Feeling like a terrible mom...and Intuniv users?

[landlmominmi]

Hello,

This is my first post, glad I found this! Yesterday I stared my 8 year old son on Intuniv. Previously, withour success he had taken Concerta with Ritalin, and Adderal. I didn't really notice that "Wow..." factor on either. The only thing I noticed is that he was a different child, he wouldn't eat, couldn't sleep and just always seemed zoned out. I made the decision with his therapist to take him off all meds right before school started this year. He is in 3rd grade and up until now was an exceptional student. He was top of his class in all areas. In third grade there is a lot more responsibility for him, he is forgetting to turn in work, and falling behind. There are 32 kids in his class this year, compared to the 17 in oprevious years and he is really struggling.

I have gotten 2 calls from his teacher so far stating that he is wandering around, completely off task, missing work and she sees his confidence and self esteem deteriorating each day. She told me her heart is breaking for him. He asks for seat changes, wanted to sit in the hall and work, or in the corner, or in his locker...says "he can't do this", goes to the office sick...It's been horrible for him.

So..reluctantly I decided to call his psychatrist on Friday and discuss my concerns. After a lengthy conversation she recommended putting him back on meds and trying a non stimulant. She prescribed Intuniv. He started it yesterday. Today he took a nap around 2:00 this afternoon and now he is sleeping again. I'm feeling terrible, I dont know if I am making the right choice. I know this medication takes some time to work so Im not if this is a coincidence, or if this is the meds. We all went to dinner tonight and he just kept zoining out, he kept kicking the table, I told him 5 times to stop, he would look at me and do it again...

Im just here to get my concerns out and see if anyone else has experienced this. My husband (my sons step dad) does not believe in medication, he thinks he lacks disclipine and I dont follow through with punishments. I disagree, having ADHD myself I know there is something wrong. His father has it too, and took the "self medication" route because his mom did nothing..now he is a crack addict and I'll be dang if my son is going down that road.

I just dont know what to do....Is there really a light at the end of the tunnel with this? I don't want to change the person my son is, but I want him to feel happy and confident.
I feel so lost.

Thanks for reading

[ccom5100]

Tiredness is a normal side effect of Intuniv and usually levels off after the system gets used to the meds. It could take a few days or even a week. It will most likely happen again whenever his dosage is increased. Give it a week or two before making a decision about whether Intuniv is a good med for your child or not.

My ds has been taking Tenex (the short acting version of Intuniv). He takes it twice a day (morning and after school). He had an adverse reaction to Concerta, so we decided to try this. He's been taking it for over a year and we are pretty happy with the results. I found that adding a supplement called DMAE helped to counteract the lethargy he felt on the med, without negating the benefits of it. We added it because he seemed to have a decrease in stamina when playing soccer, which is something he really loves. It acts like a mild stimulant without the side effects. Many athletes take it for focus and stamina, and it was used to treat adhd prior to the introduction of Ritalin back in the 1960's.

[rickymooston]

You are not a terrible mom but are faced with a difficult challenge. It can be very draining having a kid that needs so much personal attention.

Forgive me if the first sentence above is the only one that is helpful.

He is in 3rd grade and up until now was an exceptional student. He was top of his class in all areas

Contrary to what the media might suggest, some people with ADHD are
perfectly bright.

In third grade there is a lot more responsibility for him, he is forgetting to turn in work, and falling behind.

Have you considered trying to get him to take notes or asking the teacher to provide written assignments, so that you have a record of what his deadlines are?

Can you get a board of some sort to keep track what his to do list is?

There are 32 kids in his class this year, compared to the 17 in oprevious years and he is really struggling

That definitely sucks.

He asks for seat changes, wanted to sit in the hall and work, or in the corner, or in his locker...says "he can't do this", goes to the office sick...It's been horrible for him.

I'm ADHD-PI. His hyper traits sound very noticeable. If no medicine can help
him and likely there is some medication that can help, he needs a very
interactive learning environment.

Is there really a light at the end of the tunnel with this?

Yes. I don't have any personal experience with drugs and your first experience sounds painful but people with ADHD do often turn out fine.
Certainly, several other people seem to have experienced difficulty finding
meds that work.