Re: Reducing Dosage on Medication

[Guest guest]

We never gave my son his ADHD meds on weekends, evenings, holidays, summers, etc... since he started taking them at the age of 5. We used behavorial modifications exclusively when he was at home. When he was in school, the teachers noticed if he didn't take the meds, so it was a good indication to us that they worked to some degree (although never as much as I thought they should.) We never dosed as much as we could've because the side effects were problematic (we tried many different meds, too; probably 6 total, not including different dosages of each.) Last Fall, when Dylan was 13, he decided about a month into school that he didn't want to use his patch anymore. I could tell he was able to stay in better control of himself from watching him in the school setting at Parents Night (it was a completely different experience than the 2 years prior, for sure) so I allowed this to

happened and expected I might start seeing notes from school saying he was acting differently. The notes never came. His grades didn't suffer. And he was able to finally eat lunch again. You might want to take him off completely this summer to see how it goes (under the supervision of a doctor, of course). You might be surprised at how he does without them or it might be obvious he still needs the help!

From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad@...> Sent: Tue, June 15, 2010 8:30:59 AMSubject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage. I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage? 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,Marc

[Guest guest]

My 15yr DS/HFA is currently on Abilify = 7.5 and Clonidine =.1mg. He has been on Abilify for over a year and Clonidine for 2-months. Like all parents on this group, meds was our last resource. We never had him on medication for ADHD. He started forgetting little things and high school was more hectic with homework, pe clothes, etc... So we tried ritalin, focalin, then concerta. Other than ritalin (it worked) but we wanted an extended meds and his psych recommended focalin. Focalin was terrible for him...moody, crying, etc... and with concerta, he was very angry and was spacey when we talked to him. He had meltdowns during spring break (cursing, yelling, pysical when asked what is wrong) and took him off focalin. Psych prescribed Clonodine back on May. He seems to be doing great with the

Abilify and Clonide combined. At our last appt, psych noticed he is happier and conversing with Psych. Psyc recommended going lower on Abilify(5mg) but I didn't want to cut down right away. I wanted to do it slowly and wait until school is out. He is now on 7.25mg for Abilify and no change with mood, etc... It's only been two weeks since lowering abilify. We are aiming to 5mg in another two weeks.

We never intend on going with meds but we are so happy we did. I always wondered what if he took it during middle school but then I'm glad I waited. He is aware of why he is taking meds and is content with it.

Every child is different. Good luck!

From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad@...>Subject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage. I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage? 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,Marc

[Guest guest]

Meds.Sorry to but in on this thread but ....My son is going downhill, so scary this morning because I had a horrible dream that he was not going to be here this morning :(Was suppose to see pedi yesterday for advice on meds but it was postponed to mid July.He is very up and down. But whenever we try to tackle an issue he days I shouldn't be here anyway. Life for you would be better if I wasn't here. I don't know why I try nothing I do is ever any good. Etc etc. Lots of self harming talk. He is 15, wants to go to school but struggles in all aspects. Any suggestions I can go to gp with ?KelI will keep climbing the mountain.Sent from Kel's iPhone On 16/06/2010, at 4:51 AM, lisa marasigan <lisaldy777@...> wrote:

My 15yr DS/HFA is currently on Abilify = 7.5 and Clonidine =.1mg. He has been on Abilify for over a year and Clonidine for 2-months. Like all parents on this group, meds was our last resource. We never had him on medication for ADHD. He started forgetting little things and high school was more hectic with homework, pe clothes, etc... So we tried ritalin, focalin, then concerta. Other than ritalin (it worked) but we wanted an extended meds and his psych recommended focalin. Focalin was terrible for him...moody, crying, etc... and with concerta, he was very angry and was spacey when we talked to him. He had meltdowns during spring break (cursing, yelling, pysical when asked what is wrong) and took him off focalin. Psych prescribed Clonodine back on May. He seems to be

doing great with the

Abilify and Clonide combined. At our last appt, psych noticed he is happier and conversing with Psych. Psyc recommended going lower on Abilify(5mg) but I didn't want to cut down right away. I wanted to do it slowly and wait until school is out. He is now on 7.25mg for Abilify and no change with mood, etc... It's only been two weeks since lowering abilify. We are aiming to 5mg in another two weeks.

We never intend on going with meds but we are so happy we did. I always wondered what if he took it during middle school but then I'm glad I waited. He is aware of why he is taking meds and is content with it.

Every child is different. Good luck!

From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad >Subject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage. I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage? 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,Marc

[Guest guest]

,In my opinion, if he is having self-harming thoughts, I would find someone who would see him even if you must go to the emergency room.That is scaryDeana in AlabamaSent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®From: Mayne <jazjamloch@...>Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:40:13 -0700 (PDT) < >Cc: < >Subject: Re: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication Meds.Sorry to but in on this thread but ....My son is going downhill, so scary this morning because I had a horrible dream that he was not going to be here this morning :(Was suppose to see pedi yesterday for advice on meds but it was postponed to mid July.He is very up and down. But whenever we try to tackle an issue he days I shouldn't be here anyway. Life for you would be better if I wasn't here. I don't know why I try nothing I do is ever any good. Etc etc. Lots of self harming talk. He is 15, wants to go to school but struggles in all aspects. Any suggestions I can go to gp with ?KelI will keep climbing the mountain.Sent from Kel's iPhone On 16/06/2010, at 4:51 AM, lisa marasigan <lisaldy777 > wrote: My 15yr DS/HFA is currently on Abilify = 7.5 and Clonidine =.1mg. He has been on Abilify for over a year and Clonidine for 2-months. Like all parents on this group, meds was our last resource. We never had him on medication for ADHD. He started forgetting little things and high school was more hectic with homework, pe clothes, etc... So we tried ritalin, focalin, then concerta. Other than ritalin (it worked) but we wanted an extended meds and his psych recommended focalin. Focalin was terrible for him...moody, crying, etc... and with concerta, he was very angry and was spacey when we talked to him. He had meltdowns during spring break (cursing, yelling, pysical when asked what is wrong) and took him off focalin. Psych prescribed Clonodine back on May. He seems to bedoing great with theAbilify and Clonide combined. At our last appt, psych noticed he is happier and conversing with Psych. Psyc recommended going lower on Abilify(5mg) but I didn't want to cut down right away. I wanted to do it slowly and wait until school is out. He is now on 7.25mg for Abilify and no change with mood, etc... It's only been two weeks since lowering abilify. We are aiming to 5mg in another two weeks. We never intend on going with meds but we are so happy we did. I always wondered what if he took it during middle school but then I'm glad I waited. He is aware of why he is taking meds and is content with it. Every child is different. Good luck! From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad >Subject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage. I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage? 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?I probably will have a follow up:-)Thanks,Marc

[Guest guest]

Have you tried taking additives out of the diet? artificial colours plus

natural annatto 160b, preservatives, flavour enhancers, artificial sweeteners

etc? See www.fedup.com.au

We are affected by these plus some natural chemicals - depressed mood, rage etc

Miranda

>

> From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad@...>

> Subject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

>

> Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

>

>

> So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication

from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose

to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to

maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that

my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage.

>

> I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and

where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?

>

> 1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the

dosage?

>

> 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it

occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it

bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she

did not need?

>

> I probably will have a follow up:-)

>

> Thanks,

>

> Marc

>

[Guest guest]

You should really talk to his med doc about this. Talk to the doc about ways to decide if the meds are working, if a lower dose is appropriate and if going without is an option.

You should always use the lowest dose necessary. If you don't, again, talk to the med doc to figure that out. With school out, summer would probably be a good time to figure out what dose is appropriate.

I have found, though, that as kids get older and grow larger, they usually need dosages increased.

Roxanna

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage.

I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?

1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage?

2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?

I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,

Marc

[Guest guest]

Why was your appt postponed? You should call them up and ask to be called if they get a cancellation and let them know you have problems and need help. The talk you describe is so very like my 13 yo ds. It is depression and he began doing it when puberty hit. We have had to work hard to find meds that work but once we did, it eliminates this almost completely. Then we have also worked with him on his feelings as well - better ways to manage them. But he is not receptive when he is that depressed. Hang in there! I know how awful it is to deal with this.

Roxanna

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage.

I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?

1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage?

2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?

I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,

Marc

[Guest guest]

Kel,

I'm assuming your son is not on meds. My 15yr son struggled like your son. It was scary when self-injury talk started (middle school) due to teasing, etc.. Middle school is harsh. The middle school psychologist did not help other than gave me sheet of paper for self-injury website???? We did not wait to see his pedi. Fortunately, our insurance covers behavioral treatment. They helped us on finding a psychiatrist right away. It was hard finding a therapist that focuses on the autism. Thankfully the psychaitrist we see is knowledgeable of autism and she advocated for my son. We do a lot of Behavorial Modification at home and continue seeing his psychiatrist every month (need to for medication). His school also started the Behaviorial Modification. This is after years of struggling to get them to test him for autism (but this is a long story to go on with). At the

time, school could only give one disability for IEP!!! His high school psychologist and special ed team had their own meeting and consulted with us later to add autism and language/speech disability (FINALLY!!!) If he had a issue with teasing and so on, the special ed team and school psychologist will be aware of it. He does not report to the office if a issue comes up. It seems also that the yard/security people are aware of his disability because my son has told me of incidents and they just tell him to chill and tell the other NT students to stop. So far my son is happier. He still does not have friends (he tells us he does) which I think they are just classmates. He continues to stay at home with his computer/video games. He though is going to family gathering which in the past he would just stay at home. We do see if we go to the local stores/restaurants and he sees other kids from school,

they approach our son and say hi and do the knuckle hi ;-).

There will always be struggles and but we see little things that he succeeds in (socially).

He has come along way.

I suggest getting him to see a psych/therapist. It is easier for our kids to talk to someone else that their own parent. (teenage angst???) Hang in there. I've been through this ;-)

-.

From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad >Subject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage. I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage? 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,Marc

[Guest guest]

Roxanna et al,

Well here is my follow-up.

My ex is dead against going lower, even trying for 2 weeks a 25% redution in

Adderall dosage after school is out. She feels he will suffer (socially with

friends) and does not want to even try the 25% reduction in dose, saying that

she does not want to be him to be a " lab rat " .

Our psych dr. plays both sides and says both have merits. He will not pick a

side.

I wish my dr. had a stronger opinion. He seems so wishy-washy.

Thoughts, comments. What is a father to do? I am not sure what my rights are as

the father. (btw, my ex wanted my daughter on Zoloft--all before my daughter

even had an pysch. examination.)

Anybody have walked in my shoes?

Marc

>

> You should really talk to his med doc about this. Talk to the doc about ways

to decide if the meds are working, if a lower dose is appropriate and if going

without is an option.

>

> You should always use the lowest dose necessary. If you don't, again, talk to

the med doc to figure that out. With school out, summer would probably be a

good time to figure out what dose is appropriate.

>

> I have found, though, that as kids get older and grow larger, they usually

need dosages increased.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Roxanna

> Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

>

>

>

>

>

> ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

>

>

>

>

>

> So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication

from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose

to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to

maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that

my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage.

>

> I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and

where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?

>

> 1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the

dosage?

>

> 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it

occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it

bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she

did not need?

>

> I probably will have a follow up:-)

>

> Thanks,

>

> Marc

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks ,I am sure we will get through, few grey hairs! I hope we will anyway.He is seeing a psychologist, only been twice so far.Did medication help your son? I will keep climbing the mountain.Sent from Kel's iPhone On 16/06/2010, at 8:17 AM, lisa marasigan <lisaldy777@...> wrote:

Kel,

I'm assuming your son is not on meds. My 15yr son struggled like your son. It was scary when self-injury talk started (middle school) due to teasing, etc.. Middle school is harsh. The middle school psychologist did not help other than gave me sheet of paper for self-injury website???? We did not wait to see his pedi. Fortunately, our insurance covers behavioral treatment. They helped us on finding a psychiatrist right away. It was hard finding a therapist that focuses on the autism. Thankfully the psychaitrist we see is knowledgeable of autism and she advocated for my son. We do a lot of Behavorial Modification at home and continue seeing his psychiatrist every month (need to for medication). His school also started the Behaviorial Modification. This is after years of struggling to get them to test him for autism (but this is a long story to go on with). At the

time, school could only give one disability for IEP!!! His high school psychologist and special ed team had their own meeting and consulted with us later to add autism and language/speech disability (FINALLY!!!) If he had a issue with teasing and so on, the special ed team and school psychologist will be aware of it. He does not report to the office if a issue comes up. It seems also that the yard/security people are aware of his disability because my son has told me of incidents and they just tell him to chill and tell the other NT students to stop. So far my son is happier. He still does not have friends (he tells us he does) which I think they are just classmates. He continues to stay at home with his computer/video games. He though is going to family gathering which in the past he would just stay at home. We do see if we go to the local stores/restaurants and he sees other kids from school,

they approach our son and say hi and do the knuckle hi ;-).

There will always be struggles and but we see little things that he succeeds in (socially).

He has come along way.

I suggest getting him to see a psych/therapist. It is easier for our kids to talk to someone else that their own parent. (teenage angst???) Hang in there. I've been through this ;-)

-.

From: marcontheroad <marcontheroad >Subject: ( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage. I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage? 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,Marc

[Guest guest]

Thanks Roxanna,There was a death in family for pedi. Yes your right should push for ealrlier appt. I do need to get on top of this as it's affecting us all. KelI will keep climbing the mountain.Sent from Kel's iPhone On 16/06/2010, at 8:15 AM, Roxanna <MadIdeas@...> wrote:

Why was your appt postponed? You should call them up and ask to be called if they get a cancellation and let them know you have problems and need help. The talk you describe is so very like my 13 yo ds. It is depression and he began doing it when puberty hit. We have had to work hard to find meds that work but once we did, it eliminates this almost completely. Then we have also worked with him on his feelings as well - better ways to manage them. But he is not receptive when he is that depressed. Hang in there! I know how awful it is to deal with this.

Roxanna

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:30 AM

So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage.

I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?

1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage?

2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?

I probably will have a follow up:-)

Thanks,

Marc

[Guest guest]

Marc,

Just to play "devil's advocate" here, I have a story from my past. Well, I have several. But this is probably the best one for the situation. lol. shortly after my oldest ds turned 1 yo, he began headbanging and screaming his head off. He'd always had "quirks" but this was the icing on the cake for me. I immediately told my dh, who said it was probably a stage and he'd "get over it." Relatives all said, "Welcome to the terrible two's!" but of course, it was way more than just that.

I took him to the doctor. My ds shrunk from people and so whenever we saw the doc, he was a silent child who didn't hardly move a muscle. Here I was telling the doc that he screamed all day long, headbanged, didn't talk, etc. I looked more hysterical than my ds did at the time. lol. Doctor assured me that he was just a "really bright" little boy who was trying to take advantage of me. I was instructed to walk out of the room next time he headbanged. When my ds did not get attention for doing that, he'd stop!

He didn't stop. It just kept getting worse. I felt like I was living in my own little personal hell at the time. My dh worked many hours so he really didn't realize the extent of the problem. Having him scream and tantrum once or twice was not a big deal. But having it all day, every day - different perspective entirely!! Finally, my dh took a day off work (rare!) and spent the whole day with screaming/headbanging boy. He immediately had his eyes wide open and said "We need to see the doctor!" Ahh, he sees my point.

We again went to the doc and I was armed with a list to discuss with him. This time, they had us waiting too long in that little room and my ds finally "lost it". By the time the doc got to the room, I didn't need the list. My ds was on the floor, under a chair, screaming and banging his head. The doc immediately set us up for an evaluation, where he was dx'd with autism. Ahh, he sees my point.

Moral to my story, it may not seem like a big deal to you but your ex may see a totally different side of it. You need to hear her side of things if you are going to address her concerns and make your point. If she is worried about social development, how can you work to improve that area? He is taking adderall so I am thinking he has ADHD type issues? If so, what are ways to improve his ability to focus and be less impulsive - how would you work to teach him these skills so eventually he does not need the meds? I think you will have more success if you focus on his areas of weakness and find ways to work on them (pay for therapies, social skill groups, spend time at scouts or learning a sport, tutoring, etc.) It's hard to say how to help you when you didn't list the problem he is having - just that you don't want him on meds. And if he is on meds, there is a reason. Without addressing the reason(s), you probably won't get far in this argument.

I imagine there is a reason your ex is an ex. So this may be a tough issues between you to discuss. But ultimately, whatever you do should be about your ds and his needs, regardless of your opinion about medication for kids. I would suggest you both discuss why he is on the medication. Specifically, what behaviors does he have that require the medication and how is that affecting his ability to learn and grow and socialize. They do have rating scales out there for figuring these things out as well. The doc's could make use of them to help determine if the med is helping and to what extent. I don't see the point to reducing the dosage unless it is determined that he is on too high a dose based on data - size, behavior caused by the med specifically or growth delay. In that case, you'd want to talk to the doc about reducing or eliminating or changing the med. But otherwise, if he is taking the right dose for his size and it is having the desired effect, I wouldn't change that either. (Why mess with success!?!) So I think you want to reduce the med just because you hate the idea he is taking meds or disagree that he needs them. But I don't see the point in reducing since he's still taking the meds. It would just seem more logical to address the behavior issues he's having that lead to him having to take the med - improve his skills in areas he is having problems.

It helps to get on the same side when you focus on the data instead of how everyone is "feeling." And you may not be seeing the same situations that your ex is seeing. Mom's and dad's do focus on different things at times, as happened with me and my dh on many occasions. We have different POV's about life and we bring that to how we raise our kids. Dad's are more "let's wrestle" and put up with more rough housing. Mom's tend to want to civilize them more. lol. Not always. But in general. I do put up with a lot of rough housing and we have 2 kids with HFA. So we put up with behaviors more than the average family would. But overall, you are both looking at the situation from different perspectives. I would suggest you work hard to see her POV and address her concerns. That will help more than arguing with the doctor.

Finally, your doc is not taking sides because neither side is "right." There are valid points to be made at both ends of this kind of argument.

Roxanna

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

( ) Reducing Dosage on Medication

>

>

>

>

>

> So this summer I would like to reduce my 12 year old son's Adderall medication from 20mg to 15mg because 1) I want to do everything possible to keep his dose to minimum 2) without school in session, I I see less need or benefit to maintain the dosage during the summer 3) I believe in periodic confirmation that my son needs the medication AND at the current dosage.

>

> I am curious about parents whose aspie grew up to a teenager or adult and where the medication was weaned off to either nothing or a lower dosage?

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> 1) How did you figure out that it was the appropriate time to lower the dosage?

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> 2) If you just tried the lower dosage and it worked say at age 17, did it occur to you that maybe you could have lowered it at 16 or even 15. Did it bother you that he might have gone a year or longer on medication that he/she did not need?

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> I probably will have a follow up:-)

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> Thanks,

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> Marc

>