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Monthly NewsNote
May 2007
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New ADD Medication
Thoughts on Student-Teacher Relationships
I. New ADD Medication
The FDA recently approved lisdexamfetamine for the treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents. The drug will be marketed by Shire under the name Vyvanase.
The drug is an amphetamine that is bound to the amino acid L-lysine. This gives it the unusual property of being inactive until it passes through the liver. When this happens the amino acid is removed and the drug becomes active.
This leaves an amphetamine, which we know is useful in the treatment of ADD.
Because the drug is inactive until metabolized, it cannot be abused by snorting or by diluting the powder and injecting it. The drug company sees this as a major benefit and a major plus in drug treatment with stimulants. Vyvanase should be available by summer.
Research with children and adolescents shows the medication to be superior to a placebo. The dosage was 30 mg, 50 mg, or 70 mg. per day.
I have no reason to assume that it will be superior to Adderall, but I have not yet found any head-to-head comparisons. My skeptical side says that this is coming out shortly before Adderall XR goes off patent, and an attempt will be made to say it's better. That remains to be seen.
The company had hoped the FDA would classify it as a non-controlled substance. This did not happen and it is a class 2 controlled substance, as are all the other stimulants.
The drug has the same FDA warnings as other stimulants, and the same common side effects such as reduced appetite and trouble sleeping.
II. Thoughts on Student-Teacher Relationships
A question on my mind this month is, "Why do some kids fail subjects because they dislike the teacher, even if they could do well?"
Let me give you two examples. I saw Fred and Art separately this month. They came in as part of a regular review, and brought their report cards as I asked them to do. Both were on medication. As I looked over the cards I was pleased because they were doing quite nicely. But each had one very poor grade. When I asked why the answer was, "I don't like the teacher." Modifiers included he's boring, he's stupid, he sucks. There was nothing of substance offered and they could not give specifics. They did not give much additional information, and one mother quickly said, "You're going to have bad teachers and you have to learn how to handle it." I probably thought the same thing, and we went on to other topics.
All students do better if they like the teacher. It has to do with a relationship, motivation, and probably several other factors. But being willing to fail because you don't like the teacher is quite another matter.
I began to wonder if we could find the cause for the student's attitude so we could intervene. Could it be something the student misinterpreted? Or might it be that the student didn't listen or correctly process something the teacher said. This could lead to frustration and confusion, and then anger at the teacher. Remember I'm discussing ADD kids, though it might also apply to others as well.
And could something be done about it, such as meeting with the teacher.
I don't have answers right now, but I hope to work on this problem come fall. I'll let you know if I find something out. If you have ideas or experiences in this area, let me know.
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