My child has gone completely LOOPO and it's been going on for five hours...

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Putting this here instead of on SN so that others see it and I might get more input re Ritalin..

DS age 6 has various special (complex) needs and a main cerebral palsy-type condition and a global type of developmental delay. At his last appointment/check up with his paediatritian a month ago, she watched him charging about on his hands and knees (he can't walk unaided) trashing her room and having to be 'handled'/contained by either DH or I while the other one of us attempted to have a conversation with her!.. and suggested that a diagnosis of ADHD might be something we could add to the 'list'.. (well she didn't put it quite like that.. !)

She said the benefits of this (upon completion of questionnaires by us and school) would give us the option of allowing him to try Ritalin which has been proven to have beneficial effects on some children with complex needs (as long as they also 'tick all the ADHD boxes') which is quite a new approach apparently. Children 'like DS' (well I've never met one exactly like him obviously! Doubt there is one!) never used to be diagnosed with ADHD as there didn't seem to be any point; they were never treated with drugs) but new studies have uncovered the benefits to some.

So upon completion of the questionnaires (which proved his level of hyperactivity both at home and at school atho more so at home) we agreed to let DS try Ritalin. I did have misgivings esp. when I read that it is an amphetamine .. but I do trust his paediatrician and he is so able in so many ways (you wouldn't think so to look at him but his understanding is far more than most people realise.. only we, DH and I.. and school really have any idea) that I felt that if something is going to give him a better attention span, which he sorely needs, and the ability to better fulfil his potential then we owed it to him to give it a go. (Not to give us an easier life as the paediatrican seemed to be hinting at as she watched us struggle with him.)

Well we started it today, as the prescription only arrived in post yesterday. The start dose is half a tablet after breaskfast and another half after lunch working up to a whole tablet after breakfast/lunch within 3 weeks. (I had read some of the bad press about Ritalin but DS, due to his lack of proper diagnosis - has been on other 'brain drugs' before .. eg El Dopa used for Parkinson's and shown to help some children with developmental delay (it had no effect)..so I wasn't too concerned (altho a bit..)

Anyway, he had a dose after breakfast and at about 9 with no obvious effects but soon after the lunch dose, it became obvious that he was going a bit hyper! (More so than normal.) (The ONLY side effects we had been told to expect where suppressed appetite (that didn't happen.. He eats anything.. food or not.. and still has today..) and difficulty getting to sleep tonight.

DS doesn't talk like an normal 6 year old, he only says 3-4 word sentences.. but by 3 oclock he was rattling on about everything and everything.. still in his own indistint way.. but on and on and on and on.. In the end I put Monsters Inc on the pc for him to watch as this is guarateed to calm him (one of the only things that does usually when he is in his usual state of 'hyperness') by he just sat there giving a running commentary of everything that was happening and repeating everything he said about 12 times!! It would have been funny (in fact we did! laugh a bit!) if it hadn't been so alarming!! And it just carried on and on and on.. for over five hours! I was getting worried.. I thought this manic behaviour might trigger a fit or something.. (he does have (controlled) epilepsy). He has finally gone to sleep, after his BIBIC exercises which he was way too hyper (even when knackered!) to do but instead, rattled off what he knew was coming next in a really odd manner!!

I have never seen anything like it.. and I'm not giving him any more Ritalin! He was completely loopo.. he didn't stop for breath in five hours and this is a child of very few words!

I have since scared myself silly reading all the negative stuff on the net about Ritalin (and I wasn't deliberately doing so.. I googled 'hyperactivity CAUSED by Ritalin'.

I will ring the paediatrician tomorrow and tell her. I hope he's his normal self by morning.. he's going RDA (Riding for the Disabled) and then school obviously.. and there is no way he could do any of it if he was still in such a manic state!

I am sort of thinking that this seems like the effect that an amphetamine would have on a child who does NOT have ADHD (it is supposed to have the opposite effect of being a 'upper' on a child WITH ADHD because if certain brain deficiencies.) I feel awful. I drugged my child and he went completely mental.. I wish I'd never given it to him. He acted completely 'high' and off his face! And he is just 6!

Does anyone have any experience.. or know of.. either a child with complex needs being giving Ritalin or any child responding to it in that way? Perhaps we should be peservering.. but every instinct I have tells me not to.. so I won't!!

[Sophiev73]

I'm really sorry I can't add anything to be of help to you, but I just read your post - I have to say, every case I know of treated with Ritalin (in my school, I'm a secondary teacher) has led me to believe that it could not cause hyperactivity, so am surprised by your post - what a nightmare when you had finally taken the decision to go with it. I'll watch your thread with interest.
I admire your energy!

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Thank you Sophie, but LOL I have no energy! Whatever gave you that idea.. I am like a wet dishrag and so is DH!!

[earlysbird]

like sophie, the only effect I've seen Ritalin have on ADHD kids I teach has been quite the opposite of what you describe...my mum is retired psych in learning difficulties but is away at the mo, she would know! If you have no answers by next w/e I'll ask her when she gets back have a restful evening!

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Do you think the effect of Ritalin on a child who does NOT have ADHD would be along the lines of what happened to DS today though?

The brain is a funny organ isn't it! Nobody has ever had any answers about DS. His brain clearly doesn't function as it should and yet brain scans show a completely normal brain and even EEGs don't show epilepsy (and he once had such a severe fit he could have died!)

I really don't think I should have been in such a hurry to 'feed' him a brain drug regardless of what the doctor suggested.. I feel awful.

[Sophiev73]

God don't feel awful. I bet I would have done exactly the same. I hope the conversation with your paediatrician is useful.

[earlysbird]

its meant to be a bit like cocaine I believe, so if that is the case then yes it could have the effect you describe on someone without adhd, but I'm no expert I'm afraid, talk to your paediatician and I'll check with my mum at the w/e

[earlysbird]

And don't feel awful about it, he will be fine, but do talk to paed tomorrow to get professional opinion. Remember that not everyone reacts the same to every drug out there and in the quest to find out what is wrong with your ds you may have to try out various things and they won't all work. But its definitely not your fault and you shouldn't feel awful for trying to help him

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

I read that it's depdendency profile is similar to that of cocaines too!! ! God.. WHY didn't I research it properly before gave it to him!! I was sort of afraid to though.. I research things too much usually and scare myself silly unecessarily..

Yes I know I need to talk to his paediatrician. I will report back when I have. Thanks though

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

I keep going to check his breathing. Since the fits we (well I) already watch him on a monitor all night, but I can't hear him breathing on it so I keep running upstairs to check.. I hope to God he is sleeping it off..!!

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

*dependency!

[earlysbird]

you poor thing, you'll be exhausted! Do you watch desperate housewives? isn't it ritalin that lynette gets addicted to when trying to be supermum???

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Yes love Desperate Housewives. Is that on the new series? When does it start?? And why is Lynette taking Ritalin???!

[earlysbird]

I think she has a friend with a lo with adhd and gets hold of some pills for her twins (?) but pops them herself... was series 1 or 2, can't remember which, I'll check..

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

LOL.. only on Desperate Houswives! I didn't start watching it until the last (3rd?) series!

[earlysbird]

episode 7 of series 1, Lynette becomes steadily more dependent on the twins' ADD medication,then epi 8 Lynette reaches the breaking point in her addiction to the twins' ADD medication - as you say, only on DH!!

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Bloody hell.. he has woken up and is carrying on as before! Saw on monitor he was awake so DH went and got him so we could see how he is. He talking like he's swallowed a junior dictionary and encyclopedia (well compared to what is 'normal' for him), is eating DH's supper (appetite suppressant my aunt fanny!) and weirdest of all, keeps WALKING!!

DS can take a few steps here and there.. but he is walking much more than normal!!

What's going on??! I think maybe they might need to document this somewhere as a "uncommon reaction to Ritalin"..

He seems fine.. just hyper.. and full of it.. and with unusual (for him) dexterity!!

It's just getting weirder. It's nearly 11 oclock at night.. and he is rampaging around the living room worryingly full of beans and talking the hind legs off a donkey without stopping for breath.. and LOST (longawaited) is passing me by completely...

[edam]

Have you got an out of hours number for the paed? If not, go and get the patient information leaflet from the packet. See what it suggests in case of abnormal reactions - whether it's just 'stop taking it and talk to your doctor when you get a chance' or anything else. If this carries on, I'd call NHS Direct, tbh, and get them to track down someone who can advise you.

[fireflyxmasfairylights2]

I'm a bit of a panicker and by now I would have called NHS direct If this is so unlike him I would be worried. OTOH..I must be a little immature, as I lmao when reading how he is WALKING!!!!! when he never normally does!

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Edam, it states 'hyperactivity', on the info leaflet, under 'other side effects which may occur' so I suppose that's what this is..

There's nobody I can really phone for advice at this time of time. Obviously if there was some medical issue/acutal ILL health going on, we'd be getting help like a shot.. but he is just hyper! And he hasn't had a dose since 1.30pm.. and only two doses in total!

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

Firefly, no it's fine for laughing.. he is being quite comical! He has just sat on my lap and had his favourite book read to him (he recited most of it!!!! ) and DH now taking him back to bed.. he said he was tired. Am hoping he will settle back down.

I'm a panicker too.. but what can I tell NHS Direct, who have to read everything of a bog standard screen full of bog standard advice?? He hasn't even got any clinical features of 'illness''..

Common sense is telling me he'll sleep it off.. but am irrationally afraid this drug has done 'something' to his brain that won't wear off.. which is silly I know..

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

And re being 'so unlike' himself.. he is and he isn't.. he is definitely being unlike himself for 11pm.. but the things he is saying/doing are all him.. but as if someone has turned him 'up' a few notches...!!

Odd!

[PrettyCandles]

How strange and worrying. Some drug therapies can cause things to seem to get worse beforeethey improve - could this be something similaer? After all, two things have improved: his speech and his walking. Do the number you have for your paed go to answerphone where you could leave a "Please call me asap - very worried about ds's reaction to first doses of Ritalin" message?

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

He's been asleep again about an hour now; seems quite settled. Hopefully he will sleep through now after the frenetic day he's had!!

And all he had was one tablet (2 halves!)

I know his walking/talking was suddenly better (v.odd and unexpected.. thought Ritalin would just act on his general level of hyperactivity and calm him down, not make him walk and talk better!) but the way he was behaving was far too hyer to be of an real use to him. He was focussing on tasks even less than usual.. his attention span was about 3 seconds with no exaggeration. He couldn't even enjoy his favourite book without rushing onto the next bit..)

I hope he's himself in the morning. Did think about leaving a message, PrettyCandles, but it would only have had to have been passed on by the switchboard tomorrow so thought I may as well ring when hopefully the paediatrician is around and they can put me straight through.

[ShinyHappyStarOfBethlehem]

He was normal (well as normal as he gets, lol!) this morning thank God!!

He went horse riding and was unusually co-perative and rode really well with much less support than usual. Odd. Now I have that to consider..

I have phoned the development centre and left a message for the paediatrican. She will ring back later today. I am worried that she will say to put him back on it but at half the dose (so a quarter tablet) or something. I am afraid to do that after how manic he was. And the dose is supposed to increase weekly for 3 weeks anyway! And considering how he went after two doses of the lowest dose..!

I will let you know what the doctor says. What would others do, though, if he was your child? I am interesting in your input..

[edam]

Shiny, don't know if this is at all relevant, but I think any drug that acts on your brain can have wierd and wonderful effects at first until your system adjusts to it. So paed may say keep going but more slowly. FWIW I have epilepsy and when I first went on to anti-convulsants they hit me really hard, even though I was on a such a tiny dose it wasn't even therapeutic - had to build up very carefully from 25mg to current level of 400mg. I know with epilepsy they do this titrating up thing precisely because of the action on the brain. Not sure if this is at all similar to Ritalin, though.