We are going to try a stimulant. Prayers needed.

[Californiablonde]

psychiatrist just prescribed difficult child 2 a small dose of Focalin for his ADHD, since the Intuniv didn't seem to be helping as much as it should. I really really wanted to avoid a stimulant at all costs, since difficult child 1 had such a psychotic reaction with the smallest dose several years ago. With her, the school actually called me and told me they were going to expel her if I didn't get her off this medication ASAP, because her behavior was ten times worse on the medications. She also hallucinated and saw her stuffed animals coming to life and trying to kill her. The whole experience was a nightmare that I do not wish to live again.

difficult child 1 is bipolar and difficult child 2 is not, so maybe that will make a difference on how the medications affect my son. For all I know he may be bipolar and it hasn't come out yet. Of course I'm thinking about every worse case scenerio. I decided to trust psychiatrist and give this new medication a go. I didn't have time to get the prescription last night after the appointment, so I will be picking it up after work today and will give him his first dose tomorrow. I will be waiting with baited breath to see if I get any phone calls to pick him up from school tomorrow. My son already has anger issues and I am really hoping the new medication does not bring it out in him. For now I am praying for him and hoping for the best.

 

[Rabbit]

Sending Prayers Up and Sending Hugs Rabbit

 

[InsaneCdn]

Advice (take it or leave it)...
Do NOT start the stimulant on a school day. Do the first dose on Sat... where YOU can see for yourself, and can contain the fallout... if he doesn't have a bad reaction over the weekend, then continue into the school week...

 

[buddy]

I'm with IC on this one....If you can, start on Saturday just to make sure you can see if there will be any intolerable side effects. I feel the same way about AP's because we had such terrible-over-the-top reactions to those and I finally decided after several years to be willing to try another one, and it is working (well we just switched to generic so there may be another issue, but that is off topic, smile)...

I am glad I tried again.

I hope it works that way for you too. New kid, new medication, so here's hoping. When it works, it is quite a blessing.

 

[Liahona]

Insane has a good idea.

difficult child 1 gets psychotic on Zoloft, but its really helping difficult child 2. You are right to be weary. Sometimes though what works for one won't for the other.

 

[welcometowitsend]

IC has a great idea as everyone else has said.

Hope this medication works well for difficult child 2 and it will help him.

Hugs, prayers and well wishes.

 

[keista]

prayers going out that it works!

 

[TerryJ2]

Best of luck!

 

[springsa]

You are describing my daughter's situation EXACTLY...
And Ive got hope for you.
We tried the focalin and it helped soo much with the oppositional behaviors and a bit with focus/attention and her school work/
We did have to up the dose to 10 mg but we can tell when it kicks in and when it goes out of her system. It helps so much.
DOnt give up
kids react differently to stimulants. We were sooo scred, too, bc our dughter was CRAZY when we gave her the first stimulant and it scared us so much we swore we would never go the stiumulant route again. (she was at the end of the bed rocking over and over in the fetal position calling herself a bad girl over and over again, hitting walls earlier that evening, etc..)