ADHD 13 Yr Child

I would need a lot more information from you to help, i would suggest that you see a board certified Child psychaiatrist if you think his medication is not working. If he does not have a full evaluation that you own (from either a nueropsychologist or a developmental pediatrician) get one. You might be missing something if you have gone with soft symptoms and have no formal evaluation with IQ and processing details, along with academic funcitoning.

That is good advice, even if he were not having issues, but I would step it up and get more information if you need it, so that you can get more intervention for him and more effective releif of the symptoms that he has.

M.

HI J.,

You said your son is on meds during the school year. Does that mean you remove him cold turkey when he's out of school? One of the most prevalent side effects of ritalin, adderal and those type drugs is aggression when the drug is discontinued. You may want to check the product insert and read that fine print.

My daughter had an ADHD diagnosis and the diagnosis was removed when we removed the synthetic chemicals from her surroundings. We detoxed the house and also her body. Chemicals buildup and contraindicate just like meds do. Please get in touch with me and I'll walk you through what I did. It was a drastic change in behavior and attitude. I now have her on vitamins and Omega 3 and she is delightful.

God bless,

M.

I don't know a lot about this but if I were you I would listen to Mimi and look into what your son is eating and surrounded by in the home and classroom. A study just came out about the effects of pesticides on our food and ADHD. If you look into it you'll learn we are constantly eating, breathing and touching chemicals all day everyday. Many people beleive it's causing ADD/ADHD, Autism and other disorders. I know people who swear they "cured" their kids of these issues by cleaning up their environment. When you learn a little about it it really is amazing how we either accept or are totally unaware of what we are putting into to our bodies, it seems to me that all those chemicals are bound to have a negative effect on certain kids.

I would suggest check his diet. My son is ADHD and he is on meds. We had the same problem just recently and found that he was eating chocolate at lunch with his friends. We cut out the chocolate and everything evened out. God Bless You.

M. P

There are many, many, many different medications for ADHD, and I'd recommend speaking with the pediatrician or whomever treats him to see about making adjustments if you believe they're not working.

My niece is the same age, and she has been on Concerta for many years. I hate seeing her on medication because it alters her personality SO much. But, she prefers it now. She has been on medication in conjunction with therapy for years, and this appears to be most suitable for her at this time.

I'd also ask a pharmacist as they're the chemists who really understand the molecular differences in different treatments and can give more feedback on what other people's experiences have been with the various medications.

Good luck!

It is possible that now that he is reaching puberty, his medication type and dosage needs to be re-evaluated. My son is severe ADHD, and he "outgrows" his meds on a regular basis. Also, his metabolism is such that he needs a higher dose than another kid his same size. Usually, we have a couple of different ones that we use and switch every 3 - 6 months. You could also ask the dr. about having him re-evaluated to see if adding another medication for aggression would be warranted - my child also takes Risperdal (not for aggression - this med also works in some kids with Autism - but it is mainly used for aggression). Finally, he may be struggling with realizing that he is a little different than the rest of the kids - learns differently and understands differently and this may be troubling him. I would talk to the school counselor and see how he is doing socially at school.

Good luck.

my son is 9 and we are finishing our first year of meds adn the best year he has had in and out of school. We are on our 3rd or 4th regime of meds since we started in august of 09. Do you have a "team" for your son. We were required to see a psychologist for therapy along with the psychiatrist for meds. When I start to see a change in my son, behavior, or attitude wise- that lasts longer than a couple of weeks- we go and have our meds tweaked. My son is good in that he tells me- or is able to tell me, when the meds aren't really working. I give metadate to get him out of bed in the morning- about 30 minutes prior to when I need him to function, then at school he gets a 10 mg ritalin booster at about 1:30 to get him through the afternoon- if we have anything like homework, cubscouts or baseball in the evening, he gets another 5 or 10 mg booster. It doesn't always "fix" the attitude, but it certainly helps a lot, and he knows it helps him keep his head in the game.

Consider doing food sensivity testing (IgG blood test). For some kids removing offending foods make huge differences. We haven't done the meds but know you often have to try many before you find the one that works for your child. At 13 you also have the puberty issue which can change the whole game. Brain Balance in Plano treats ADHD but is pricey. Dr. Bock's book, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, Asthma,ADHD and Allergies is helpful and is probably in your local library.

J., if you are open I will love to share about a safe and effective nutritional food supplements that has been developed by a Nutrition Scientist and has helped so many with all kinds of issues including ADD/ADHD.

Let me know and I will share the details.

A.