can i ask some questions?

anmari75

MaMa2_3Munkeyz
I have a question, well a few actually. I have two boys that are 12 and 9. And a daughter who is 14. My boys have been seeing a counselor for a few months now waiting to be evaluated to be put on medications. My boys are night and day. My 9 year old is ADHD to the max with a bit of ODD in there as well. My 12 year old is being evaluated for bipolar because they said that is a rule out diagnosis they dont want to label him just yet...
He has the mood swings, the rages (although not as bad as they have been) and the depression. He is also very immature for his age and about two years behind in school but they say he no longer qualifoes for an IEP because he just has a low IQ!!! (how is this acceptable) sorry your slow so we cant help you anymore) :confused:
ok im an adult with add/mild adhd so i tend to ramble at times...sorry.
ok so they have been seeing the counselors and when they are there the boys are quiet or argue with each other but no real outbursts that they have seen so they placed both my boys on the same exact medication. metadate cd 10 mg. once a day.
they have been on it for almost two weeks and my nine year old seems to have lost it at times, more aggressive, doesnt want to eat, getting in fights, talking back, throwing things just straight two year old tantrum behaviors all over again. my 12 year old is alright on it but doesnt sleep at all ( maybe three to four hours of off and on sleeping and really doesnt want to eat.
i tell the counselors about there behaviors, they have seen there school reports and know there past but they go by what they see so i am at a loss on what else to do. i know they need medications but they need different medications for different reasons and behaviors.
i know im rambling but any advice is appreciated...thanks!
 

goldenguru

Active Member
Your sons medicines are a stimulant. It excites the brain and central nervous system. Some of the side effects (sleeplessness, loss of appetite) are probably a result of the new medication.

Your first paragraph said the boys are "now waiting to be evaluated to be put on medications". Later you say that they "placed both boys on the exact medication". I'm a little confused ...

What are the credentials of the doctor/therapist who diagnosed and medicated your sons? Do you feel that the doctor is listening to you? I would be concerned if doctors were treating my two sons as one person... they certainly need individual assessments and treatment plans.
 

SnowAngel

New Member
Not sure if this helps,My boys were very quiet and very well behaved at the counselors office. I was a bit upset because that is rare for them to act so well. I requested that the counselor come to our house for their appointments. Boy was she shocked. They were themselves because they were comfortable at home. The counselor was able to document more accurately what was going on with the boys.
 

anmari75

MaMa2_3Munkeyz
Im sorry they were being evaluted and started taking them on august 23rd. and no i dont really feel she listens because when i explain about my son Z about his outbursts and and stuff she says she doesnt see him that way. mental health issues run rampant in my family, my mom is bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies and manic depressive and my older brother is ADHD/Bipolar with aggressive tendencies i just wish i had a recorder sometimes to show them when they are having an episode. they mentioned placing Z on seroquel but have heard different things about that good and bad.
i know they say medications are like a rollercoaster game waiting to see what works but i just think its weird that they would put them both on the same medications for different issues.
 

Babbs

New Member
Anmarie,
it sounds as though you are bringing up several different issues.

WRT the medication - who is prescribing it? The boys' pediatrician based on the counselor's recommendation? A pyschiatrist? The dosage you describe is a starting dosage. My son takes the same medication - the starting point is 10mg and then usually it is increased up to a certain point depending on several factors - age, weight, effectiveness. My difficult child could take up to 40mg but the rebound and sleeplessness went through the roof between 30-40mg. My difficult child's psychiatrist had me up the medication dosage ever 3-5 days and I was given a response/report form that I copied and filled out every day to help determine whether or not the medication was effective. It may appear that the prescribing physician is treating the boys like the same, but the medication and dosage you describe is a common first trial for most kids with AD/HD these days. Metadate CD is basically Ritalin (the brand name for methylphenadate <sp?>) it is packed to be time released to last longer than the traditional 3.5-4 hours that Ritalin works. Ritalin has been the first drug of choice for AD/HD for the past 30+ years, due to the fact your oldest boy doesn't have a diagnosis of Bipolar, it may be the drug trial is to rule out AD/HD.

It sounds as though you need to get into see the prescribing physician asap to discuss the side effects. Make sure to write down your observations daily and if able to give times. This is important information for the prescribing physician to be able to make decisions to change medications.

WRT the IEP discontinued due to low IQ... Did you son qualify for Sped Ed services on his last evaluation due to specific learning disabilities (SLD)or a health impairment? In order to continue to receive specially designed instruction (SDI) under the SLD category there needs to be a statistically significant difference between a student's IQ score and performance on standardized educational testing. E.G. a student with an IQ of 115 (on the high side) in the 4th grade who tests out on a educational assessment as performing at the 2nd grade level would qualify as SLD. If your son's IQ was say in the 25th% and he's performing school work at the 25th% he wouldn't qualify under that category. Did you have a medical diagnosis for your son when they discontinued the IEP? If not, they may not have been able to qualify him in a category. If his diagnosis is new then I would certainly approach the school with the new diagnosis and request a evaluation for Special Education services again.
 

SnowAngel

New Member
If you dont feel comfortable with their counselor chances are they feel the same. I would request a different counselor. Communication is vital in helping our kids and if the counselor isnt listening its time for a change. My boys were put on the same medication and one was fine,but the other was a terror. They changed the terrors medication and he did a little better. We are still adjusting things.
 

anmari75

MaMa2_3Munkeyz
i tend to wander when i write so forgive me.

Yes my boys are on the same (starter medications) but they have been on medications before. N was on ritalin and then concerta which worked well.

Z was on respirdal, wellbutrin, concerta and imipramine. then we ended up moving and got off track and i just worked with them at home and have got the ball rolling again.

they dont have a set pediatrician yet, we just moved here and not familiar with the docs here but they have appointments for physicals at the end of the month. and the childrens hospital here wont see patients with blue cross anymore.

the one prescribing the medications is there psychatrist at the childrensd mental health clinic.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Hi there.
Who is testing them and what sort of tests are being done? I had the best luck with a NeuroPsychologist. That was the most intensive, thorough testing my son had ever had and we had great results. I strongly recommend seeing one--they are at hospitals and you can be referred by your pediatrician--our insurance let us just go without a referral. It was a lot different than just sitting in a room with somebody making an evaluation without even testing their mental and cognitive skills.
I also think that if your child is worse on stims, remove them. JMO, but I did when my son acted up on them. Why make it worse? I'd also question the ADHD diagnosis. if the child is worse on stimulants, and, again, have another professional evaluate. I have no clue why the bipolar child would be put on stimulants as they normally makes them worse.
 

AllStressedOut

New Member
One thing that I've found helps me when visiting therapists, docs, psychiatrists etc. is playing silly games with the boys ahead of time. On the way there, when we get there, while we wait. It makes them more comfortable in the environment we go into if I start in the car. It also gets them into full throttle mode and the doctors/therapists can really see the true kid. I've done this the last 4 times, all with new doctors and it worked each time.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
If there is a question of bipolar (a family member with it would be a strong indicator) then stimulant treatment is NOT a good thing. A mood stabilizer should be the place the docs start. I would ask and argue for the doctor to follow the guidelines from the board who certifies psychiatrists.

IF hte medication makes your son so argumentative, etc... he probably should not be on it.

This is a good time to start at the beginning with medications and do a mood stabilizer like lithium (there are others, I forget the names) to see if bipolar is the right diagnosis.

I suggest reading The Bipolar Child by Papalous (sp?), has great info.

Hugs,

Susie
 

C.J.

New Member
Document what time of day you give the medications, when the trouble starts, how long they slept, etc.

N* was on adderall and became WORSE! I stopped giving it to her. I explained to teachers and to docs -- NO DRUGS if N* herself didn't see an improvement. Finally found the right one on the third try.

Since many of the stimulants have a slow release factor, try to give the drug early enough in the day to allow it to fizzle out by bed time.
 
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