S/o medicating girls with ADHD

amother

Wed, May 15 2024, 4:39 pm

We've been trying to find the correct med for my daughter who is 11. She has combined subtype (primarily hyperactive but also pretty inattentive). She's become really moody and unhappy which I believe is a side effect. I've made ANOTHER appointment with her doctor to try and switch her again. I'm beginning to wonder if meds work differently for boys than for girls. I'd really appreciate hearing others observations re: meds in boys vs girls and what's worked for your girls with combined primarily hyperactive. Obviously I know that it's very individual, but I'm trying to become more informed re: medication options and whether there gender differences in how boys and girls react to meds.

amother

Blonde

Wed, May 15 2024, 4:46 pm

amother Amaranthus wrote:

My daughter is 12. She is on guanfacine. It’s preety good.

Can you tell me more? We haven’t tried non stimulants yet. Does it make her tired?

My dd is on Ritalin it works pretty well. It’s a process to find the right meds for either gender especially with more complicated cases.

amother

Blushpink

Wed, May 15 2024, 4:54 pm

My daughter who is 14 was on meds since 1st grade. She was prescribed Vyvanse by her pediatrician, we found the vyvanse on its own made her depressed so the doctor added stratera. While she was no longer depressed we found on days she didn’t take her meds especially during the summer and on yomim tovim her amazing personality came out and she would have more friends. Last summer she asked us to try Not taking meds this school year and with the agreement of the school we said yes. Socially she did amazing she became one of the most popular girls in the class and for good reasons (I.e. did not cause trouble or anything) but academically and organizationally she did not do well. With high school coming up we all agreed including her that she needed to go back on meds but not the meds she was on before. I spoke with a coworker who is a psychiatrist and he recommended that she see a child psychiatrist to come up with a good plan for meds. And once the plan is made the PCP could take over the meds. So that is what we did. She was put on methlyphenadate which she started over pesach. She does not take it over the weekend and we already see an improvement. I can’t say that this med would work for everyone but what I will say if it’s her pediatrician who is prescribing her meds take her to see a pediatric psychiatrist this is what they specialize in. If a child had a heart problem we would not rely on the pediatrician we would take them to a cardiologist who specializes in that issue. This should be no different. I just regret figuring this out so late in her childhood. What ever you do just remember that you are doing your best and you are advocating for your child. That makes you a great mother.