My Son Has ADD - Question About Vyvanse

I have 3 girls two are add and my 8 year old is adhd all are on concerta ,I like this medicine it has showed to be very promising.I do not recommend Stratera it makes my children like zombies.Good luck

My oldest son is also ADD. We have tried several medications and the best we have found is a new patch called Daytrona. It works wonders for him and since he doesn't swallow it, he doesn't end up with tummy aches. I do not know anything about Vyvanse. Sorry.

My 11 year old son has been on vyvance fr almost two years and I see promise in him. I don't really see any side affects in my son. I like it more than most of the medictions they have had him on in the past.

I am a teacher (3rd grade) and have 5 students on Vyvanse. My daughter-in-law is a sales rep for Shire Pharmaceuticals that promotes Vyvanse.
In my opinion, from both sources and experiences mentioned above, Vyvanse is the best option today for ADD. It is different from Concerta, Ritalin, and other ADD meds in that it must break down the enzymes over time and when it mixes with the enzymes it is then released over time. It does not release is "blasts" like Concerta. Any side effects will dissipate within two weeks.

When we started suspecting ADHD in my son, I was not ready (and still am not) to give him some chemical drug to try to "cure" him. Once he started kinder and we had further visits with the child psychologist, we all came to the conclusion that "most likely" he is ADHD. We didn't do the brain wave test, but felt that with the systoms he was exhibiting that was most likely the case. Additionally, his father and half-sister are both ADHD.

Instead of going for a prescription drug, I went to the health food store. There I found ATTEND, which is a homeopathic drug made by VAXA. We had given him the homeopathic teething and gas tablets as a baby and they worked wonders, so I decided to try ATTEND.

We started him on 1 pill in the morning. The directions say to give it 6 weeks evaluate the results and up the dosage if you are not getting the results you want. I only gave it about 3 and upped his dosage to 2 pills in the morning. We immediately saw a change in his behavior report from school. Before, he could not sit still, concentrate, pay attention.

He has not had a stellar experience with his behavior throughout this school year. He would have a bad day and come home crying to me that so-and-so did it but he got in trouble for it. Well, the principal and I were talking one day when he got in trouble and I mentioned to her what he had been saying. A few of days later the other student was moved to another class. Low-and-behold my son's behavior report has sky rocketed. They have 5 levels. We would pray for number 3, the middle. With the exception of 2 days of him slipping up (one day of yelling in class and one day of farting, burping and laughing about it in class), he has had behavior in the number 1, 2, or maybe 3 spot, mainly #2 for the past month.

There are a million different approaches to how you treat your child. I like the ATTEND, it doesn't make him a zombie, he goes to sleep well, it's not stunting his growth, and he still eats like a horse which is good because he can't afford to loose any weight. He's skinny enough as it is. It's not an instant fix, it takes a few weeks to get into your system. He still has some problems with impulsiveness. But, generally we can stop him and simply ask, "Are you making a good choice or bad choice?" It might not stop him from pouting about the issue, but at least it gives him a moment to stop and think about how he is reacting.

Staying on top of who your child is around in class and elsewhere is very important too. I am a certified teacher currently substituting and I see how the addition or subtraction of just one person can totally change the behavior of one or more students in the class. I am glad that I listened to him and said something to the principal instead of just telling my son to take responsibility for his own actions. Yes, responsibility for your actions is important and too many people don't take it these days. But, I also know how easy it is for a teacher instantly blame the "difficult" student for all that goes bad in the room.

Ok, off my soap box now. My suggestion is to give the homeopathic medicine a try. It's not cheap, but it is working wonders for us without making me feel like a mom who is just "drugging" her child. Everyone has the right to their own choice and opinion, that is just mine.

Good luck.

K., I don't know about Vyvanse, but my 7 year old son has ADD/ADHD/ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), I have had him on Adderall XR and it works really well for him. It's hard to say how the medications will affect the kids because each child is different. You want to get it strong enough to settle them down, but you don't want them to be a zombie either. I don't know if your doctor has explained this to you or not, but as he gets older his medication will have to be adjusted according to his age and weight. What works now might not work in a couple of years. So you might want to look at adjusting the medication dosage also. Hope this helps some!

Steph

K.,
I know someone who can help you and it is all done naturally. Her name is Danette Goodyear and her website is northtexasdynamichealth.com. Information how to contact her office is on her website. She is quite successful getting positive results therefore it can take 2-3 months on average to get in as a new client. Actually, I called yesterday to check on a new patient appointment for a friend and her next new pt appt is the end of July. There is another girl in her office that does the same kind of testing (I think her name is Ashley) and it may not take as long to be screened by her. If you call them to get on the schedule they may be able to tell you some things you can do in the meantime in order for your child to remain drug-free.

TS

Hi K.,
I don't have any experience with the medication but thought I'd throw this out there as maybe a helpful alternative. My son was diagnosed with ADD at 2 and a half! I know that sounds incredibly young. I knew it was a possibility because his father struggled with ADHD all his life. After months of Caleb acting out and hurting other kids in daycare I took him to my doctor crying my eyes out because I didn't want to medicate him. My husband looks back and tells me how much he hated being medicated and all the issues he had and how he wished his parents would have explored other options. My doctor was very open to alternatives and actually suggested that it may as simple as changing his diet. He said the foods that children are most "allergic" to are dairy, soy, wheat, and corn syrup. They don't always produce a physical allergic reaction but instead a sort of mental one. He asked me what my son craves, and of course I said anything sweet. I always gave him a balanced diet but at times he'd throw a temper tantrum because he wanted cake for dinner. Immediately the doctor told me to take him off of corn syrup. It's a man made product and in studies has shown to cause an increase in violence and aggression along with hyperactivity. I couldn't believe it could be as easy as eliminating one thing from his diet but I was willing to try anything before medication. I am not exagerating when I say I took him off of corn syrup on Friday and by Monday had a perfect angel at school. The teachers would tell me everyday after that how much of a different kid he was. My son is 10 now and has learned to an extent how to control his behavior but even he knows that when he has too much corn syrup he starts to feel bad and "not himself." I know there are children out there that absolutely need and do wonderful on the medications but diet can be a big help and maybe keep the dosing to a minimum. Corn syrup is in A LOT of foods. But the only thing I had to go to a different store for was organic ketsup. They didn't have it at HEB so I went to Sun Harvest. But there are a multitude of things out there without it. You just have to read labels. I'm not saying take your kids off drugs....just trying to give an idea to maybe help lessen the drugs if it works. None of us wants our children to be medicated if they don't have to be. Good luck!
~C.~

hi K.,

My 12yr old son has ADHD, and was diagnosed at the age of 5. We too have "tried it all". His Dr. put him on vyvanse over three months ago and my husband and I are very excited about the changes we see in our son. Nomore working really great till lunch or 2:00pm then wearing off like the last "time released" meds. This seems to keep him level all day, with out the zombie effect. And still allows him to get a good nights sleep on time. So far we are really pleased and have not seen any adverse effects from the drug. Even his friends and other family members have voiced noticing a positive change. What every you do good luck. My biggest dream and wish is that one day he will be able to get off the meds. all together and live a happy and normal life...what ever that is.lol Anyway good luck.

Hi K.! My 15 year old son has ADHD and has been on medication since he was in the 4th grade. He had been on Concerta for about 3-4 years. He recently felt like the Concerta had stopped helping him, so the Dr. tried several different ones, and different doses. The Vyvanse has helped and with no side effects. His appetite is good and he is staying on task. We tried the patch for ADHD (can't remember the name of the midicine), but it has a lot of problems, at least for us. The patch has to be placed on the hip area, otherwise it irritates the skin. Then it must be placed on an hour before it even starts to work. My son had trouble keeping the patch on, it kept coming off or getting wrinkled.
It is easy to get discouraged and feel like a bad parent. If you are like me, medicine was the last resort. I had to do something to help my son. He was always getting in trouble because he couldn't sit still and get his work done. Now he is an honor student in the 9th grade.
Hope this helps!

My son is 6 1/2 and also has been diagnosed with ADHD when he was 3 actually and I wouldn't believe it because he was so young... after trying everything else we finally decided to try medicine at age 5. We started with adderall but I hated the side effects and we went to Strattera which has been wonderful so far. He still has a great appetite (which is important for our growing boys) and sleeps well at night. I have heard about Vyvanse. Is it a stimulant? Please let me know how it works and if you are pleased with it. We have had the same problem of meds working for awhile then not working...not sure the reason. GOod luck to you both!

My 16 yr. old son took it for a brief period. We pulled him off of it because it made him very depressed. We noticed it rather quickly. That's not to say your child will experience this. That is just what we noticed. I have a co-worker who's son takes it & does fine. He is about the age of your son. It's hard to say unless you just give it a try. Good luck! Have a GREAT day! D.R.

You will continue to be unhappy with all of the Add medications......you need to consult with a nutritionist/naturopathic doctor and understand what antagonizes the syptoms of Add. We went through the same experience and the change of diet with the addition of strong doses of vitamins and supplements totally controls the issues we were having. The medication can't come close to the results we have now.....

K., I have a friend who's son has switched to this medicine about 2 months ago. She seems to think it is working well for them. She likes it. It seems to work a little longer throughout the day. He has ADHD though. I have done a lot of reading on this subject matter do to my daughter who is 7 and seems to be having trouble with some subjects in school. I personally don't like the medications, but to each his own. It was just too dramatic. I have changed her diet and she seems to be doing soooo much better just on nutrition alone. Hope this helps.

Hello K.,

I just did a research on ADD and I would like for you to enter to this website www.cchr.gov They talk about the different side effects that medication can cause and they talk about other alternatives. Also visit this website www.4life.com it is a company that offers natural products for the inmune system. They are in the PDR of the doctors. The products are great. They have 2 products that are good for ADD the transfer factor plus trio and Recall. I personally using the Recall for a tumor that I have in the pituitary gland and It have helped me a lot to the point that I decided to become a distributor as a part-time job. If you have any questions you can contact me at ____@____.com

I truly don't know about the drug. However, I taught at a very well known school for deaf children for twelve years and came in contact with hundreds of children who had ADD. as well as learning problems of all types. I can't stress enough the value of finding a music teacher in your area that will teach your child piano. The benefits a piano study are remarkable. Piano study is a means to greater focus and because both the right and left parts of the brain are used, the ablity of the brain to function is increased. I think it's time to improve the problem not take a pill for the symptoms.

My son is on Vyvanse and it is great but you know the side effects are different for everyone.I like this one cause the meds have been changed so much and this is the last one I hope.This is the best one cause the side effects from the others was kind of bad.Good luck

Hi K.-- I have a son who has Autism and severe eczema, so I understand concerns about modern medications and I hate the idea of putting my son on anything with potential long-term effects. Have you thought of trying to treat your son with a good diet and plenty of healthy supplements? The food we eat and give to our children these days GREATLY affects behavior and health in children. I give my son ThreeLac (a probiotic), Flax seed oil and Fish oil (both full of Omegas) and I try to keep his diet as pure as possible--no sugar, no preservatives, and organic. The Flax Seed Oil has been used on children with ADD successfully, as I've heard from other parents and read up on it. I truly believe in trying the natural and healthy approach before resorting to medicines that can be harmful. I understand too, that sometimes the medicine is necessary when nothing else seems to work. You might want to google "natural alternative cures for ADD" or something like that if you are tired of these medications dr.s prescribe.

Hey K.,
Studies show that ADD, ADHA, asthma, cancer, and more are all much more prevalent now than even just several years ago. I am a teacher and a mom so I have seen these things which I am sure many others have as well. You do have reason to be concerned with you or your son taking medication. The products we use everyday are contaminated and have an effect on our health. Consumers are not protected. I don’t know if you heard on the news last week but a prescription was known to be harmful and causing deaths but it took two years to have in pulled from the shelves. That’s scary. I guarantee you if you detox your home, your son will be changed in probably two to three months. I would love to share with you how you could do that. You can write me or give me a call. I would definitely try to go natural. It is the safest.

B.
____@____.com
###-###-####
www.MoreForMyBaby.com

I see there are alot of responses that are "anti-medication" and I get that alot too when people are aware that my son takes medication for ADHD. I have to admit that I get a bit angry with people for that- don't judge me until you have walked a mile in my shoes (or my sons for that matter...) My son could not focus and had trouble making friends and was miserable- diet changes and homeopathic treatments and eye therapy and all the other things did NOT make one bit of difference. Medication has- although it is definitely a bumpy road getting to the right medication and the right dose, and the dose will change as they grow. If the meds work for a while and then stop- it could be because the dose needs to be adjusted, not that the med is not actually working. My son took Vyvanse briefly- it worked very well in the morning, but by 2pm he was rebounding. The doctor determined that the long acting types of med. were not working for him so now he is taking Dexidrine (same drug as Vyvanse, but is the short acting so he takes it twice a day or three times if he has an evening activity.) That is working very well for him- he is much happier and has friends and his grades have gone from low 90's to almost all 100's (he is also GT.)

He did not have the awful mood swings/ irritability with Vyvanse that he had when he took the Concerta. The Vyvanse is very expensive though- so if the cost is prohibitive for you, talk to his doctor about short acting dexidrine or Adderral (both of which have generics and are inexpensive for the same basic drug as Vyvanse).

Finally, consider this when people go on about how medication is evil. There are plenty of studies that show kids with ADHD (particularly boys) who are not treated as children are more likely to "self-medicate" as teenagers with illegal drugs and alcohol. We do not question giving kids with diabetes insulin, we do not question giving kids with thyroid problems hormones, etc. but for some reason we question giving kids with chemical imbalances in the brain medication that helps reverse the effects of that imbalance. My only thought is that people who question the use of medication have not seen their child suffering and floundering and lost- and then seen them happy and thriving and saying "Mom, I can see and hear better now and my brain is listening to me."

Good luck,
P.

My son began taking Vyvanse in 8th grade. This was his first medication for his ADD. Great improvement in his ability to focus, concentrate. Side effects are lack of appetite.

my son is 14 and takes 50mg a day, that is on a school day. His grades went from F's to nothing under a C.
He has been on vyvance since nov 09.
Downside,,, well when it starts wearing off, he could become very angry if provoked, or pushed,, by this i mean an argument with me or his dad.
I have read about this in other kids too. I just try and not get into arguemnent for those hours, but its hard because that is supper, bath and bed time of our evening.
This has just started happening the last few weeks. Make sure he eats in morning with meds, It kills the hunger and I have to remind him to eat, and that his body needs food for fuel. He has lost a lot of weight, but he also hit a growth spurt and puberty.
I want to lower the dose for summer since he sleeps later. We also skip weekends sometimes too.
Hope this helps you in making your decision.

It breaks my heart to think about these young children on medication. There are other things you can do to help them besides drugs. Think about getting the harmful chemicals out of your home. Think about changing his diet. I have spent the last seven years fighting doctors over drugs and their side effects. Please consider other alternatives.

My son, 11, started taking Vyvanse 29 days ago. This is the first medicine he has taken since being diagnosed with ADD from an early age. I have always been apprehensive about this type of treatment in children, however, I can tell you that he has made a major improvement in the last month. The side effects were minimal at best. I have noticed that the medicine has begun to wear off earlier in the day as time goes on, but I feel if we could increase the milligram dosage, he will be fine.I hope this feedback helps. Take care.

Constipation; decreased appetite; diarrhea; dizziness; dry mouth; headache; mild irritability, nervousness, or restlessness; nausea; trouble sleeping; unpleasant taste; upper stomach pain; vomiting; weight loss.

These are the common side effects of this drug. I also recommened starting him off on a low dose and going from there. The low dose might just do the trick. Also remember that any of these drugs can be habit-forming if used for a long period of time.
Hope I could be of some help!
A.

my son is 8, he also has had ADHD since 6. A bit of advice do not use Strattera. My son was on it for 3 years had a few issues but because he has a heart issue his ped. switched his med. anyways a friend of mine that works in a school said their were many reports just making it out there on alot of med. Straterra is now known to cause symptoms of that of like a bi-pollar person. Scary! But what ever you end up using just monitor it carefully. Best of luck.

L.- mom of 3 boys

My son, who is ten, has been on Ritilan since he was 5 years old. We tried another once a day medication, but he did not respond well to it. I have never been a big fan of any of it because with me he is in control for the most part. But teachers seem to feel different. The side effects seem to have been minimal though. He is small for his age, but not extremely small. His grades mostly A's with an occasional B speak for the effect of the medication and his concentration on his work. Some of the newer medications - Ritilan has been around since the 30's I think - are timed release and with my son, his afternoons were dramatically affected.

But that is our story. If you don't have one, I would aslo suggest finding a behavioral specialist who specializes in ADD, not just the peditrician.

A little about me: I have one son - Divorced and he lives with his father.

Hi K., I have a daughter who has ADHD and she has taken vyvanse for about 6 months now until recently. Vyvanse has several side affects but there is one that almost always affects everyone and that is the cotton mouth affect. This happens I've been told to about 90% of those who take the drug, child or adult. The only CURE is water. If your son begins to take it be sure he has a water bottle in his bag and on the days he leaves it at home be sure he can let the teacher know he needs a drink. You may also see an increase in his appetite.
I hope this has helped you and if you need to talk just send me a message.

my daughter has been taking vyvanse since december
she was taking concerta
the only change we see is that she has a better appetite and she doesnt have such a problem going to sleep at night

Three of my kids have ADHD and My self as well.My twins are 16 and was diagnosed when they were in Kindergarden. My son is Autistic and ADHD. He takes concerta 36 mg 2 pill in the morning befor school and then 5mg of Ritalin in the after noon about 2:30 And that gets he pretty much through the day. Our bigest concern is getting through the day at school.Concerta is Ritalin but it is long lasting. My sons Twin sister Takes Adderall 30mg in the morning then 5 mgs of adderall in the afternoon at the same time as her brother dose.The Adderall is long lasting to. My 19 year old has ADHD as well and takes the concerta in the morning and 5mgs of Ritalin in the after noon.They do quit well on it. I am takeing the Adderall in the morning for the ADHD I have to.They are doing quit well for all of us.I have not heard of Vyvanse. It is hard to find the right med. And the first one dosen't alway work. It is a matter of hanging in there untill you find the right on that will help him. And you will find it. It just may take time.

I was never one to "believe" in putting a young child on medication. My son has ADHD and is now in 2nd grade and has been on meds since his last 6 weeks of 1st grade. I am only mad at myself that I never put him on them when he first started Pre-K. From the moment he started school (age 4), I was constantly being called, getting letters from the teacher sent home, and dealing with my son in ISS (In school suspension). Mind you outta the WHOLE school he was the only child in there. This was the 1st grade! I didn't even know they had that for children at that age. My son had never gotten an award for perfect conduct the whole 3 years at that school until the last 6 weeks of 1st grade after he stared meds...coincedence?? I did not tell the teacher I was putting my son on meds because I wanted to see if she would see a difference for herself and not something that she'd be looking for knowing that I'd started him on meds. We went all summer w/out them bcuz at home we don't have a school environment so his undivded attention is not a must like it should be for his teacher. Being the did well all summer w/out meds I told my husband maybe we should try the new school year and new campus w/out the meds. He's a little bit older so we thought maybe he'd be fine w/out. Well were we wrong! Third day of school in 2nd grade he was already in ISS and on the verge of SUSPENSION!!! So I knew right then my child needs the help in school. His teacher even said outta her own mouth that my son is a "very bright student and if we had ever considered having him tested to move up to the 3rd grade." That right there tells me something about my child...he's incredibly smaryt and always has been. What she was telling me was nothing I hadn't heard from every single one of his teachers in the past! So I made an appt w/ my pediatrician and got him started again on the meds...once again did not tell his teacher. Just today at my sons awards assembly he got his AB honor roll ribbon and his teacher said he wouldve gotta a perfect conduct ribbon if his first week wouldn't have been so rough. So I am a FIRM BELIEVER in meds for a child...if necessary. You as a parent should know your child and should see if they are having difficulty in school. My son has made a complete 360 being on meds! I went from yelling and screaming at him every day to getting good notes sent home from the teacher about what a good example he is setting for the entire class! He has made me so proud and I don't feel any less of mother than I did before!!! I know in my heart I made the right choice and did what's best for my child. Before all this, there was never a day that went by that my son wasn't on resriction from toys, tv, playing, etc. now I can't remember the last time I've had tell yell at him. We are both a whole lot happier! He gets so excited when I pick him up after school to run and show me all the good he's done.

My 15 year old son is severe ADHD as well as bipolar/asbergers (high functioning austism). He has had hospitalizations and on the last one the Dr, whom I respected as well as my son, put him on Vyvanse for the ADHD. He said they have had good success with it for ADHD. Unfortunately it caused him to have severe tics with head, eyes, & hands. We had to take him off. Currently, the school has set his class with minimal distractions so that he is not on meds for ADHD.
My other 2 children are also ADHD. 1 who is also very ADHD is taking Metadate and the other is on Straterra. The Metadate works well for my daughter. The straterra for my other son has upset his stomache, just recently. He is also 15, so some of that may be teenage snarlies. It does help him to stay focused.

My 6 yr. old daughter has a bipolar diagnosis, of which we have been treating since she was 4yrs. Her Dr. put her on Vyvanse at the beginning of the school year when she refused to go to school. Her doctor evaluated her and said she has ADHD, a part of the bipolar. The Vyvanse 30mg worked good for 6 months now we hae upped her dose to 50mg, and we are seeing amazing results. However: she has lost 5 pounds, that she needed too lose anyway, so unless the weight loss gets out of hand we will continue the Vyvanse.
On another level: There are responses that are telling you the benefits of diet, and nutrient health. We put her first on a sugarfree, dye free diet before we went to the doctor. I knew something was wrong at about the age of 1 yr old, I started treating her allergies with Dimetapp Cold & Allergy at the age of 2, and she is still on this it controls alot of allergic reactions. We still monitor her foods and drink, but allow a little more than before Vyvanse.
Please there are so many people out there who will judge you for medicating your child. I have heard it all, my sister in law is a nurse she puts it as well as I've ever heard it.
When I get upset, and feel guilty about having my little girl on medication that may be helping her now, but will more or less have an adverse reaction later in life.
"You have to decide between her getting by in this world with out being able to focus on the day to day stuff, or giving her medication that will slow her racing mind down so that she get a piece of quality life daily."

My son was diagnosed with ADHD back in Nov. We started him on vyvanse (the lowest dosage) and it has been WONDERFUL. The few side effects for him is that it does supress his appitite. He doesnt eat as much and he has lost some weight. He typically gets hungry right around bed time and I go ahead and let him eat all he wants just to put some fat on him. It also has kept him up later than his normal bed time of 9. He is typically going to sleep around 10 or 10:30 but it has had no effect on him in the mornings waking up for school. When he first started taking it the first few days were tough! He was a mile a minute and very maticulous about everything. But now that he has been on it for a few months things are just great! He gets a's now and listens and stays focus. It has been like night and day. If we happen to sleep past 8 on saturday or sunday I will not give it to him because I dont want him up too late. When does not take it on one of the weekend days its a day that he gets a ton of food in his body.

So that is my experience with vyvanse. GOOD LUCK

Hello K.,

I have a testimony that is from a friend of mine who's son suffered from ADD and mood swings. Here is Al and Sherlean S son's testimony:

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my daughter has been on Strattera for several years. It is a god send. I love this medication, No zombie acting and she only has to take it when she is at school or she really seems to need it. If you have not tryed this maybe it is something to look into. Like I said I have never had any issues with Strattera and you can get it in 10mg or 18mg doses. Good luck..

Mom of a productive 14 year old, Thanks to Strattera.

yes i have a daughter with adhd and shes on vyvanse.. and maybe 2 years ago we put her on this and her grades used to be like 2-3 b's
1 c and the rest were d's and f's. and ever since we put her on this her grades are a's and b's now. she does ge c's occasionally but nothing to severe that we have to ground her.

I also agree that there are a lot of kids misdiagnosed with ADD. My son exhibited all the signs of ADD and was diagnosed by a phychologist, but even then, I refused the medications. What if he was misdiagnosed and I gave him those dangerous meds for nothing?? It haunted me.

I started him on really good vitamins (over a 95% absorption rate) and supplements, including grape seed antioxidants and Omega-3s and others. I also got rid of the toxic chemicals in my house. Just spraying Lysol in your home is exposing your family to dangerous phenols! Boy, going green really made a difference. I noticed just how much when my son spent the night at a friends house whose mother is a "compulsive" cleaner with those cleaners that have the toxic ingredients and chemicals in them. Even my son came home and said he felt really funny and his behavior got worse again.

Diet is also a way to help without medication. We eliminated gluten in his favorite foods, noodles and bread, and that seems to help too.

I have seen so many kids whose parents give them the ADD meds who just seemed zoned out alot of the time. It is a shame. I know there are parents who truly believe they are doing the right thing, but I don't. (My opinion.) There are so many good ways to handle the ADD symptoms without the dangerous meds. It may not be easy at first and it took a few months to see any changes in my son at first, but when they kicked in, it was awesome. My son is in 5th grade and is excelling.

He is not argumentative anymore and actually wants to do his homework! He still does forget things once in a while but having him keep a piece of paper with him to jot things down has worked.

I have a new product that I will be trying for him soon. It is a supplement that provides all the natural ingredients that your brain needs for optimum health! I haven't tried it yet as he is doing so well without it and I haven't wanted to upset the balance, but people are loving it.

Good luck. I hope you will at least look into the alternatives and give them a try. The store I shop at for all my toxic free products and vitamins and supplements is Melaleuca, Inc. The Wellness Company. I wouldn't live without this store!

J.
____@____.com

My son is 10-1/2 and has been on Vyvanse (30mg) for about 6 months. For us, it has been fine. We have gone through Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta. Ritalin and Adderall were horrible. He was completely zoned out, living in a fog, and this was on a very small daily dose. Concerta was working well for 3 years, then it seemed as if we had to continue increasing the dose. We didn't like giving him so much, so our doctor recommended Vyvanse. Taking the minimum dose has been working well for us with no side effects.
We wish you all the best using Vyvanse.

Call me ###-###-####, I have unlimited long distance, I'll call you right back. I leave today at noon and won't be back until Sunday night.

K.,

I, too, can appreciate the struggles and heartache of having a child with Attention Deficit Disorder. My daughter is now grown but daily faces the challenge of her disorder. However, my message to you is one of HOPE. We, too, went down the road of a series of different medications, trying to find one that helped. That road was scary given all the side effects that could have (and some that did) happened. I'm not sure if Vyvanse was available when my daughter was younger, she was never prescribed that particular medication. We worked closely with her teachers to develop little things that insured her success in school. We were told by our pediatrician, who also has ADD, that a person must grow to develop habits that help deal with the disorder. My daughter worked on some things that helped but it wasn't enough. I recently introduced my daughter to an awesome healthy drink that is specifically designed to help with mental focus. She says is works great and my whole family loves it! So, I wanted to let you know that there are options out there that can benefit your son that are NOT drugs that may have harmful sides effects. I would be happy to talk with you more about the schooling tips, habits and mental focus drink if you are interested. I will be praying for you and your family as you are going through this trying journey.

K. M

Hi, K.

I have some things to share with you, but it would take too long to type. You can call me at: ###-###-####
J.

Hello K.,

As someone who is trained in diagnosing ADD and who has worked with this population for over 12 years, I have made the observation that most children are mis-diagnosed. ADD is actually very rare and can only be diagnosed accurately with a BEAM test (brain wave pattern analysis). A true diagnosis of ADD requires that the P3 wave be missing in a person. I have seen the unfortunate short and long-term side effects of ADD drugs on children. None are good for the child's body. All have side effects - not just physical, but long term emotional and psychological deficits develop. Most boys who are mis-diagnosed are usually bright boys with lots of energy. They need to be allowed to express their unique selves without the constraints of a public school system and teachers who "need" and "want" kids to behave in ways that make their lives easier. These high energy kids are very creative and know what they want in life. They choose what they want to learn. This is a radical departure from how public schools want their kids to be. Allow your son to be the high energy beauty he is. Give him boundaries and lots of attention and natural environmental stimulation...lots of outside play and exploration. These special and very creative children do not do well in public settings...they are best suited for private or home-schooling situations. He is a gift. Please do not let the public schools, doctors, and others determine your son's future with drugs. There are alternative methods that can repattern brain waves without drugs. I would recommend a Holographic Repatterner...call her to discuss the situation.
Sandi, ###-###-####. This very healing energy work can do wonders for your son, you, and your family. I do understand the stress of having such high energy around the home. There are alternative ways this can be handled. Please reconsider drugging your child. It is only a band-aid with very unfortunate side-effects. There are non-drug alternatives. Be open to trying new things. Your son will be grateful in later years.
Blessings!
L.

HI K.,
I have a 14 yr old that was just diagnosed a month ago and she is now on Vyvanse. She did have some side effects the first two weeks, but they were mild. Her major complaint was dizziness and she noticed that all of a sudden she started feeling antsy. I decided to wait another week to see if the symptoms worsened or not, and they didn't. The actually went away. I spoke with her dr. and he said that i did the right thing, that most side effect like hers that are mild are mostly annoying and will subside. So now she is fine. One of my major concerns was the lack of appetite, but that has not occured. i hope this has helped.

Hi K. I also have a son that has ADD he is 8 years old. I have had him on two different kinds of medication. The first one stoped working after about 6 months because his body got so used to it is what I was told by the Dr. We tried him on another one and it made him like a Zombie. He didn't seem happy at all. To be honest with you now he is not on any medication I have taken him off of everything. We have are bad times, but his Father and I deal with it the best we can. His Father and I are no longer together both remarried so we both get a break when he is at the others house. It is something very hard to deal with him without medication, but he seems more happier now. Well just wanted to say goodluck and hang in there it will get better.