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Bipolar Disorder/adhd meds and bipolar

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Expert: Joyce A. Anthony - 2/14/2010


Question
I have a 7 year old son. He is adhd and is on 50 mg of vyvanse. He is in the middle of some testing of a doctor so I am not sure if he is bipolar. He sure shows alot of the signs. If he is indeed bipolar, which I suspect he is, will the medicine make his mood swings worse?

Answer
Hi Holly:

Many of the symptoms of ADHD and bipolar disorder overlap.  Quite often, kids do have both disorders.  If, however, your son is bipolar, the medication for ADHD would have shown a noticeable worsening of symptoms with only one dose.  Medication for ADHD does worsen bipolar symptoms, so it is normally preferable to treat the bipolar order first.  

                                 Joyce A. Anthony

Bipolar Disorder

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Joyce A. Anthony

Expertise

I can answer questions dealing with bipolar disorder in a parent, yourself or your child. I can give suggestions and insight into what can be expected of many medications for bipolar disorder. My most extensive knowledge is in children with bipolar disorder. Here I can give advice on dealing with daily events, schools, medication and professionals.

Experience

I am the daughter of a bipolar/schizophrenic parent, am bipolar myself and am raising a bipolar child. I have a background in Psychology from Gannon University, have run several parenting classes for those parenting bipolar children and have had extensive experience with medications, the school system, homeschooling a special needs child, dealing with counselors, doctors and other professionals in the mental health field. I write for a bipolar website, with the focus on educating the child with bipolar disorder on his/her illness.

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