my 13 year old daughter was recently put on adderall xr.at first at my request only 5mg.that didnt do anything at all,she said she didnt even remember that she had taken it,nothing,so the dr said to try 10mg,she did,and the same thing nothing.she takes it at 6;30am before school,the only thing at all she noticed on both the 5mg,and 10mg,was about 11'30 am,she would get lightheaded,but she said it only lasted a few minutes,then she was ok.well now,the dr said to go ahead and try three capsules in the morning,total of 15mg.we tried today on a saturday.she took them at 9'00am.at about 11;00am,she got really agitated and nervous and started scratching.she was on the computer at the time,and had to get off.the feeling was so severe that she doesnt want to take them anymore.then at lunch,she tried to eat,then couldnt because she felt sick.shes a big girl,so loosing a little weight would be a good thing for her,but she shouldnt feel sick,should she?anyway,today i do notice shs kind of in a zone and been playing playstation all day,and doesnt want to be disturbed,this cant be how the right med should react for her.any advice? is adderall just not the right med? she was on focolin last year,and it made her motivated and she got things done.adderall dont seem to do anything at all except have some negative side effects.

15mg was too much; Irritability and agitation are a sign of this. Appetite loss is normal. Not sure about the sick feeling, but being in the presence of food without an appetite can be sickening for any of us.

How can you tell if it really isn't working? Any improvement in school work or behavior? Remember that Adderall does induce a euphoric effect that wears off gradually as the patient "gets used" to the medication, which may counteract the calmness you amay be looking for.

However, I personally wouldn't give a high dose stimulant to my own child. I think 5mg should be the max. I believe that stimulants can have permanent effects on mental, physical, and emotional development from an early age.

She's pretty young. See if you can do some coaching and make some lifestyle changes. Stimulants should be a last resort if her behavior really is unbearable.

How many days has she taken Adderall for?

I would suggest that she start back at 5mg and move it up by 5mg every 5-7 days up to 15g or even 20mg (if your doctor agrees of course). Find the point where the side effects are minimal and her behaviour is improved the most. It's a bit of a balancing act so it will take a while to get things right. Keep in mind though, that some children take the same dose of stimulants that adults do. It's all about how the medications are metabolized and her peak plasma concentration.

I would suggest you ask her doctor about Dexedrine. I take Adderall XR (30mg 2x a day) and Dexedrine IR tabs 5mg (10mg up to 8 times a day, or 5mg to supplement the adderall). The Adderall is good for studying and motivation, but the Dexedrine is much more relaxing and smooth. I don't have ANY side effects on the Dexedrine. It improves my mood and my concentration. Most days I take Dexedrine IR tabs when I have class and mild amounts of homework to do. Otherwise when I have a bunch of papers to write I go for the Adderall because it's got a bit more of a kick to it.

Just remember, she won't feel like eating and thats why she feels sick. I struggle with that every day. It will be 7:00pm and I realize I haven't had anything to eat. I get irritable and grumpy because my body is exhausted from not eating properly.

The not wanting to eat side effect goes away over time. As does the inability to sleep.
The poster who said to lower the dose and increase over time has it correct. I just lowered my dosage slightly to increase over the next month. I want to work the side effects out as I go.
Good luck with everything.