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    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    May 10, 2010, 10:23 AM
    Should a child on meds for ADHD be taken off them on weekends?
    If a child is on medication for ADHD, should he be taken off the meds on the weekends?
    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #2

    May 10, 2010, 10:27 AM
    Should a child on meds for ADHD be taken off them on weekends?
    If a 12 yr old child is medicated during the week for ADHD, should he be taken off them on weekends?
    mudweiser's Avatar
    mudweiser Posts: 2,750, Reputation: 707
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    #3

    May 10, 2010, 10:39 AM

    Why would he be taken off on weekends?

    You should go by what the doctors suggests, pills aren't meant to be played with--- that's why we have doctors to tell us when and how much to take.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
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    #4

    May 10, 2010, 11:00 AM

    It really depends on exactly what kind of med he is getting. How is he without meds?
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    laura_18 Posts: 5, Reputation: 2
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    #5

    May 10, 2010, 11:48 AM

    I think this issue should be raised with the child's doctor to be on the safe side.
    Clough's Avatar
    Clough Posts: 26,677, Reputation: 1649
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    #6

    May 10, 2010, 12:40 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by laura_18 View Post
    I think this issue should be raised with the child's doctor to be on the safe side.
    I think that you're absolutely correct, there!
    DrBill100's Avatar
    DrBill100 Posts: 3,241, Reputation: 502
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    #7

    May 10, 2010, 01:01 PM

    It would be not only unwise but also unlawful for any third party to advise you in relation to changing dosage of a prescription medication.

    That being said, you should have been provided with a full and complete description of the treatment regimen, the purpose of the drug, and possible side effects. ADHD is treated with some pretty potent pharmaceuticals and it is essential that you have a complete understanding of the treatment process in order to monitor therapeutic value and safety.

    In order to clear up this present issue you may want to call the dispensing pharmacy, have them lookup the prescription, and explain to you exactly how to manage it's administration. If you don't have this information you must get it.
    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    May 10, 2010, 03:00 PM

    I should have been more specific. This is not my child, it is my b/f's son and the issues are a little more complex due to the fact he is being raised in the maternal home and the father does not have a say. I was just hoping someone MAY know if there is some hard facts on the issue. We are having some behavioral problems from the child and I wondered if the meds were a factor. It is best for my b/f to talk to the child's pediatrician. I appreciate all the feedback! :)
    Fr_Chuck's Avatar
    Fr_Chuck Posts: 81,301, Reputation: 7692
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    #9

    May 10, 2010, 03:51 PM

    If the father does not have a say ( or custody) the doctor may not even discuss this with him. But if he is concerned he should try to talk to the doctor.
    DrBill100's Avatar
    DrBill100 Posts: 3,241, Reputation: 502
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    #10

    May 10, 2010, 03:55 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by lostinguelph View Post
    .......I was just hoping someone MAY know if there is some hard facts on the issue. We are having some behavioral problems from the child and I wondered if the meds were a factor. It is best for my b/f to talk to the child's pediatrician. I appreciate all the feedback! :)
    That casts your question in a different light. Here is some general information that may assist. Medication of any sort is prescribed by type and in a frequency of dosage so as to maintain a stable supply of the drug in the patient's system at all times (bio-availability). Off the top of my head I can think of no medication where the dosage should be interrupted for two days and then re-instituted. During the 2-day period the bioavailablity would diminish only to be reestablished on the following day. In fact most FDA required drug information sheets specifically address what action to take if even a single dose is missed. It would certainly be advisable for your boy friend to look into that matter. If the medication is administered to control the symptoms of ADHD and scheduled doses are being missed then it follows that those symptoms could emerge during that period.
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #11

    May 10, 2010, 04:01 PM

    Dr. Bill, I had to spread the rep, but great info.

    I have a son that has ADHD. For him the meds must be taken every day, otherwise they have no effect. In fact, most of these types of meds can take weeks to start working and any interruption can set the patient back to square one (from what my doctor said).

    I am not a doctor, and I'm only speaking from experience in my sons case. Having said that, it's still best to discuss this with the child's doctor because the doctor knows the child's specific case, the meds he's on, and his other conditions.

    I do wonder why this is being done. Is it to save money or is it because the mother feels that the child only needs to be focused during school hours and not on the weekends? I can't understand what logic there is to stopping the meds 2 days a week.
    adthern's Avatar
    adthern Posts: 282, Reputation: 28
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    #12

    May 10, 2010, 04:11 PM

    I am an RN whose daughter has ADHD I can speak with experience as to the conversations and discussions I have had.

    I researched long and hard and became far more knowledgeable than most of the PCP's out there on the treatment of my daughter, because she is unique as your bf's son is, so the general treatment options are just that general.

    Now, we see a pediatric neurologist at Mass General Hospital and he wanted to have her take the meds only when in school so she would be off on weekends and vacations due to the long term side effects of the meds (anorexia, decreased growth rates, etc... ).

    For my daughter the option of not taking them was ended when she walked in front of a car because she couldn't concentrate on what she was doing.

    The point of the ADHD meds isn't to control the child's behavior per se, it is to help them be able to study, learn and function. If the child is behaviorally OK on the weekends, the MD is perfectly right take them off the med when not in school; however, if the behavioral issues are safety problems then tell the MD you want the child on the meds week long or get a new MD.

    That being said, I realize that with a custody issue in play it is not so clear cut, but if the problems are serious then consult an attorney and look into either a modified custody agreement or a guardian for the child who can look into the medication issue.
    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #13

    May 10, 2010, 05:47 PM

    Thanks to all for the helpful advice. My only purpose is to gain insight to better understand the child since he is not my own, and to get a feel for what is considered "normal" for a child on these meds. I would guess that we could have 10 different MD's in the room and all would have different opinions on the matter. In any case I think the parents are just trying their best to do the right thing, just seems illogical to disrupt medication each week and put the child through any withdrawl symptoms.
    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #14

    May 10, 2010, 05:50 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Altenweg View Post
    Dr. Bill, I had to spread the rep, but great info.

    I have a son that has ADHD. For him the meds must be taken every day, otherwise they have no effect. In fact, most of these types of meds can take weeks to start working and any interruption can set the patient back to square one (from what my doctor said).

    I am not a doctor, and I'm only speaking from experience in my sons case. Having said that, it's still best to discuss this with the childs doctor because the doctor knows the childs specific case, the meds he's on, and his other conditions.

    I do wonder why this is being done. Is it to save money or is it because the mother feels that the child only needs to be focused during school hours and not on the weekends? I can't understand what logic there is to stopping the meds 2 days a week.
    I honestly cannot understand the logic either that is what is motivating my question. It seems almost cruel. Ty for your insight.
    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #15

    May 10, 2010, 05:51 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by DrBill100 View Post
    That casts your question in a different light. Here is some general information that may assist. Medication of any sort is prescribed by type and in a frequency of dosage so as to maintain a stable supply of the drug in the patient's system at all times (bio-availability). Off the top of my head I can think of no medication where the dosage should be interrupted for two days and then re-instituted. During the 2-day period the bioavailablity would diminish only to be reestablished on the following day. In fact most FDA required drug information sheets specifically address what action to take if even a single dose is missed. It would certainly be advisable for your boy friend to look into that matter. If the medication is administered to control the symptoms of ADHD and scheduled doses are being missed then it follows that those symptoms could emerge during that period.
    Thanks for your advice Dr. Bill:)
    mudweiser's Avatar
    mudweiser Posts: 2,750, Reputation: 707
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    #16

    May 11, 2010, 07:01 AM

    adthern disagrees : Sadly pediatricians often do not know enough about ADHD, better advice would be to see a pediatric neurologist experienced in ADHD.
    If you feel uncomfortable with what ANY doctor prescribes then go get a second, third, even fourth opinion.

    You're a nurse, as you've mentioned in the above post. Not every mother/father/guardian is one-- we do not have the medical knowledge you have to determine when and when not to give the medication-- so it IS best for the rest of us to follow the doctor's orders and not play doctor.
    twinkiedooter's Avatar
    twinkiedooter Posts: 12,172, Reputation: 1054
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    #17

    May 11, 2010, 08:07 AM

    When my son was little he was diagnosed with ADD. My mother was an RN for many years and insisted that we NOT give him any drugs whatsoever for this condition. So we didn't give him one pill period. His attention span was greatly expanded when I bought him a video game to play. He was able to concentrate for hours since it was something that he was interested in. He HAD to learn concentration as it was a skill he did not know. He didn't like school (who does) and I ended up taking him out of school and home schooling him. The meds for this condition can cause all sorts of unwanted side effects later on in life or cause all sorts of potentially serious health problems later on in life. I am glad I did listen to my mother (one of the few times actually that I DID listen to her) and my son has grown up with no health problems due to taking these "speed" based drugs. Today he is quite normal in his attention span and has been for many years. (He's 26 now). I also used diet to control a lot of his hyperactivity eliminating the sugary drinks, sugary snack foods and all junk food from his diet.

    You may want to look into altering the child's diet to control the ADHD instead of the "speed" based drugs such as Adderall. Read up on the long term unwanted side effects and it will curl your hair for sure. It did mine so I nixed these drugs for my son.

    Not everything is solved by "taking a pill". Doctors are quick to shove pills down kid's throats and are just certified drug dealers to me. You need to seek out someone who can treat your child with food not drugs and change the child's food intake accordingly. Doctors are not the end when it comes to restoring someone's health with pills. They are not god like some people think they are.
    lostinguelph's Avatar
    lostinguelph Posts: 19, Reputation: 1
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    #18

    May 11, 2010, 08:41 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by twinkiedooter View Post
    When my son was little he was diagnosed with ADD. My mother was an RN for many years and insisted that we NOT give him any drugs whatsoever for this condition. So we didn't give him one pill period. His attention span was greatly expanded when I bought him a video game to play. He was able to concentrate for hours since it was something that he was interested in. He HAD to learn concentration as it was a skill he did not know. He didn't like school (who does) and I ended up taking him out of school and home schooling him. The meds for this condition can cause all sorts of unwanted side effects later on in life or cause all sorts of potentially serious health problems later on in life. I am glad I did listen to my mother (one of the few times actually that I DID listen to her) and my son has grown up with no health problems due to taking these "speed" based drugs. Today he is quite normal in his attention span and has been for many years. (He's 26 now). I also used diet to control a lot of his hyperactivity eliminating the sugary drinks, sugary snack foods and all junk food from his diet.

    You may want to look into altering the child's diet to control the ADHD instead of the "speed" based drugs such as Adderall. Read up on the long term unwanted side effects and it will curl your hair for sure. It did mine so I nixed these drugs for my son.

    Not everything is solved by "taking a pill". Doctors are quick to shove pills down kid's throats and are just certified drug dealers to me. You need to seek out someone who can treat your child with food not drugs and change the child's food intake accordingly. Doctors are not the end when it comes to restoring someone's health with pills. They are not god like some people think they are.
    I soooo agree. The father tried in vain to fight the mom on putting him on meds, but again, he is not the "custodial" parent. A lot of the behaviors can be tapered by diet and there again his diet is chalked full of sugar, food coloring (which is supposed to be avoided).
    DrBill100's Avatar
    DrBill100 Posts: 3,241, Reputation: 502
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    #19

    May 11, 2010, 09:05 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by twinkiedooter View Post
    When my son was little he was diagnosed with ADD. My mother was an RN for many years and insisted that we NOT give him any drugs whatsoever for this condition. So we didn't give him one pill period...........You may want to look into altering the child's diet to control the ADHD instead of the "speed" based drugs such as Adderall. Read up on the long term unwanted side effects and it will curl your hair for sure. It did mine so I nixed these drugs for my son.

    Not everything is solved by "taking a pill"......Doctors are not the end when it comes to restoring someone's health with pills. They are not god like some people think they are.
    I would only hope that others can follow your example and take charge of their conditions, whatever they may be. You made a tremendous investment of time and effort and, in your case, it was a choice that evidently paid long term benefits for your son. You deserve commendation and praise.

    The psychoactive stimulant class (amphetamines, methylphenidate) are very potent drugs with a dangerous profile. Use has always been controversial in medicine and medical research. Yet there probably aren't 2/100 that actually take the time to research the medication they are prescribed, for any condition, let alone explore alternative treatment approaches.
    adthern's Avatar
    adthern Posts: 282, Reputation: 28
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    #20

    May 14, 2010, 01:30 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by mudweiser View Post
    If you feel uncomfortable with what ANY doctor prescribes then go get a second, third, even fourth opinion.

    Your a nurse, as you've mentioned in the above post. Not every mother/father/guardian is one-- we do not have the medical knowledge you have to determine when and when not to give the medication-- so it IS best for the rest of us to follow the doctor's orders and not play doctor.
    You do not need to be a nurse to ask a question on here, look on the web at the hundreds of ADHD sites to understadn that there are something's that the parents of children with ADHD see more clearly than the MD who doesn't see the affects of the medicines.

    I recently had a conversation with the neurologist regarding the dosing of my daughters concerta, he (because the literature stated so) wanted to increase her dose because the effects were wearing off at about 530, I told him that I felt staggering the dose 1 pill in the morning and 1 pill at noon would be worth trying and that the peak effects (noon-5) would get her through school and homework, while leaving her some focus time to read and finish up tasks.

    It has worked great, but only by being her parent would I have known to even suggest it. The main point is that no one should blindily follow what an MD says--I always tell my patients to go by the old axiom trust, but verify!

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