I am finding this blog to be clarifying, thank you. What anti depressants have you heard tend to help best with adolescents?

My son claims his anxiety is not up but—-he takes a very low dose of luvox. He claims that he is daydreaming a lot and that he cannot find any motivation. At school—his is a Sophomore—they say he is not opening a book during class and at times has his head down on the table. At home he cannot sit down to do his homework and he is confused as to why he cannot do it. Things are not working as his grades are going way low now due to not handing stuff in. He says that he is on autopilot and doing nothing in class. Last quarter was a 3.0. He started with a 3.6 and now we are going with F’s.

He is taking immediate release 5 mg. of adderall a day. His head is on the table at times during second hour as well as at the end of day but reports the adderall wearing off by noon.

Frustrated

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Anxiety is often a part of the ADHD package and most therapists choose to treat it first and the ADHD second. Part of that (I think) is because anxiety can be so crippling to ones life. Also the stimulants in ADHD medications can make it worse. You might want to check into Vyvanse for the ADD; it is a non stimulant drug and works well with anxiety medications. My daughter – who has both anxiety and ADHD – is prescribed both and it works well for her.

I know that some therapists use anti-depressants like Wellbutrin for both depression and ADHD, but I find that it’s not always effective when it comes to the ADHD.

If it were my son, I would ask about (in order) an anxiety medication, an ADHD medication like Vyvanse, and possibly an antidepressant. And of course you need to be concerned about side effects, but at this point I think it’s more important to begin treatment.

Beginning in 4th or 5th grade a lot of kids with ADHD start to have real trouble in school. It’s the age when more is beginning to be expected of them and there is more subject matter to learn. Also, they are preparing for middle school, which is a big change.

Keep in mind that your son, like all kids with ADHD, is 3-5 years behind emotionally. Most don’t catch up to their real age in terms of maturity until their mid twenties. That could be contributing to his problems.

Sounds like school is a really negative place for him, and shame on the grown ups and professionals who aren’t helping. You’re right to take him to therapy. They can help with those issues as well as learning to manage his anxiety and ADHD. I understand that you don’t want his ADHD symptoms to get worse because that will make school even harder, but the anxiety meds might help mare than you think.

Do your best to make the rest of your son’s life more positive. I just can’t imagine spending so much of my day in a place that seems to make him so miserable.

Sounds like you’re doing a lot that’s right. Best wishes and let me know if I can help.