ADHD Medication and Children

Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, and more...

As much as we all hate the idea of children having to take medications to be successful in school, the reality is that some children with ADHD will have to use medication. For those who do require medication as a clinical intervention, over the course of treatment nearly 80% of them will eventually try Ritalin.

Ritalin comes in a short-acting pill that lasts about three to four hours, and a long-lasting pill which should last throughout the school day. Other medications, such as Adderall and Dexedrine, also have the benefit of coming in long-lasting formulas that are just one-dose per day pills.

If a student in your class is taking Ritalin in the short-acting form, you will typically see a "roller-coaster" of performance throughout the day. If you are expecting it, you can plan for it.

The medication takes about 15 minutes to begin working. A child receives the most benefit from the medication in the first two hours. That's when you want to give him the most challenging work. From the peak at two hours, until the medication is "spent" at about three and one-half hours, the child will have some benefit, but not as much as in the first two hours.

Be Aware: At the end of the dose the child may have a "melt-down" as the medication is "spent." It is common to see a child get angry, cry, or look despondent for about twenty minutes at this point.

When the doctor asks "how is the child doing with the medication?," if all you remember is the "melt-down" you will tell the doctor that the medication is not working. It is human nature to ignore both peacefulness and improvements from a student who has been difficult, and only remember times of frustration.

The doctor's response to your report will be to increase the dosage of the medication, which may not help the child, but might make the "melt-down" time worse.

What the doctor needs to know is the child's performance at 0900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, and 1500 (military time). Then he can track performance throughout the cycle of the medication.

By the way, a Mountain Dew, or other source of caffeine, taken about 15 minutes before the "melt-down" time can help a great deal in reducing or eliminating the "melt-down" altogether. Let the parents know.

For more tips visit the ADHD Information Library.

• Using Diet to Help ADHD Kids to Perform Better in School. Some foods help the brain to work better, and some foods make the brain work poorly. Parents should know about this.
• Non-prescription treatments for ADHD using specific amino acids, phospholipids, essential fatty acids, and more. Parents should be aware of these alternatives to ritalin.