Meds can and do work very well for ADHD symptoms. However, they usually are not without side effects. My son took Ritalin based meds for 2 1/2 years. They truly helped get him thru 2, 3 & most of 4th grade. However, we had to increase the dose to have them work properly, and when we did that the side effects became too severe. He became aggressive at times, he only grew about 1 1/2 inches in those years and barely gained any weight for that period of time. We had to deal with the extra hyperness as the meds were wearing off. We had to be dictated by the meds and when he could take them, because his behavior without them was horrible. He started having terrible tics and thats when I made the difficult decision to take him off the meds.
Whereas now he looks healthier (he gained about 14 pounds in 3 months) and his moods are much more stable, we are dealing with the academic problems that we never had to worry about with meds. His handwriting has become horrible and he has a very difficult time completing lengthy assignments. Thank goodness his agression has gone away with the elimination of the meds.
So its not an easy decision. There are trade offs with whatever you do. You just have to investigate all the alternatives and make the best decision you can at the time.
Based on the behavior that you've described at school, and the normal behavior at home I'd wonder if he even has ADHD. The behavior you describe at school sounds like it is within the range of normal for a 5 yo boy. And the school seems intolerant. Those things are not something that kids get kicked out of preschool for where I live. My ped will not recommend a child for an ADHD eval until age 6. He says lack of focus and concentration are normal for a child this age, especially a boy.
NoTellin38804.4178819444You might try keeping a behavior diary at home, especially if you are going to trial meds. DH and I thought that we weren't really having any problems with DS at home, that all his issues were at school until we started on meds. It has been a total shift in the amount of dicipline we've had to use at home and I've realized that we were having issues with DS at home, we had just adapted to them and no longer noticed. Kind of like cooking frogs in a pan, the heat had just turned up slowly at home over a long period of time, but we were still cooking and didn't know we needed to jump out.Your son is very young. His issues could be more of an immaturity thing.kk.lynn,
I let my son go much longer on meds than I probably should have. I just kept thinking that the symptoms he was displaying were part of the ADHD, not a symptom of the meds. For example, everytime I told his neurologist about the aggression he said "the meds aren't working"...so we'd change or up the dose. When I was concerned about his growth or height, he'd say its borderline and we can wait 3 more months. Finally, when the Tics became so self destructive, (he had scabs all over his face and eyes) the Doctor told me to add an additional med to control the Tics (haldol). However, the med he wanted to add had such severe risks that I did not want to go that route. That is when I decided to stop the meds.
Stopping wasn't easy, it was probably the hardest 6 weeks of my life. It took a very long time for his extreme hyperness to subside. He had to relearn how to control himself, since he didn't really develop any filters over the years to control himself, the meds did such a great job. Its still an ongoing process, and believe it or not I still sometimes wonder if we should try a low dose again just to help him with school. I hate to see him getting poor grades.
Please don't think I'm saying meds are bad. Many people do not have the experiences I had. I would do the same thing again if I had to, since they did help him for a few years.
My son has been diagnosed with borderline ADHD combined types. (ADHD is in the family genes -- and we had suspected since he was 5 or so that he was ADHD.) He was diagnosed just before he turned 9. We took him on our own to be evaluated -- the teachers / school did not even know that we were doing this until we gave the questionnaire to one teacher. We wanted to try to get things under control before they got out of control. (I'm dreading next year's move to middle school.) We decided to try medication, some with numerous bad side effects (abrupt mood swings, bad attitude, not himself, very angry) before finding that plain old generic ritalin a few times a day is the best for him right now.
What a huge difference / improvement we have seen in his school work, and in his focus at home. His grades are incredible -- high honors 1st semester, 2 pts. away from high honors 2nd semester. He is active in school store, chorus, vocal ensemble, recorder club, computer club and was elected President of Student Council this year. We are so incredibly proud, and pleased that the meds are working for him. He is very conscious himself of how the meds help him focus, and will get upset if he forgets to take a pill, or realizes as he's not focusing on something that he forgot to take his pill. I think it makes it easier for us that he realizes himself how much the meds help him.
So, even though it was a bumpy 8 weeks or so of trying different meds / doses, we are very happy with the results. I dread when the time comes to make a change, but I know it's coming.
I'm not trying to push meds, just show our experience, as I would prefer not to use them, but the difference is so awesome, how can we not ?
I have to relate a quick story from my mom. She had an ADD daughter (my younger sister), so was familiar first-hand with ADD. She is also a teacher. Years ago, she had a student she strongly suspected was ADD. She recommended that the mom may want to consider testing. The mom was offended and refused. About 10 years later, my mom saw this former student and his mother at an event. The mother apologized to my mom for not listening to her. The student said that he was officially diagnosed during college with ADD, started medication and has turned his life around. His mother now regrets not trying to help him out when he was in elementary school. The student is frustrated at how he struggled so hard through school, and that those struggles could have been eased by getting diagnosed and medicated.
I recommend being patient, and trying all of your options and seeing what works best for your child. It might be meds, it might not . . . everyone's situation is different and you just need to look out for the best interests of your child.
I'm very happy you found a med that helped your son. Unfortunately for us regular ritalin only lasted about 1 1/2 hours for my son with horrible rebounds inbetween. Concerta was probably the best for us when we did meds.
When a diagnosis of Adhd is made and confirmed, the problematic areas are seen in two setting....ie.......school and home. Adhd is not an academic problem. It is a problem that affects all areas of life and has a very negative impact on quality of life in general. If the child has inattentive Adhd less the hyperactivity, it is harder to detect because the child isnt bouncing off the walls. The child is very often thought to be just lazy and unmotivated or just being a kid that doesnt listen sometimes.
If as the parent, you truly dont see any issues at home but only in school, I also agree that the child should be reevaluated by a neuro/pysch as children with Adhd cant hold it together at home or in school. Whether the meds are worth it cant be generalized as there are many extentuating circumstances or co exisiting conditions that determine the answer. From my own personal expereince, my son was diagnosed with Adhd with no co existing conditions and for him, they were well worth it and I have never looked back with regret based on my decisions.
My son was only showing signs at school too. Or so we thought. We were just used to his behavior at home and thought it was pretty normal. Until we started the meds (which I think we are still working out) he is much more relaxed and focused - we are wondering about some side effects - but they do seem to be working well. Much more focused and aware of what is going on.
By the way, my son was "kicked out" of 2 pre-schools. Both private. The first was a disaster - they didn't handel it well and because of it my son went into depression, they actually told him he was being kicked out! The second was a bit nicer about it but the end result the same - no school. He's a bright kid - he knows and now we are just trying to make him happy and do some work at home.
Good Luck!
If you are concerned about meds and want to pursue other methods, there is some great info on the Alternative to Meds section of this board.We're tried everything--diet, behavior modification therapy, vitamins and supplements, neurofeedback, athletics, allergy shots, and ADHD meds. My son tried five different ADHD meds before we found what works for him, but after recently trying to take him off of them, let me tell you, THEY WORK! When getting him his IEP this year, the school psychologist did not see any signs of ADHD, when she evaluated him or talked to his teachers. His new psychiatrist evaluated him and said he was mild ADD. Why? Meds. The new psychiatrist decided to try taking him off meds, then put him back on in a week. My son needs meds. They make all the difference in the world for him. I do not doubt, however, that everything else we have done has helped tremendously (particularly neurofeedback), but he still needs the meds. They take the edge off and make dealing with everyday life much easier for him. My son is 4 and 1/2 and we have been trying meds. I can actually see a difference when he is on them than whenhe is not. He is on Ritalin ( which I argued with the doctor about not wanting that drug) and I liked that one becaus eI felt " more in control" of seeing how it effected him. With Ritalin it is in their system fro about 3-4 hours then out. I t islike clockwork I don't need a clock I cantell by his behavior what time it is. However, it just does not last long enough and I am tot scared to try time release.. Every childis different you can always try it and if it does not work then you know. I do agree that if it is ONLy at school something may be wrong there. TRy a public school preschool. I teach preschool and kids do NOT get "kicked out" we get to the root of the problem. This is nnothing against a private preschool by any means. It is just that somtimes private does not have the teachers trained in special needs spo they kick them out. But a teacher should not diagnose we arenot doctors! Did you fill out any behavioral checklist for the home? Just curious.Lillian, I agree. If the child is having problems functioning in life, it is time to try meds. I do not know anyone who really wants to have their children on meds, but who wants them to struggle everyday?We are changing meds, and off the old one and onto the new, but the new is not at a theraputic level yet. No blood tests, I can tell. Hopefully it will work, we should know within the next couple of days. There is a huge difference.Craig, are you sure it's ADHD? The reason I ask is that generally symptoms are seen in 2 or more settings. The school is the only setting reporting a problem. Do you see the inattention or hyperactivity at home?
If your son was diagnosed by a pediatrician, I would push harder for an accurate diagnosis, preferebly by a neuropsychologist. I am very much pro-med -- my kids couldn't live normal lives without them -- but before we got accurate diagnoses, my kids took meds that made them much, much worse. And believe me, it was scary and made our home life a nightmare. I'm not trying to scare you in any way; I'm just trying to make sure you have an accurate diagnosis before putting your child on meds.
Welcome!
each person reacts and responds to each med differently. It's hard to generalize it for you. there is a great med board on this forum: never mind, you found it.
My son was diagnosed with ADHD at 4 1/2. The psychologist recommended behavioral therapy. My son is now 5 and his pre-school is just about to kick him out. Some of his problems are: Not listening, always on the "go", bothering other kids, short attention span. At home he is a good kid: puts his dishes away after a meal, brushes his teeth when asked, cleans up after himself.
His psychologist is recommending meds and my wife and I have concerns. After reading a ton of messages on this board it seems that meds cause more problems then they are worth.
For the parents who have tried meds: Are they worth the risk or would you try other options?
For children with a high degree of ADHD, where more than 1 setting is affected to a large degree, I think meds are unbelievably helpful. My son was having huge difficulties that affected everything, at home, community and school. It was amazing how much more settled he was after medication. His quality of life and ours, and the ability to learn was amazing. We started it in grade 2, after hearing he was in trouble all the time. He was a very sad child because he didn't know why he was in trouble with us and the teachers all the time. I guess what I'm saying is if he could function reasonably well I would never have used medication as a tool to help him with his ADHD. You have to believe its the right thing or don't do it because others recommend it. Good Luck
yes I believe giving my son meds and a chance at a typical school experience is worth it...if not he, would have much trouble in school despite the fact that he is sooooooo smart...I believe that ADHD is a condition that should be treated in some manner...either with meds or alterntivesDepends (from one who's son was on 11 meds--none that worked). If he has ADHD, and you're sure that's it, maybe give him meds during school hours only. Sounds like he is no problem at home. You can also trial Straterra, which is a non-stimulant. My daughter has friends on Straterra and their parents are pleased. However, if you want to be ultra-careful, which I wish I'd been, take him to a NeuroPsych first (they are the best at diagnosing these types of disorders). They can diagnose ADHD and beyond and can also tell you if your son is just "normal active." I'm really sorry we rushed to put my son on meds based only on fast diagnoses. He ended up with two wrong dx: ADHD/ODD and bipolar. He is off meds now. He finally saw a NeuroPsych (wish we'd done it earlier) and has high functioning autism, and there are no meds for that. He is doing better off meds. All the stimulants made him aggressive, and he's not like that. Moral of story: Know for sure what you are medicating before you do it, imo. There is no rush, and it's better to be safe than sorry. My son gained forty pounds on bipolar meds that he didn't need, and the fault is mine for not pressing harder. I didn't feel he was bipolar (the child is good as gold--never rages), but Psychiatrist insisted he was. Use your "parent gut", weight benefits and risks and most importantly be positive your child has ADHD. A preschool teacher, or any teacher at all, is not qualified to diagnose. Sadly, most schools think any bouncy kid has ADHD--even though the child just be an active kid or the child could have other mimicking disorders. Wish you luck in your decision.I have to agree with OlderMom - I think alot of it depends on the severity and your patience for the medication.
If you're sure it's ADHD and comfortable with that, the medication could help your child in school greatly. I have several friends who have ADHD children, and yes, they have had to trial different medications, but their children survived in school because of the medication, where they were lacking before - some being threatened out of the school, others spending half their day in detention or school principal offices.
My son is not ADHD, he is Bipolar, and the medication decision for me has been an easy one. You have to try to remember that with any disorder, your child is NOT in control. And, as time progresses (at 4 1/2 all kids are hyper, but what will you do when he's 12?), things will probably get worse.
Dylan has been on 19 meds (I think, but I probably missed a few). Stimulants, atypical antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, the works. He was not able to control himself. He was violent and destructive. He was failing 3rd grade. He had no ability at all to express emotions appropriately.
All the meds, they didn't work. It was frustrating. It took 6 years.
Today, he's on a good mix. It's amazing. He's a totally different child than I've ever known since he was born. He's getting all A's in class. He's actually making friends. I don't have to cry before making a trip to Wal Mart because he's going to rage in the middle of the store. No more ODD. All gone.
It can make a huge difference. I'm one of those people that is totally NOT against drugs (could ya tell ), BUT, you have to make sure you're comfortable with the diagnosis.
FWIW - most ADHD meds don't take very long to work. Ritalyn and Concerta claim changes in 24 hours. So, if you see negatives, it wouldn't be in his system very long.
Good luck