Hi,

I am a new member and this is my first post.

My 10 year old son is a very complicated kid. He has a dx of bipolar w/ "mild" Asperger Syndrome, ADHD and ODD.

We have tried stims in the past w/out much luck. Last year, he did well on Adderall XR for a few days but then got more irritible and aggressive and we had to take him off of it.

Some of his regular symtpoms are: hyper, impulsive, chronic irritibility, ODD, rapid mood swings, perseverations that come and go. He has been on two mood stabilizers (Lamictal and Trileptal) and an antipsychotic (Abilify) for two years. Frankly, these meds don't do that much for him.

A few days ago we decide to try Adderall again. He is taking 20 mg XR in the am and I am experimenting w/ afternoon doses.

Here's the problem -- he's been calm and focused, less irritible, more compliant, but soooo perseverative. He is fixated lately on fly fishing and tying flies. He has tied flies for about 8 hours each day -- to the exclusion of all other activities! Again, perseverations are nothing new and I like the ability to focus -- but this takes "focus" to a new level.

The other problem is that the crash is really really bad. He gets very aggressive for several hours at night. We are experimenting w/ Clonidine to soften the fall.

Any one else have problems w/ increased obsessions/perseverations on Adderall? Did this problem go away with time?

Thanks,
Shadey

Sorry, no answer here, just the same old advice: tell your pediatrician! He/she should be able to tell whether the reactions are normal and will adjust with time, or whether to change the dosage or try something new.

Your child has several disorders going on, so that really complicates any advice that someone here could give you, based on their experience.

My daughter is in the middle of evaluations for several disorders, and it is so incredibly frustrating. I am so frustrated because of the time involved, no one seems to be in a hurry, and the waiting list for the primary testing is 6-9 months, which is ridiculous. Obviously she is going to be hurt by this and missing out on learning.

Anyway, you are not alone. Hugs!

Kim

Sometimes this hyper-focusing can be a sign of to high of a medication dose. Does he show any other signs of being over medicated? Does he ever seem to be in a "zombie" type state?
Also, I just had practically this same conversation with my sons pediatrician today, and he said the other problem can just be that there is another disorder going on, like OCD. The stimulants, while they won't cause another disorder, can make them show more prevalently then they did before. He said in these cases, it usually works best to add an anti depressant to go along with the stimulants.
Either way, this is really something you should discuss with her pediatrician. Good luck :)