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ADHD or bipolar?

ks3pinkks3pink member
in Special Needs
My DD has terrible mood swings. She can be raging one minute and perfectly fine the next. She has been diagnosed with ADHD but I am concerned there is something else going on. She's like a different person from minute to minute. She will scream and cry and kick and then be all "mommy come look at my picture" the next. She also still wants to pretend she is a baby sometimes and other times a teenager. Nothing in between. Any advice?

We do have her on 30 mg Vyvanse and 0.2 mg of Kapvay. Worked great in the beginning but now not so much. TIA!
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Re: ADHD or bipolar?

  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    Her moods were what caused us to look for a diagnosis in the first place. We saw a child psychiatrist who said she was just over the borderline for ADHD. These are the only meds she had tried. It is very hard to get her to take meds so we are trying to avoid anything that would have to be taken at school. She doesn't seem to have the rages at school but is always distracted. I talked with her doctor yesterday and she mentioned another psych eval but I'm not sure they are going to find anything different in a years time. I am just at a complete loss.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    Oh and as for structure. That is a concern of mine. I am hoping things level back off when school is in in a couple of weeks. We do the best we can but with two other Los it is hard.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    -auntie- said:


    ks3pink said:

    Her moods were what caused us to look for a diagnosis in the first place. We saw a child psychiatrist who said she was just over the borderline for ADHD. These are the only meds she had tried. It is very hard to get her to take meds so we are trying to avoid anything that would have to be taken at school. She doesn't seem to have the rages at school but is always distracted. I talked with her doctor yesterday and she mentioned another psych eval but I'm not sure they are going to find anything different in a years time. I am just at a complete loss.

    I'd talk to the psychiatrist who prescribed the meds. This could be an unacceptable side effect that could be managed by trialing something else. Dexedrine SR, Adderall XR and Concerta have once a day dosing for a kid her age. I am also wondering why her doc prescribed her the two more expensive new options rather than meds which have a longer hx of safe usage and are available as generics. I'm no physician, but I wonder why a child described as "borderline" needs two different ADHD meds. 

    You could also ask her school to do an evaluation based on her distractability as well if this hasn't already be done. What sort of behavior mods are in place? No child should be given meds for ADHD without some behavior mods and supports in school. 

    It might be worth seeking a second opinion. If she has developed bipolar, it might be something that would show up now.

    She doesn't have an IEP as of yet I will address it is need be this school year. Also her pediatrician prescribed the meds not the psychiatrist. She had a school and home eval done last fall that led to the diagnosis. The mood has always been the problem, its not a side effect of the meds, its just not being controlled by the meds. Does that make sense?

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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    The Kapvay was prescribed to bridge the gap in the meds from morning to morning. She was out of control in the mornings.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    She wouldn't tolerate it. One of us has to state at her and threaten her to get her to take it.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    ks3pink said:

    She wouldn't tolerate it. One of us has to state at her and threaten her to get her to take it.

    ETa: by threaten I mean a punishment like not getting to do something or taking a toy away.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    I've heard of it. I just hope she wouldn't take it off. Can you tell I have my hands full? Lol.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    I think she knows the meds calm her down and she doesn't like that. She prefers to be bouncing off the walls.
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  • ks3pinkks3pink member
    My mom has an aunt with bipolar but that's all that I am aware of. I am definitely going to pursue it more. Thank you so much for taking time to help me out!
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