Seeking Advice on Medication for ADD Specifically Concerta

Hi, I have legal custody of my grandson and he is on Concerta.
He is 8 years old and was originally diagnosed as bi-polar and had been on bi-polar medications until this year. His new doctor decided to see if he really needed the more powerful medications and we weaned him off those and substituted the Concerta. He is doing just fine. We have also tried him without any medications and he definitely does better on the Concerta. His teachers noticed an immediate difference off the Concerta, so we went right back on it. The only side effect we are dealing with is loss of appetite.
He will not be taking it over the summer and I also leave it off on weekends. It is working very well for him.

Hi M.,

My son who is 11 was recently diagnosed with ADHD. His Psych chooses to try supplements for his patients before prescribing meds. My son began taking Omega 3 fish oil and L-Theanine last week. Believe it or not I've already noticed a difference in him. If I were you I'd google them both and read up.

Take care,
M.

We tried several meds and ended up with Guanfacine. It is also called Tenex. It is a non-stimulant drug and has worked fantastically for my eight year old son. Good luck!

I avoided the medication approach to ADD. My daughter had it. I brought her to a homeopathic doctor in the City. Within a year, her classroom teacher referred to her as a "model" student in an SST meeting. I thought she was talking about the wrong child. My daughter has grown, struggled and matured for many years, and sometimes I see the signs of ADD with her impulsivity or her inability to concentrate, or in her challenges to multitask. But these are MINOR today compared to the beginning. She is 18, loving the college learning environment much more than high school, lives on her own, and holds down a job. She is a blessing and full of life!

I brought her to Dr. Manteuffel. ###-###-####

Good luck.

Hello,
Both my sons are ADHD - although each is very different. I know there are soooo many of you out there that don't agree with medication and really don't even like the name that is given with the diagnosis. (I was reading previous posts) I beg of you out there...PLEASE be respectful of all us that are going through this with our children! I truly believe that each of will do the best we can to help our children and not put them in harms way. With that being said...both of my sons are on Concerta. We have had much success with it. We started off with Adderall but found that it really suppressed the appetite of my oldest child. That is when we switched to Concerta. We have been on it for a year now. They also take an Omega 3 supplement. Both of my sons are doing very well and I am very proud of them. If you would like more information on different treatments go to www.additudemag.com. I recieve this magazine and go to their forums often. It is a wealth of information!!!
Best of luck to you!

Hi M. ~

Recently I found an awesome blog written by a mom who has a son with ADHD and 3 learning disabilities. She has put together a huge amount of resources on her site and shares everything so generously. In fact, she even has a free give-a-way on her site right now. You can check it out at http://www.adhdguide.blogspot.com/

I hope this helps!

~ C.

I completely agree with Terry W and Anna Z and had very similar experiences. My daughter started on Concerta in the 3rd grade, but was identified as having difficulty in Kindergarten. We explored all options, talked with many doctors and educators, and waited until she was older to try medication. The Concerta works well for her. Please do have the psycho-educational examinations, and examinations by your pediatrician first, and begin a timeline within your school. Not eveyone will agree on the best course of action, and you will have some 'trial and error.' It's great that you are addressing this now, but please keep in mind children are all so different developmentally--celebrate their individuality!

Medication can help, but make sure of the diagnosis. If your doctor prescribes Concerta then hopefully your son will be able to swallow it (litteraly). If he, like my son, is unable to swallow the pill then I would suggest an alternative - chewable Methaphenidate. Good luck. - A.

I know how you feel, Concerta does work as long as the child takes it. If you research the info, it will tell you it stays in their body for 8 hours. There is more than one layer of the medicine, and how it works. My son took it,and he stayed mellow. Once the medicine wore off he went back to being mischevious. There is adderall but it made my son tired. There are different medicines, but depends on the child. Paxil made my son flip out. Check out www.concerta.com, they will send you a brochure to your house so you can see how it works. I would say its safe to take.

Our son was diagnosed with ADD without the hyperactive component. We were also told he is gifted so even though his ability to focus and complete his work was very poor, he was still learning and not behind.

We tried the medications and they either made him too sleepy or too awake (like from 2 am to 6am). I have always felt that much of his problem was from him not being able to go to sleep, stay asleep and get enough sleep. We have been using melatonin, a natural sleep solution, for over a year now and it is absolutely wonderful. He is a different child. We can still see the ADD but it is so improved, he doesn't need the meds. If he needed them and they worked for him, I'd do it in a minute because it is hard for a child's self esteem to constatnly being the one not paying attention. They feel different and know they are different.
We also use Omega 3's for kids that seem to help.

Best of luck to you.

My son took Concerta and it did nothing for him. I have, however, had students in my class who take Concerta with good results. I believe that the dose has to be pretty high or it has no effect. Good luck.

My son, who is now 13, is on Concerta. He was diagnosed a year ago with Non-attentive ADD. We tried two different medications and he liked the Concerta best. He was having trouble staying focused, and once he got into middle school he really started falling behind. I didn't know that there was such a diagnosis as Non-attentive ADD, and had no idea there was anything more than being lazy involved with his falling grades. Once he started taking his medication his grades went from C's and D's to A's and B's, but best of all, he feels better about himself. Constant stuggling made him feel stupid (his words), and so he was getting depressed. His attitude is so much better in all aspects. I would recommend this drug to anyone. Of course all children don't react the same to all drugs, but it is working well for mine.
The only side affect of the medication is a lack of appetite. I make sure he eats breakfast every day, but it is up to him to make sure he eats lunch at school. He doesn't snack when he comes home from school anymore, and eats dinner, but is often not hungrey until later in the evening. The doctor is monitoring his weight vs height, she also has encouraged him to make sure and eat at lunch,and so far she is pleased. Good luck.

The key thing I learned about ADD is that the child needs to be supported in many areas. One important thing is helping him learn organizational skills and keeping things simple. At this age, he will need direct help in keeping his backpack and room simple and easy to use. A behavioral therapist can also help with this, as well as learning appropriate social skills.
Another component is recreation. A child with ADD needs regular outdoor fun. This can be with organized sports or just daily play outside. This helps a lot.
I have found that homeopathic medication is more successful than ritalin and doesn't have the side effects. It's critical to find a good classical homeopath to prescribe for your child, if he needs medication.
Nutrition is also part of the overall plan. It's good to keep his food as natural and unprocessed as possible.

My son has ADHD and takes concerta. One thing I need to point out here though is that his ADHD diagnosis was not made until he was almost 8 years old for one very simple reason - young children should not be expected to be able to focus all the time! Yes, he started showing 'signs' of ADHD early on, but so did all of his classmates. It wasn't until 3rd grade and after seeing the school psychologist and speaking with lots of teachers and seeking info online that I finally took him in for an evaluation.

Since then the concerta works terrific. I was not a believer in medication for this, and neither was his teacher, but we were all amazed. When nothing else works, do try the meds, but try other things first, and give him time to outgrow the focusing issue. Usually by age 7-8 (2nd/3rd grade) they should be able to focus in class, but even then, not all the time.

My 8 year old was diagnosed with ADD in the middle of 1st grade. She is now almost finished with 2nd grade. Placing your child on a medication is scary. We got to the point that we had no choice. She was at the bottom of the class academically and her self-estime was rock bottom. In addition, she was having extreme tantrums daily resulting from stress. We put her on the Concerta and life improved substantally. It turned out that we had to switch medications as it severlly decreased her appetite. We now have her on Adderal. Between September and January she went from the bottom of the class in reading to the middle and is still improving. Thank goodness for Concerta, it got us started on the right path. It is worth trying and if you and your son don't like it the it is out of his system by the next morning.

Go for it!

We have a daughter with ADD. We put her on 30 mg of Metadone. She still has her cute personality, but it has made a huge difference. She is doing better in school and at home. We have even noticed she gets along better with older siblings. I have also read removing sugar from their diet helps, but I have not tried it yet. Good luck.

Please don't medicate your! He has trouble focusing in class because he is only 6. They told me the same when my son was about 6 and like a fool, I put him on Ritalin. It was very sad. He changed from a spunky, fun but very active little boy to a quiet, withdrawn little guy who would just sit in the corner on the floor a quietly looking at a book or coloring, sometimes with a little puddle of drool from the corner of his mouth! I guess that's what the teachers want because it is easier for them in their class if all kids just shut up and sit there. It broke my heart to see the change and after only two weeks, I quit giving it to him. I researched natural alternatives and ended up using vitamin e oil capsules. I would warm in water and pop open about 3 every night at bedtime, squeeze out the oil and rub into the soft parts of his abdomen while telling him a goodnight story. It became our ritual and after 6 weeks, we saw a huge difference. Today I am very proud of what I did. He is now 17, graduating this year with all honors and advanced placement classes with a GPA of 4.0 and going to UC Berkeley next year! Your child is perfect the way he is. He will outgrow that active phase and you will miss it once he is grown. Take it from one who has been there.

Two of my boys take Concerta. Both were really, really struggling with organization and attention issues in and out of the classroom-- loads of forgotten homework, tons of careless mistakes on written work, inability to memorize simple spelling words, etc. The teachers were baffled because they are bright kids. I actually pushed to have one of them tested for learning disabilities, because even his reading was being effected. Testing turned up nothing except to confirm that he really is bright.

The Concerta has helped them both quite a bit. It's NOT a miracle drug-- both boys are still a bit disorganized, but not nearly as badly as before. Their schoolwork is now much more reflective of their actual intelligence and ability. They still need to put in the same effort, but now they can actually channel it into productive work rather than being distracted by everything in sight (or hearing range!)

One interesting thing I've noticed is that everybody seems to metabolize these meds a bit differently. My 4th grader started taking it in 3rd grade, and had to take 36 mg from the get-go to see any effects. Since about the middle of this school year, even that hasn't seemed to be helping as much and he's now on 54. He seems to just metabolize the meds very quickly-- he's often completely lost his focus and ability to sit still and work hard again by about 4:30 or 5:00. The 2nd grader, on the other hand, has so far been very helped by the smallest 18 mg dose, and it seems to keep helping him for a good twelve hours or so.

The medication isn't something I'd undertake lightly-- it was a bit of a last resort for us, after ruling out learning issues, and after trying several different ways to help the boys get organized and stay focused. It doesn't focus FOR the kid, either-- it just allows them to do so if they so choose. :-)

Your son sounds just like my son. He is now 13 but, we have gone through a lot since kindergaten. He finally went on medication (time released Ritalin) when he was in 3rd grade. This made a huge difference in how he paid attention and how well he did on his school work. He told me that when he took his medication he could tune out the things he should not be paying attention to and just listen to the teacher. The one downfall with the stimulant medication is that my son had no appetite. It was so hard for me to get him to eat. (I wish I had that problem).

An alternative to medication is Biofeedback. You might want to look into it. It can be expensive. I saw some great results. He no longer takes the Ritalin. I can't be sure if it's from the Biofeedback or a combination of just maturing and having a bit more control in the classroom.

Good luck and try to be patient.

J.

HOMEOPAHTHY! Please look into it . It has kept my nephew of the medication. I know several families who are very happy they found this alternative. Best wishes, R.

Hi. My daughter was diagnosed at 3 years old with adhd. They tried her on Ritalin at 3 years old. he reacted badkly on that 1. We had taken her off all meds because it affected her diabetes type 1 for 1 year. WE put her on Abilify for her other disorders she was diagnosed with, bipolar, severe anxiety, ptsd, (post traumatic stress disorder) We treated that for 1 year and now my daughter is 8 almost 9 and has been taking strattera that doesn't affect her diabetes or other disorders. She is able to focas now in school. She is in a special day class for her other problems, but is at the age level of her piers. She does have learning disabiities and other disorders but we are working with them. It was hard. She was really violent and constantally hurting herself and very hiper but after being medicated she is happier child, fun, loving. I think she might be a type of person to work with animals as ahe gets older. Loves to care for animals. Her grndma's adopted cat had a hurt leg and she wrpped the leg until we got it to the vet. The doctor asked who wrapped it and we told him she had and he told her she did a great job. If she hadn't wrapped it the way she did he would have had to have his leg removed. He was proud of her. Elvis now is her bast friend. See kids can do well on meds if they reaaly need it. Go with your gut. We did and it has worked wonders. My son is also taking add meds he has prolems focusing in school. He is in Kindergarden. We are going to start him on Strattera and see how it goes. Good luck and keep me posted. M. Petersen

Just a quick comment- unless your son has been specifically diagnosed with this condition, I would hesitate to assume that he has a problem with ADD or ADHD. My daughter(and her classmates) is now in 2nd grade (7 1/2) and it can be like moving mountains to get them to focus. At this age, I think it is difficult to relate focus issues with ADHD. I have not heard good things about those medications and would hate to have to put my child on anything unless it was necessary.

M.,
Our son was diagnosed is kindergarten with add. My daughter was in 4th grade. This phychiatrist told me that both of them had it after watching them try to play a game
while he talked to me. SO, after trying the ritalin, and it wasn't working, we gave up. I wish we had not. He really does have it, and so does she, just not as bad. I regret not giving him the medication like he needed, as he could have been farther in school by now. He takes adderall
xl. Or is is xr,I always forget which one. It works for him. My nephew is on the concerta, and it works very well for him. Most of these meds can cause stomach upset, and or lack of appetite. Good luck
W.

Hi M.
I understand how you feel I have a daughter that is on Med. for ADHA I was asking for help starting about 2 years old when she got kicked out of pre-school and everyone tried to tell me there was nothing wrong she is just a "spirited child" the drs told me and when she started school teachers said they didnt see anything I knew I was right but I started to think maybe Im wrong but when she was in 3erd grade ( thats the grade they say if a child has any problems ADD/ADHA, deslexia, reading etc. thats when they catch it) her teacher had told me there was something going on with her but he's not sure what it was he couldn't penpoint it so I told him that I have been trying to get someone to listen to me and see what I see for years and he said wow I didnt know this lets get things moving we had a meeting at the school then the dr , I and the teacher had to answer alot of questions and from there they said she has ADHA and she started on med. I belive it was Concerta but it help for a little while she did do much better in school she was behind in things because all the yeas in school she couldn't focuse so she wasnt learning as much but once she started on med that all changed she is now on Strattera and she is in 6th grade doing much better we still have ups and downs with school but now its hard to tell is it ADHA, age, hormons? I think a little of all 3 being a girl the hormones are a big part I think. anywhy my point is things will get better for your son just keep in mined not all meds. work for everyone so you may need to try a couple to find the right one for him. Good luck I wish you well hope this helped some.

K.

Dear M.,
I just wanted to say that I have a friend whose son was on Concerta for quite some time. I don't believe he was specifically diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (although he may have been). But, he began taking it in kindergarten. He is extremely bright and outgoing, but he was really struggling with being able to focus on one thing at a time or a given task. The parents and teacher were aware and tried different things both at school and at home to help him, thinking that perhaps it was a matter of maturity, etc. But it's as though his little head wasn't attached to the rest of his body sometimes. And if he was doing something, when it was time to stop, it was as if he couldn't. Or the message just didn't get through. For instance, it's time to put the crayons and paper away and move on to the next thing. He would just keep coloring, no matter how many times he was asked or told. And he wouldn't say things like, "I don't want to put the crayons away." Or, "But I'm not finished", it was just like trying to knock on the door of his little wooden head. We laugh about it now, to this day, because we try to see the humor in things, but I was at their house one day when he and his big sister came through the door, home from school. Mom greeted him, asked him how his day went, etc. He was in a perfectly fine and chatty mood and she asked him to let her have his backpack so she could see what he brought home. He looked at her and said, "Backpack? What backpack?"
Hellooooo! It was the one he had walked home with and was still wearing on his back! The only one he had.......
They put him on Concerta and it really helped him. It didn't make him groggy or weird or anything. He's 12 now and hasn't taken it in a long time. As he got older and was able to focus more and understand what "focus" means, he was able to check himself. They slowly lowered the dosages until he was off of it all together. Now he is in Scouts, takes dance lessons, learns parts and performs in school plays.
Anyway, I hope any of this helps. Some kids just take longer to get used to the structure of kindergarten without necessarily being diagnosed with anything. Our rural school has a combo K-1st grade class so kids that struggle can repeat the experience in the same environment but also be allowed to advance in the academic portion of things without the pressure of getting used to a whole new classroom and teacher, etc.

Blessings and best of luck!

hi M.!
I have a little girl who has adhd and we did NOT want to put her on medication so we did hours of research to find other alternatives....... we found that by changing her diet we could not only help but in most cases CURE her. We have taken out all preservatives, food dyes, lowered her sugar intake, stopped dairy and went organic. She is COMPLETELY cured. We had a parent/teacher conference yesterday and her teachers commented on a huge change and i had not yet told them that we had changed anything. She is soooo enjoyable to be around! Certain things such as what i mention above, the child can be "allergic" to and they display the allergic reaction by adhd symptoms.

you can google "allergies and adhd" and find tons of sources for this info. I was skeptical at first until i saw it for myself :)
hope this helps
C.

My son was diagnosed with ADHD in Kindergarten. At first he was on Ritilin, which he had to take 2-3 times a day but then we changed him over to Concerta, which was a once a day time realease that lasted for 12 hours and was the best thing we ever did. All during elementary school you could see the difference in his work and attitude. As he got older & could take his meds without reminders there would be an occassion that he would forget & I would get a call from his teacher asking if forgot to take his meds that day, when I asked him he would admit that he forgot, I could also tell if he forgot because he would be totally out of control not being able to concentrate on anything very shouty and mean. When he got older he could tell for himself that he was a better person when he was on his meds, he was happier, could focus more and wasn't getting in trouble. Then in 8th grade and right after his 14th bday sometime around April/May he had taken his meds like he usually did but during school he said he just didn't feel right he was not his normal self and he didn't think the meds were working any longer well it turned out he was right. I guess as he was maturing so was his mind, I don't know any other way of explaining it but he took his last pill that day and hasn't had one problem in school or at home. Now at 15 he is a completely different person, very happy outgoing, gets along great with his friends, does well in school (most of the time) and is a joy to be around. He has also grown alot in the last 2 years, he went from a little over 5 ft in 7th grade to 5'10" in 9th grade, anyone who knew my son in the past can not believe that he is the same person. I wish I could show you a picture you wouldn't believe your eyes. Well I hope this helps and good luck with your son he will do great and you will be very happy with the results of the concerta.

Hi M.,

You could try what my friend tried with her 8 year-old son. She heard about a web site www.maxgxl.com/maxmagic and tried their product. It really did a WONDERFUL job with him. In fact, now the whole family takes it. She told me about it cause I have intestinal problems and it is helping me now too. My hubby won't try it though. So I'm the only one in this family who uses it. Anyway, you might want to at least check into it yourself.

Hi there - I, too, have a 6yr old son in Kindergarten and know how it feels when the teacher calls him "restless." A little about me, I recently left a lucrative career in real estate development to pursue a passion of mine, which is called homeopathy. It is a scientifically based form of medicine that is getting more and more popular because it is natural, non-toxic, safe for children w/o any side effects and cost effective. (It was just on Oprah) So, my suggestion is to seek other forms of medication before you put his little body on such a strong chemical. I recommend a Homeopath in Mill Valley named Peggy Chipkin at the Hahnemann Clinic ###-###-#### and she works with children with ADD frequently. Good luck!

Hello...My oldest son (now 14) has been on Concerta since 4th grade and it has worked very well for him. He is extremely smart but he also has a focus and fidgety issue in class that the Concerta has helped with. My second son (now 11) has just been switched from Concerta to Adderall XR since the Concerta didn't seem to be helping him enough and he was at a fairly high dosage - he has focus, fidgeting and impulsivity issues. Son #3 (7 yrs old) is on Concerta and helping so-so and son #4 (5 yrs old) is on Adderall but he also has a Defiance Disorder but he seems to be doing pretty good on it.

If one doesn't work after a decent trial period (and dosage adjustment)...try something else. We are switching the oldest to Stratera over the summer since it takes a month or 2 to work properly and it isn't a stimulant like the others...we will see how it goes.

You might try him in sports too…that can help…especially something like karate.

GOOD LUCK!!

I have found that diet can play a big role in children's behavior. Of course, if you don't have a lot of money, it is really hard to cut out all the artificial flavors/colors, yeast, sugar and wheat; there isn't much you can do except NOT give them extra junk food. If you have the money to feed your child(ren) alternatives, I have seen the most out of control children change to calm (not agitated), focused, happy children.

Here is one big help: Mocha/coffee. It is a natural help to even the most "normal" child that needs to settle down and focus as well as a natural replacement for drugs used on ADD/ADHD kids.

The recipe I use is roughly: 1 tsp of sugar free (Splenda) chocolate flavor syrup for coffee, 1/8 cup coffee with half-n-half, 4-6 oz milk, over ice. Of course, like any recipe, you need to mix and taste. Start out creamy and as they get used to it you can lighten it up with more milk and less half-n-half (or milk alternatives).

It is recommended to give once in the morning and again after lunch. (I send it to school with lunch.) Sometimes I will give a few sips to my daughter before dinner if the squiggle bug has got the best of her. (She is 4yrs; and is not ADD, just is sensitive and easily excited, as well as has some allergies).

The amount to give really depends on the child. For mine a half of glass really helps her just calm down, focus, and listen a lot better.

Don't give up. You'll find what works for your family.

Please don't put him on mediation this young only if there's a medical reason for it. He could be just a typical little boy he just can't sit down, start him on different types of sports and activities to see what fits. I know the sports can be expensive so you might what to look into the local city at see what they have for free since you'll be trying so many things out. The medication should be the last thing you try.

My five year old has ADHD and takes Concerta. We love it! It's worked fantastic for him. He's still the same child -- full of energy and spunk -- but he's more focused, happier, less aggressive. His teachers have been thrilled with the results, too. It lasts from about 8 am to 6:30 pm for our son, which is much better than the other forms of Ritalin we used in the past.
Only side effect has been a decrease in appetite.

If this is the first medication you've tried, just be prepared for it not being a match. It took four tries for us to find the right one for our son. All kids respond differently to meds, so what works great for one may be awful for another. Don't lose hope. There are a lot of options out there. When you find the right one, your son can really thrive at school and at home.

Good luck!

Have you checked into natural cures for ADD?
Limit refined sugars
Limit (or stop) screen time - TV, Computer, phone, etc
plenty of exercise (outside is the best)
I would also do some research on acupressure/acupuncture (depending on his age) and reflexology. There are certain points on the body that if stimulated can help a lot.
I know its hard having a kid with ADD ( I was diagnosed with it in high school,) but I personally had really bad reactions to the meds they tried and ultimately learned to deal with it naturally. I think if my daughter had it, my first instinct would be to exhaust the natural cures before I tried drugs... Maybe you've already done that. If not do some research, talk to an acupuncturist, naturalist, herbalist. I've found those people to be much more helpful than the dozens of Dr's I've seen in the past.
Good luck :)
ps I'd be happy to give you any referrals if you would like.

Your initial post doesn't mention this - but did your son receive a dx of ADD/ADHD after a psycho-educational evaluation? If not that would be the first step I'd recommend - you can request an evaluation by the school if your son is in a public school. Do this in writing as that starts a timeline that is legally binding. There are other learning related differences in children which can present themselves through inattentive or wiggly behavior which are not ADD/ADHD and meds would not be helpful in that case.

I have had my daughter on concerta for the last 5 years. She is 12. She does really well on it. It is a time release capsule. Also make sure that is what your child has. I had my daughter tested first.Children with ADD and ADHD you can also give them some coffee. It has the oppisite effect on children then it does us. Good Luck. C. H.

We started my step-son on Concerta a few months back and it seems to be working really well. His father and I have noticed a huge improvement in his attention span at home and his teachers have all noticed a difference as well... he has brought all his grades up to A's and B's. Yea! I have not noticed any side effects but boy, you can really tell when he has been at his mom's house and forgotten to take his medication. We started on the lowest dose, for his age and weight, and adjusted upward every few weeks until we found that happy medium.

Good luck!

Jen

Nutrition is a huge issue. My wife knows about this more than I. A. ###-###-####

My son is 6, in first grade and is on Medadate CD 30 mg. It took us a few weeks to dial in the right dosage, and my dr. was very clear that different meds work differently, and we might have to try several before we got the right fit. YOU know your son. I have had my suspicions from an early age that my son had issues. We had him evaluated at 4 to make sure he wasn't on the autistic spectrum and at that point his intelligence tested beyond 6 years old, and he was "over-stimulated by his environment". I pushed for an ADD diagnosis just before he turned 6 and I have been extremely happy with our choices. He is now reading at a 3rd grade level (before he was uninterested in books, too hard to focus long enough to stick with it) His writing, in one week, went from all uppercase letters and sloppy to perfectly formed uppercase and lowercase letters. Medication made the difference. He is still his same little quirky, fun self, but now he is able to do things that were once impossible and caused much frustration. His behavior is better (yes, he is still a 6 year old boy, and gets in trouble for doing 6 year old boy stuff, but not anything more).
You, ultimately, know your son, and if he doesn't seem right to you, don't wait until he is already frustrated. If medication doesn't sit right with you, sometimes physical activity helps. Have him run to the fence and back several times, so his body can catch up with his brain.
I hope all this helps. You are definitely not alone!

Hi M., I don't have this issue with my own children, however one of my very close friends has two boys with ADHD. One thing she used before she put her boys on Concerta was giving them a Mt. Dew or cup of coffee in the morning. Caffine is a "downer" for kids with ADHD. It really does work. Also, avoid foods & drinks with any kind of Red Dye, apparently that is a trigger. She did a ton of research of all the meds for ADHD and she found Concerta to be the best. Both of her boys have been on Concerta for a few years now (one since he was 5-6, now almost 10 and the other since he was 4, now almost 6). If she had internet service I would put you in contact with her.
I hope this info is helpful. Good luck.

-D.