We went through 3 different types of ADHD medication for my son since he was diagnosed as ADHD before we found the right fit. Adderall has been a godsend for us. It has helped him to focus better in school and has greatly reduced his over hyperactivity and has also helped him with impulse control. Unlike the other medications he had was on before (vyvase, intuniv, and Focalin), Adderall did not cause him to be extremely lethargic when starting it for the first time. His appetite has not been greatly affected, but he is currently taking an appetite stimulant just in case. His mood has not been affected. With intuniv he was very moody and emotional. He has been getting really good marks in school for grades as well as behavior. This is a first! He seems to be a much happier and content child since starting Adderall and I hope that this all lasts! I have heard from other parents of ADHD children that sometimes the good effects finally found with a medication may wear off and a new medication will need to be started. So far (5 months), we have continued to reap the good rewards from Adderall for ADHD. Fingers crossed that this continues without interruption!

LouieMerlin

USA

I headed back to school 13 years after graduating from high school. I was so psyched, but found I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't remember anything after reading it, and I couldn't force myself to do my homework. Major procrastination. I went to my doc, and he had me fill out a questionaire about ADHD. I fit every one of the criteria, so he had my try Adderall XR. OMG, what a difference! I could read, I coudl study, I got my homework and my housework done and my bills paid and everything! All the things I wouldn't start, or would stop and start, I was doing without pause. I loved it! I did not have any negastive side effects, the only thing is since it is a controlled sustance, I had to go to the clinic to pick up the prescription every month. That was minor. The down side is that I also have Seasonal affective, and that I had to go back on my wellbutrin, which means that the doc took me off the adderall due to it upping risk of seizures when used together. So I have tried to struggle through the semester at school, but am planning to take off the next one so I can get good grades and take the Adderall. I just can't do it without.

stayceek

Ogilvie, MN

My son had failed 7th grade and since before that time he had been complaining about school and wanted to quit.  After a while he began treatment for depression.  When I would help him with his homework he would get so frustrated and just give up, saying that he did not understand.  After his father was diagnosed with dyslexia and other problems I began to wonder if this was my son's problem also.  I began trying to get him tested.  His school refused to test him because he scored too high on the Iowa tests.  Later, the psychiatrist who had been treating his depression diagnosed him as having ADD and put him on Adderall.  He began improving almost immediately and once they found the correct dosage he did great.  He began getting A's in school, taking correspondence classes from the college to make up the credits he would be missing from graduating due to his past failure of some classes.  His senior year he was taking 3 or 4 honors classes.  It was wonderful.  He was like a totally different person.  After my son was diagnosed, his older sister was diagnosed and put on Adderall.  After all these years, finally she could listen to whole songs on the radio or on CD's instead of saying "oh, I've been waiting all day to hear that song" or "I love this song" and before it was 1/4 - 1/2 over she would change the station or the track on the CD. 

sherry7664

Baton Rouge, LA

I really love this medication for my 15 yr old who was diagnosed with ADD when she was in the 1st grade. She had so much trouble with concentrating and sitting still. Her teachers even said that "she was a distraction to herself". After talking to different doctors she was given the Adderall. She has been on it ever since and is now an average kid who does well in school and social activites.

bmcclellan29

Clinton Township, MI

My daughet was on this medication for almost a year. Over time, she became increasingly aggressive, argumentative, and mean. I thought these were all symptoms of her ADD, but when I talked to some other moms, I decided to take her off the medication and see what happened. The first day, my daughter was so cheerful and happy. She actually told me she liked that day better than the days she took her medicine. She was a completely different child, the sweet girl I remembered. Just beware of these side effects and know it could be the medication and not your child.

jrblount24

Rowlett, TX

When my son started using this medication he seemed okay for a few days, but it wasn't long till he began refusing any meal placed before him. He cried un controllably and it was hard to comfort him. A week with this medication sent him into a rage at everyone, and he didn't know why. His refusal to eat ended up with a child who didn't have the energy to do anything, he was a bag of bones.I stopped all use of this drug and went for a more natural medication instead.

bigscripter

Dallas, OR

Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do, like with me by giving my son ADHD medication.  I am against medicating a child,  but sometimes we have to do things we are against,  if the benefits outweigh the risks.  His schoolwork was suffering,  which in turn would eventually have his self-esteem suffer.....thats where I drew the line.  Plus, being treated now at an early age,  I understand he now has a chance of outgrowing ADHD (his brother DID!),  I was not so lucky!  Regardless, though,  you can only keep going so high with the dosing when the medication starts losing its effectiveness, and nine times out of ten,  IT WILL, sooner or later.  That's when I recommend switching to a different medication, like Vyvanse, for example.

lisa490

Houtzdale, PA

I am a very concerned Mother with a 9 year old child who was diagnoised with ADD, he has problems in school with paying attention, staying on tasks and following directions which are signs of ADD. His doctors prescribed him Adderall I have to say that it has help tremendously with his focusing issues and maintaining his tasks, My issues with this medication is the side effects and the long time effects that this drug medication will have on children ten or twenty years from now. I realize that all medication has some side effects. I have to either wait until late evening to give him his dinner or give him something to help him with his appitite. Adderall has a side effects of headaches, loss of appitite and in some cases nausea and stomach problems. I have debated over giving my child this medicine but as parents we really don't have to many options right now. He has attended behavioral specialists which help him to deal and learn how to handle his behavorial issues Having children who have special issues can be challenging but rewarding. I have talked it over with his doctor about Adderall and the long term effects. Each parent has to decide for themselves what is best for their children, so I recommend this medicine but with precautions. Make sure you talk with the doctor, research the medicine and pay attention to the amount of dosage that they prescribe. I am still at odds about giving this medicine to my son. My main concern has to do with what are the long term effects of this drug.

nlthn6

Stone Mountain, GA

I was prescribed Adderall by my psychiatrist for chronic fatigue, not ADHD or ADD.  So if you are looking for an ADHD/ADD perspective, this review won't help you much.  I started taking it about 3 months ago because I was on so much depression and anxiety medication that I couldn't function.  I was falling asleep in the middle of the day at work and I didn't want to get fired.  Adderall is not available in generic form, so I had to cut out that depression medicine anyway to be able to afford it, but it turns out I'm overly exhausted during the day even without the medication. Adderall has changed my life.  I take one pill and I'm okay to stay awake through the workday.  I take two and I have energy to do things I need to do and interact with people in a social setting.  It also suppresses my appetite some which helped with some of my weight loss.  However, it's not actually treating the underlying fatigue problem.  If I take two pills, that means I have to go a day without one because I can't fill the next prescription early.  On those days, I barely get out of bed.  Just going to the store wipes me out to the point that I have to take a nap.  So yes, Adderall has kept me employed and keeps me from being completely antisocial - but I'm totally dependent on it and it's not fixing the underlying problem.

ellaellacarmona

Raleigh, NC

My husband started taking Adderall for his ADD, and it helped him focus a lot. Then, getting fed up with Medicare not paying for my other medication, I switched to Adderall to help ameliorate my severe fatigue. It really helps keep me alert and feeling wakeful. I can get things done without being exhausted, which is a nice change of pace.  One thing that does annoy me, in retrospect, is that my doctor never bothered to warn me that Vitamin C will wash Adderall out of your system. Tim's psychiatrist had told him that, so we knew it. But otherwise, we'd never be able to figure out why I get so tired after some lemonade or whatnot. It's the citric acid in Vitamin C as I recall. In some ways, it's very inconvenient. But in other ways, it can be very useful. For example, if I need to stay up later, say when we're at a friend's house or some event runs late, I can take an extra Adderall. Then, when I need to go to sleep, I just have to have some OJ or a Hawaiin Punch or something and I'm set.  Similarly, Tim does like the focus that Adderall gives him for ADD, but he also likes the creativity that ADD allows his mind. So when he needs to be focused on mundane things, he takes his pill. But if he then finds himself needing some out-of-the-box thinking, he can get something citrus-y and be done with it.  Sometimes, though, all I want is some OJ and, if I've just taken a pill, I sit and pout while other people enjoy their citrus. On a few occasions, I've accidentally washed the stuff out of my system while I still needed it because I wasn't thinking. Strawberry lemonade at Red Robin, for example, mixers in alcoholic drinks, and one time at a Friday Night Magic event where I was drinking a Hawaiin Punch and was suddenly really sluggish thought-wise.  The only other real draw back is that you cannot get more than a month's worth prescribed at any time. Because people misuse the drug, doctors have to dole out new prescriptions once a month. And they can't just call it in. Again, due to vast misuse, those of us who actually need the medication are forced to make sure we call in to the doctor's office, make sure they have it ready, pick it up and then take it to the pharmacy. Kind of annoying, overall, when you consider how easy other prescriptions are.

humptydumpty78

Phoenix, AZ