“My son has just started taking a stimulant medicine for his ADHD. The improvements he is experiencing are dramatic. We do have concerns, however, because he seems to really crash as the medicine is wearing out of his system. He gets very angry and irritable and he doesn’t like these feelings…and neither do we. Is this normal?” --About.com Reader
ADHD Medication Side Effects and Rebound
It sounds like you are describing what is often referred to as medication rebound. A small percentage of kids do experience these rebound effects at the tail-end of their medication dosing.
As the medicine's effect wears off, sometimes people experience negative side effects such as a marked change in their demeanor, excessive moodiness, irritability, anger, nervousness, sadness, crying, fatigue, and even an increase in the severity of ADHD symptoms. The effects can be very impairing and troubling, and it is important to address this issue with the doctor so that it may be corrected.
Talk with your son's doctor about your concerns. Rebound tends to occur more frequently with the shorter-acting stimulants that can move out of one's system quickly. Sometimes doctors will add a very small dose of immediate release medicine about an hour before this rebound effect occurs so that the transition off the medicine is smoother. For some people, the rebound effect is reduced in the longer-acting stimulants which move out of one's system more gradually.
As always, good communication with the doctor is essential in correcting any negative side effects that are occurring with the medication, as well as monitoring overall treatment progress.
Read more:
Advice About ADHD Medications: 21 Rules
Starting Medication: What is Titration?
How Do I Know If My Child's Treatment Is Working?
Source
Russell Barkley, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. The Guilford Press.
