Possible medication change ahead????

[timer lady]

kt has a psychiatrist appointment this afternoon. As many of you know she starts at a high school this coming fall .... in a level 3 self contained setting. However, there will be a push for a more mainstream for kt if tolerated.

Now we've done the medication merry go round over the years & finally have what we feel is a fairly successful combination of medications.

However, kt still struggles with attentional issues; her last neuropysch listed her attentional issues as a high deficit. She struggles. psychiatrist & I had discussed in the recent past of a trial of a stimulant now that kt is in a much better place emotionally - there is more control of her anxieties & mood disorders. As we have 2 major mood stabilizers on board psychiatrist would like to trial a stimulant during the summer months to see how it might help (or if it doesn't help).

After our last grand experiment with stimulants it didn't make a difference one way or another; neither was kt stable one way or another.

husband & I have discussed this ad nauseaum & believe that if we are going to trial a stimulant now is the time. While we have mega help in the home & during the summer when we can track the outcome.

What do you all think? I've known this has been coming & I'm not feeling much anxiety over it. Maybe I should be horrified.

 

[JJJ]

Well, if she tried one before without any major problems, it sounds like it would be worth another try. Kanga went psychotic on all stims except Vyvanse so I am very leery of them, but I think you are right that summer is the best time to try it and surrounded by PCAs.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Linda,

I say give it a try. If there were no negative outcomes the previous time, I wouldn't say it is a given this time. Especially given that kt is more stable now than ever.

I would suggest beginning at the lowest amount, which is usually what the docs do, and giving her at least a week at that mg before adding more. You may also want to continue the stimulant over the weekends so you can see how she does during the day since she is in summer school right now and it will probably be worn off by the time she gets home.

Sharon

 

[Sara PA]

Give it a shot.

Watch for the worse, hope for the best.

 

[Steely]

Well.........I am of the opinion that nothing ventured nothing gained. Just watch her like a hawk, and at the first sign of impulsivity or aggression, d/c the medication. You just never know - one medication might make all the difference.

Hugs, and hope being sent your way.

 

[slsh]

Well, Linda, I'm not a huge fan of stims simply because we've either had a really bad reaction or no change whatsoever - but that's just thank you and his wacky biochemistry. I think absolutely if you and husband are willing to give them a try, now is the time - before the reality of HS hits because if you wait until the fall and she struggles, you really won't know why for sure - will it be the anxiety? Overstimulation? The stims?

Your psychiatrist is an artist with medications, I think, and he sure knows kt well - yep, I'd definitely give it a try now.

Hang in there (and batten down the hatches????? Sorry - you know me and my black cloud ).

 

[Sara PA]

I just thought of something.....how does kt do when she gets an big dose of caffeine? If that makes her wild, I'd think twice about the stimulant.

 

[susiestar]

The caffeine is what I was going to suggest. You could even try a no-dose or whatever it was the kids in my dorm used to take. Vivarin?

If you are going to try it, do it while you have the help, and BEFORE the kids in the high school have any chance to see kt acting "wierd" or anything. It will be a social issue, and it will also attract some of the drug using and/or drug seeking kids to her. So summer is time to do all these medication changes.

 

[pepperidge]

Hi LInda,

for what its worth, I knew in difficult child 2 that stims were not for him within the day. I suggest also lowest dose, don't go for the XR version until you trial the regular version first. With difficult child 1 stimulants have made a huge difference but he is also most clearly the most depressed and anxious, probably not truly ADHD but go figure they have a positive benefit even at a low dose.

also for what's it worth, my psychiatrist said she hasn't seen a lot of good reports on Vyvanse so that may not be a good one to start with.

difficult child 2 had the most luck with Focalin (Ritalin and Adderall made him hyper whiny) but it didn't really help and gave him tics so we d/c it.

good luck. difficult child 1 did get more aggressive before he was on mood stabilizers, we PRN'd with Risperdal until we got things sorted out.

P.

 

[nvts]

My vote is to give it a try. The good thing about most stims is they're fast in fast out, so if it's not a good match, it's not months and months of weaning her off them.

Am I overstepping, or does it sound like we're feeling a "mite bit more positive" today?

I hope so, I've been worried!

Beth

 

[Wiped Out]

Linda,
I agree if you are going to try now is the time! I'm crossing my fingers it will work for kt!

 

[KTMom91]

I vote for giving it a try. Hopefully, it (or something else) will help her attention span and she'll do well this school year.

 

[timer lady]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I've been sleeping since the appointment Monday afternoon.

psychiatrist had changed his mind since kt's last appointment about adding a stimulant. So I reminded him about all we had discussed.

PCA was along....psychiatrist asked her about kt's attention span. She mentioned a few things - what got his attention was that when they went to the water park, kt only stayed 45 minutes.

All my discussion about needing possible help with reading, studying, writing a paper, etc. fell on deaf ears. A water park outing changed his mind.

psychiatrist told me that he was likely to do this anyway because I tend to "read" my children well & have yet to over react in his office. He still refuses to start this until early next month - we'll still have a month at home to see what happens. I'll keep a daily chart on how things go.....

I don't want to give a medication kt doesn't need. I also don't want to miss out on a possible way to help kt with her academics.

 

[OpenWindow]

How frustrating to have to wait until next month! When I make a decision, I like to just get on with it, not wait! You should still have enough time to try and tweak before school starts, so that's good.

Hoping it works to help her journey into high school a bit easier.

 

[Christy]

All you can do is try. As you said, you are in a position to closely monitor. Good luck. I hope this helps.

Christy