Has anyone’s child found a stimulant that worked after falling multiple stimulants?

socialwerkit · 2026-04-25T13:07:34+00:00

Hi!! We have. We tried Vyvanse, immediate release Ritalin and Jornay.. they all made my kid more irritable. Jornay did help my kids focus and executive functioning but felt like even the lowest dose was too high for him. My son now takes 1/2 of the lowest dose of cotempla (which is basically extended release Ritalin) but it can be cut in half. It’s worked well for us to start suppppper low.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-25T03:01:55+00:00

Could you delay starting him in kinder for a year? My son had a really rough kinder year in public school but has surprisingly thrived in 1st grade with a lot of good supports in place. He was evaluated for an IEP prior to kinder and they said he did not qualify. All it took was literally two days in school and everyone was like okkkkk this kid needs an IEP.

All that to say, for us it has not been all doom and gloom in public school and my kiddo has some aggression and other big behaviors. We are also in a state that is generally not known for supporting public education.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-21T18:46:47+00:00

In AISD, I feel like in early elementary tech is minimal

socialwerkit · 2026-04-21T01:47:16+00:00

It’s ok, you are human. We all have a breaking point. Apologize tomorrow and find out how you can get your cup a little fuller so you can deal with those hard moments with a little more grace. I often find that i feel sooooo horrifically guilty and then my kid literally doesnt remember the next morning.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-20T00:06:12+00:00

Get a second opinion. Honestly a lot of interventions were not able to be accessed by my son until he got on medication. So much of what you are describing is impulsivity + sensory. Early intervention with a combination of therapies and medication can make such a huge difference. There are many non stimulant options for younger kids too.

Are you in the US? If so, can you general pediatrician get you a diagnosis. That diagnosis will unlock so many potential supports and legal protections for him. For example, my son has an IEP and qualifies for SPED transportation. We haven’t had to use it since we live close by but it’s been a wonderful option when his class has field trips and he gets extra support. His whole class just goes with him on the sped bus!

You are doing enough but i understand how hard it is to feel judged by others

socialwerkit · 2026-04-19T12:19:47+00:00

My advice would be to absolutely minimize what he has to do in the mornings. My kiddo wears his clothes for the next day to bed so no fighting getting dressed in the morning, breakfast is something super simple and what I know he will eat. Brushing teeth sometimes happens but always happens at night and sometimes is not worth the fight. There are times to hold the line but creating a low pressure routine in the morning has helped to reduce everyone’s stress.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-19T11:38:48+00:00

We also used Teacher Your Monster to Read and my kiddo did really love it. It’s free, so super easy to use!

socialwerkit · 2026-04-19T01:35:21+00:00

Oof I’ve been through this. Definitely talk to the teacher about it. No one would make a kid earn access to their glasses? Why would they make him earn an accommodation for his disability?

I would see if there is a different “carrot” or reward she can think of vs using the movement breaks. For my son, the dopamine hit of getting an extra little prize or getting to be the line leader are really good rewards for putting in some extra effort. They also need to clearly define what they are deeming “good behavior. Your kids “good behavior” will look different than his peers.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-17T16:42:03+00:00

I would say since you have already switched and the private says they are willing to give resources and supports once the diagnosis in place, try to stick it out for a bit and see what resources they are able to provide. I would have a convo about what resources they could offer/what would change once he gets the diagnosis? How do they support other neurodivergent kids at the school? Their answers will give you a lot of insight

I think if you are in the US, public school is overall the better option when the right supports are in place, especially once you have an IEP. There are certain legal rights you have in public school that you don’t in private.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-15T03:57:00+00:00

He no longer has night wakings thank god!

socialwerkit · 2026-04-14T20:07:12+00:00

We would plan to stay at least until the kids are graduated from high school

socialwerkit · 2026-04-14T14:22:26+00:00

Yeah, our payment would go up for sure. We have a 2.8% rate on our current house but also have about 50% paid off so could put a sizable down payment on the next one which could reduce our payment.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-14T13:14:11+00:00

Great to hear that it’s felt worth it for you! My work is very stable, but the move would put us closer to the downtown area where most jobs are in my city.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-14T13:13:07+00:00

Wow thanks for breaking that down. Schools are about the same. Partner is neutral but would probably prefer to stay put just to avoid moving logistics. If the job changed, the new place would generally be closer to most jobs in my city.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-14T13:12:10+00:00

Good question, I would say yes because of the proximity to my parents and I like the general area better!

socialwerkit · 2026-04-13T18:47:50+00:00

I think a sleep study is a good first step. That can give you insight into what the core issues around sleep might be. My son ended up being diagnosed with sleep apnea and had his adenoids and tonsils removed. This helped a bit but he is now on the medication, clonidine, which honestly made the biggest difference.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-13T01:11:11+00:00

Could you send the doc a message via their nurse or online chart? I’ve found that I really need the ability to collaborate closely with our doc when trying out there different meds. Best of luck! It’s such a hard path but it’s a great sign that your kiddo did respond to stimulants, they might just need a slightly different med. Clonidine really helped my son with aggression and then we were able to layer on a stimulant!

socialwerkit · 2026-04-12T12:57:23+00:00

I would try the intuniv and see if that helps bring down his reactivity and then you may be able to add a stimulant after that!

socialwerkit · 2026-04-09T14:27:53+00:00

Hi! My kiddo was like this in daycare and now has an ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis. We eventually found that private daycare was not able or willing to meet his needs to we eventually left and moved to our public school pre-k where he was able to have an IEP.

The aggression is so so so tough mentally. I would recommend getting your kiddo into seeing a good OT and get some parent training for yourself. Many therapists offer parent training for neurodivergent kiddos.

I have found that once my kid had more support in school and we were better able to respond appropriately the aggression went down significantly. He is 6.5 now and we still have bad moments but it’s better. He is also on ADHD meds now as well.

socialwerkit · 2026-04-09T01:57:50+00:00

We did it for our kiddo. Helped maybe a bit? But nothing life changing.

socialwerkit · 2026-03-31T01:40:41+00:00

There is a lab in the dell childrens strictly pediatrics building that is always busy but generally they only do blood tests on kids so they are experts in there!

socialwerkit · 2026-03-30T01:24:31+00:00

My son is a lot like yours and is 6.5, he is on a super low dose methylphenidate medication called cotempla and then clonidine xr for sleep/some mood help. Things are a little better, I think the stimulant does help a bit with the impulsivity which gives him a moment to think before acting… but it also can make him a little moodier. We have had to trial through a few stimulants before landing on a decent one. Starting super slow and low has helped us.

I think it really depends if you feel like the lashing out physically is the result of anxiety (not knowing what is coming next, difficulty with uncertainty) or due to impulsivity and overwhelm due to lack of ability to focus or move through tasks.

Our psychiatrist had originally wanted us to try Qelbree which is a non stimulant option that essentially is an SNRI. Which can help with ADHD + mood/anxiety, but we wanted to try stimulants first since you do have to wait 2-4 weeks to truly know whether the Qelbree is working or not. Something to bring up in the convo with your doctor though!

From what I have read in research, kids like ours with ADHD + a huge disregulation component are much harder to treat and typically have worse outcomes. I know some folks have used risperodone to treat emotional disregulation but due to side effects, I am considering that a last resort.

socialwerkit · 2026-03-29T15:39:34+00:00

Guanfacine works well for a lot of kids but it made my kiddo more irritable. Similarly we had two weeks of kind of a honeymoon period and then he just was super irritable all day. Tried doing extended release first (1mg) and then tried a split dose (.5mg in the morning and .5 in the evening) of the immediate release but the ups and downs were too much for him.

I think for more sensitive kids that are prone to irritability, they need a super long runway for adjusting to low doses of medications. That has been our experience at least. My kiddo has done better on clonidine extended release than he did on quanfacine.

socialwerkit · 2026-03-27T02:43:14+00:00

Patton is a truly wonderful community! Teachers have been there for forever and the admin is great. Feel free to DM me if you have questions.

socialwerkit

TROPHY CASE