A friend called me to tell me that she noticed how different Mae was at her daughter's birthday party. She was subdued, introverted, not spastic and bubbly like she normally is. We saw this happened with our oldest when she was on ADHD meds. She became grumpy and subdued, instead of the hyper but cheerful child we had known. This effect was so bad that we took her off of the meds and she hasn't been on them since, but she has still managed to keep a 3.5 GPA in high school taking AP and IB level classes. She obviously didn't need them that much.
But Mae is a different story. Her grades were definitely being affected by her ADHD, with lots of unfinished homework, missing work, late work, etc. And her sisters couldn't stand her because of her fits of anger over nothing. So the meds aren't optional for her. Yes, she is far more subdued, and quiet, but for our family this is much better than the explosive meltdowns. And her grades went up. So we are just going to have to deal with the change in personality for now. The trade off is worth it.
Or, you can try another stimulant. Vyvanse made my dd a depressed zombie. Concerta lets "her" shine through while still giving the focus she needs for academics.
ReplyDeleteDon't settle unless you have to!
You're right Carla. We have been slower to try different meds with Mae because we are always so occupied with Caroline's meds. I don't think we have tried Concerta.
ReplyDeleteOh dear! I got blogged about! I really hope I didn't spoil your day by saying anything. PLEASE forgive me if I threw you for a loop. I am glad that I knew that you had added a new drug for her or I would have been alarmed, but I hope I wasn't insensitive by mentioning the difference we saw in her. I am sorry for causing you any grief...
ReplyDeleteWell, YEAH....I figured you could figure out ALL of your other kids, plus all their friends in your spare time! :p I totally understand how consuming it all is, and I just have ONE little lab rat for experimentation.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky you have a very cooperative psychiatrist. That helps so much.
Keep us posted!
Kathryn, you know that I wasn't offended at all, I hope. I really appreciate feedback and obvervations about my kids. I wouldn't be a good mom if I didn't!! Maybe we will try another stimulant to see if her peppiness comes back.
ReplyDeleteBe careful with Concerta. It caused our BP/ADHD son to start having delusional behavior. It got pretty bad. They took him off all ADHD meds and he is doing much better.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right about stimulants not being good for bpkids. Mae is my youngest daughter who has ADHD, not bipolar disorder. Caroline is the only one who has bp disorder and no ADHD med has ever had good results.
ReplyDeleteHi! I found your blog when I googled "intuniv," which we just started for my son's ADHD/Asperger's. We've tried several other meds with no success and I just wondered if you were still seeing positive results with this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks!