DS1 just started meds last week and we’re gradually ramping up to find the right dosage. He takes them before school and as I understand it for now it’s the short acting dose that lasts around 4-6 hours. He’s got soccer several evenings a week and it’s very evident that he should be on medicine during that time as well. I’ll check in with his doctor next week, but if your child takes ADHD meds how do you handle late afternoon/early evening activities. I don’t want to over dose him and I don’t want it to affect his sleep.
My son is prescribed 3 doses at 4ish hour intervals. We don’t give the 3rd dose though, because it was really affecting his sleep. Our doctor told us we could be flexible with the amount of the 3rd dose or the timing of the first two. Most evenings are challenging with hyperactivity when he doesn’t get the 3rd dose. If I know we have a late afternoon, early evening plan, then I’ll give the second dose a little later than usual.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Sept 11, 2021 20:10:49 GMT -5
We do a long-acting dose first thing in the morning, and then have another rx for a low dose short-acting booster that he takes after school when he has evening activities. His dr. said it's totally fine to only give the 2nd dose every now and then when we feel he really needs it, and it doesn't seem to affect his sleep.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Every kid is going to clear the medication at a slightly different rate so there may be a little trial and error before you hit on the best fit.
We started with Adderall which covered him pretty well until 4:30. We tried adding a short acting Dexedrine, which should have cleared in 3-4 hours, but it interfered with sleep. His doctor increased the morning dose 10mg which gave coverage to about 7:30 which was better but not ideal. Fortunately, with age and maturity a lot of the impulsivity faded, so socially he did better in the evenings. He learned to organize his day in order to take advantage of being more focused earlier. DS has since moved onto Vyvanse which seems to last a bit longer for him.
My adult niece also take Vyvanse; her psychiatrist prescribes her a mid-range dose in the morning and adds a "kicker" around 1-2pm which keeps her focused until about 10pm. She's a project manager working from home with an international team, so she often works odd hours. One day she might have a call at 6am, another she might be working still at 10pm.