My son is 8 and i swear i am going to loose it the way he acts.. for a couple of hours after he takes ritalin he is OK but before school and usually from about 6 pm onward he is acting totally like he has no control over himself... he laughs outloud.. acts stupid.. really stupid.... jumping around... making loud noises... doesnt listen at all.. we tell him to stop and he just laughs... seriously some mornings i send him out to the bus stop 20 minutes early cuz i cant stand it.. I end up yelling.. its crazy... he acts retarded.. I am going to go soon to see the doc again.. but his thing is if its working at school then that is what its suppose to do.. believe me the school calls if he has forgotten his pill that morning.. I just think the rebound is crazy. but in the morning why is he acting this way.. very difficult with everything he has set out to wear.. disagreeable... honestly i am going to loose my mind.:eek: it just seems alot worse then ever before he took it he just couldnt concentrate now he just annoys and acts downright bad when it wears off... bouncing off things, into walls being mouthy... i cant take it.

*hugs*

I know how you feel.

Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. My son has not yet been diagnosed with ADHD but his behaviour sounds very much like your son's (again, especially in the evenings). Mine really mouths off a lot too, something which I am getting extremely tired and irrated with. Sometimes, I find it helps if I point out that what he is doing is unacceptable (as calmly as I can, which is VERY difficult) and leave it at that. If he continues I suggest that he goes to his room for a calming down period - (I don't describe this as a punishment, but as "thinking time"). I explain that his behaviour is getting to me and that if he doesn't give me some space I will end up getting annoyed. Also, I try to remind him how he feels if someone repeatedly does something to him that is annoying. 50% of the time this seems to work.

I don't know much about ADHD and this may not be of any help, but I thought I would post in case it is.

Hope things get better soon.

Hugs,
Tash

I just think the rebound is crazy. but in the morning why is he acting this way..Good point.

Been there done that and still going through it. My 10 year old daughter acts very much like this. Ritalin seemed to not last as long in her system and was wearing off very quickly. Maybe you should talk to the doctor about trying a longer lasting med. Adderall or Vyvanse. We started Vyvanse almost two weeks ago and it is working well for us. It last for about 11-12 hours. Less side affects and she is able to eat well, unlike Adderall. mornings are very difficult for me. I try to get my daughter to pick out her clothes for school the morning before so all she has to do is get up in the morning, put her clothes on, brush her teeth and hair and walk out the door. it is a fight in our house every morning. She doesnt want to wear what she picked out. I have such a hard time getting her out of bed in time. I swear i am late to work everyday because i cant get her going. It is really really frustrating. Until those meds kick in, i really feel like i am going to loose it. Sad to say, but i just want to get her to school because she annoys me to death in the mornings. I think you should talk to your doctor about switching meds. keep your head up and stay strong. Remember we are all they have! Good Luck ;)

Been there done that and still going through it. My 10 year old daughter acts very much like this. Ritalin seemed to not last as long in her system and was wearing off very quickly. Maybe you should talk to the doctor about trying a longer lasting med. Adderall or Vyvanse. We started Vyvanse almost two weeks ago and it is working well for us. It last for about 11-12 hours. Less side affects and she is able to eat well, unlike Adderall. mornings are very difficult for me. I try to get my daughter to pick out her clothes for school the morning before so all she has to do is get up in the morning, put her clothes on, brush her teeth and hair and walk out the door. it is a fight in our house every morning. She doesnt want to wear what she picked out. I have such a hard time getting her out of bed in time. I swear i am late to work everyday because i cant get her going. It is really really frustrating. Until those meds kick in, i really feel like i am going to loose it. Sad to say, but i just want to get her to school because she annoys me to death in the mornings. I think you should talk to your doctor about switching meds. keep your head up and stay strong. Remember we are all they have! Good Luck ;)
This is so true for me as well. But my son is almost 13! I was hoping this would get easier as he gets older, but no way. It is getting harder. We are still trying out different meds. So far, the Strattera is the one that has helped with the morning crap, but that would be it. I really hate it that we all just want him to stay away from us. He just can't be around any of us without annoying someone. It is so sad and hard to deal with to.
Good luck to us all and with finding what will make our kids more bearable for us to be around.

ADHD is not just a school issue, it is a life issue. My youngest is on guanfacine to augment the focalin and to be in her system when the stimulant is not. It is helpful for hyperactivity, impulsivity, defiance, sleep issues and weight issues (for some). With the meds on board, she can stop and think about what she is doing, and the coaching and behavior plan works better. There is even some improvement when we forget her meds, so I know she is slowly learning control methods.

A long realease form of guanfacine should be out for ADHD late this year or early next year. Straterra provides 24/7 relief for those who it works for. Longer acting meds or taking a second dose later in the day for evening coverage works for kids who do not have appetite and sleep issues with the meds (some kids sleep better with meds on board). A short acting med given early (wake up the child and give the med ~1/2 hour before the normal waking time) is used by some parents to make the mornings more sane.

Sounds like I was when I was a kid, I feel bad for you because your child although he has no self control does like the reaction, I was a hyper kid who loved to push my mom's buttons and it is part of ADHD it's a stimulation seeking behavior

im having a bad day too honey so i know where your coming from!! my middle child whos 8 has ADHD and is on ritolin and bedtime is a bloody nightmare, if hes been in a good mood then its not so bad but my eldest child fell out with his friend tonigt and was going mental at home screaming and ranting, which then got my son whos adhd set off as he cannot stand too much upset and noise so he then took it out on his little sister which set her off on a screaming fit!!! my god no wonder ive opened the wine this evening!! its been horrible here!!


the one thing i have to remember is that its very hard for my other young children to live, understand and cope with adhd in there sibling and that it effects them all and us as a family, so i just try my best try to remain calm and the biggest thing ever for me to remember is that:
MY SON NEVER CHOSE TO HAVE ADHD EITHER......


Its really hard i know, which is why this is a great site to rant and rave and to speak to people that are going thru simular experiences and get some great advice off people, some which work others that dont but its just nice to know we all have support on here.

I am so glad to hear that I am not alone in this. My son has issues in the am and in the evenings. I guess when the medication wears off. He gets CRAZY! He argues, cries, yells, argues and is impossible. I don't think we can do the extra dose at night because he doesn't sleep or eat as it is. We may ask about Risperdal or something else. I feel your pain!!

ya i am going to call the doc this week and see about changing his medication.. i am not a good mom somedays cuz i just feel like i yell alot and the frusteration is immense.. ya i have sent him out early to the bus because of the behaviour and i feel so guilty. i keep saying tomorrow i will be more patient.. but this morning he was even say he didnt frickin care when i wanted him to do something.. threw his pill on the floor said he wsnt listening to me and wasnt going to take it that was final...etc.... my blood pressure i tell ya if i could have taken it... i am almost 7 months pregnant too so this doesnt help my patience and stuff..

ya i am going to call the doc this week and see about changing his medication.. i am not a good mom somedays cuz i just feel like i yell alot and the frusteration is immense.. ya i have sent him out early to the bus because of the behaviour and i feel so guilty. i keep saying tomorrow i will be more patient.. but this morning he was even say he didnt frickin care when i wanted him to do something.. threw his pill on the floor said he wsnt listening to me and wasnt going to take it that was final...etc.... my blood pressure i tell ya if i could have taken it... i am almost 7 months pregnant too so this doesnt help my patience and stuff..
Sharm, one thing to think about. My 10 year old daughter was acting this way when she was on Ritalin or Adderall. It made her very moody. But you are saying you are having issues in the morning before he takes his meds right? I find sometimes that my daughter will get very frustrated at the fact that i am pushing her too much to act a certain way. I find myself saying to her, "if you would just do what your told, your life would be so much easier". i think I have come to the conclusion that she is going to do what she wants and that is the way she is. It is better for me to guide her and not always push her telling her that she can act better or listen better. I am always yelling at her because she just cant do what she is told. Example: homework and school work. Her grades are very very low. she comes home with a C's and D's. I find myself telling her all the time that she could do better and that really isn't good enough. She gets upset. she has always been a C, D student. I have to trust the fact that she is trying her best and be there to guide her when she needs it. I have to stop myself from always talking down to her because she perceives it as negative and gets very angry at me and talks back/fights back. Since i have been doing this, her attitude has been much better. I praise the positive things she does and accept the fact that she is who she is and not who i want her to be. Dont we wish we could all choose how our children are going to turn out, I know I do! :p

Hang in there!

i know.... its starts about 5 minutes after he is awake.. i havent said anything to him yet.. he just starts annoying his sister.. jumpin around.. being loud... etc...