Need a Psychiatry for My Son Who Takes Metadate CD. ASAP

I.,

I suggest you speak to the doctor that is giving him his medicine for ADHD my best friends little boy has the same issue and before the medicine he was loveable and talkative. After the medication doses he was not sociable at all and never wanted to do anything. She brought the concern to her doctor and she found out that they were giving him to much dosage of his medicine. He is doing much better now. He seems to more of himself now.
L.

I.,Your story sounds all to familiar.My son who is now 15 started to exhibit some of the same things as your son at the same age.He got along less and less with his school peers.They did bully and ridicule him.At the same time his grades began to fall.We had seen several counselors which helped temporarily.I finally came across some info and thought that it described my son.I requested the psychologist to test him for Asperger's syndrome.along with the social interaction differences many have different learning differences as well.I suggest you go online and read about this first and if you think it sounds like your situation,call your insurance and request adolescent psychiatrists on your plan.It seems that you have to "school" yourself 1st to be able to talk to these professionals with your concerns.These kids have a high incidence of depression and benefit from meds and counseling.It has made a world of difference for mine.Medical City has a good group of child psychiatrists but they outsource you for the testing.I ended up with Dallas Psychiatric Associates on Preston Rd

hi, i wanted to respond actually and get some advice from you, my 7 year old daughter is also adhd and has the exact same issues, extreme mood swings gets very depressed takes everyhting in life too seriously and to heart. she also wants to watch the news ( which i dont allow) cause she is worried and wants to listen to traffic in the morning to make sure there are no accidents or dead people, its very upsetting and im trying alternative therapy but not sure what else to do since i do not know anyone who medicates their kids for this. she also is in a home situation like this im divorced and have been with my boyfirend who lives with us for about two years but i think thats more positive effect on her. sorry im bugging you with questions as well! i was just shocked at how similar they act and am glad to hear its possibly common with adhd, although u beleive yours is medicinal side effects?
we live in irving what dr do you go to for this?

I know you have already received a lot of suggestions, but I thought one more wouldn't hurt. I have ADD and so does a lot of my family (siblings, mother and most likely my children who are too young to diagnose). Anyways I have read A LOT on the subject because I did several research projects on the topic in nursing school. Anyways- there are a lot of things that go with ADHD such as hypersensitivity (like clothes that are itchy bother him, etc), anxiety is also very common. I love my doctor here in Dallas (Richardson actually)- even if you don't see her she has a great website with a lot of information. Her name is Victoria Martin and her website is www.victoriamartinmd.com
I also think "Delivered from Distraction" by Hallowell and Ratey. It is a great resource!! It has helped me and my whole family to really understand the diagnosis and all of the things that go along with it. Anyways- my doctor's website is helpful and that book can be found at any Barnes & Nobel. Also there is a CHADD (children and adults with ADHD) chapter here in the area with a support group- they are actually the ones who gave me my doctor's name. They website is also VERY helpful, it is www.chadd.org -
I hope this helps and good luck with this hard time and I hope everything works out! Many believe some of the world's most amazing people in history had ADHD, so it can be a gift and a burden.

M.

I'm not familiar with pediatric psychiatrists in this area; I do hope you'll get a good referral.

I wonder, though, if your son is correctly diagnosed. His behavior sounds more autistic than ADHD. Certainly, I'm no professional, but have you sought a second opinion? Many doctors are far too quick to attach and ADHD label when a child exhibits behavior outside the 'norm'.

Remember, too, I., to take some time to care for yourself. Seeing your child hurting in any way at any time for any reason takes its toll on you as well.

I hope you're able to find someone wonderful for your son.

It sounds more like you are looking for a psychologist. Children's psychiatrists primarily deal with medication issues. We saw Dr. Steinfink in Dallas for that a few years back. He is located off the Dallas Tollway. I believe it is Bent Tree Psychiatrists. They also have psychologists on staff there. Another place is Dr. Mech in Plano. They have doctors that you meet with for any medication issues and counseling for the child. The counselors and doctors meet and can discuss the child together to make sure he is getting the proper diagnosis and medication (if needed).

As for a good psychologist, I really like Eric Gonzales in Allen, but he can not prescribe medications and you would have to go to your own doctor/psychiatrist to do that. You can authorize communication between your psychologist and psychiatrist if you want them to be able to work together for your son's needs.

Hope that helps some.

M.

I agree with the other mom's who have written that you sound like you want a psychologist instead of a pychiatrist. How was your son before being put on MetadateCD? My son was on it for a few years. I actually wish he was still on it, but my new doctor wanted to try something different. This new medication has awful side effects. But that's another story in and of itself! :) While my son was on Metadate CD, he was his normal self (happy and playful) but much calmer (able to sit thru school and dinner). I only saw two side effects while he was on that medication. 1) He didn't eat as much so he lost weight. 2) He was more emotional. He would cry when he got frustrated instead of talking thru it. I know medication effects everyone differently, so talk to your doctor. If you aren't happy with the medication or you think it is effecting your son in a negative manner, change it. You can talk to your son and get his input as well. My son is now 11 (as of today!)and he is able to let me know if his medication makes him feel "funny" or if it helps him "calm down".

Sorry this is SO long! If you want to ask anything about while my son was on Metadate, just let email me. :) It can be overwhelming! :)

C.

I.,

I am not sure exactly where you are located, but I imagine you are closer to Dallas than Ft Worth. However, I have had family members that had great success with the Child Study Center in Ft. Worth. They specialize in ADHD and other related issues, and have many resources that may help you. If you can't make it that far, perhaps you could contact them to see what is available near your area.

Good luck, and blessings!

-S. P.

Hi I.,
You may want to check out some sensory thereapy. He sounds like he may have some sensory issues. This could be when he doesn't like crowds, etc/ Also my friends son did Neurofeedback with her soon and saw many improvements. Look at The Sams Center website. Dr. Sams is suppose to be good.
Good lUck, L.

As others mentioned, this sounds like a sensory disorder. The first step would be to not allow him to watch the news. I have similar issues as do my kids and watching the news can trigger alot of worry and anxiety. Your son sounds much like my oldest child.

Has your child been screened for celiac disease or food allergies? The thing that has helped us all the most is removing gluten (found in wheat, rye, oats and barley) and casein (found in dairy from our diets). You will find links to these diets on many of the websites discussing sensory integration issues, such as this one: http://www.sensorynation.com/resources.html

The intolerance to gluten (and/or celiac disease) is highly under-diagnosed. It is a genetic disorder, whose primary symptoms were originally consider to be GI in nature, but recent research correlates the intolerance with a myriad of neurological and psychological problems, as the gluten proteins do impact the brain. Here's a summary of the research correlating ADHD with celiac/gluten intolerance:
http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=112&p_cat...

Here's info on testing for this disease:
http://www.dfwceliac.org/html/testing.html

The dietary change had a huge impact on my oldest son, whose level of anxiety and worry has decreased dramatically. He is also much more social and much, much happier overall (we had had teachers prior to the diet suggest he was depressed). My younger son's ADHD behaviors have been dramatically reduced and he's now doing exceptionally well in school (without any drugs - only the gluten/casein-free diet).

I wish you well on your journey to improve your son's health. Please contact me if you'd like more info.

M. B

I., Hello! Where do you live? My son in which just turned 9 has seen 2 different counselers 1 in Cleburne. The other one is Ft. Worth. Both are really good. Just let me know if you would like the number to either

I recently posted for advise on a new psy for my ADHD son and was recommended to Ramon Silvas, M.D. in Fort Worth. He has been a blessing and is highly experienced in ADHD. Best of luck to you and your son

I.,
I just saw your post and thought alot of the symptoms sounded like my son who's diagnosed with Asperger's .... but there is so much overlap in all these diagnoses, it makes me wonder.

Dr. Denise Wooten in Lewisville is great, she's a psychologist. And Dr. Dante Burgos of Holiner Psychiatric in Dallas is great.

Good luck and try the gluten free one poster suggested. I've heard it really helps some people.

I am not sure what area you live in. I live in East Texas. My son, who is going to be 12 on Easter Sunday is ADHD and has Early Onset Bipolar Disorder along with ODD. He has been seeing Dr. Steadman for several years. He is with the ETMC Behavioral Health Center. He is a top ranking child phychiatrist...and is awesome! My son also sees Suzanne Brians at Tyler Counseling and Assessment for regular counseling sessions.

My heart and prayers go out to you. These are wonderful kids, but just don't seem to fit into what society and School's "Cookie Cutter" idea of kids is.

I hope this helps!