My six year old son was diagnosed with ADHD last year in November. He has been on pretty much every medication for ADHD and nothing worked. It either made him not want to eat, made him sleep all the time, made him throw up everyday or just didn't work. He has a bad temper, he doesn't like it when people/other kids bug him, but he loves to annoy others. Irritated very easily, talks back to me, cusses, throw fits, etc. He started on Wellbutrin a month ago and last week he started sleeping in my room because he says someone keeps tapping him on the leg to wake him up but noone is there. He hears things all the time. When he draws pictures and stuff, its always a picture of me and him, and we are a family of 6. Everything he talks about revolves around me and him. In some of his drawings he draws himself with an all black crayon and colors in his face black, what does this mean? My question is, was he misdiagnosed? Also need advice on how to get him to stop being mean all the time.
*He sees a child pyschitrist, goes to counseling once a week and has a lady come to our home once a week to help with his behavior. I don't know if he is angry with me or someone else, all I know is from what his counsler says and she says its not his fault, its the parents. One medication did work if you want to put it that way, it was like he was sedated. He would never speak, just sit there and stare.
I think one or two other ones made a slight difference in his attitude. His tempers weren't as bad but he quit taking the medicine and his tempers still weren't as bad so I think it wasn't the medicine that made the difference. Everything else has been the same, just seems to be getting worse :/
I have contacted his doctor, he is to stop taking the medication and to call him on Monday to let him know how he is doing at night. I was told it might be family issues so I made changes around the house, and made changes with how everyone spoke and treated each other. I can say that I like the way everything is going, but it doesn't make a difference in him. He has been on Strattera, Vyvanse, Kapvay, Wellbutrin, and a few more I can't think off the top of my head. He was on all these medications for a least 6-8 weeks. Doses did change, I felt like he was either over medicated or under medicated because nothing seemed to work. This all started after he started Kindergarten. I miss my sweet boy.
Response to MadBad08
Ok I didn't post a question on here because I am trying to take the easy way out. I have done everything you can imagine to do. I take Adderall myself and trust me I know the side effects, that is why MY SON has NEVER been on that medication. I know what is best for my son and he was failing in school and the first medication he was on worked when he was in school. He just slept all day after he got home. His grades improved alot! So I don't care about how you wouldn't medicate a child that young, I didn't want to but you know what, it's not about you. It is about what is best for the child and my son's future is what I am concerned about. But it doesn't matter because he is completely off his meds now. As a mother I took it into my own hands to stop his medication. Life issues, he is 6 years old..he has no life issues, the only issue that he would have is the fact he was forced to see his bio father, who was a piece of shit, a few years ago. And I can deal with my son getting on my nerves, but can others? I dont trust anyone enough to watch him so I can have my *me time* because of the way he acts. I already see a counsler but it's because I am trying to learn how to communicate with him because he won't talk to me about things that bother him. Thank you.
Yes he sees a counsler on a weekly basis, he also has a lady from the counseling center that comes to our home for him once a week as well. Yes I have attended parenting classes and his bio father is not in his life, but my husband, his stepfather(whos raised him since 18mths old) is in his life, he is also adopting him. They use to be close, but there was a time period a few years back where he was seeing his bio dad(not my choice, court ordered) and he screamed and cried, mad at me for making him go. I didnt have a choice, if I didnt make him go, I go to jail. After that my son hasnt been the same, wont talk about anything he has done while with bio dad and when school started last year, he got worse..
Does HE see a counselor? Have you taken parenting classes?
If none of these meds are working, maybe he doesn't have ADHD. Boys often need strong, competent males in their lives, and sadly, at least 50% of boys don't have them. If he has no good male role model in his life, how about trying the Big Brother organization.
D.,
I don't have a 6 year old, but I have been very involved in raising my niece. She was diagnosed ADD at 5 years old. Within 2 years, her behavior was just so...out there...for lack of better terms. She plain didn't like people, and she could be very callous. She was misdiagnosed at 5. The doctor we eventually found, said this is common. Their brains are simply different. Many behaviors don't come out until school, social pressures, expectations, new surroundings, and new struggles happen. She was later diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and began additional therapies. (In addition, to us having to learn how to raise her, with these unique behaviors.) She is 13 now, and a wonderful child. I can't imagine what she'd be like without a second, third, and even fourth opinion. Truthfully, she always had some quirks, but it wasn't until around 6-7 that it was painfully obvious these weren't just quirks.
You seem to feel like something is amiss, and you should listen to that feeling. Second opinions never hurt, and it sounds like he has more challenges that need to be figured out. Good luck!!
Who made the diagnosis? Was it a specialist like a child psychiatrist or neuropsychologist? You really want to make sure he's seen by a specialist.
You didn't mention whether some of the ADHD medications worked but just had unacceptable side effects? If they worked -- eliminated the bad behavior and put him in the normal range -- then you can be confident you are dealing with ADHD. Only people with ADHD will respond well to ADHD medication.
I have to say if Wellbutrin is giving him those side effects, I'd be calling the doctor about stopping it. I've learned you don't need to put up with unacceptable side effects, so make the call today.
You son may have ADHD but with comorbid conditions. Most people with ADHD also have something else. Our son has ADHD, OCD, anxiety, depression, encopresis and serious food issues.
I'd definitely be talking to a specialist about the medication situation and reassessing what may be going on.
Good luck!
D. - welcome to mamapedia! now we have TWO D. B's!!!
Who made your son's diagnosis for ADHD?
What medication did they put him on and for how long? Most ADHD meds need TIME to work - there is NO INSTANT FIX. They need to adjust the timing, the dosage in milligrams, etc.
I'm not a doctor and even if I was - I wouldn't diagnose your son from your words. He needs an evaluation by a PROFESSIONAL - A DOCTOR. I would take him to a psychiatrist and have him evaluated for mental issues. Just because he draws in black and white isn't bad. for some people it IS black and white - no shades of gray.
how stop him from being mean? Model the behavior you want. Stop and look at how you are treating him and how others are treating him and see if it's a family issue as well.
Have you seen other specialists such as a pediatric neurologist or developmental pediatrician? It could be ADHD and something else. One book I read said that the same child could be diagnosed with different combinations of Aspergers/ADHD/ODD/Bipolar just depending on which doctor they saw.
It sounds like you are saying the counselor and others are blaming you for his behavior. That must be frustrating. If you have one doctor that you trust, you could try to have them coordinate with the others or recommend a counselor that would be a better fit.
If you aren't keeping good records already make sure you do that in the future. It might help to be able to say specifics like "med A reduced outbursts from 1 per hour to one per day, but caused 5 pound weight loss".
My son has Aspergers/ADHD. (But unlike your situation is not usually mean). In kindergarten his self portrait was the only one that didn't have a face, and all his stories were about dove hunting(we don't hunt and don't know anyone who does). Most of that was just because he has trouble with writing. When pressed too hard at school, he would lash out more. He responded well to the ritalin family of meds, and after trying many varieties he's now on Focalin (has the least effect on his appetite).
I recommend you get a 2nd and 3rd opinion - it sounds as if your child may have been misdiagnosed. Best of luck it is so hard when it is your child and all you want to do is help them...
Sounds like there is a lot going on but so glad you are getting him help!!! Most of the people I know that have their children on meds say they don't eat very much. Which they seem to be ok with. We are pretty sure my son has ADHD but wont medicate him because he is a competitive gymnast and he would not be able to do what he does with meds. Once thing you can try that has worked for him in caffeine. We give him mountain dew when he gets really hyper or when we are going somewhere that he needs to not bounce off the walls for and it seems to work. Since caffeine is a stimulant just like the meds. it has a similar effect. Or coffee can be used as well. And those don't have the side effects that meds do.
Good luck and God Bless!!
I know you don't want to hear this but here it is.
Your young one might need to be checked for Schizophrenia.
Read about this on Wikipedia.
Hmmmm...
Ok for one, I DO NOT want to come across as ugly when saying this bc it isn't meant that way.
Some of those behaviors sound more like life issues. Maybe like he behaves, in his own variation, of what he sees. I have never heard of an ADHD child, teen, or adult behaving that way.
I am ADHD and have known since I was around 11. My husband (of 5 years) is ADHD-Primarily inattentive. I'm pretty sure (as well as my pedi) that my 4 year old son is the combined type, lol. Perfect mix :)
My personal opinion, since I DO take Adderall and understand it's effects, I would not medicate a child that young by ANY means. I think that behavioral therapy for the child AND the parents is needed. The parents need it so they can understand how to interact with the child and not place unrealistic expectations on them. Plus to learn how their minds process information.
It is true that stimulants effect ADHD people differently. If my dosage is too high, I WILL sit there like a zombie, whereas I normally have a ton of energy.
But like the other person said below, caffeine does have the same effect. I go for long periods of time, months or a year, without taking adderall at all to give my body a break. Whenever I'm not taking it, I drink a ton of coffee or any product with a lot of caffeine in it.
I am not putting you down at all. But I think you really need to get rid of all the meds entirely. They seem to be messing with his little mind and that's going to do exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. That's going to make him fall backwards and not move forward. I mean he's only 6.
If his behavior is irritating you or getting on your nerves, then maybe you should see a counselor to learn how to deal with the situations.
My son gets on my nerves sometimes with the constant movement, fidgeting, asking the same question over and over, running or jumping around, and NOT hearing a single thing that I say bc he isn't paying attention and, really, he doesn't actually hear me at all. BUT I realize this about my child and I have changed my behaviors, expectations, and reactions. From that alone, there's a MAJOR difference.
