What Medications Are Out There for Children with ADHD and Anxiety?

You need to discuss this with her doctor! If she has anxiety get her in to see a therapist as well. Not everyone needs meds for anxiety, my daughter was VERY anxious and therapy was enough for her.

I would make sure she is on a therapeutic dose. Sometimes it is too much or too little so it isn't as helpful as it should be. If it doesn't work right you will still have failure and the anxiety that comes from predictable failing.

She also needs a good therapist. It took me a good part of my adulthood to come to terms with sometimes I will fail, I am prone to failing more than a normal adult, and I need to make sure my friends understand I don't fail because I don't care. I mean that is the number one go to people who do not understand ADHD think when you forget plans, forget to pick something up, forget a special assignment.

We had a bad experience with anxiety meds that work with ADHD meds so I would say make it a last resort.

M.,

Does your daughter have a therapist? If not, maybe she should get one. Make sure she is properly evaluated. A therapist can give her tools on how to cope with situations to cut back on anxiety.

Please talk with her pediatrician and get a referral for a therapist.

Good luck!

There are new drugs coming out all the time but you really need to talk to you doctor about your options and possible drug interactions.
It can take awhile to find a combination that works and then you have to re-balance again every so often.

I would try therapy first.

Two of my kids struggle with anxiety. One was worried for weeks before going away to summer camp. The other threw up the first morning of day camp.

I will admit. I've kind of thought wouldn't it be nice if they were on a pill - because who likes to see their kids struggle? I get it.

But neither my son's therapist or doctor feel it's the right thing to do. His doesn't interfere in what he does. He still goes to camp. So they use techniques to manage/reduce his anxiety to manageable levels. It's ok he has it - he just learns how to relax.

Same with my youngest. She did a coping program and I did it with her. One throw up is actually good - it's down from last year. She loves camp. So we just accept that she'll have an upset tummy the first day.

So - your daughter may not need medication. I would ask her doctor and see a child therapist (you go too) and see if you can help her manage it in other ways. They call them plans here - the kids come up with a plan, and you just remind them of it when they get anxious.

I never did much therapy before this - but I will say, it's very helpful.

Go see whichever doc is prescribing the meds for the ADHD. They will have a better idea of what will work with the current med and what wouldn't.

My 16 yo has Asperger's and ADD. We tried meds for her briefly but realized overall she was able to keep up with her schoolwork with her IEP and socially and emotionally she was ok. So she hasn't been on meds for years.

My 13 yo has ADHD and anxiety. He's on meds for the ADHD, in fact we just went yesterday for his appointment. He's on Adderall, 1 in the morning and 1 at noon. I only give them to him when he's in school so he can concentrate enough to get his work done.

I'm not a big fan of meds in general and don't even like to take Tylenol myself. But these kids really need some extra help, especially during school hours, if they can't focus enough on their own. JMO. Good luck.

You don't know what will work for your child until you seek additional treatment with qualified, licensed mental health professionals. Please discuss your concerns with your child's prescribing physician.

There are many different treatments for anxiety disorders, but the treatments depend, in part, on the symptom presentation and the particular diagnosis (there are many anxiety disorders). Your daughter's doctor may suggest other therapeutic modalities and/or medication, but that is a conversation for you, your daughter, and her physician.

The best thing you can do is call your daughter's doctor and let him/her know what's happening and ask to be seen as soon as possible. The sooner these issues can be addressed, the better, since the new school year is just weeks away.

ETA: Please ignore the one response that suggests a particular medication. It's completely irresponsible to suggest specific medications. Hopefully, it won't be on here much longer. I think that person has too much time on his/her hands and will likely either change the response, or hopefully, the profile may be removed altogether.

ETA2: Glad to see that post removed. Also, there is no problem with people sharing their own stories and personal experiences with medication. It is when people advocate a specific medication or tell someone to stay away from a specific medication just because of their experience, that's when things cross the line of being dangerous and irresponsible.

In the same way therapy can only do so much for ADHD, the same is true with anxiety. It's helpful, but just one tool in the overall treatment plan. Our 13-year-old son takes separate medications for his ADHD, anxiety and other conditions. On Zoloft, he's had huge improvements with anxiety. In fact, we hardly see it anymore. That just didn't happen with therapy alone. He went from not talking in class at all to volunteering to speak in front of the class! No exaggeration. He's away at a camp now where he knew no one and had no issues at drop off. That would have been impossible before Zoloft. He's just much happier overall.

I completely understand not wanting to add another medication into the mix. But listen to what her psychiatrist advises. We've been at this 10 years and I've learned to stop second-guessing the psychiatrist. They're the experts and really do know how to treat brain disorders well.

From my experience, I would just say, be careful with the stimulants. For my 16 year old DD (who we tried with them at age 13 and 14) they had an amazingly positive effect for about 2 months. Increased focus, better grades, she actually could actually and did READ books. But then the side effects kicked in and they were NOT worth it. She experienced worsening anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, completely irrational mood swings, and rage significant enough to need hospitalization. The first thing the psychiatrist said was " I want her off addrerall immediately" As soon as she detoxed from that and got on a mood stabilizer (Lamictal), she turned around. Currently, we have her on no meds. Unfortunately, nothing worked for her ADHD that didn't aggregate her other mental health vulnerabilities.

My grandson with ADHD as well as being on the spectrum. After years of dealing with his anxiety his pediatrician prescribed an anti anxiety medication. He tried 2-3 until he found the one that helped him. He's also tried different meds for ADHD before there was one that helped.

My son has Asperger's. ADHD and shows signs of anxiety. We have an appointment with his doctor next month to discuss this and consider any meds that might help him.

I don't know what your options are just like i don't know what my options are. But I do think seeing his doctor is necessary. I am also keeping a record of things that his teachers and his therapists have said. His OT has mentioned anxiety, so I talked to her about her concerns and written everything down. I'll bring my notes to our appointment. The best thing I can do for our son is to take lots of notes so that when the doctor asks me questions I'm not saying, "Um ... "

Keep in mind that even if you do choose meds, just like with ADHD the first med might not be the right one. That's ok. Just hang in there and try another one.

Try not to think of this as giving her another pill. If taking another pill is going to make a positive difference in her life, then that sounds like what you would want to do..

The worst thing you can do is to go into a doctor with a medication in mind. I know those commercials for this drug and that drug are all over the TV, and they are absolutely targeted at the individual consumer, saying, "Ask your doctor if _____ is right for your cholesterol/bladder/diabetes." But they are a doctor/patient nightmare because they break down the relationship between them by convincing the patient to ask for something that may not even be appropriate. You are, for example, counting pills vs. worrying about what would be most effective for your child. Two pills might seem complicated, but they also allow the dose to be adjusted in just one without the other - there's no way of knowing right now whether that could be of enormous benefit.

And what would work now might not be appropriate in a year or two. Your 12-year-old is entering puberty so there are hormonal issues at play too. I agree with the post below that therapy may be a helpful adjunct. The anxiety may be related to the ADHD, or may be something entirely different.

If you don't trust your pediatrician, you can ask for a specialist. Or at least for a second opinion. A pediatric psychopharmacologist is skilled with kids, pharmaceuticals and emotional/anxiety disorders. And don't be afraid to ask for family support so that your own anxiety level is well managed with good, solid information and helpful ways to help direct and manage your child's behavior.

this is really a dr question.. is she in therapy? but the first line of meds for anxiety are antidepressants.. Zoloft Prozac paxil and all of the drugs like them...

anxiety can look just like adhd.. my kid is anxious... and when he is really anxious he is hyper ... looks like adhd but he can focus... so not adhd..

There are different classes of drugs. My son takes Tenex which is great for anxiety and helps with ADHD symptoms. I would talk to your child's psychiatrist or pediatrician to get a feel for the best approach.

ADHD and anxiety are not the same thing.

If you had measles and a yeast infection, you wouldn't just take one medication because you don't want to take another one. You take medication for EACH condition.

Counseling to help with the anxiety, and if she needs medication to help address it, it will be prescribed.

I understand not wanting to overmedicate, BUT if there is a diagnosed issue, you TREAT it.