How to Reduce the Side Effects of ADHD Medication - Reduce Side Effects of ADHD Medications

Nausea, Tiredness

With the nonstimulant drug Strattera, nausea and excessive tiredness are common side effects in the first few weeks. To help the child build up a tolerance to the medication, try these tips:

• Start with a low dose. Increase the dose by a small amount every one to two weeks.
• Change dosing. Give the dose at night -- or divide the dose into morning and late afternoon dosages.

Increased Heart Rate & Pulse

An ADHD drug plus a decongestant like Sudafed can trigger these side-effects. "You're mixing two potent stimulants together," Sogn says. "That's when we get a call that a kid is getting panicky at school -- only to find out the parents gave him cold medicine that morning." In fact, pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) dramatically increases all side effects from stimulants, he notes. Try these tips:

• Use a nasal spray when your child has a cold.
• Skip the ADHD medication when your child is stuffed up and needs a decongestant.
• Or, choose a cold medicine that doesn't contain pseudoephedrine.

Sources:

• Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids, by Timothy E. Wilens, M.D.
• WebMD

next: Medication Treatments for ADHD - Clonidine (Catapres), Another Alternative to Stimulants for Treating ADHD
~ adhd library articles
~ all add/adhd articles