I am so sorry to hear this….honestly - take him off the meds and see if it goes away.  We went through 7 different meds.  he is only on an anti-anxiety med now.  All of the stimulants caused this type of behavior or worse for my son.

I understand how you feel…don’t beat yourself up.  Sometimes we need to yell too!

Also - just saw his history - I think it is very possible you are looking at something more than just adhd.

I have no wisdom, I just wish I could give you a hug and tell you you are doing the best you can. Sometimes (atleast in my case) my friends dont get it and I’ve actually grown Very resentful of their ” normal” children but how they try and say things Like ” ohhhh I know just yesterday Johnny threw a fit.in the store and it was sooooooo embarrassing” when they have absolutely no clue what its like to have one of these children….. Sooooooo here is my virtual hug to you!

I agree with Motherhenn. My son was having so many rage episodes when he was in concerta. We took him off the meds to try during summer and started fish oil. Also started a journal where I write only the positive I see of him during the day. It’s done wonders.

I did have a foster kid who was very destructive also, and it was determined that an antidepressant was going to be the preferred med.

Keep up the good work!—Cause you ARE doing a good job! You searching for answers and support shows that!

the only thing i can offer is the knowledge of knowing their are others here that understand your situation. you are not alone.
my 7yo goes into rages where he upends his bedroom. bookcase and books gets tipped over, toys everywhere, clothes etc.. i have to just let him go as if i try to stop him it only makes him worse. when he has finished and he has cooled down i sit down and have a talk to him about what just happened.. then i help HIM clean his room.. this isnt always what happens at the end of a rage but what else can we do..
i would look at the medication, maybe it is the wrong one for him..
good luck

I am also extending a warm, reassuring hug to you. I am ever inspired by the good, self-less deeds of others, and you are in need of self-love.

I cannot advise much on the medication, as my 14-year old daughter is ADHD, but is not on meds (organic diet, vitamins, fish oil, etc).  I would see your physician with the option to remove your son off meds.  I know aggression and rage are symptoms of some meds (just by research and reading alot of posts on this site).

The physician may also be able to test him for other conditions - which would in turn make treatment more feasible.  For example, he could have a co-morbid condition, post-traumatic stress syndrome (given his history with abuse),,,  so finding the right treatment and medication is really important right now (and could place him on the right path of treatment).

I would push for testing with your physician, and once a formal diagnosis is made, and the right treatment is applied, I would encourage you to place your son in some therapy or counselling.  Symptoms of post-traumatic stress can manifest in similar situations…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder

If you can make an appointment this week or next, as this is an emergency.  And communicate the symptoms and the urgency to your physician.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted.

I wonder if you can’t contact your local mental health agency and share your story to indicate that this is an emergency and you need help now?  Just a thought.

My son also became aggresive while on one of the many medications that we’ve tried. Like magic, we took him off and the behaviors went away.  (Of course those were replaced by others…but that’s another Oprah)

We know how you feel. It hurts so bad! ADHD meds made my son destructive, aggressive and tried to hurt himself. He is 12 and we have tried probably all of them, including the non stimulants Strattera and Intuniv. Same effect, We had to take him out of the meds and the start and antipsychotic medication. That helps him to control his anger, but his ADHD symptoms are there.

I tried an aminoacid GABA that helped him to relax and calm down, and also fish oil capsules.

If you take him out of meds please remind you cant stop them all of a sudden. You need to start reducing the dose to avoid serious side effects.

Thank you everyone for your support, cyber hugs and wisdom. I do believe it may have a lot to due with this past.

We have him on a low sugar diet and positive words whenever possible. We spent THOUSANDS on neurofeedback, rented a system to do at home daily for over 3 months. It didn’t help him.
I would love to take him to Dr Amen but we can’t afford to at this point in time as my husband has been laid off 3 times in the past 5 years.

We give his ADHD meds in the morning and when they wear off is when he starts with the issues, not just rage but with increased talking, activity etc….

We do have him in counseling, he goes again on Thursday and I have been able to move his evaluation from 9/10 to 8/27 with Psychiatrist.

He is on Prozac, the generic, for his anxiety. It may also need to be increased.  I am hoping that we will make it to 8/27 with few episodes.

Of course my husband has been out of work since 3/1, and is flying out for an interview on 28th. This is a great thing as this is his 3rd interview and they are talking about a start date. This is going to help with the stress level in our home but…..hubby will have to do some traveling in the new position which will leave me here alone to handle the rage. I am praying the evaluation with provide us with a change in meds and it will be a positive impact on him.

I appreciate all of your words, it makes me feel less alone.