ADHD meds list

[misty]

Charlie Girl

For decades, medications have been used to treat the symptoms of ADHD.
The medications that seem to be the most effective are a class of drugs known as stimulants. Following is a list of the stimulants, their trade (or brand) names, and their generic names. "Approved age" means that the drug has been tested and found safe and effective in children of that age.


www.adhd-made-simple.com/ADHD_Medications.html

This also has a list of common side effects and other info.

[ctmomof2]

My daughter Haleigh (6) just started taking Vyvanse, it's a new med, so I haven't even seen it on any lists.

[charliegirl]

Some of us parents here were involved in a roundtable hosted by Shire who puts out Vyvanse, which was discussed at the meeting. If you have any questions, just ask and we'll share what we learned.

Its a stimulant med but is metabolized in the intestine instead of in the liver, which means that it has a longer time period between when you take it and when it starts being effective. It can be up to 2 hours so you don't want to wait until the last minute. It works for up to 12 hours though so in many kids, its the answer to prayer. Unfortunately everyone metabolizes differently so it may not last that long. It also is less likely to give that sudden drop which causes melt downs when it stops being effective.

Because of being metabolized in the intestine, it has a smoother delivery and is of no value to druggies since they can't get the sudden rush they crave. That lessens the risk of abuse or that someone will steal your child's meds or convince her to share them. To me, that is a big plus.

[ctmomof2]

I just joined the Shire site the other day. Thanks for the helpful information! She just started it today and we're already noticing some (concerning) changes. For example, she was very weepy and almost OCD-like at times-to the point where she spent an hour and a half folding a blanket and was folding her toilet paper and couldn't use it until it was perfectly folded, EXTREMELY unlike her!). We're going to give it 1 more day and if she's still like this tomorrow we're calling her pediatrician. She's only in 1/2 day kindergarten but I'm actually concerned at how she's going to be, at least her teacher knows she was supposed to start the med today. Any suggestions?