medication options for attention/hyperactivity

gcvmom

Here we go again!
difficult child 2 is doing pretty well these days at 750mg Depakote ER, however, he still has issues with attention and hyperactivity... it's not so bad for the demands of his summer schedule, but when school starts it's going to cause problems for him.

psychiatrist said we could reintroduce the Daytrana at 20mg, but I opted for 10mg instead because of how sensitive he's become to the stims. At 10mg, I see him getting agitated and irritable sometimes, although it does give him the ability to actually sit and read for a while, which he could not do otherwise.

We go back to the psychiatrist at the end of the month, and I'd like to know what some of the options are for addressing the attention/hyperactivity component while he's on Depakote. What's worked for others out there?

Thanks :smile:
 

crazymama30

Active Member
My difficult child has issues with stims, maybe similiar to your difficult child's. I have given up, but we have tried many stims and other adhd medications. There are some who are able to use stims when difficult child is stable on mood stabilizer, and I hope you will be succesfull with this. I believe others have used tenex or clonidine. Hopefully someone with more positive news than I will post back to you.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
My difficult child can't handle any stims at all. It does help in the focus area but the raging makes it not worth it. He does take 1/2 clonidine in the a.m and at noon to help with it somewhat.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Also, take into consideration that ADHD symptoms can be part of childhood bipolar mania. Hypomania makes it really hard, if not impossible, to sit still, listen, focus, etc. (I have hypomania a lot). Stims don't help hypomania--they act like speed. in my opinion you can't medicate away every single symptom. The school can help with accommodations for his hyperness. I personally wouldn't want to risk destabilizing his mood! Take care :smile:
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Okay, thanks for the info, ladies, on Tenex and Clonidine. We tried Tenex before, but that was only with a stimulant and it was NOT pretty... probably due to the stimulant, so maybe it's something to come back to.

MidwestMom, do you think increasing the Depakote would help with the hyperactivity/inattention? I completely understand what you mean about the stims acting like speed on someone who's hypomanic. That's EXACTLY what I saw in difficult child 2 in June (well, actually, it started about 6 or 7 months before that but it peaked by June).
 
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