How long to you try a medication?

[sarahkate74]

The first adderall attempt we tried with our son didn't go so well so we stopped after 5 days. The doctor prescribed regular adderall - not ER - and lowered the dose. Just started it yesterday and so far it seems ok. But how long do you try something before you stop if it's not going well? Was 5 days too long or too short for the first attempt?

Does it ever get easy?!

[Ms. Mango]

It depends. My son was on a non-stimulant medication that we needed to try for a few weeks to see if it would work. It didn't so we discontinued the med at that point. We tried ritalin and, a few hours into his second dose, got a call from the school that he was dancing and singing on a desk and to come pick him up. He never got another dose.

I wouldn't worry about it, 5 days isn't that long. Now that you've tried the IR version and it seems to be working better that should be confirmation to you that you've made the right decision.

[sarahsweets]

Stimulants don't have to build up in your system so you would know right away if it was the wrong med.

[Ms. Mango]

^^^Agreed. But OP didn't say what the problem was, exactly. And he's still on Adderall.

So, OP, can you explain a bit more about what the problem was with the ER? Was the dose too high or did your son have side effects that you found intolerable? Something else? Sometimes doctors ask that you give a med a week or two because some of the side effects like sleeplessness or loss of appetite will diminish. Even so, you still have to go with your gut. There are lots of options out there and there's no reason to stick it out if the cons of the medication are worse than the pros.

My son was also on Adderall ER for a brief time. It worked ok, but he was very emotional when it wore off, it killed his appetite and he didn't fall asleep until 10-11pm (he was 6 at the time). The doctor asked that I give it a bit more time to see if the side effects decreased. We did, but saw no improvement. So we moved on. Right now he's on a non-stimulant and dexedrine IR liquid (Adderall is made up of 4 amphetamine salts, 2 are dexedrine) and does much better with fewer side effects.

[happytexas]

Originally Posted by sarahkate74

But how long do you try something before you stop if it's not going well? Was 5 days too long or too short for the first attempt?

It depends what the side effects are and what you both can tolerate. My ds tried Intuitiv for 3 days as a supplement to Vyvanse to help his tics; the first day he was more emotional and a bit grump, the 2nd day added aggression to that, and after the third day he developed insomnia .

So 3 days was enough for me because:

1. He was currently on a medication that was working fine.
2. The most important thing for us is that ds is able to behave and otherwise function at school--the Intuitiv was screwing with that.
3. Insomnia is a completely unacceptable side effect for us, however long it lasts.

Sometimes the side effects are typical and temporary and it makes sense to stick it out for awhile, but you and your child have to live it--not the doctor.

[josh1109]

I would say give ANY medication for this sort of thing a week - 2 weeks. But for example i was on Concerta and from the moment i took it i know it made me worse.. it made my OCD worse straight away so anything like that you should spot striaght away

[Twiggy]

I usually know within 2 weeks if a medication will/won't work for me.
Most side effects go away in 2 weeks as the body gets used to the medication and its side effects.

[sarahkate74]

Originally Posted by Ms. Mango

^^^Agreed. But OP didn't say what the problem was, exactly. And he's still on Adderall.

So, OP, can you explain a bit more about what the problem was with the ER? Was the dose too high or did your son have side effects that you found intolerable? Something else? Sometimes doctors ask that you give a med a week or two because some of the side effects like sleeplessness or loss of appetite will diminish. Even so, you still have to go with your gut. There are lots of options out there and there's no reason to stick it out if the cons of the medication are worse than the pros.

My son was also on Adderall ER for a brief time. It worked ok, but he was very emotional when it wore off, it killed his appetite and he didn't fall asleep until 10-11pm (he was 6 at the time). The doctor asked that I give it a bit more time to see if the side effects decreased. We did, but saw no improvement. So we moved on. Right now he's on a non-stimulant and dexedrine IR liquid (Adderall is made up of 4 amphetamine salts, 2 are dexedrine) and does much better with fewer side effects.

He was on 10mg of the ER. I think it completely changed his personality. He went from being a funny, silly kid to being so serious. And he seemed sad but uber-focused on some tasks. And he had a really hard time falling asleep. I honestly can't remember how long the ped said to try it but I was on adderall too and now Vyvanse and the first few nights I took it I had trouble falling asleep but since then I've been fine. So I guess each day I thought oh, the next day he'll be fine. But he was pretty pathetic. Today was day 2 of 5 mg IR and he seemed like himself but more able to control himself. Saw him in his class today and he was still silly but also got his work done.

[Chicchick]

I guess I've had longer trials with meds then, I've gone 1-2 months on each/ or a combination(so far I have tired Ritalin, Adderall XR, Adderall IR, Vyvanse, Concerta), changing the dose a few times usually within that time period.