ritalin

[MumOfThreeMonkeys]

dd aged 5yrs and 8 months ASD OCD and (dx yesterday) ADHD, pead has prescribed ritalin and left it up to me and DH if we want to use it or not.... can anyone give me some advice!!

went to collect the prescription today and it is not avaliable in liquid form but the pharmasist is gonna find out if she can get it made up as there is no chance that dd is gona swallow a tablet...

so many questions number 1 being... will it leave her like a zombi???

Methylphenidate as far as I know is available in immediate release tablets - or slow/ extended release capsules. My son had immediate release equazyme which could be sneaked in juice/smoothy/yogurt when he was younger. Slow release formats (depending on the brand/type) cannot usually be dissolved so need to be swallowed. Your specialist should know. The medication leaflet should tell you too.
It did not make my very hyperactive impulsive child a zombie - I suspect nothing could!! But it did slow him down a nanosecond and allow him a notch down on the richter scale - ie he is calmer on medication - although NT children still look like the zombies in comparison! It took a while to get an optimal presentation (extended release) and dose. I think it is usual to start on a lowish dose and work up as required so it is more likely to have insuficient affect.
I read a lot and found the book by Russell Barkley - Take charge of ADHD helpful in decideing to try medication (a heavy decision made harder by all the misinformation and hysteria). We sort of decided we could not afford not to give ds the chance ( life was going really badly wrong for him at the time)! medication is not perfect for him and he is still autistic - but it helps him learn a little. HTH

thanx magso, im still a bit shocked by the fact that i just took dd for a routine check yesterday and left the peads office with a presciption for ritalin... me and hubby talked long about it last nite and both agreed that we would give the meads a chance and see what dd is like when on them, after all we can always stop them if they make here any worse, i dont think that i actually believe it will work (my dd had been discribed as a durecell bunny)...

did the medaction disturb ur son's sleep in any way, we have just got control of dd with the help of my new best friend melentonin ??

Ds is a little unusual in that he has LD and all sorts of minor impairments. His problem was/is getting him to slow down to sleep - and that is still an issue. He seems to get less (over)tired (ds used to get very hyper and worked up - spinning faster from one thing to the next when wearing down) and needs a later bedtime as a result. The down side is he has slightly greater awareness and can get anxious when asked to do school work (without medication he would be totally unable to cooperate so unaware of tasks). He also has little appetite at lunch time - so needs tea (as his tablet wears off)and supper.

thanx again magso, dd also has LD moderate/severe among other things!! i am looking forward to seeing what the meads do for her/ if anything! do you mind me asking what dosage your son is on and what dose he started on if you can remember please !!

He started on 5mg equasyme which lasted about 3 hours , with a second 5mg lunchtime dose. He was just 5. I do not know how the different brans/ formulations compare. Slow release usually has a much higher dose ( 18 - 36 mg in concerta) with up to 12 hours coverage.

Hi. My ds, now 14yrs, was dx aged 4.5yrs, and weve been through the various meds over the years with varying degrees of success. He started on immediate release, then moved on to slow-release, which is being given to dc more these days.
The medication will absolutely NOT turn your dd into a zombie,and it is very unlikely your Paed. would have prescribed it if he thought that was the case!(You will learn very quickly, that ADHD gets a bad press, mostly from people who havent got a clue about the Meds, or the condition).
I would agree with above advice, that it does take time to find the optimul level of medic. and it is for that reason, it is usually started off on a low dose and gradually increased.
Out of interest, is ADHD something you and your Paed. have discussed before? You seemed surprised by the consultation yesterday. Have the school been asked for their opinion, as the symptoms of ADHD must be prevelant in at least 2 settings for a dx to be made. I only ask, as a dx of ADHD can be a long process and often involves the local CAMHS Team.
Try the meds-youve nothing to loose, and it could really make a difference to your dd.

lol OP, we are in the same position. i have ritalin in the cupboard prescribed for ds1 ready to go if we want to use it.

had it for about three weeks now - still not decided. am making an appointment to see a second doc. the first one referred us to the paed, who discussed lots of other things but wasn't interested in adhd/ asd, but the gp prescribed it anyway, a bit out of the blue (there's a thread i started on here somewhere)

anyway, marking my place really, to see what you're doing...

i've just collected the prescrption this morning as it had to be ordered in an oral solution it is methylphenidate hydrochloride 5mgs in 5mls, instuctons are 5mls once a day for seven days then 5mls twice a day and she is to be reviewed by the pead in 6 weeks..

bigpants my dd has been seeing the pead for the last 2 years was dx with autism in september, we have been thinking the she had ADHD since she was about 1, she has no concentration level at all just runs about like a mad thing day and night! every time we have seen the pead she was more concerened with getting the ASD dx, monday was the first time we seen her post dx, she also reffered dd to CAHMS, dd was on CAHMS waiting list for a year and taken of it because we got the ASD dx so now she is back on it we will prob be waiting at least a year for an appointment!! DD is starting to show signs of OCD as well..

we decided that we are gonna try the meads and see if there is any difference in her (fingers crossed)..

thinking of giving her the first dose this afternoon when she comes home from school to see what the effects are, will we see a diffence straight away???

Hello Mumofthreemonkeys. My SD (lives full time with us) has ADHD and autism. She takes 1 x 20mg Equasym (Methylphenidate Hydrochloride)capsule per day. She used to have tablets we could crush and mix in juice when she was younger and then the school did the same at lunchtime, but when she was 7 they changed her to slow release capsules and she has one each morning, the idea being it helps concentration etc through literacy and numeracy in the mornings and then is wearing off by bedtime.

We can always tell if she has been to her Mums for weekends and Mum has "forgotten!" to give her the medication, Sunday eve and Monday can be hard going, by Tues she is calming down again to her normal.

She takes longer to get to sleep than her siblings, but so long as we have nothing around to stimulate her mind, so no books or toys (except 1 bear to cuddle) or anything within reach such as ds's she will settle down and lie in bed, moan abit and wriggle alot but she does drop off after a bit....can be an hour/two on a bad day. Having said that before I met her Dad sleep problems were one of the main issues he had and so to get her to where she is now is a massive achievement for everyone.

The medication is an appetite suppresent so def watch that but I would say def try the medication and see how you get on. My DSD could never be described as a zoombie (if you saw the programme on telly a year ago about ADHD medications, it was rubbish and scaremongering we feel, infact the other evening the bbc ran an apology about the content in that particular programme) Our paed has mentioned in the past trying sd without the medication but we have said no, we see the difference when her Mum forgets and for now are more than happy to keep her on them. Hope some of that helps.

thank you so much buttons, i am nervous about trying the meads but excited that they may work!! everything crossed for the next few days!!

We provide respite care for child who was recently prescribed ritalin and I found the change in him quite shocking.
He seemed very despondent and ate hardly anything.
That said, it was new, so perhaps things will level out a bit.

i think you are generally supposed to take them first thing in the morning so that they are out of the system by bedtime, mumof3 - i wouldn't start the first one after school. wait until the morning!

I agree, I would wait til the morning too or you may be up very light tonight!!!!

Whoops!! meant late tonight!

Agree! Perhaps wait till the week end if you want to try out at home? Reactions to medication is fairly individual. There was hardly any noticeable change in our son at first but slowly he got a fraction calmer. People who did not know about the medication trial noticed a change! I know of others with more noticeable changes and some for whom it was unhelpful or a different medication was better.

Hi again. Yes, you may notice a difference with the meds straightaway, or it may take a few days. My ds was extremely hyperactive,(stll is), and the 1st time he had Ritalin, was amazing! Within 20mins, he was calm, and actually sat playing a quiet game with his sister-something he had previously been unable to do. Over the years, weve had varying degrees of success with Medic. but I would always advise parents to at least give it a go.
The Medic. for ADHD has had such a bashing in the press/media, with ridiculuos statements such as, "kiddie cosh" etc, no wonder parents are worried. But, you know, noone questions the medication for Asthmatics, Diabetics or people with Epilepsy. Your dd has a treatable condition-you are treating it.
The medication isnt the answer to everything, but it gives the child/young person a window of opportunity to concentrate, to be still. It can make a big difference in how the child interacts with her peers and siblings, and so make a big impact on the stress at home.
Never let anyone question your decision-until you are in this position, you cannot fully understand, and people should do well to remember,"there but for the grace of God go I."
By the way, my ds is also dx with Aspergers syndrome- a lot of dc seem to have both conditions,(ASD, Autism). Good luck!

Sorry me again. buttons99, have you considered a trial of Melatonin? It is naturally produced in the brain, so it is gentle on the system.(though there are always exceptions with meds).
Many dc with ADHD have sleep disturbance just like dc with ASD.Melatonin can be really useful in helping a dc to settle at night, and in staying asleep. Sounds like your dsd might benefit? It might be worth asking your Paed./Psychiatrist what he/she thinks.
Or, you could just tell me to mind my own business!

Hi bigpants1 - Thanks for that, I will speak to my DH and see what he thinks.