Equasym dosage - need some advice

[minionmadness]

DS (just 7) has ASD and last year was dx with ADHD too.

A couple of months back we decided on a trial of 10mg Equasym XL slow release after much soul searching.

The change was obvious. He was able to sit and concentrate for much longer periods and they have has definite improvements in his output. His social interactions have improved too. He is clearly still ds but less bouncy and less impulsive. Needs less 1-2-1 support. I've noticed at home too, it's not a huge difference and we still have issues (as do school) but on the whole we are pleased with the decision to try it.

Now... the thing is we are seeing a move backwards in all of the above, both at school and home. Is this normal, do they get used to it so the effects lessen over time? So was wondering what dosage others were on.

He is 7, 138cm tall and 30kg.

Anyone???

Can anyone point me in the direction of other forums related to ADHD where they may be more people around to offer advice on meds.

Thanks...

Surprisingly, there is quite a difference between the various brands of methylphenidate. Equasym (both immediate and slow release) wasn't very effective for my ds and we tried a few before settling on Ritalin brand, which suited him better. None of the slow release versions helped him - he was actually worse on those than unmedicated.

Tbh, you'd probably be better off contacting the prescribing consultant for advice. I expect there are aspects of your son's medical background that s/he will be aware of but we aren't. Speak to them about your concerns and find out if what ds is experiencing is within typical expectations.

My ds is going through something v similar. We were on medikinet xl since dec and everything was great till beginning of March. Then it started to go downhill too. We changed to your brand. After 3 weeks of trialling it on daily basis we all came to the conclusion that it wasn't the medication - it's either a growth spurt/illness/teeth. My ds is 6.5. It was all 3 in fact. I'm still not convinced entirely tbh, in our case it it's much more of a case of dss frustration with being unable to communicate.
Do you medicate on weekends? Can you notice a difference re medication working or not?

That's a valid point Lesley. Presentation changes aren't always about the medication. I'm forever trying trying to work out what's due to the meds, or hormones, or (let's face it, it happens) just ds being an arse. More often than not, as you've found, it's a combination of a number of factors. Most of the time we just ride it through, because we can't separate all those issues and get to the root before the next blip comes along. Life just IS blippy with kids with adhd.

... The riding through it... Gosh, it ages you. We are having a v tough time with ds at the moment. It's so hard in fact I'm thinking we can't take much more of this. But rest assured, once you're over this blip more shits thrown, just a different colour it should get easier.
On a serious note, in rl I've spoken to a number of parents and this seems to be a common theme. Whether it's the lighter nights being a factor too or something going on around us that we can't pick up, everyone seems to be riding a battle of some sorts too.

Thanks guys

Thinking about it DS has had a recent growth spurt, trousers that were long enough before the weeks holiday from school... were too short on the first day back! So maybe a factor.

I do medicate at week-ends and can see that he can concentrate for longer periods, is less hyper and not so impulsive. Not in a huge, pendulum swing way, just like he has been slowed down

I guess I was wondering whether it's possible to "get used" to the medication meaning the effect lessens over time, but yes, it could also be that he is just being a pain in the bum that day

Fortunately we are seeing the paed later next week so I'll have a chat about dose, don't want to over medicate, which was why I asked what dosage others might be on of a similar age.

We noticed the same slowed down response minion. Again, not in a huge way but can see how it would be beneficial at school. We did try different strengths of the medication during that trial period - so it may be suggested by the pead. For us, it's was too much- response was that bit too slow, and ds lost a bit of his personality on a higher dose so for us it wasn't beneficial to increase- but it may be a strategy for you.
Again, concerta was suggested but for us, ds cannot take tablets so a non starter.
Good luck this week. It's such trial and error, but I think the one thing we kept in our minds was that it HAD worked for 2 months positively and for us it's still early days on being on any medication for his add.

Oh I forgot to say, since we started the medication ds put on about 10 pounds and grew a lot taller so I initally thought that's why his medication might need to be increased. It's just another factor to think about with regards to your ds.

Yes, we too are only on month 3 so we need to give it a little longer. I really don't want to lose "ds" with medication, he has a huge personality and endears himself to everyone so would hate to lose that.

Thanks again... very good to hear from someone in a similar situation.

It took us well over a year to establish a workable dose, but even then there were blips. I don't think there is ever an ideal because we can't plan for growth spurts and brain development, and these can have an impact on effectiveness.

Ds also takes atomoxetine so he's medicated day-round. That does have a build up and isn't fully effective until it's been taken for six weeks. It's difficult to tweak between the two to get a decent balance.

Sorry I can't help with dosages at your son's age. Mine wasn't diagnosed till 10 so we have no experience of meds that young.