Is Ritalin ok for my son? | ADHD Information

thank you !

well he is my step son and me and my husband a full and legal custody and his bio mom is throwing a fit , that ritalin has meth in it and that we are bad parents for putting him on it but everything i have read on it it is ok.....and as said it has been around for a long time and there are risk with everything.

My son was a teenager when he started taking Ritalin and he knows he functions better with it. IMac38801.8089236111

My son was just prescribed ritalin yesterday for his ADHD.

I have heard a lot of bad things in the past about it, but I trust my doctor and he siad there is nothing to worry about.

I would like to here some opinions on it from some other people. My son is 4 almost 5.

Every kid reacts differently to each med, but I am happy to share our experiences. My 12-year-old son (dx bipolar, ADHD, anxiety, tic disorder, migraines) has been on Concerta (long-acting Ritalin), Focalin XR (a long-acting refined version of Ritalin), Adderall XR and Strattera. Adderall made his tics worse, and Strattera gave him full-blown migraines. He was on Concerta for 1.5 years, but asked to be taken off because it made him feel flat and inhibited. We just pulled him off Focalin XR because it was increasing his anxiety.

Ritalin has been around for many years and has been proven effective in treating the core symptoms of ADHD -- inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Like any medication, it can have unwanted side effects. Like any medicine (including Tylenol), it has risks. It is up to you as the parent to weigh the benefits against the risks for your child. Good luck.

I was thinking the exact same thing. The bio mother hears that it begins with "meth" and that its methamphetamine, which it is not. Now desoxyn, now thats legal methamphetamine.thank you for your help hopefully this will ease her thoughtsthank you for your help!

My son takes Ritalin and it works well for him.Ritalin is a brand name for the drug Methylphenidate. Perhaps other mom is thinking of methamphetamines? Not the same drug. [QUOTE=overwhelmed82]

My son was just prescribed ritalin yesterday for his ADHD.

I have heard a lot of bad things in the past about it, but I trust my doctor and he siad there is nothing to worry about.

I would like to here some opinions on it from some other people. My son is 4 almost 5.

[/QUOTE]

There are many natural treatments now available for the
treatment of ADHD. This doesn't mean they actually work, but
they are available. Sticking to simple and common sense
treatments will work far better than any fad diet claiming
to cure ADD.

First of all, diet is extremely important to all of us but
especially important for the individual with ADHD. They can
have a powerful effect on your mindset, emotions and how you
behave. This, of course, can be negative or positive. The
right diet can actually decrease the amount of medication
you need. There are four important things in an ADD
friendly diet; lots of water, high protein intake, moderate
carbohydrate intake and a low to moderate fat intake.
Taking extra vitamins such as a daily multivitamin can be
beneficial as well.

Another important aspect of natural treatments for ADHD is
exercise. Exercise releases lots of endorphins, increases
brain blood flow and has positive effects on how well all
your systems work. This is especially important for
individuals with ADD who have sensitive systems and areas of
the brain that are chronically underactivated. People with
ADD should exercise at least five times a week, and it is
good for them to do intense cardio to get their heart, body
and mind going. Exercise allows the extra restlessness and
energy to be released from the body and mind of the
individual with ADHD. It quiets everything down a bit, and
it really is the best medicine for them.

Meditation is another natural form of treatment that is
great for the individual with ADD. Just sitting and
breathing on your own for twenty to thirty minutes can
significantly slow down your mind and settle your restless
thoughts. Meditation can have an extremely positive effect
on your life if you do it regularly.

There are also supplements you can take that are natural and
can be considerably helpful to the individual suffering from
ADHD. One of these is an amino acid that works somewhat like
a stimulant but is not as powerful or as harsh. It is
called L-tyrosine, and people may take from 500mg-1500mg
three times daily for positive effect. Some people will be
more comfortable on the lower side, some on the higher side.
You take this before you eat to increase affect. Another
supplement that can help with depressive and anxiety
symptoms that tend to accompany ADD is 5htp. This can be
taken 50-100 mg three times daily. It produces serotonin
and works somewhat like an SSRI antidepressant. This
supplement can be quite helpful if you do not want to take
synthetic drugs. Another helpful drug is St. John's Wort,
which is taken for depression. This also works like an
antidepressant, but it is natural.

All our bodies are different so we all react different. You can't know until tryed any meds. New research is showing many asd kids have a Gi tract problem. You can have a allergist check that also. I had full blood work up done after our sons reaction to Strattera. A Titer test can also tell you if booster shots are necessary. My son doesn't need those either. His test showed his immunity on those are fine.

I had his full blood work done at a Allergie center and yes ins. payed it.

oldtimer38853.3244791667

overwhelmed -

The only people who can truly decide what's best for the child are the parents together once they have enough information to make an informed choice.

What I can tell you is that being a child with ADHD and no medication is hard. You end up being left behind socially a lot and trying to fit in and get things done is a lot of work and sweat. Just no fun.

I didn't get meds until in my 30s. I sometimes wish my parents had known about meds and wonder how things might have been different.

I'm very glad you are doing everything you can for this young man. Just be careful and watch for problems. Most are mild and can be fixed with an adjustment or alteration.

Good luck to you all!

YEAH!! Crack !! !!!

try the space base combo - throw in a little PCP w/ it

[QUOTE=Auntie]

[QUOTE=Binformed]Sorry, I changed my mind, forget what I said before I'm just not too smart. Ritalin has been known to help millions of kids and adults alike. Sorry if I misled you.[/QUOTE]

.............

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Enough said.

NO. RITALIN IS CANCEROUS. GET YOUR KID OFF THAT CRAP FAST WHATEVER YOU DO. CHECK OUT RITALIN...CONCERTA, FOCALIN, METADATE, METHYLIN AND MORE .... IS RITALIN. CHECK OUT CHROMOSOMAL CHANGES, CHECK OUT THE TEXAS STUDY..ALL 12 KIDS HAD SIGNIFICANT CHROMOSOMAL CHANGES AFTER A SHORT TIME...THAT'S GENETIC DAMAGE FOLKS, HELLO?

um no, that stuff is toxic and could kill him and i'm not kidding....just don't do it. research it lady. it's bad s**t

[QUOTE=Binformed]Sorry, I changed my mind, forget what I said before I'm just not too smart. Ritalin has been known to help millions of kids and adults alike. Sorry if I misled you.[/QUOTE]

.............

tell me anti ritlain and binformed, why would the specialists the proffesionals in the medication business give any child ritlian if its meant to make them sick and give them a long term illness..?... get a life you freak, maybe you should have your head checked, you might learn something about yourself instead of butting into our conversations that you know nothing about!!!!

With my son i started seeing a change in the first week of taking ritlian, he still chucks some pretty big tantrums but other than that its fine, he has been on it for about 1 and a half months now. Previously he was on dex and that helped more on the side of his tantrums but it made him emotional and he was getting upset over nothing, if there was a mix between dex and ritlain i think my son would be an angel. we are still going down the testing meds out road so i am sure that we will find the right med for him and as will you. As my doctor said also ritalian is very safe and they would not prescribe it if there was any risks, the only risk you'd have is if you didnt lock it up and you child took the whole box..

I wish you the very best and hope everything goes well from here, talk to you doctors and explain to them that the bio mother is concerned and they can give you a whole load of fact sheets to give her, i think that may get her off your back.

good luck

hell no! Well, I took ritalin from 1976 to 1984.

I am still alive and still functioning.

I stand 6'2" and weigh 205 lbs.

Hardly stunted.

Sigh, gotta love tom cruise. I mean, he does finance the aliens cause.

That might explain all the sci-fi flicks as of late...

And there is no science to show. The poster has no son on ritalin for ten years.

ALL a pack of lies. If you were a concerned parent and had ill effects in 3 months, as you claim to have knowledge of, you would have pulled your child off of anything. So your child suffers from a case of bad parenting. And the marrow issue? genetic. Better get checked. Your next.
bugzappers38858.7984722222Hey, Bugz, good to hear from you and you sound like you are in fine form.

[QUOTE=calicorose]By the way, do NOT take into any accout what anti-ritalin has been posting all day long today, and let that worry you further. She is nuts. It has been used safely for MANY, for a long long time. My son tried ritalin (Concerta) and didn't like it at all. It was not the thing for him. I hope it works well for your son, and happiness and smoother sailing your way. [/QUOTE]

oh, i'm sorry, what was that my son part.....hmmmm? duuuuh!

[QUOTE=GlenW]

overwhelmed -

The only people who can truly decide what's best for the child are the parents together once they have enough information to make an informed choice.

I didn't get meds until in my 30s. I sometimes wish my parents had known about meds and wonder how things might have been different.

I'm very glad you are doing everything you can for this young man. Just be careful and watch for problems. Most are mild and can be fixed with an adjustment or alteration.

Good luck to you all!

[/QUOTE]

The only people who can truly decide what's best for the child are the parents together once they have enough information to make an informed choice.

hmmmm? what was that part about.....once they have enough info...to make a what? how can they do that if the labels don't reveal complete truths?

[QUOTE=OlderMom]Ritalin is likely the safest med for ADHD--in and out fast. I've known many kids on Ritalin, including my son for a year, and never heard of any dire consequences from Ritalin use. Beware of Scientologists on the internet. They hate meds, but pick on certain ones in particular to villify. Ritalin is one of them. An example of a Scientologist is Tom Cruise. He thinks ADHD doesn't exist and mental illness is all in your head. Best to disregard people like that. They are pretty clueless and try to minimize disorders that can incapacitate people by making it their fault they have the disorders. We had a spurt of anti-meds people here before, all from one mailing group, probably Scientologists (really!).[/QUOTE]

no but mental illness is in your head if you think ritalin is ok for children....you are dead wrong.

[QUOTE=Binformed][QUOTE=GlenW]

overwhelmed -

The only people who can truly decide what's best for the child are the parents together once they have enough information to make an informed choice.

I didn't get meds until in my 30s. I sometimes wish my parents had known about meds and wonder how things might have been different.

I'm very glad you are doing everything you can for this young man. Just be careful and watch for problems. Most are mild and can be fixed with an adjustment or alteration.

Good luck to you all!

[/QUOTE]

The only people who can truly decide what's best for the child are the parents together once they have enough information to make an informed choice.

hmmmm? what was that part about.....once they have enough info...to make a what? how can they do that if the labels don't reveal complete truths?

i wish your parents would have put you on meds sooner too....and much longer...for sure....!

[/QUOTE]

Well - this cinches it. Ask an honest heartfelt question and a troll will lie and try to instill fear with phantom concerns in you. Tragically pathetic.

She can't Imac. Kooks only listen to that voice in their heads. Probably caused by sniffing the glue (coincidentally that actually DOES release benzene...) or whatever other event that makes her hallucinate.Show me the Science. NO CHILD THE AGE OF YOUR SON SHOULD BE ON RITALIN, BUT FOR THAT MATTER, NO CHILD SHOULD BE ON RITALIN PERIOD. MY CHILD WAS ON IT FOR 10 YEARS AND NOW HAS SERIOUS BONE MARROW DAMAGE DUE TO THIS DRUG, IT'S A CANCER...PLEASE TAKE YOUR SON OFF AND FIND ANOTHER WAY TO MANAGE HIS GENIOUS!RITALIN CHANGE THE CHEMICAL MAKE UP OF YOUR CHILD'S CHROMOSOMES IN JUST 3 MONTHS TIME, IT ALSO SHRINKS THE BRAIN. IT ALSO CREATES ITP, IMMUNE THROMBOCYTOPENIA PURPURA OR LOW BLOOD PLATELETS, IT ALSO CAUSES LOW RED AND WHITE CELL BLOOD COUNTS, AND IT ALSO CAUSES BONE MARROW DAMAGE/CANCER/LEUKEMIA....MOTHER OF CHILD 10 YEARS USE.[QUOTE=Sparco]

Watch out, his next suggestion is to smoke some crack then follow that up with a pint of gin and a smoke of weed.

Loser.

[/QUOTE]

and then when you've completed this treatment, all you need to be set is a day at the beach and a couple snow cones bitch!

I swear every time I see Binformed I think "BI-Informed"

it's good that you know about people's sexuality, maybe your own?

[QUOTE=chjones] [/QUOTE]

it's kinda peculiar that no-one ever tries to grow their own coca but plenty of people will grow their own marijuana - why is that? perhaps it is very tricky to grow.

[/QUOTE]

The cocoa plant will ONLY grow in a very specific climate & ecology, and at a particular latitude and altitude. The only place on earth that has these conditions is the highlands and forested regions of NW South America. No artificial environment simulation can duplicate these conditions, incl. greenhouses that may have all the basic nutrient and temp. requirements. temperature & nutrient requirements. just like the acorn tree. cannot be domesticated under a roof.. Cannabis is very resilient and can grow easily on 6 of 7 continents, inside or out.

[QUOTE=chjones] [QUOTE=molecularshaman]

actually, there IS a natural formula that will give you a FEW HOURS of uninterrupted mental silence, but it's costly and will leave you tired possibly afterwords; a formula of: 1-2 c. ephedra tea, gingko and/or vincopetine, and one bowl of rastafarian cannabis (Mary J) about 15-20 later..

how do i know this? by being curious about the infinity of the mind

be careful

molecularshaman

[/QUOTE]

glad that works for you mate. i very much doubt it would work for everyone or that it is very healthy either - natural or not!!!!!!

certainly nothing you would consider giving to a child. if you are going to go down that route of trying illegal meds why struggle with such a cocktail...

i would bet that chewing the coca leaf would work just as well --- and probably with fewer side effects than anything else! perhaps a little difficult to get hold of in its natural state tho! and i wonder what the penalty is for growing it aswell???

it's kinda peculiar that no-one ever tries to grow their own coca but plenty of people will grow their own marijuana - why is that? perhaps it is very tricky to grow.

[/QUOTE] You could always try the crawling exercises as therapy for ADHD if you are worried about meds. They have helped me very much. They come from the book Stopping ADHD.Ritaline works wonders for both my boys! It has made family and shool life MUCH MUCH better. More focused, less distracted. My boys are 5 and 8. Have been on Ritalin for 3 months now. Had it adjusted only once and it's right on! My 8 year old also has Tourettes Syndrome. They both also take Clonodine when they wake up and when they go to sleep. The combination of both Clonodine and Ritalin works wonders for them. By the way, do NOT take into any accout what anti-ritalin has been posting all day long today, and let that worry you further. She is nuts. It has been used safely for MANY, for a long long time. My son tried ritalin (Concerta) and didn't like it at all. It was not the thing for him. I hope it works well for your son, and happiness and smoother sailing your way.

Ritalin is likely the safest med for ADHD--in and out fast. I've known many kids on Ritalin, including my son for a year, and never heard of any dire consequences from Ritalin use. Beware of Scientologists on the internet. They hate meds, but pick on certain ones in particular to villify. Ritalin is one of them. An example of a Scientologist is Tom Cruise. He thinks ADHD doesn't exist and mental illness is all in your head. Best to disregard people like that. They are pretty clueless and try to minimize disorders that can incapacitate people by making it their fault they have the disorders. We had a spurt of anti-meds people here before, all from one mailing group, probably Scientologists (really!).

Thank you for all the help.

My son has been doing great! We had to change the dose one time and now he is doing well. And his bio-mom has given up on fighting us, but if she is actually giving his meds to him while he there for his visitation who knows.

f**k IT:

NATURALS DON'T WORK.. STRONG POWERFUL PSCYHO-STIMULANTS ARE THE ONLY EFFECTIVE METHOD..BEHAVIOR THERAPY IS BULLsh*t.. and believe me i'm not closed minded; i'm a naturopathic massage therapist with a long history of studies in herbology and Ayurvedic natural medicine. so i'm familiar with the whole medical field...

also; you have ad/hd cause your body doesn't produce enough adrenaline...that's all it is..with the exception of brain damage in some cases..but usually, it's cause you don't make enough adrenaline..and there is no NATURAL herb that will penetrate directly to the adrenal sites in the brain to tell your adrenals and neurons to release everything they have..cause in a.d.d. cases that's only way treatment becomes effective...but no herb has that unique psycho-physiological action..and i HAVE TRIED every herbal concoction and species on the planet, not to mention vit/min., and special amino acid, and herbs/animal gland supplements ,etc..i admit they work when taken WITH medication; they do balance and stimulate the drug's effectiveness, etc..but speed's the only way to go if you want to get rid of the symptoms..

how do i know this? by being curious about the infinity of the mind

be careful

molecularshaman

Watch out, his next suggestion is to smoke some crack then follow that up with a pint of gin and a smoke of weed.

Loser.

Um, that's really very narrow. I have tried some of the natural ways, and you know what??

They are working for us.

But I would never ever be so bold as to come here and say that what works for us will work for everybody, or that my son's issues are only due to one thing. I'm glad you found something that works for you. I hope you never get a bad batch of weed.

By the way, the original poster's question was regarding her young son, and I hope, that by posting your comments here, that you are not assuming your concoction, especially with its upper/downer effects, would be appropriate for him. You might consider putting your information on the debate forum in a new post.

calicorose38855.2153356482

And here we have folks - the polar opposite of the anti-med troll.

Very rude talk shaman - there is more than one path to treating ADHD. I am pro-med and even I admit that with perserverence and work meds aren't the only way to go.

Also they haven't proven what is the key chemical in ADHD behavior - it could be norepinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine, both or neither. They are still working on the problem and no one solution is clear cut or works for everyone.

What I look for in life isn't my way - it's the TRUTH. And the truth is we don't know it all - nobody does.

What I don't like on the forums is berating someone for their opinion. I will berate someone for their behavior, for being pigheaded and refusing to listen, and for promoting something that is obviously false, spurious or dangerous.

If you truly wish to help shaman I strongly recommend that you work on your debate skills. And curb the dirty language. Even replacing letters with stars it's offensive to some (me included).

Everyone is welcome but some behavior simply is not.

[QUOTE=overwhelmed82]

thank you !

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Crap like this really gets under my skin. When I become supreme dictator of the world, I am going to ban anyone from reading about, listening to, or discussing anything that is in any way related to chemistry, unless they have passed at least one high school-level course on the subject.

Next time she accuses you of being a bad parent, you might want to mention that considering how exceedingly rare it is for the biological mother to lose all custody, she's most likely not in any position to be making accusations about others. [QUOTE=molecularshaman]

how do i know this? by being curious about the infinity of the mind

be careful

molecularshaman