Experiences with Ritalin please.

[Shells]

DS is 7 and ASD - fairly high functioning. Recently diagnosed with ADHD as well.

Doctor is keen for him to go on Ritalin. I feel very nervous and unsure. Would appreciate anyone's experiences, good or bad, to help me make a decision about this.

Bump.

def ritalin? or 'medication'? there are loads of different adhd meds now. ds1 has just started a trial of vyvanse.

essentially, you won't know if the meds will help unless you try them - if they don't work, no harm done and stop. if they do, then you get to judge if they work well enough to keep going or tinker with the dosage... some people do meds during the week and not at weekends or holidays, some do ft.

it's very individual.

Thanks for answering. So have you tried lots of different things? And what changes have you noticed?

dd is on a patch which release it slowly through the day.

it's great. completely makes a difference. all her teachers at school say they can't believe she's adhd, she's so great. then, for some reason, they'll see her when not on meds and be stunned by how hyper/distracted/unfocused she is.

i was worried it would feel like she wasn't my daughter, but actually when she's on meds it's easier to communicate with her. it feels like some kind of 'curtain' has been removed & she's more present.

Oh that's great feedback kickassangel. Thanks for that. Yes, I am worried about DS not feeling the same.
Any negative side effects?

We waited years to find a psychiatrist who saw the need to give ds a medication trial (too many box-tickes in the NHS) and it's been life-changing for him - and us. We've tried a few different types and dosages but eventually settled with immediate release Ritalin (methylphenidate), 25mg over the day in three doses, plus 18mg of Strattera (atomoxetine) in the morning. Slow release versions weren't good for him, it was almost like he was unmedicated, so after a brief trial of that we went back to instant and haven't looked back.

Medication isn't just about calming down the child, it's primarily about allowing the brain to focus sufficiently to accept direction and learn social rules. Ds has achieved so much in the last three years with medication to support him. We spent years working on behaviour management techniques but had limited success because he wasn't capable of processing them consistently. Medication has given him the ability to think and you can't put a price on that.

It's not perfect. He still has AS and ADHD, always will, but at least he's making steady progress now and has the chance of a decent future.

Agree with what outofbody says about you won't know till you try. That's why medication is trialled gradually starting from a small dose. If there are benefits and no side-effects then the dosage can be increased and tweaked till it's optimised, but if it clearly isn't helping then you can stop immediately.

Good luck.

I'm so pleased for you Streakybacon. Its good to hear such positive feedback. I feel a bit more optimistic now.

It does affect dd eating, but there are ways to plan round that. She eats loads at weekends when not on meds

What about sleep?

She does need to make sure that she removes the patch before 4 o'clock or she struggles to get to sleep. When she's not in school I rarely use the patch as I need to get food into her.

Ds says it takes him about an hour to get to sleep at night, but there's no way of knowing if that would have been his normal pattern without medication as well. Not that it matters in the long term - he has a good routine and gets enough sleep so isn't tired during the day. You can get round most issues.

We also have to keep an eye on his weight as methylphenidate suppresses appetite and can cause weight loss. Lots of healthy but high calorie snacks to keep him going. Who's going to say no to chocolate banana muffins on tap?

Thats one of the things I'm worried about as DS has an extremely limited diet. No fruit or Veg. Lots of carbs, limited protein. I feel quite stressed at the thought of things complicating that further. He is quite thin now. Although healthy.

You find ways .

Ds is quite restricted too (though far better than he was a few years ago) - none of the suggestions the psychiatrist came up with met with his approval, eg nuts, milk shakes etc. He just has tons of toast, the aforementioned banana muffins, milk. Whatever he will eat he just has in larger quantities.

It is very common for ADHD kids to have sensory issues and food seems to be a key one. Make sure they eat well for breakfast then give them med. allow snacking as little and often works. If you can have days without med then feed them up. Use vitamin tablets.

Dd is also super skinny and we have seen a child psych as food issues were quite a big problem. Thankfully a lot better now

Thank you both. Eating loads of the same we can do.