Has anyone tried ADHD medication in secondary school?

go for it 100% it has been life changing for my gang. on the studies side, they are now getting the grades they actually deserve (before it was mostly below or up and down and up and down)
it also helped with the risky behaviour and has stabilized/tidied up friendships. one of mine has also stopped endless snacking (dopamine seeking/boredom). we have found the meds also help with the sensory difficulties, less bothered about noises or smell or sound, less moaning about clothes itchiness.
it does impact appetite though, but my teenagers have seen so many benefits that they put up with that. Also, I let them to take their pills when they want/need I think it is important they have that autonomy.
Anyone who tells you stories of being zombified was on the wrong med or on the wrong dose, it is important to have a good accessible and caring doctor your child is comfortable to speak to (or to you if not).
good luck !

My 18 yr old has just started and she's loving the difference it makes.
She has inattentive ADHD it helps her focus massively.
A few headaches when she started and she's lost weight from lack of appetite but that's all

DD has inattentive with elements of hyperactivity and impulsivity.

She's on methylphenidate - now 30mg XR a day plus 5mg top ups if needed, and 2.5mg of melatonin to get her to sleep.

The only time we had issues with exhaustion was the 6 months before Dx as her brain wouldn't stop enough for her to get to sleep, so you might find melatonin helps there. It definitely did for us.

Meds have made such an incredible difference for us, but it does seem to be a very personal thing and what works for one doesn't work for another - and it can take time to get everything titrated right.

I have no idea on restless leg syndrome I'm afraid.

my son and son in law with add have both found meds useful at staying focused for (in their case workplace settings). both find exercise helpful, one prefers am peloton the other pm long brisk walks.
i'd be examining nutritional supplements for restless legs, if newly diagnosed the psychiatrist might be able to suggest which vitamin or mineral would be best.

Can anyone comment on the best option for inattentive ADHD?

So that's called ADD - we just got the diagnosis - there's no hyperactivity - well there is a bit - but it's often accompanied by exhaustion with a need for movement but it's controllable. She has great impulse control but there is still a need to move at points during the day.

Also, she has restless leg syndrome which drives this movement - so I'm wondering how the meds would affect that, if at all?

I teach a student who takes medication for adhd. If he forgets to take it he is unable to focus or learn. The difference in him is stark.

This has been helpful and interesting to read. My son is trying Elvsmse after hating methylphenidate. I hate to give him drugs but school were worried he might not pass the GCSE exams this summer. We’ll see how it goes.

We saw a difference straight away after the first dose.

Started on 5mg twice a day of methylphenidate for a week, then switched to 10mg twice a day for next 3 weeks. Started 20mg slow-release at beginning of September.

DD has 10mg instants that she can add on at end of the day if needed.

Every time we increase the dosage we're seeing a better effect and fewer side effects.

Initially she was getting really bad headaches on the weekend days when taking a break, and the after-school rebound was pretty grim (2 hours of simultaneously hyper, exhausted and starving hungry). Appetite also massively reduced on the meds.

Now the only side effects seem to be that her appetite is a bit reduced while the meds are active (getting about 10-12 hours from single dose at the moment), and she's so much nicer, more rational, focused and generally happy and positive on them that the days off are somewhat of a contrast.

She's seeing consultant in a month and her plan is to see if he'll agree to trying another dose increase - she wants to push for max positive and minimum side effects - and if she can take them everyday.

As a teacher I have seen kids who are really struggling make huge progress academically and behaviourally when they get the right medication.

Depends how long they drag the titration. So dependent on psych. I'll share our experience. Depends on age, height and weight. DD 14 started in on 20mg Methylphenidate, increase of 10mg every 10 days. It think that's the min amount of time. Her psych was keen to get her to a dose that improves quality of life asap which I'm v grateful for. We got to 40mg and it definitely wasn't the med for her. We tried 50mg for 2 days too. She's about 5'4 and 60kg for context. Very fit and sporty.
Then we moved onto Lisdexamphetamine same way. By 20mg we saw a huge improvement. She's on 40mg since May and doing really well.

My niece on the other hand started on lisdexamphetamine and her psych put her on 20mg for 2 months then a 10mg increase every month so it took ages to get to a dose that made a difference for her. Similar height and weight as DD. I imagine if lisdexamphetamine didn't work with her and she had to try something else, it would've taken the best part of a year to find something.

I know a teen 16 on it and it changed their life very positively

The meds get looked at every so often and tweaked as necessary

They do get a bit tired sometimes and meds need to be taken promptly

You can tell straightaway when the next lot of 12 hour meds need to be taken because they start getting very distracted

Massively fingers crossing!

@DermotOLearyssuit My DD hated methylphenidate. Lots of people don't gel with it. Both me and DD are on Elvanse. It's great.

My son recently started trialling methylphenidate, but for him he found himself focusing on one thing -mostly the wrong thing - and unable to get off that thought! So he stopped the medication, and we are now awaiting a prescription of Elvanse. We held off medicating for years, but he really does need some kind of help and I’m a bit disappointed that the methylphenidate did not work…

Not taken it/medicated DC but coming at this from perspective as a teacher and former TA in secondary so feel free to read or ignore.

When the balance/level of medication is right I have seen it make such a difference for students. I have seen girls who where withdrawn and unable to focus/interact become an active part of the class, have some friendships and pass which prior to diagnosis and medication really was not the outcome on the cards. Likewise I have seen male students who have struggled to focus and been written off almost turn it around and just feel happier and part of it themselves.

When it works it is great but it is a very careful balancing act from what I see and there can be a while to find the right amount and routine. Parents often messaged us for updates on medication changes and implications in the classroom and I have seen it go both ways but when if does work, if the student is happy and choosing to engage with it rather than being made to (I have also worked closely with a student who did not want it and actively pretended to take it and her other meds) it can make a lot of positive changes for a student.

It isn't easy as a choice though I appreciate and I am in awe of parents and students who tackle this hurdle

I think your final sentence is what I read in an article recently and it made sense. A bit like women falling pregnant naturally after IVF for their first, the medicine helps the body do what it should do naturally and show’s it how to, or strengthens the parts that weren’t working properly.

It’s changed my children’s lives (I have 2 with ADHD). They have tried different ones to get the one that suits them best and DS is on both a stimulant and a non stimulant which helps his emotional regulation as well.

I really think if we didn’t do it they eventually would have self medicated with drugs or alcohol or ended up dropping out of school. Now they both are seriously considering university,

I also take them aged 35 and expect to be on them for life. They just help me function so much better.

The natural options do not come close in effectiveness. Would you ask for a natural alternative to insulin?

ADHD is thought to cause a problem with a major neural pathway in the brain. Medication helps clear the pathway and may even strengthen it over time and help "correct" it.

Given the way DD was heading before we got the Dx and the meds, I’m mainly hoping she can have them for many, many years to come.

The side effects of untreated ADHD are far, far worse than anything I have read regarding long-term use of methylphenidate.

I have multiple friends and family members on them in their 50s, who wish they’d been diagnosed as kids.

@Letspretendweareallcool well my DD would've ended up dead or in a psych ward without ADHD meds so I couldn't care less about long term effects in the face of that.

Ds has been on them since he was 7, school became much better for him.

He's in secondary and takes them on school days only.

I saw an article on long term effect of ASHD medication - it was American and I think they have had a different path with ADHD medication than the UK, but they suggested that it can actually benefit to use them long term because the brain is working more as it should on the medication and this can have long term benefits. Whether it was a reputable study or not I’m not sure, it was on additude website, but it sounded plausible when I read it.
The drugs my son takes (not sure if it’s the same for all as I didn’t read so much about the other varieties) leaves the system quite quickly so there shouldn’t be long term health implications of taking them for long periods. I feel the benefit it gives my son of being able to focus on what the teacher is saying and not calling out which gets him into trouble with teachers and annoys classmates, is well worth it. Without it his self-esteem takes a massive hit each day which will have long term implications for his mental health.

I have quite a few students with ADHD in secondary school. It can take a little while to find the right med and dosage, but once you hit that sweet spot the results are impressive.