Those with children with ADHD have you tried CONCERTA?

[RTKangaMummy]

I heard about it today and it sounds deffo brill

here are some details

here are the details from the USA

It is like ritalin but you only have to give 1 tablet a day and it has this really clever way of releasing the drug over a 12 hour period

So there aren't highs and lows through the day it is smoother

And as it changes to a gel within the tablet it is a deffo controled release and then the capsule comes out in the poo iyswim

Hi RTKM
My DS started on Concerta in Jan 2005 when he was 7. It is the first and only medication he has had for his ADHD so I have nothing to compare it to. I like the fact that he does not need anyone to give him additional doses at school as I think he would be self-conscious about going to the school nurse and also I would worry that additional doses might get forgotten and his behaviour and concentration would gradually deterioate with the resultant problems until he had his next dose. The main drawback of Concerta is that he takes a while to 'come down' off it in the evenings so he is quite late getting to sleep and consequently difficult to wake him in the morning. The other drawback is that his appetite is suppressed while he is on it. I understand that happens with ritalin too but I suppose it is not suppressed for so long at a time. His appetite comes back with a vengence about 8pm and he then eats absolutely loads having eaten very little at lunchtime. I also have to make sure he eats a good breakfast before his medication takes effect in the morning. He is tall for his age but very skinny and he's beginning to get aware of this.
I guess with all these things you have to weigh up the pros and cons and decide what is best for your child. From talking with other parents at my ADHD support group, some children's appetites do not seem to be effected by medication so this might not happen with yours. Are you thinking of trying out Concerta?

'affected' not 'effected' - I always muddle these!

my son has been on concertal for 3 years. He took Equasym to start with...but when concerta was mentioned ...we had a go.

he takes a 36 and a 18mg tablet.....at approx 7am and by 8am is calm enough to get dressed for school.

yes...he too loses his appetite....and i find about 6pm a challenging time as the med wears off...you get a kind of 'kick back' as he adjusts to the med not being there....but honestly can say that it is excellent for him!

I hated having to rely on school giving him the lunchtime dose of equasym....he often forgot to go to the office...and they never really looked for him if he forgot.

ds is 13 in dec... and 5'2" and weighs 8st...so despite his lack of appetite ...he has grown well etc. as with all of the 'methylphenidate' drugs they keep an eye on blood pressure and weight/growth etc...so ritalin and equasym could affect weight etc - not just concerta....

as far as sleep goes.... he takes MELATONIN which is NOT a DRUG...sedative or hypnotic medication....but a HORMONE which is supposed to be produced by thee pituatry gland as evening draws in...but in people with neuroloical conditions...such as ADHD and autism...they don't produce enough or their melatonin production is very hit and miss.

it seems to only benefit the person who struggles getting to sleep....as opposed to those who wake on and off all night long.

most g.p's WILL NOT PRESCRIBE IT.....as it is not licenced in this country, though a consultant/paediatrician etc can ...so mention it to your 'person' who prescribes the concerta etc....

there are many on here who have read about melatonin on mumsnet...and now get it for their child...and like me ...are so relieved that they can help the child sleep without 'drugging'.

our paed now kind of prescribes a trial of melatonin when she starts a child on concerta...

i have 2 sons on melatonin...both do not 'natuarlly' get tired...both never yawn till they take their melatonin....

my advice for it is
. get the capsules or liquid (not tablets)
.break open the capsule and add powder to as small a cool drink as possible (ensures the full dose is swallowed quickly)
.30 minutes later child will be sleepy!!!

it is very bland...mine cannot taste it...however some kids do detect it.

the best make we have had is Penn Pharmaceuticals. (dissolves very well)

so....hope all this rambling info helps!

Thanks Mrs F. I will have a look into MELATONIN and see if my DS can take it. It would solve a problem for him if he could get to sleep more easily. Some of the ADHD support group parents talked about it but I seem to remember them saying that they bought it through the internet or something - like you said it is not licenced here. Nice to know that its worked successfully for you and thanks very much for the advice.

thats ok...i have bought it off ebay ...as for a while i only had it for 1 son...and after trying it on ds2...i bought it for a couple of months till we saw the paed .

sound like your son will benefit!

we've just had 4 nights without it cos i forgot to reorder it from paed!!!!
1st night was ok....put them to bed very late ..they fell asleep. Saturday was a little harder- they were very restless...up and down stairs...
sunday (cos school next day) tried a 'normal' bedtime.....and it was a disaster.
monday did a late night (and then had to scrape them outof bed yesterday!!!!)

Last night.... they had melatonin and within 40 mis were fast asleep!!!!

You'll notice a huge difference in the morning too...mine are alot more 'pleasanr' than they were in the past few days!!!

seriously...if they ever totally banned it...i would stock up on as much as i could get hold of...and enjoy every nights sleep i had...as so easily i could be back to how it was before!!!

Decided to add to this (great) thread instead of creating a new one.

DS had MDA - looking like ADD + some ASD

DS had trial of Medikinet 10mg morning and lunchtime but lunchtime dose was a flop as he didn't remember to go to school office to take it and they were to busy to chase around after him.

He is also on 2mg Melatonin at night.

Now on 18mg Concerta XL - yesterday was first day - and he was fantastic after school and GREAT this morning..

Didn't have to drag him out of bed
Ate breakfast with out a big fuss
Less frustration / anger - last night & this morning
Less single (same) topic motor mouthing
More general conversation
Lively upbeat outlook - lots of smiles

Fingers crossed...

Re: Melatonin - he's on 2mg

I see you can get Melatonin gummy sweets online - I what dose levels are you folks using at night? A gummy might be nicer / more fun than a pill. And if I could reduce the cost of these private prescriptions that would be great...Concerta XL is EXPENSIVE! Has anyone managed to get it on the NHS? With the Melatonin its working to be £70 a month..

Yikes!

Onwards and upwards...

We found 12 hours was told long and caused sleep issues (it was a fucking nightmare), even on 4mg melatonin. We went back and got an eight hour version which is perfect.

I also have a stock of USA shipped melatonin. Long release tablet and gummies. The downside is they build a tolerance so need a break every so often.

Place marking here as we are awaiting an appointment for my son to start medication for his ADHD.

After debating whether to for a couple of years iv decided it’s now or never!

He is only 8 and as there are no support groups or anyone I know to talk things through with it’s all a bit scary.

The paediatrician would not prescribe melatonin as he said he doesn’t like to prescribe it only in desperate cases! So I sit for 1-2hrs a night with him while he figits and thrashes around etc before he finally falls asleep.

Unsure which medication he will prescribed, did you or anyone you know have a choice or do they just give which ever one the dr thinks is most suitable.

To be honest the whole thing makes me sick with worry - whole family think I’m wrong to ‘drug’ a kid. Yet his behaviour is getting worse more dangerous and his school work and friendships are starting to suffer because of it - feel iv nothing to loose trying the meds.

As there isn’t a lot of threads for ADHD on MN that I notice, or they get hijacked by then non-believers does anyone know any other online chat groups or Online parent support groups for ADHD?

I have read that life expectancy can be increased with adhd drugs as the people taking them manifest less risky behavior.

Still early days for DS.

I was chatting to a parent of an autistic child who uses CBD at bed time (rather than Melatonin as they were concerned Melatonin is a hormone).

I might try CBD gummies DS says Melatonin "does nothing".

Also what about an add and autism crossover?

Experts are hinting that DS has both.

Did the parent trying the CBD notice a difference at bedtime? I always thought CBD was more of a long time use gets in your system slowly kind of thing rather than something you could take to get any immediate effect.

My ds has Medikinet but a 20mg slow release one. In effect it releases two doses of 10mg for four hours each so we don't need to worry about him having to have another one at school. He also has a 10mg 4 hour one he takes at weekends (or if we forgot and only remember to later to take his 8 hour one!)

He also has melatonin. It was a game changer but he only has it on school nights so he has a break 2 nights a week.