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Side effect of stimulants5/15/2023 ![]() ![]() If this happens we need to adjust the prescription until we find the right dose.īut there is a small subset of kids with ADHD who seem to get moody and irritable when they take stimulant medications, even if we have the best possible dose. When a stimulant dose is too high for a child he may begin to look sedated or zombie-like, or tearful and irritable. We don’t want to miss other things that could be muddying the equation. They might have underlying anxieties or mood issues that come into play when they come off their ADHD medicine. Lastly, with kids who rebound, we want to ask whether there might be something else going on. It also may be an indication that this particular medicine doesn’t work well in your child’s body, and we may want to try a different medication or a different formula. Sometimes rebound can be a sign that the dose is too high, and needs to be adjusted. One way to try to avoid rebound, if it’s a problem, is by adding a smaller dose a half hour before it usually happens, to help your child ease off the medication more gradually. What’s happening is that the medication is leaving the receptors in the brain too quickly. ![]() Sometimes parents tell me, “Every day at 4:30, I know it’s going to happen.” Some parents describe something we call the “rebound effect.” After the medication wears off, their child becomes very irritable and aggressive. So when children get unwanted side effects we often try switching medications and formulas. Long-acting formulas, which release the medication gradually, last up to 14 hours. Short-acting formulas are released immediately, and last about 4 hours. Some even respond differently to different release formulas-the speed in which the medication goes into the blood stream-of the same basic medicine. Some children respond differently to those two groups of medications.
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