Tell me something positive about medikinect/ADHD meds for 6 year old!

[Waitingfortheweekendd]

My 6 year old has started adhd meds. So far she’s on 10mg. I’ve just collected her from school after ‘the worst meltdown she’s ever had’ she also had an awful meltdown yesterday. This is week 3 of meds, first week was 5mg- made no difference at all. Second week upped to 10mg, saw a positive change and a few wonderful days back at school! Since the weekend it’s all gone downhill and she is so dysregulated and upset. I’m exhausted. I don’t know how to help her, she’s refusing the usual things that calm her down.

any success stories or tips for adhd meds? She also has autism. Should we expect a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions while she’s settling on her dose or does this one just no suit her?

thanks
stressed and worried mum

I think the key is to get the right dose. 10mg might be too much and 5mg too little. Keep working with her doctor, and flagging any issues. If medikinet isn't the right medication, there are others.

Are you part of any ADHD/Autism groups online. I found there were many informative discussions on this subject. One group called Ask Autistic Adults or something like that was really helpful as you have adults going through this who tend to also have kids experience this.
I recall reading that it took trying a few different meds to get the right fit.
Is your daughter totally supportive of meds and is this really essential right now in her life is my only thought. I know that some of these side effects for some people are very difficult to deal with.

What time did she have them? The effects can taper off near to the end of the medication duration, so it could be that they were wearing off. Have they affected her appetite at all? She might have not been eating due to the appetite suppressant effects, which could have meant low blood sugar/tiredness etc.
The other thing I would say is just be mindful of your expectations. Stimulant meds worked really well for one of mine, and alot less well for another. We still take them as they were the best on offer, but he still found the school day completely overwhelming (and leading to behaviour like you've described) regardless of meds.

She takes the medication after breakfast around 8am before we head off to school. Last week by 9 it was working and having a positive effect. It’s the slow acting medication. I noticed last week it wore off around 3 which is when she would get a bit irritable, hungry tired etc.

it hasn’t affected her appetite much. She has a restricted diet anyway and is eating pretty much the same. Weighed her today and she is 1kg heavier than a few months ago. She is following her centile which is low but she’s tall and slim and I think this is her normal.

Just wondering if it takes a couple of weeks for adhd medication to fully settle?

I tried medikinet as an adult, I crashed completely around 3/4pm. I tried different doses but after three months I switched to elvanse. This works far better for me personally. I know when it's wearing off but I don't get that sudden crash.

It might be the particular time-based profile of that med. ASk to try some different ones that taper off more slowly. each med has a different profile.

My 14 year old is on Equasym, and it takes a few weeks to settle. I took him off them for most of the summer holidays (with his doctor's approval) because his appetite had been affected so badly that he was significantly underweight. That worked and he put on a stone, but I started him up again too late- only 2.5 weeks ago and with the start of school he has been completely unregulated and emotional and it's been bloody awful to be frank.

I would keep talking to your doctor. Make notes of effects, maybe experiment a bit with timings. If DS was having a late day at school for whatever reason I would give him his medication just before he walked in the school door rather than at breakfast an hour earlier for example.

My son takes equasym xl, we've found that it wears off around lunch time and the afternoons would then be really difficult and overwhelming. His paediatrician has added in a second dose to be taken at lunch time. This has helped massively

To add to the comments above, which are all our experience too, you can request different brands of methylphenidate. My DS doesn’t react well to medikinet but does great with the generic/tranquilin. His consultant said lots of children with both ADHD and autism can be quite sensitive to minor differences in the medications.

It's all a bit of a juggling game at first, to get the timings right, the dose right (and sometimes the brands seem to affect kids differently) but persevere :)
My DD1 started on Ritalin at 6, and it really helped but we did have to figure out what worked best for her. We also gave her medication holidays at weekends.
She was thin, but she always was as has ARFID and is also on the spectrum.

My DD1 is now an adult, still on meds and she's now a doctor :) I have no doubt that without them she would not have managed to be in the career she always wanted.

Sometimes the ADHD symptoms lesson with the medications and the autism symptoms become more noticeable, so this might be something to discuss with the prescibing doctor.

It’s early days, OP. Give it time.

My six year old daughter (autistic and severe ADHD) is on 30mg and (once she got used to it) it has been a game changer at school. For the most part of the school day now she can concentrate, she can access learning and she therefore feels better about herself.

We do get a ‘rebound effect’ about 4pm, but we’ve learnt to counter this by having sensory activities ready for her and offering a snack (the tablets temporarily stop her wanting to eat, then as she leaves school she becomes ravenous and this exacerbates meltdowns).

If Medikinet is not right for your child, remember there are alternatives available - it’s a bit trial and error.