He started Adderall XR 10 mg once a day last September. About a month ago we switched him to 15 mg as his teacher said he seemed like he wasn't even on his meds anymore...so we upped his dose. Now, the past week he has had this persistent cough. It's a dry cough and he says it feels like something is stuck in his throat. I gave him cough syrup...didn't help. So today i called the Dr to see him tomorrow. Has anyone experienced coughign tics from this dose??? I am so confused. I am ready to take him off this stuff NOW. This stuff is so hard to determine...is he doing it for attention? He says he can't control it. I am just lost:confused::confused:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4279

Ask the doctor if it's possible to try.. his 10 mg dose in the a.m. and another around lunch time. See if it makes a difference in the tics/coughing.

Was he doing okay on just the 10mg? If so, I'd keep him there.

My 9 year-old son takes 15mg, but if he takes 10 or 20, it's like he's not on his meds. Funny how gentle a balance it can be!

Your son may be coughing because he has dry mouth, which is a side-effect of the Adderall. I also take Adderall and have pretty bad dry mouth. I can completely relate to the "something stuck in the throat" feeling. See if having a water bottle at school helps.

Also, there is a really good mouth wash for dry mouth called Biotene which can help, they also make mouth drops. It sort of lubes the mouth and throat. The mouth wash is a little pricing, maybe 8 - 10 dollars at the Rite Aid by my house, but worth it.

Dry mouth can have some devastating dental consequences (ie meth mouth, which meth addicts get, not so much from the toxicity of home cooked meth, but from the extreme dryness). If your son is experiencing bad dry mouth, make sure you watch his teeth. I go to the dentist every 3 months instead of every 6 becasue my dry mouth tends to cause alot of plaque build up around my gums, even with brushing, flossing and mouth wash. This build up can eventually lead to gum disease and tooth loss, so I'm pretty vigilant.

Good luck! I hope eveything works out for you and your son. Making the decision to put a child on mediction can be quite heart-wrenching, especially when they seem to be having any discomfort. I struggle with it a lot. But I know that in the long run my son will be so much better off for having taken the medication. I wasn't diagnosed until after I graduated from college and can only imagine how different things would have been for me if I could have controlled my ADHD behaviors all through school.