It seems some days come with good and bad although I must say it’s mostly good for which I am extremely grateful.
Third week of the YMCA and he is off. 30 minutes late leaving but he left. He even set his alarm and was up at 6:30 and had a shower. Of course he had to do this and that on his laptop…
He did more laundry on his own last week.
Found a beer can and shot glass in his room the other day. He says I shouldn’t punish him for something that has been there for weeks. So he broke the rule over 2 weeks ago lol he still broke the rule. Alcohol is not allowed in the home. I let it go
Some good news: His pdoc gave the ok for him to decrease his Clozapine from 300 to 200. It’s been 4 days and so far no issues. After the first decrease he was a little sensitive the next day and thought I was yelling at him when I wasn’t.
He is thinking about trying ADHD medication. Not sure what motivated that turn of thinking as he still hasn’t researched adult ADHD. Could be that I’m not letting him overuse the Gabapentin so he’s hoping ADHD medication will give him that little extra pick me up. I don’t think they will prescribe him anything to stimulating due to his addictive personality but I guess have some researching into ADHD medications to do just in case. His nurse had suggested Concerta which is habit forming and should be used with caution if history of drug/alcohol abuse. Yup I have some research to do to keep them on their toes.
He’s been falling asleep on the couch a lot which is a no no. Working on correcting that bad habit before it gets to bad. Also not sleeping as soundly as he usually does but this could be an adjustment to less Clozapine. Started to get a little lazy about picking up after himself and making messes but trying to nip that in the butt as well.
Overall I would say it’s all good. I’m very happy with the progress we are making.
Has your son been officially diagnosed with ADHD? Most psychiatrists in the states won’t prescribe meds for ADHD unless diagnosed.
When son had his first break and ended up in the hospital several years ago, his attending physician in the hospital became his regular pdoc for a couple of years. After a year or so he prescribed Vyvanse at son’s request. This pdoc did not test him for ADHD. I knew no different at the time. My son also has a tendency to abuse drugs and he did abuse the Vyvanse and was not taking his psych meds correctly and had a colossal meltdown and another hospital stay after that fiasco. We were all new at this game and didn’t know which end was up. Vyvanse was discontinued at this point.
Fast forward a little - I found son a better pdoc, much closer to where we live too. After a bit of time son still complained of poor concentration, etc. This pdoc sent him to a specialist to be tested for ADHD and tests came back affirmative. They tried Straterra first and son said it did not help him. So Vyvanse was once again prescribed which terrified me after what we had been through, so I took control of it and dispensed one pill every day - 50 mg.
About 9 months or so ago, son informed me he wanted control of all his meds including the Vyvanse, or he was calling the police (?). He was 24 at that time, so I really had no choice except to give them to him, rattling off how he had to not take more than one day, no exceptions, etc. Boy I hated turning those over to him.
Fast forward again to about two months ago and son decided he would rather take Adderral, so pdoc switched him from Vyvanse to Adderral. It seems to be working ok, but I am extremely wary knowing his tendency to abuse the stimulants. They do really seem to help him though. I’m just afraid of them and wish he didn’t feel as if he needs them.
I’m guessing that yes officially he has been diagnosed. I thought he had ADHD when he was younger as well and his last two pdocs have noted that his symptoms are obvious. He did answer some questions that determined that he has a lot of the components of it. I had heard so many bad things about Ritalin that I didn’t pursue this when he was younger however I think a lot of things that have been chalked up to sz or anxiety is ADHD. I plan on asking for non-stimulating medications first as I am concerned about his abusing it. I think I have changed my attitude some regarding this as I think if I can accept and want him to accept being on 2 antipsychotics, Lithium and other anxiety relieving meds then perhaps my son and I should be more open to ADHD medication. He would abuse his Gabapentin if I let him. If it does become a problem I am lucky that we have PACT on board and I have told my son that I will hand his pills over to them to administer if I need to. Will see how it goes as he only talked about taking them once and that idea may have changed since then
I certainly understand your worry regarding your son’s meds. Keeping my fingers crossed for you both that it continues to go ok.
So after I finally got my son off to the Y today I was thinking and remembering how irritating it used to be to get my daughter up for school. I also had to confirm something with the Y today as what my son was saying didn’t sound right to me. That the instructors were showing up 30 minutes late for class, therefore he could… So straightened that out. They are there even if he isn’t seeing them. I used to go through this all the time with my daughter. It struck me. I get to go through this with my son! Irritating yes but wonderful that it is happening. It can be a pain to get him up and going. He’s staying up too late playing games. He’s riding his bike to school. He is asking me to make him a sandwich at the last minute. My son is going to school!
So after another rocky start I think he actually made it to school on time today. Came home and wanted to show me the work he has been doing. Wanted help learning how to make an egg mcmuffin. Late wanted me to listen to the poem he is writing. I was listening to a video so I nicely pointed out that I was in the middle of doing something that he was talking over. I’m still a little bemused by this but I got told that I was being too polite in how I was talking about it It’s much better then being accused of being rude
Finding the right ADHD medication for someone with co-morbid psych and substance abuse histories can be difficult.
The traditional stimulant medications, such as Concerta, Adderall, Vyvanse and Focalin are not recommended for anyone who has a history of substance abuse. Even if it’s been an entire year since the substance abuse. They should also be used with extreme caution in those suffering from psychiatric disorders, as they can worsen psychosis, anxiety, and depression.
Straterra is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and works in a different way. It’s also schizophrenia-friendly and not addictive in the same manner as traditional stimulants are.
I hope your son finds some relief from his ADHD symptoms without endangering his mental health. I know you’ll make the right call
I was a little surprised after I read about Concerta that his worker recommended it. Although by now I shouldn’t be
To me it’s pretty obvious that this behavior is being prompted by more then just him acting out. He has put up his resistance to taking ADHD meds again but if/when that changes then I will be asking for Straterra.
Thanx for the information Anthony. Your input is always welcome.
It’s much better then being accused of being rude 