is a capsule. I would assume that you could empty the contents into water or juice and have her take it that way but I'd ask the doctor first.

I suggest getting her used to swallowing pills because if she is 9 and having to take something everyday, breaking it up and putting it into pudding is only making it worse (IMO).

Hope this helps!

My son has been on vyvanse and it is great. It is not ritalin based so that is another good side to it.
Do knock it!! REally I like it better then all the rest!!

Unless it's a capsule yuo should be able to cut it in half with a pill cutter whether or not it is scored. Pill cutters are super cheap and you can buy them at just about any pharmacy.

Mu daughter is on Vyvanase too, going on 2+ years now and it has worked well for her. The pill is quite small, but I agree that even if it can be broken over time your best bet is to have her learn to swallow.

I had big issues swallowing and it really is just a fear. I even to this day, take a big drink first and then tilt my head back and put a pill in and swallow. This helps the pill getting stuck to my tongue, having to taste it and just helps it go down easier. Maybe this could help.

GL!

Hi L.,

If the reason your daughter must take meds is because of school, please think about an alternative environment such as Great Lakes Academy. They are a school that specializes in teaching children with AD/HD by providing an atomsphere conducive to the needs of their students. For instance, they allow the students to move around in the classroom at appropriate times, have recess and PE every day and DO NOT take them away for silly things like forgetting their homework or not completing an assignment. They also have social skills classes and teach organization skills. But best of all, most of the students don't need to be on medication! Now if this isn't for you and you don't wish to consider private school then Vyvanse or "the patch" is a good alternative but keep in mind - not everyone reacts the same.

My daughter is on Vyvanse... It looks like you could break it apart but I have not read the directions and we have no need to do that.

Adderall XR cannot be broken apart.

Vyvanse has worked very well for my daughter, with no negative side effects.

Vyvanse is the one my son takes - he is 8. It is one my doctor recommends and the insurance will pay on. It is in a 50 MG capsule. For a year we opened the capsule and tried to put in pudding. It is "bitter", my son now has no interest in pudding. We finally practiced enough to swallow the pill by holding water in mouth and letting pill sink back and swallow. WHAT A BLESSING FOR THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT. Try starting with mini M&M's and moving up to M&M's to practice swallowing. Good Luck.

My son is 13 and has been on Focalin for over two years. It is great and has had little side effects. He used to take Adderall, but could never swallow it. The doctor switched him to Focalin, because it has less of a taste.

He began taking Adderall XR when he was seven. It was a constant battle. He simply could not swallow it. He has a very strong gag reflex. We emptied the contents into pudding, juice, ice cream, etc, but the taste was too strong and the little tiny dots of medicine were hard to disquise. (My son has never been able to eat chocolate pudding again since the bad experience.) We finally had to use regular Adderall tablets that I ground into a powder and put with strong juice. Many mornings he was late to school, because it took an hour or more to get his medicine down.

I feel your frustration, because it was a daily battle for us for three years. We tried everything that was recommended - he practiced swallowing tic tacs, tried to take it with a bite of food, swallowing up side down, etc. Nothing worked. Before he entered middle school, I was very concerned and the doctor switched him to Focalin and he practiced and practiced and finally was able to swallow the pill. It just takes a bit of maturity to overcome the gag reflex.

One other thing you might check into, is a patch. It is fairly new and they did not have it when my son was younger. It is a patch that you put on each day and it slowly releases the medicine. I don't know anyone that has used it or know if it works well. Ask your doctor if it is an option and give it a try. Lots easier than trying to swallow a pill.

Last week somebody recommended Vyvanse to me for my son. But don't go by the fact you have never heard of it. Every med works differently with every person. Find a dr. you trust and work with them to find what is best for your child.

Hi L.,

I wish you luck in finding the right medication in the right dosage for your daughter. Another thing you may want to address is her nutrition. Studies show that kids who get 9-13 servings of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables daily have fewer and less severe ADHD symptoms over time. In fact, every cell of every system in the body functions better with improved nutrition.

God bless,

M.
"My son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones!"
View my Mamsource profile to find out how we did it

Hi L....My son takes Concerta and is fine with it...however, he may be ready for a med change, or an update. Everything I've heard or read has been good for Vyvanse. I asked a similar question on here a few months ago and go a lot of good responses about Vyvance.

I have no personal experience with it, but all the feedback I've heard has been good...I'll be speaking to my son's pediatrician about it on our next visit.

Good luck...let us know how it turns out...we can all use the feedback!

S.

My daughter also had problems with swallowing pills. It was a long weekend with high drama. Get her around other kids who take meds, and let her see how they do it. My daughters friend has been taking pills since she was a toddler...and without a drink! I know, you can't stand the drama...you feel bad. She needs to get over this. Good luck. I just want to say that my daugther does not give it another thought in the morning. It is part of her routine...and she knows that some of her friends also take pills in the morning...that info really helps.

VYVANSE works great for my son. Plus it is timed release to last 12 hours, through homework time. We love it!

We were able to use Focalin XR and split open the pill when my son was younger. He now is able to swallow.

My son ADHD and takes Adderall XR--capsule form and cannot be split. He has taken Vyvanse and same story--capsule. Vyvanse wasn't a good match for him so I don't know much about it but I know Adderall comes in several strengths--10,15 and 20 that I know of. Keep pursuing until you find something that works--the right med, the right dosage. Good luck.

Vyvanse is a somewhat new drug for the treatment of adhd. I is a good one though. It has helped my son tremendously. It should be able to be given in applesauce or something as it is a capsule and can be sprinkled.

My daughter has been on adderall XR for many years with fantastic results. She participated in a drug study for vyvanse which was good also. I just recommend not giving it on the weekends to encourage eating because otherwise she will just stay too thin!

I wish you all the luck. You can check out my site www.advocare.com/0402179

When my niece was in middle school they took her off the meds and put on her SPARK. It is a mental focus and mental energy drink. I can not say it will help your daughter mut it did help my niece and also my son. There was a test done that I have a copy of spark against some med. just let me know if I can help. email address is ____@____.com

Most extened release (XR) can not be cut in half. I am not sure of an ADHD medication that can be cut. I think the medicine that you are referring to is fairly new.