Any experiences of ADHD medication for teen DS? Absolutely torn

[Theswisspudding]

I wonder if anyone has had direct experience of trialling ADHD medication for a teenage boy and how this went? I am absolutely torn about it. DS has a diagnosis of Dyslexia (very clear cut from a young age, lots of intervention, can now read ok but will always have big issues with spelling, processing speed etc). He is also quite Dyspraxic and uses a laptop in school, huge issues with writing. It's also been clear over the years that he has problems with attention, just very short focus and has to work incredibly hard to stay on task at all. I have always put a lot of this down to his other issues. He has never had the "H" in ADHD in the sense of being overactive or impulsive and no behavioural issues ever, it is more about attention and focus so more ADD. Over time I am starting to wonder about trying to address it as an issue in its own right. He can't independently study at all, is exhausted after school mentally. He is in GCSE year and starting to think about options afterwards. His overall learning ability on assessment is average so some attainment in education should be possible for him somehow.

Last summer I went as far as booking a private Psychiatry appointment for ADHD assessment, after discussion with his learning support teacher but I postponed it for a few reasons. Firstly he has never been a great sleeper, can struggle to fall asleep and tends to wake up early no matter what. ADHD medication can worsen sleep issues and that really concerns me. Secondly he has had some tics over the years, never very bad but at times quite obvious and I worry about this also being made worse by medication. He's also just generally young and I have some fears about what medication is actually going to do in terms of the overall impact of taking stimulants.

On the other hand he is really struggling and maybe medication would actually make a difference? The cost of assessment is very high so it is an expensive medication trial that may not end up being helpful (years wait for public assessment near us so no point even going there).

Sorry this has been so long. Has anyone had their teen begin medication at this age and really seen benefits or had other experiences that you could share? Thank you.

Gosh you could have been writing about my son but he’s a year behind yours and was just diagnosed inattentive ADHD this summer. I will watch this thread with interest as we are in the exact same boat. Overall I’m happy to support him trialling a medication (he doesn’t have his nurse appt until December to discuss). I know that it’s not a golden bullet and we might have to try a few to find the right one.

DD3 was diagnosed at almost 16 and medication has been really helpful. Hard worker but the exhaustion of trying to concentrate was absolutely terrible.

Thanks I hope it is also helpful for you!

Thank you so much for commenting. I'm really glad it has been helpful for her. Can I ask in what sense- is she better able to focus or less fatigued? Has she had any issues such as sleep problems etc? I just have a lot of worry about side effects.

The H can also stand for hyperactive brain as well as hyper active behaviour.

My teen dd has ADHD. Medication has really helped.

Psychologist here…. ADHD can be an absolute game changer for severe ADHD kids. It can be the difference between flunking out (which a large number do) vs passing exams / getting through school

I would try it, it wears off every day, so you can stop taking it any time if the balance of pros against cons doesn't work out.

ADHD medication is a life-changer. They may complain about headaches, dry mouth or 'not being their usual selves', but persevere and most of the side effects disappear. In their place, comes a growing self-esteem and self confidence as their learning switches on and their school life, and grades, are transformed. After trying just about every medication on the market (and don't feel bad about asking to try something different because they always start with the cheapest!), my DD ended up on short release methylphenidate which meant she could take it in the morning, be her usual self (and eat) at lunch, and have the chose of taking an afternoon dose if she needed it (possibly wouldn't for creative subjects). It also enabled her to fit her doses around homework.

It helped my DD2 immensely. She has melatonin to help with sleep

May I ask where you got the melatonin please? And the dose? My DS15 is struggling so much to get to sleep. Awaiting an appointment with an ADHD clinic next month.

DD3 had become very unwell with OCD and is Autistic. Very academically able and high achieving, but she worked so hard to overcome the inattention and the hyperactive thinking. She had a traumatic school experience and that finished her off. She finally saw a private psychiatrist who treated her OCD, but she still couldn't face education, even though by then it was a bespoke provision from a specialist school. By then she had been diagnosed with ASD (NHS) and they had recommended an ADHD assessment. But the waiting list was over a year, so the psychiatrist (who works for CAMHS in his day job) offered to do the assessment privately. He also did a QB Check to give some rigor to the assessment. Once she started medication, it gave her enough drive and focus to leave the house and start engaging with education.

She started on Ritalin but it gave her hives. Then she moved to dexamphetamine, which worked well. She then tried Elvanse because it's long acting and you only have to take one per day, but it didn't help her. So she's now back on dexamphetamine.

The Dex can be taken flexibly. Sometimes she doesn't take the lunch time dose if she isn't doing anything that requires concentration in the afternoon. She does crash quite badly in the late afternoon, so her psychiatrist said she can take a dose then if she has something important in the evening, or take a ½ or ⅓ dose to smooth the wearing off effect.

It helps her to focus on what she needs to do and get it done. It also reduces her exhaustion because she's not wasting energy on random thoughts or impulsive activities.

Be aware that if you get a private assessment, NHS England has now issued guidance that GPs should not prescribe medication on the NHS, so you are likely to have to pay, possibly indefinitely.

I managed, after a lot of persistence, to get CAMHS to recognise the ADHD assessment because it was the NHS ASD assessment that recommended the ADHD assessment, and the psychiatrist works for CAMHS in a different area. I was then told that there was a 54 week waiting list for medication review, and they wouldn't take her on until that had happened. I pushed back and asked to make a complaint, then they finally decided they could prescribe after all.

That process of going backwards and forwards between CAMHS and the GP took 3 months. Now, finally, CAMHS have issued a shared care agreement to the GP, which they are hopeful will be accepted, so the GP will prescribe her meds.

I get some from Piping Rock

DS (now 20) trialled a couple of different types at age 14/15. He didn’t really take it properly, was either too late because he slept in, or would take it (when I woke him) and then try to go back to sleep. Was also smoking weed around that time-he decided the meds didn’t work and stopped taking them (I was also not 100% sure some of his friends weren’t partaking in them which put me off getting them for him!) He left school with few qualifications and has been working in kitchens (and struggling with time management and many other adhd traits etc etc etc!)
He decided to get his life together a few months ago, gave up weed/alcohol/vaping etc, made another appointment with the adhd clinic and restarted on medication. It has been an eye opener how much difference it makes when he does it properly, he has started a new course at college and is doing really well so far. He has worked out the dosage whereby he can cope at college, then relax at home and sleep. Weekends are tricky and he doesn’t feel up to going out with friends. He’s very underweight anyway hBMI is 16/17) so I have to try and encourage him to eat without nagging, but he is so much more sensible at 20-feels like we are working together, rather than constantly at odds!
Good luck-it’s not cheap getting a private assessment but I have been so glad we did.
Edited to add, we (Scotland) have managed to go to a shared care model (we have a fantastic doctor which probably helped!)

My DS is also in GCSE year and started on medication about 5 weeks ago. His is mainly inattentive and he really struggled to focus in class which lead to all sorts of problems in class. He was averaging 2 detentions a day for the last 2/3 years.

The medication has been a game changer. He is struggling far less with school. He is getting merits in class, taking homework and school seriously and has not had 1 detention since he started back in September.

He is not having problems sleeping as long as he takes the meds as soon as he wakes up. His appetite is definitely less so I am keeping an eye on that.

Teenage girl here. We got a private diagnosis at 15 as she was suddenly and spectacularly failing her GCSEs. Previously she was a great student. Got her a diagnosis, got her on medicine and it saved her. She passed everything. She did at times refuse medication, but over all she takes it 3-4 days a week for college and we allow her “time off” and that also helps to avoid needing to up her dosage. For a while she said it didn’t help her but we persisted and 18 months in I don’t even have to tell her to take it, she knows now that in college days it absolutely 100% DOES help. She’s thriving at college and loves her engineering course. Crazy to think that just two years ago she had failed every one of her mock exams.

for us it was 100% with it.

And also yes, to watching weight loss very carefully. My dd has gone from 73 to 65kg in a year and I have to constantly tempt her with food. She does have a “crash” after college. She takes her medication about 8am and then has a nap through the “come down” from 5-6 and then eats her dinner and goes to sleep about 11. If she doesn’t get the nap she can be VERY grouchy and argumentative.

ADHD meds are an absolute life changer.

Not quite teenage years but my daughter had been in it a good few months now and it’s been a lifesaver. No more risky impulsive behaviour since starting.

my son is also undergoing titration and he’s doing much better on it, interestingly we forgot his meds today and there was a marked difference in his behaviour and ability.

definitely try it.

We've opted to not use meds for various reasons so far.

But I wanted to say have you had his adenoids checked? Sleep apnea mimics many ADHD symptoms.

My 15 year old with inattentive ADHD starts trialling meds soon. I am so nervous- he is a very bad sleeper (can’t fall asleep, but then can’t wake up) however he drinks a ton of monsters/red bulls and his psychiatrist says best to put him on stimulant meds and to stop the caffeine.

My son has medication and it’s been transformative. We had a trial a couple. He has settled on Elvanse. It’s helped his focus and compulsive eating the most. He’s 14.

DS was diagnosed in the year before GCSEs thank goodness as he was failing massively - they often hold it together until the GCSE year. All his grades went up by at least 2-3 grades with the meds.

He didn’t want to take them at first and we didn’t want to force him. Eventually he decided to. He’s on the lowest possible dose so this doesn’t affect his sleep (though I think he should be on a higher dose). He is much calmer and focused on them.

His appetite is affected though so that’s something to keep an eye on.

A very effective medication.

Has made a difference for my DS with his combined subtype. It’s not affected his sleep.

His task initiation is better. He usually chooses not to take it in the weekends and holidays. However, I find it can a massive difference to his impulsive behaviour when we are on a family outing.

Meds improve ADHD sleep. My DD’s improved massively with it.

This sounds just like my son except he can't get an ADHD diagnosis as the school won't co-operate, we tried. If you have a helpful member of staff who knows him well and will do the paperwork I would get the assessment even if you don't go ahead with medication.