Can you please share your ritalin experience?

gigi

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 8:22 am

after many years of pushing this off, and saying no to the teachers, doctors and therapists, we have finally agreed to put our son (6th grader) on ritalin.
the psychiatrist wanted to prescribe an anti schizophrenic drug (risperdal) and I adamantly refused that.
if any of you have children who have used ritalin , can you share your experience so I know more of what to expect? the psychiatrist told us nada.
and I haven't found anything really balanced online, mostly very pro, or very anti information full of side affect info.

amother

White

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 8:30 am

I have a few family members taking medication for adhd, but none on Ritalin specifically. I very strongly recommend working with a psychiatrist who takes the times to explain the pros and cons of various categories of medications, and specific medications that s/he is recommending as well. This is something I would pay out of pocket for even if money is tight. There's no reason you shouldn't be completely comfortable with the entire process, and it's much more likely to successfully find a good medication shidduch under those circumstances.

amother

Peach

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 8:48 am

DS's psychiatrist started him on a different medicine (guanfacine) when he was around 6. He was diagnosed with ADHD and possible ODD. The guanfacine was good for a while but his behavior got worse. The psychiatrist wanted to give him an anti-psychotic. She was hesitant to give him Ritalin because it can exacerbate violent behavior. The developmental pediatrician felt it would be OK to try Ritalin. We did try Ritalin and it has been very helpful. The only side effect I notice is appetite suppression.
When I pay the co-pay for Ritalin I smile to myself and think how $10 is a small price to pay for domestic normalcy and fewer phone calls from the teachers.

amother

Forestgreen

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 9:01 am

I have a few kids on ritalin and concerta - b'h it saves them

if you are interested I can give you the name of an ADHD coach that can do phone sessions and really explain well how the medicine all works and how to explain it to the child that they feel empowered

amother

Purple

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 9:04 am

I have a few kids on Ritalin or Aderall, it's a lifesaver.
I've been against medicating my kids for a long time and tries every alternative option, with no positive changes.
My kids were doing badly in school, constantly getting into trouble, not doing well academically and were constantly being punished. They're behavior was impossible at home, with friends, in school. I was a wreck not being able to handle their behavior.
As soon as we started medication, they are different people. Amazing in school, home, have friends...
I Thank Hashem for this incredible invention and that there's something that can help them.

amother

Slategray

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 9:06 am

My daughter has been on concerta for 2 years with amazing results. FYI each generic (diff pharmacies carry different ones) worked differently but we found methylphenidate cd (the ER is concerta) works best for her and we found 1 pharmacy that works best for her. It takes some time to get dosing right. As far as side effects it’s mostly decreased appetite and hard time falling asleep at night (so we use melatonin).

amother

Seashell

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 9:18 am

With Ritalin look out for appetite suppression while it is active and rebound effect, extreme hyperactivity and irritability when it wears off at the end of the day. Contact your doctor about any behaviors that come up that are challenging...

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 9:56 am

My 11 year old has been on generic Ritalin (methylphenidate) for the past 9 months. Overall, his grades went up, and he is finally able to sit in school. He had less appetite, and had a hard time falling asleep, but that was manageable. We slowly were upping the dose, until last week when I realized he has daily headaches and was crazy irritable and depressed coming off of it at night. He has become much more aggressive with his siblings and mouths off to us. In school, he's still an angel. Our lives were becoming unlivable, so I stopped it cold turkey and will revisit our options at out next doctors appointment.

That's been our experience so far.

Hatzlacha with your decision.

amother

Ruby

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 12:12 pm

My son was in focalin for a while but we had to take him off as it caused major anxiety. Besides for the loss of appetite. He has been now on guafacine for a few years and while it's not as effective, it's enough for him. It does though have the side affect of drowsiness.

amother

Ruby

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 12:18 pm

Many pyschiatrists will charge a huge amount for evaluation and appointments, and then just hand you a prescription. There is no help with side effects. Relief can recommend a decent one.

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 12:42 pm

It was recommended by my son’s pediatrician that we start him on concerta. The pediatrician felt that it was more mild than Ritalin.
We’ve been pushing it off but he is not doing well at all so we will probably begin with meds soon.
We need to treat:
Anxiety
Mild depression
Intense anger
Some violence
Inability to focus for an extended period of time while at the same time.. hyper focusing

We will probably take him for a numerological evaluation before we start the concerta since he has so many issues now.

Good luck op.. it’s hard

SacN

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 2:07 pm

Quote:

We will probably take him for a numerological evaluation before we start the concerta since he has so many issues now.

But those are all symptoms of untreated adhd! That sounds incredibly normal.

My dH has adhd. He wishes he didn't have to take medication, but it helps him tremendously. It's the ability to have self control and social awareness vs no ability. I can only imagine the gain he would have had if he'd taken meds and gone to therapy as a child.

Find a good psychiatrist who will give your child time and attention.

amother

Seashell

Sun, Jan 13 2019, 2:59 pm

A pediatrician is no really the best person to manage medications for adhd. They know the very basics but nothing more. When I started with it a few years ago,.my pedicure only agreed to get us started as the neurodevelopmental pediatrician had a wait list. BH we got a cancellation appointments a few weeks later because both medications we tried with my pediatrician were a mess, not the pediatrician fault but side effects and reactions. Someone who specializes knows more of the side effects and why they occur to identify which other medications are better options. And sometimes it's a combination of medications or a booster. Please do yourself and even more so your child the favor of finding someone who specializes in adhd. It can make the difference between effective and ineffective as well as the difficult path of finding the individualized answer for you. Hatzlocha