Chocolate, I'm having a little bit of a hard time understanding completely how much social interaction he has outside your home.
When you say "he does go out into public and is not always at home", are you referring to riding his bike up and down his street alone?
Or does he have several neighbor friends he interacts with and has a healthy relationship with them and their families?
Reading through your post, I can't tell whether he's not allowed to leave the house during the day. You have concerns that you can't even eat or help out around the house because you are busy keeping him from leaving - does he have other outlets - friends, sports activities, scouts or whatever, where he has the chance to be out in public?
Oh,here is a link on ADHD and sleep.
http://www.additudemag.com/slideshow/141/slide-1.html
Hummm, I wonder if she had been prescribing Adderall and Prozac together and then found out the kids got meaner on the Adderall? Anyway, here is Dr. Parkers alternative antidepressants - "My best advice to anyone with a similar situation is immediately get off the Prozac and replace with one of the several clean antidepressants out there. Interaction is interaction – not maybe interaction. [Effexor, venlafaxine, Pristiq, Lexapro, & Celexa are all quite clean on 2D6]."
Oh, the Prozac does take a while to build up in the brain, so it is not unusual for your son to not be feeling the full effects.
Also, do talk with your doc about sleep aids. That might stop his going out at night. If his mind is racing, its kind of tough to get to sleep. Some people with ADHD actually do better taking a stimulant at night as it stops the racing mind.
Hello Thank you for your reply.The 54 mg doesn't really do anything.his pills ran out today and I called in yesterday to get a refill.He is now on a 36 mg pill which are white,the 27 mg pill was blue.she up the dosage,he just received his refill today.I will show her the information about the Prozac.He was prescribed the Prozac for depression.I do not want him to have any problems down the line so I will let her know about the information on prozac.he takes the med around 9 am and 10am,I know that is a bit late.I have to stay on him about taking it because at one point he was refusing to take them.he says the meds don't help him and now that the prozac has been added he says it just makes him feel better for only like 50 minutes.Thank you so much.
First, Adderall does not make all kids angry. Yes, it will make some kids angry if it is over prescribed. How long does the 54 seem to last? It should last about 8 hours. If it does not, then it is not being effective - he is underdosed.
DO show your doctor the info on the Prozac. It really might cause some problems down the line.
Oh, what time of the day does he take his meds?
Hello Good Afternoon,Im not sure what happen to the message that I sent to you but it disappeared.I will see if I can resend it again.thank you so much.
Hello Good Afternoon thank you so much.I don't have very much of a support system mainly it just my mom.my sister and brother live in another state.my sister gives advice hear and there but at times it can be negative so I try to steer clear of asking any advice from her the same thing with my brother,but I sometimes find myself calling her up anyway to talk because I need someone to talk to.I have friends but they don't live around me and I don't feel comfortable talking to them about my personal business then the entire town would know my business.I live in a very small town.I have taken his wii away,etc but he has gotten to the point where he tries to fight me and my parents.he injured my foot a month ago because I was chastising him and trying to tell him the right thing to do.he took a bottle and hit my foot and caused it be sprained.my brother called the cops.the cops came out and spoke to him.his psychologist told me every day time he leaves the house or hit me or my family members to call the cops and he will get a record and that record will make him incorrigible.he is to the point where he doesn't want to listen to any authority.thanks again.I will try the blanket as well.thank you so much.
Good Afternoon Thank You so very much I really appreciate your help so much.I apologize for not putting that I did let the doctor know that dosage 27 mg was not working and that is when she told me to give him two pills(now 54 mg).we did talk about Adderall and she said that Adderall makes kids very angry.so she decided to go with the Concerta.I am going to put him in public school next school term because I just cannot do the homeschool anymore and juggling his behavior at the same time as well.Thank You so much for the links and information I am going to check them out.I need all the help I can get.I am so happy to have found this website.I barely get any time to eat anymore because I have to run after him to keep out of these streets.
Hi there. Gosh, very VERY sorry to hear about this. Do you work with a psychiatrist? What types of therapy do you do? I know this is hard when a child is resistant to it.
School--- homeschooling may not be a good fit. In my state, they require there to be alternative schooling for a child with behavior issues if regular school is not working (or homeschooling). They have specialists at that school and perhaps provide a way of working with your son that would be of benefit. I'd touch base with your school system to see what can be done.
What consequences does he have for things like leaving at night?
Sleeping, a tough subject. Now, this may sound silly. We've had a lot of issues with my sensory son (lots in common with add/adhd kids). I got him a VERY weighted blanket (it's 16 pounds total) from a sensory store and I am amazed at the difference. He falls asleep faster and stays asleep and is better rested. His focus is better. I have a friend that has her son take melatonin (OTC/natural) by her doctors supervision/suggestion and a weighted blanket and it significantly helps.
I wish you all the best. this is very stressful for a parent to deal with and our anxiety for our kids future can not help but grow in this type of situation. I'm sure this overwhelms and consumes you. Do you have supportive friends to talk to about your own feelings in dealing with this. I know it can make you feel very isolated. Talking helps. Hang in there.
First thing is to get him off the Prozac, it blocks the uptake of stim meds, allows them to build up, and come back with bad side effects. See this link for more information (and share it with your psyc). http://www.corepsych.com/2006/11/adderall-prozac-and-paxil-problem-not-solution/
And yes, while it can take 4 weeks for the prozac to take effect - the concerta (if it is the right dose) happens immediately. The standard is to go low and go slow. However, the doc should have told you to let him know after a week if the stim med was working. One month is way to long to go with out a dose change and no noticable effects. Frankly, I would give Adderall a shot.
It is very common for kids with ADHD to have trouble sleeping. That is something the docs need to deal with. And not with prozac. And getting a good nights sleep will make a helpful change in him during the day.
I think your doc has let you down and a new one is a good idea. But I would look into a psychiatrist instead of a psychologist.
And yes, I can understand how tough this has been for you. You have been basically going it alone. I don't know what city you are in, but I would check out public schools in the future. Many of them have special education departments used to dealing with this situation.
Finally, there are sites that have some very good information on dealing with ADHD kids (yes, you do things differently with them). Check out this site! http://www.additudemag.com/topic/parenting-adhd-children/behavior-discipline.html
Hope this helps. Please post if you have questions. Good Luck!!