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Back on Intuniv - sick of the rages
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<blockquote data-quote="WearyWoman" data-source="post: 388319"><p>Just wanted to say that I could have written your post myself not so long ago. Our youngest boy is on Focalin XR for severe ADHD, and he was experiencing rages in the afternoons and early evenings. It was pretty consistent and didn't take much to set him off. He became physically aggressive and emotionally abusive toward everyone in our whole family and even his in-home therapists. I KNOW how bad and how upsetting the rages can be. My lowest point was when he raged to the point that he unscrewed the heavy bedpost knobs off of his bed (solid wood) and threw them at me. If one had hit me in the head, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. That was a wake-up call, and like you, I felt like we HAD to do SOMETHING. It was not acceptable to continue like we were.</p><p> </p><p>I believe kids behave well when they can. If they consistently cannot, you have to wonder what is going on. I started keeping a daily record of his meltdowns and inflexible moments. I soon learned that they were occurring rather consistently in the afternoons and especially when anyone required something of him at those times of day. </p><p> </p><p>I know this post is getting long, but hang in there, I have a point - really. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite9" alt=":eek:" title="Eek! :eek:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":eek:" />)</p><p> </p><p>I came to the conclusion that his rages were being triggered to some extent by the stimulant (Focalin) leaving his system in the afternoons. Coming off the medication was hard on him.</p><p> </p><p>Our pediatritian recommended that we try Intuniv. It caused him to be very sleepy initially as we increased the dosage. She then thought we should try taking him off the Focalin, just using the Intuniv. Well, that was a disaster because of his extreme hyperactivity. The Intuniv did not help with his hyperactivity at all. But, without the Focalin, he was a nicer, happier boy. </p><p> </p><p>In the end, he had to go back on Focalin with the Intuniv. Now, the afternoons are much smoother. He is happier and nicer. He doesn't have the extreme agitation that was leading to his rages. Now and then he gets a little upset, but he is much more easily able to shift gears. So he's on 2 mg of Intuniv with his Focalin. He takes both medications right away in the morning, and that's it for the day.</p><p> </p><p>It seems to be working well. I will say that 3 mg of Intuniv was too much and he had worse behavior at that dose. So we went back to the 2 mg.</p><p> </p><p>I guess Intuniv is pretty expensive. We have health insurance, and while they have paid up until now, today they denied payment until our doctor confirms that we have tried other medications and that Intuniv is the only one that is working. Give me a break! I don't care how expensive this medication is . . . this is the reason we have health insurance and we and our employers are paying for it! Ughh . . .</p><p> </p><p>Anyway, keep fighting the good fight. Trust your instincts that something is not right - that your child cannot completely control himself. I would consider finding a new psychiatrist if this one is so ignorant as to blame parenting for this sort of out-of-control, over-the-top raging. This is beyond that. You deserve better.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WearyWoman, post: 388319"] Just wanted to say that I could have written your post myself not so long ago. Our youngest boy is on Focalin XR for severe ADHD, and he was experiencing rages in the afternoons and early evenings. It was pretty consistent and didn't take much to set him off. He became physically aggressive and emotionally abusive toward everyone in our whole family and even his in-home therapists. I KNOW how bad and how upsetting the rages can be. My lowest point was when he raged to the point that he unscrewed the heavy bedpost knobs off of his bed (solid wood) and threw them at me. If one had hit me in the head, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. That was a wake-up call, and like you, I felt like we HAD to do SOMETHING. It was not acceptable to continue like we were. I believe kids behave well when they can. If they consistently cannot, you have to wonder what is going on. I started keeping a daily record of his meltdowns and inflexible moments. I soon learned that they were occurring rather consistently in the afternoons and especially when anyone required something of him at those times of day. I know this post is getting long, but hang in there, I have a point - really. :o) I came to the conclusion that his rages were being triggered to some extent by the stimulant (Focalin) leaving his system in the afternoons. Coming off the medication was hard on him. Our pediatritian recommended that we try Intuniv. It caused him to be very sleepy initially as we increased the dosage. She then thought we should try taking him off the Focalin, just using the Intuniv. Well, that was a disaster because of his extreme hyperactivity. The Intuniv did not help with his hyperactivity at all. But, without the Focalin, he was a nicer, happier boy. In the end, he had to go back on Focalin with the Intuniv. Now, the afternoons are much smoother. He is happier and nicer. He doesn't have the extreme agitation that was leading to his rages. Now and then he gets a little upset, but he is much more easily able to shift gears. So he's on 2 mg of Intuniv with his Focalin. He takes both medications right away in the morning, and that's it for the day. It seems to be working well. I will say that 3 mg of Intuniv was too much and he had worse behavior at that dose. So we went back to the 2 mg. I guess Intuniv is pretty expensive. We have health insurance, and while they have paid up until now, today they denied payment until our doctor confirms that we have tried other medications and that Intuniv is the only one that is working. Give me a break! I don't care how expensive this medication is . . . this is the reason we have health insurance and we and our employers are paying for it! Ughh . . . Anyway, keep fighting the good fight. Trust your instincts that something is not right - that your child cannot completely control himself. I would consider finding a new psychiatrist if this one is so ignorant as to blame parenting for this sort of out-of-control, over-the-top raging. This is beyond that. You deserve better. [/QUOTE]
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