I am new to this forum and am so glad to find a place I can ask questions and get REAL answers! I have a 10 year old son diagnosed with "ADHD NOS" (makes no sense to me) plus a central auditory processing disorder. I am not sure which one of those things cause the other but we are dealing with them both. He is a smart guy and, amazingly, no problem in school but comes home and is wound pretty tight. At his physical I decided to have the "medication" talk with the doctor, to see if there was something to help him, at a low dose. She prescribed Imipramine, since he also has issues with nighttime wetting, and the med should help both. I have not gotten the script filled yet because I am not sure about this med. I am also a speech therapist and work in a school with kids who have various developmental disabilities, and a large # have ADD/ADHD. I am familiar with the meds they take, and have seen how those meds help the kids, but none of the kids take this med. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for tolerating the new kid!

This is one of the common adhd medications. It's classified as a tricyclic anti-depressant. We have a medication section where this particular one is mentioned (Tofranil as brand name).

NOS just means 'not otherwise specified'.

In some cases, more of us fit into the NOS category than the specific subcategories.


If your child has not been tested, or spent time with a doc in many many different settings, it is probably a good label to give any ADDer, actually.

... since he also has issues with nighttime wetting, and the med should help both.FYI, research indicates a very strong correlation with bed wetting in people older than 5 and ADHD (bed wetting counts even if done only once after age 5). Personally, i wet my bed till age 10 or 11, once a year or so.

But, this correlation is not widely accepted in the medical community, if only because it's not mainstream research. That said, ADHD and criminality has a high correlation, and it just so happens that coincidentally, the FBI looks for a history of bed wetting when profiling serial killers. But the medical community hasn't connected the dots just quite yet to make bedwetting a strong indicator of ADHD.

Strattera is another med that prevents bedwetting, but it's probably not used off-label for enuresis. It's an officially-approved ADHD med in the US. It's also the only official non-stimulant ADD med. That might be one to try. Strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, whereas Imiprine is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

Your son sounds like the genius type. Some music lessons may be in order, they can be very calming (even when they hate practicing)

You should be proud of yourself for having recognized the ADHD in your son! ADDers who do well in school often go undiagnosed.

Imipramine is a fairly common medicatino for ADHD and it will do a good job of reducing hyperactivity.

ME :D

[QUOTE]That said, ADHD and criminality has a high correlation, and it just so happens that coincidentally, the FBI looks for a history of bed wetting when profiling serial killers. But the medical community hasn't connected the dots just quite yet to make bedwetting a strong indicator of AD HD

pedalpounder, I'm not sure how I should take that piece of information.....should I be worried?
Thanks for the music suggestion. He is interested and it is something that has come up, we can look into it more.

[QUOTE]

HD

pedalpounder, I'm not sure how I should take that piece of information.....should I be worried?
Thanks for the music suggestion. He is interested and it is something that has come up, we can look into it more.
No of course you shouldn't be worried :) Sure criminality is higher in ADDers than in the average public, but it's still very low. I don't have stats on hand, but I know that medicated ADDers are much less likely to get into criminality (caused by impulsive behaviors), drugs and alcohol (a form of self-medication).

I have been asking around to a LOT of people who know a LOT of kids who are taking meds for AD/HD and I can't find one other kid who is taking this medication. I am waiting to hear back from the Dr. to talk about my concerns (who of course disappeared for the week following writing this rx). I just want to get some idea of real life experience, and try to avoid freaking out over the listed side effects. One person in the forum said they slept for 2 days after the first dose and didn't feel "mentally awake" even then. I am feeling very conflicted and nervous about starting the meds without knowing some real life effects.

Just so you know, even asking other people how they faired on it won't let you know how your own son will do. Everyone is different, and what works great for one, may be horrible for another. It's probably not what you want to hear, I know, but it's really a trial and error process until you find the right medication, and dosage.

Well after loosing sleep and stressing and crying, etc etc...I decided I am not even going to try this medication with my son. I cannot get past the side effects, and after more research there is a more reasonable tx for the nighttime wetting. Then we can deal with the ADD separately, possibly Concerta. thanks for all of the advice, it is greatly appreciated and taken to heart.

Yes, the TCA's are definitely significant with their side-effect profile. Imipramine is fairly mild compared to others, though. I would bet that the most obvious ones would be drowsiness and dry-mouth, though these drugs can be taken so that the highest dose is right before bed time.

TCA's are not that uncommon for ADHD treatment. The most common is probably Desipramine (a potent norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor). Imipramine isn't as common because of a higher incidence of side effects and it probably lacks efficacy compared to Desipramine. Still, those side effects are probably negligible compared to those of Amitriptyline (Polypharmacy in a single pill (http://www.preskorn.com/columns/9803.html)).

hi cindy
my son was put on imipramine for enuresis (although i also believe he has adhd) within 4 weeks of being on the meds his enuresis is almost zero and there has been a dramatic change in behaviour at school. etc he has gone from being kept in at playtime and lucnh and being classed as disruptive or the 'class clown' to being classed as a pleasure to work with (a quote i have not heard from that school in the six years he has been there) and even visiting teachers have noticed the difference. he has even said 'school is a lot more fun when you behave' (never thought i would hear those words either.

as for side effects i never noticed any with my son but i guess it varies from child to child.

we are going to the specialist next month to see where we go from here as he has never been diagnosed with adhd.

in my experience the benefits of this med for my son are dispelling any fears i may have.

i dont know if this helps at all
wendy

Imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant and is a second line medication for treating ADHD. It is a very good medication for reducing hyperactivity and anxiety.

As a person with sensory issues I sympathize with your son. Having sensory problems basically means that you are under non-stop assault by the world around you.

For me, a high sensory load can make me anxious, and hyperactive, even agitated after a while. Sometimes I get so exhausted just trying to cope with it that my mind starts to shut down and I go into a lethargic funk that can last for hours.

When you said that your child is really wound up after a day at school it reminded me of myself when overloaded. It's tough to see a kid dealing with this kind of thing as it is not an easy thing to cope with.
My advice is to give the imipramine a try and see if it gives him a little relief.

Me :D

I am new to this forum and am so glad to find a place I can ask questions and get REAL answers! I have a 10 year old son diagnosed with "ADHD NOS" (makes no sense to me) plus a central auditory processing disorder. I am not sure which one of those things cause the other but we are dealing with them both. He is a smart guy and, amazingly, no problem in school but comes home and is wound pretty tight. At his physical I decided to have the "medication" talk with the doctor, to see if there was something to help him, at a low dose. She prescribed Imipramine, since he also has issues with nighttime wetting, and the med should help both. I have not gotten the script filled yet because I am not sure about this med. I am also a speech therapist and work in a school with kids who have various developmental disabilities, and a large # have ADD/ADHD. I am familiar with the meds they take, and have seen how those meds help the kids, but none of the kids take this med. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for tolerating the new kid!

If he's all wound up after school, maybe you can help him make a "safe place" where it's relaxing to him. Soft fabric, lights, or whatever sensory issues he might have. Then when he gets home you can let him go there for a while to "detox" from all the sensory bombardment he had during the day.