For those of you with high school students taking ADHD medication, do they have to take it during the school day?
I learned that at my son’s school they are not allowed to self-medicate and must go to the nurse. He has a tight schedule with a short lunch - and lunchtime varies each day. I can also see him forgetting to go see her. Are there once a day options or are those not as effective?
I am just curious about how it will wok logistically if he starts taking medication.
Perhaps the doctor can vary the times when meds are taken or even take a longer acting variation. Finding the best medication may not happen right away.
My HS sophomore e takes an extended-release formula, which the doctor said is preferable for this and other reasons. he takes it once a day, in the morning. FWIW, it has been incredibly helpful for him. He’s a very bright kid who always got good grades, but he had a lot of trouble focusing, concentrating, and controlling impulsive behavior. He has been on ADHD medication for this school year for the first time, and he says the difference is night and day - being on task and not distracting other people is no longer a challenge for him at all. This most recent report card, every single teacher noted that he is “a pleasure to have in class.” These are all new teachers who have not had him previously, so they were not comparing his behavior to the past, but still made these notes.
One thing worth mentioning is that, if the dose is right, it is my understanding that the medicine works right away - no waiting for weeks or months like with some medicines for other issues.
@pickledginger - so good to hear it works for your DS. I am hoping it will do the trick for mine as well. Also glad to hear it works right away. We have had to wait so long for an appt and now have finished 2 terms where my former honor roll student nearly failed 2 classes and squeaked by with B’s in everything except math.
DK just started a long lasting one a few weeks ago and it lasts the entire school day so no need to go to the nurse for it. Night and day for him also. There has been immediate improvement in focus and classroom behavior (less talking) and grades have shot back up. I would work with the doctor to try something more long lasting.
@Momma2018 - yes, for my son and others I know, it was like flipping a switch (this is how he described it), with no side effects other than possibly a bit of an appetite decrease. His doctor said the response itself is essentially diagnostic for ADHD; my son’s improvement confirmed to the doctor that my son has ADHD. Not every person with ADHD responds so well with minimal side effects, of course, but the doctor said that a typical response to the medicine for a non-ADHD sufferer would be to feel very jittery, amped up, and anxious. This would go away when the medicine wore off, but our doctor suggested trying the medication on a weekend when we would be together all day to support him if he did have this type of response.
I put off medication and a thorough evaluation for years and now kick myself for it, but that’s another story.
Good luck to you and you son!!
My S19 has been on Concerta ER (54 mg in his case) for about a year now and while he is very bright, organizationally he wasn’t so much. He tells me that it makes him feel more awake, which I assume means focused. He’s lost a lot of weight though.
We had put it off for many years as well, having had him try it for one or two weeks back in elementary school. Because he couldn’t tell us how it made him feel, we stopped it almost immediately. This wasn’t so great when the unfinished prescription looked like something else and I took two by mistake one late afternoon! That’s when you know you don’t have ADHD and I literally stay up all night long.
The doctor has several choices of meds to prescribe and ways to write the prescription (not using fiction but how s/he chooses is best for each child). In my experience, just as a mother, we have tried a handful of all-day medicines and I will list the names of them here:
Straterra, concerta, focalin XR, and Intuniv ( which is actually a heart medicine but FDA approved for ADHD). I have had a child on ADHD meds for 6 years and he has never had to take anything at school.
My daughter was on extended release for this reason- she did not want to go to the nurse mid-day. She was on Concerta but switched to Adderall XR which she thinks works better, at least for her.
Just an update - they started him on 18 mg of Concerta but we did not see a change. They upped it to 36 mg and he said the school day was much better. I also noticed he was in a much better mood on drive home and not falling asleep in car like usual. Still a struggle to get him to start homework - not sure if that means it is wearing off or if I am expecting too much. Probably no magic pill that makes a kid want to start an essay!
My HS junior switched from Adderall XR to Concerta ER at the beginning of high school. The doctor thought it might last a little bit longer for him, but the evening routine is not always pretty - he doesn’t exactly come home (from school or rehearsals) ready to dive into homework.
He usually decides how long his homework will likely take, and then does everything else he would rather do before starting it. Once he knows he’s running out of time, he can get it done. I just remind him to double check that he has all the assignments and to keep an eye on the grade book. I don’t nag him to do homework right after school because it won’t get done then even if he tries. I also can’t convince him that “studying for a test” is “homework.”
His grades are good but he does avoid the APs with a lot of reading and writing.
If you switch your child to an extended release formula, please be aware of a potentially dangerous paradoxical reaction.
My oldest son was switched to Adderall XR when he entered HS for the reasons discussed here. About 4 days after he began taking it, I was walking past the bathroom when I heard odd noises. I walked in and saw my oldest son literally strangling S17 (who was in K at the time, so much smaller than his brother). I separated them and sent S17 to get H. I called oldest son’s doctor to get a psych referral and take him in for treatment but the doctor said that extreme aggressiveness/psychosis can be a side effect of extended release ADHD meds. It’s apparently VERy rare, but it happens. We switched my son back to short term meds and he went back to his usual goofy, inattentive and definitely non-violent self within a couple of days. The doctor told me that if this does happen, it’s usually within the first few weeks of taking the meds. Every time I see my sons (who are almost 9 years apart in age but are now very close) together, I am so grateful I was walking by that bathroom.
the schools policy is different from reality. Any kind of medication including Tylenol is supposed to be done at our nurses office too. If policy was actually followed the line out of the nurses office between medications and sick kids. Most kids stick their medications in their pocket and take when needed. The school nurse I’m sure knows that and when asked would state the policy but quite frankly doesn’t have time and resources to follow it.
If the school does not do searches, have him take it in the bathroom and disguise it as candy. If he gets caught, complain about safety and psychological issues of not having a long enough lunch.
@Nicki20 @Waterborne, I agree that the policy does not match reality but I would not risk having him keep them with him at school. He could be suspended or expelled if they found it. Apparently, with ADHD meds, they are worried kids will sell it. Some kids without ADHD try to get it for big tests bc they think it will help them concentrate.
Luckily, my S was prescribed a long-release formula and only needs to take it just before he leaves for school.
I teach in a large high school.
Kids go to the nurse for meds all the time. I’ve had diabetic kids in my lunch periods who have to stop by the nurse’s office to test their blood sugars and take insulin before eating. We have kids on a variety of meds who simply stop by the nurse’s office. Their “tight schedule” may mean that they’re a minute or two late for a particular class each day, with the teacher’s knowledge. By the time the teacher has taken attendance and started class, the kid is in his seat.
A “tight schedule” means nothing. The school has dealt with this issue before and will be able to accommodate the need to take meds during the school day.
Absolutely do NOT-- repeat: do NOT “have him take it in the bathroom and disguise it as candy. If he gets caught, complain about safety and psychological issues of not having a long enough lunch.” One, you’re teaching your child that the rules do not apply to him. Two, you’re having him break a drug policy… the rules don’t differentiate between prescription meds and non prescription meds. Three, you’re running a huge risk that he’ll be seen and reported for drug use … that sort of a label can follow you for a pretty long time. Four, you run the risk that he’ll be asked or hounded or worse to get to those drugs by another kid who is looking to abuse them. And five-- “psychological issues of not having a long enough lunch”??? Are you kidding?
The rules exist for a reason: to protect your son. Follow the policy or work with school officials to find a compromise that will work for your son.
Also, for what it’s worth, I have honors/ Valedictorian types of kids in my homeroom who squeeze in some of their homework before classes start. Not wanting to start homework right away may be a symptom of adolescence, or of a long day, or of hunger, not ADHD
For those whose kids lost weight on stimulant meds, I feed my S17 a large breakfast and dinner when his appetite returns around 9pm. Then I don’t stress If he doesn’t eat lunch. I give my son the meds right after breakfast because he won’t take them on his own. While the meds have helped him be independent with homework, they make him anxious and somewhat withdrawn. We give him drug Holidays on weekends & during summer vacation so he can gain weight. I don’t know what will happen in college. He did get accepted to schools with strong academic support centers but taking the meds will be up to him.
The one I just started only requires that you take one pill in the morning. Just be aware that it usually takes a while to find the right medicine that works for you because of the different side effects. I’ve been on Adderal and Concerta, but I switched to Vyvanse a few days ago. Adderal and Concerta were okay for me, but they gave me side effects like mood swings and headaches. So far I like Vyvanse the best, but it really depends on the person.