siblings, medication and the adhd child | ADHD Information

i am running into a problem and wonder if anyone else has a solution.  i have four children, the first (12 year old) was diagnosed years ago with adhd.  he takes concerta, however opts not to on days that he does not have school or other commitments that require him to focus.  i dont feel comfortable medicating him so i do allow him to do this.  the problem is my other children are following his distruptive behavior.  they think he is "the living end" and attempt to please him by being as distruptive as he is and then it becomes chaotic for me to try and control everyone.  i sat down and tried to explain to the 12 year old that he has a condition and that he needs to respond to my prompts when he is becoming out of control or he needs to take his medication, but i dont want him to think that "drugs are the answer" when he is out of control.  wow, i guess i have several issues 1) should i insist on the medication even if he resists it and 2) how do i keep the other children under control when he is disruptive (and i dont mean a little wild, i mean to the extent that someone will get hurt or something will get broken-i am sure you can all relate!)

leece, if he is that disruptive, you should try to keep him taking his meds. It also would be beneficial for him to have behavior modification counseling.

There is a forum here  on books and article discussion for dealing with ADHD and ADD. You should check them out as I know there are some which would give you ideas on how to deal with your son.

You could also PM the originaters of the post on books that sound promising for some ideas to get you started.

You will find help and support here!