Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 12/15/2010

Question
My daughter is 11, and was diagnosed with adhd in 2nd grade.  She was a very hyper since she was a baby.  We have tried so many medications and either she has severe side effects and they don't seem to work.  She is currently on daytrana 20 mg and in the beginning of the school year it seemed to be working, but now we are getting emails from the teachers about disruptiveness, immature behavior, unable to focus, and interrupting the teachers.  My husband and I have also noticed her being out of control lately too.  We have her in counseling and we just feel we are at our wits end.  We have been to multiple dr.'s...pediatric neurologist, pediatric behavioral specialists, etc.  She is constantly lying, constantly doing things that are not allowed, sneaking, excessively talks, and it is upsetting the household.  We don't know where to go from here....do you have any insight?

Answer
95% of children will respond well to an optimal dose. Do not confuse the minor transient side effects which eventually settle with the effects of incorrect dosage. There are no long term serious side effects to stimulant medication. I can only suggest you find an expert who will educcate you about the minor side effects to give you more confidence to persevere. At the same time titrate using a monitoring system to achieve an optimal dose. Your description is certainly one of ADHD on incorredct treatment and parents who might benefit from more insight. Do I have any insight? YES, 35 years of experience and 23,000 cases and just over 500,000 rating scales on my files. Medication can only work if correctly used.You have not stated what medication or how it was used! Without this informatkion I am unable to comment any further.  Good luck!