6 Tips for Switching ADHD Treatments Successfully Flip Cards Switching Medications: What to Do if ADHD Treatment Isn’t Working– 6 Tips for Switching Treatments Successfully

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Be patient

Track your feelings

Cut back on (or eliminate) caffeine

Use visual cues

Attend follow-up appointments

Expand your care team, if needed

Be patient

Track your feelings

Cut back on (or eliminate) caffeine

Use visual cues

Attend follow-up appointments

Expand your care team, if needed

Be patient

Cut back on (or eliminate) caffeine

Use visual cues

Attend follow-up appointments

Expand your care team, if needed

Learn the basics

Attend all follow-ups

Keep in touch with your care team

Track daily trends

Manage side effects early

Track your feelings

It can take up to a month to truly judge how effective a new medication is. But if you feel significantly worse in the first week, alert your doctor immediately, says Goodman.

Be patient

It can take up to a month to truly judge how effective a new medication is. But if you feel significantly worse in the first week, alert your doctor immediately, says Goodman.

Tracking how you feel at specific times of the day helps your doctor determine if you need a different formulation (timing of release), rather than a different medication, says Stephen Faraone, MD a distinguished professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and president of the World Federation of ADHD.

Track your feelings

Tracking how you feel at specific times of the day helps your doctor determine if you need a different formulation (timing of release), rather than a different medication, says Stephen Faraone, MD a distinguished professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and the president of the World Federation of ADHD.

Cut back on (or eliminate) caffeine

Caffeine can mimic or worsen side effects such as jitters or a racing heart, Goodman notes, making it hard to tell if the new medication is working correctly.

It can take up to a month to truly judge how effective a new medication is. But if you feel significantly worse in the first week, alert your doctor immediately, says Goodman.

Use visual cues

Medication doesn't work if you don’t take it, so Goodman recommends using visual reminders to stay on top of the dosing schedule. “Velcro your pill bottle to the bathroom mirror, or set a phone alarm,” he says.

Caffeine can mimic or worsen side effects such as jitters or a racing heart, Goodman notes, making it hard to tell if the new medication is working correctly.

Attend follow-up appointments

Your doctor will recommend regular follow-ups to monitor your progress, assess symptoms and determine whether the switch was successful.

Medication doesn’t work if you don’t take it, so Goodman recommends using visual reminders to stay on top of the dosing schedule. “Velcro your pill bottle to the bathroom mirror, or set a phone alarm,” he says.

Expand your care team, if needed

"If your new treatment plan still isn’t working, and your doctor only seems familiar with one or two medications, it might be time to find a specialist,” says Dr. Faraone. “The ADHD toolbox is full of tools, but your prescriber needs to know how to use all of them.”