Do YOU Give Your Child ADHD Medication? If So...

Hi Kerry,
My sons 2nd grade teacher noticed my sons ADHD. I wouldn't bring him in because I was against medication. In 4th grade he was diagnosed with learning disabilities with the possibility of ADHD. Still I didn't bring him in for an official diagnosis. I finally did in 7th grade he was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type (he's not hyper at all) and he was put on a medication that didn't have stimulants. This didn't work and gave him severe stomache aches. This past school year 8th grade he has been on a low dose of adderall and for the first time in his life he has been able to hear his teacher when she's teaching and he's on honoroll. What a confidence builder this year has been for him. He calls it his learning pill. My son was at the point of being totally frustrated with school and wanting to drop out, he was only in 7th grade. If I could do it all over again I would put him on it in 2nd grade! I hope this helps and good luck!

i would find a doc who uses amino acid therapy to treat adhd. it is incredibly effective and helps correct their screwy brain chemistry. if you let me know where you live i might be able to help you find a doc!

My son is nine and he currently takes Vyvanse. He was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten and meds have been a night and day difference with him. Do not feel bad for trying to help your child, even if you do choose to give him meds. A parent does not want their child to have this disorder or have to medicate. I think it is worse for a parent to not consider something that could drastically change the life for their child (for the better). I do not believe that meds are a solve all. Other things have to be in place as well (love and logic is a good way to go). Also, it might help for him to have a counselor that specializes in ADHD children. We have a counselor that has helped us a great deal. Anyhow, I hope this helps! S.

I grew up in a very large family and one of my brothers had ADHD. He was medicated, and that did not seem to me (or him) to be a good solution. It either made no difference or it sedated him in a way that not only took away who he was, but made him feel "not normal".

I think that while medication definately has it's place, it is more important to do everything else possible first. As you mentioned, diet and allergies have made big differences in many. I think that you should get your son into some counceling where he can learn to manage and deal with his impulses and learn the skills he needs to manage his life appropriately. Also, most children with ADHD (in my opinion) seriously need some one on one positive attention. Try making sure that one hour a day is devoted just to him with either you or your husband. He needs to feel like he can do things right, like he has an important role in your family, and that he is loved and is irreplacable. Read a novel to him a little each night while cuddling. This will teach him to sit still, pay attention, remember day to day, and he'll get some one on one at the same time. Take him with you on errands and for no reason, stop for ice cream. With these kids, they often get attention only for the things they do wrong, and give up because they feel they can't do anything right. Try to back way off of punishments and consequences and instead, focus on rewarding proper behavior. Also, as a side note, children with ADHD often have a higher than average IQ. My brother was failing every class, but when tested, he was 5 years ahead of grade level. You have to learn and teach him how to learn his way, not the way that works for every other kid.

Kerry,
The students I've worked with with this same issue seemed to have a reduced appetite; especially during the day, but the meds did help. I've also met several adults who said they had ADHD as you describe and ended up having to drink a daily dose of caffeine (the meds didn't help them, but the caffeine did). If you should want to try this option, I have something I can send you (an alternative to coffee that has the caffeine, but won't dehydrate). Either way, in my 17 years of experience in education, there are certainly those for whom the medication has definitely helped, despite the side-effects. Sometimes the meds are needed to just help them over the hump for a short time.
Good luck and hang in there!
L.

I wish my friend was a member! She has a 2nd grader on meds. He has had very good responces to it and does not have that stoned look. The do have a very consistant routine but many things have changed it from time to time and he adapts quickly. I wish I had more for you but your pediatrition should give you all the things to look for for that particular medication as there are sooo many out there.

WOW Kerry-

I feel for you. I have a very challenging son, thank goodness school is almost out because I get called at work atleast once a week of his impulsivness and incontrolability. At this point they have hired a person to stay with him throughout the day instead of him coming home and being rewarded! He is a wonderful boy, but with a disability- if you call it that- a physician will not diagnose a child until they reach adolescent age which is about 13. My son has been on meds since he was 2 years old, very heart breaking for me. I tried putting him in a day care when he was 2 so that I could go back to work and it was the provider who noticed the problems he displayed. He was and still is always distracted by other things even when you are talking to him, he gets angry all of the time and yells at me and hits his sister now. Because he is 8 years old now his body is changing and so we are having major episodes with him, we still dont know which med is right at this point. He has been on clonidine (bad reactions, nightmares), risperidal an antipsychotic (a sister to Seroquel), Concerta for ADHD( a sister to Ritalin), Remeron an antidepressent, trazadone an antidepressant, Adderal XR for ADHD and also an Adderal salt for ADHD BAD BAD BAD! Adderal made my son turn into a psycho! seriously every med effects children differently, but he was calling me the B word, hitting me and dad, our new baby he was threatening to hurt, ran down 3 girls with a hacksaw and so on...could not be trusted to be alone with anyone.
He was even put on, oh not paxil, but one of those others, but was taken off of it right away. So, as of now, since he has stopped taking the adderal he has done a 360 degree turn around; he is till impulsive, verbally abusive, just not physically mean I guess. He has been hospitalized in behavior hospitals a couple of times because he was uncontrolable at home. It has been a struggle, Im on meds now because I just couldnt deal anymore. Right now he is on Tegretal a mood stabelizer, concerta and seroquel. these seem to be the right ones for him, but not the right dosage yet. i sure hope you find some relief, I know how you feel. He has been diagnosed from the behavior hospitals with ADHD (which we are familiar with, MDD (major depressive disorder), IED (intermitant explosive disorder), and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) YIKES- any advice from you for me...I get depressed a lot...if it were not for my husbands strength in maintaining our family I wouldnt have made it this far.
please get back to me, lets chat about this.
much concern,
A.

My relative has been in the same boat for awhile and her son is 10 now. They switched him to the patch that is given at 6:30 a.m. before he wakes so it can kick in. Previously the mornings were horrible, with crying and her other child getting hurt, etc. Now they have found that he hasn't grown since the last doctor visit. They are now using the meds by patch 4 days of the week. On sports days, she waits to give it to him closer to the game because he can focus and play better. She tries to practice love and logic. I feel for you and your son. Hang in there and good luck. He will learn some coping tools to go along with the meds so on the days he doesn't have them it will go a bit easier. We tried going to the park w/o the meds and had him run laps before playing.