Newbie, our story, Metadate | ADHD Information

Hello all. Lurker coming out to play  I'm Rian.

I haven't done a lot of digging here, but I haven't seen Metadate discussed too frequently, or I'm completely overlooking it. Just thought I'd share our experience with Metadate so far.

I'm 35, stay home mom married 8 years, live in the midwest USA. Our son is 6, daughter is 4. Suffered with high BP the entire pregnancy with my son, very sick "toxemic" pre-eclamptic, treated with mild doses of Ativan and bedrest to control BP until delivery. Nearly 2 weeks overdue, induced labor & delivery, normal birth, healthy baby.

I *knew* by 18 mos my son was going to be a handful, different than other kids. He went from rolling everywhere at 6 mos to pulling up and walking at 10 mos. By 1 year the kid was pulling wallpaper off the walls, dismantling vcr's, bending the door off the dishwasher, stacking objects to attain higher locations, etc etc.....I'm sure you've heard it all!!

I started my son in preschool/parents day out at 18 mos because I couldn't keep up with him. He completed 3 years of preschool plus an extra year of PreK ready to enter kindy at age 6. I heard the broken record over and over again "he's very far behind his peers but he'll get it by next year"

This year has been a nightmare. we live in an exlempary public school system and our teacher has been a heaven-send. my son just wasn't getting it tho, just could not LEARN. Absolutely everything was in one ear and right out the other, nothing was laying down for him. Behaviorally he started to act out because he became frustrated and hateful, feeling the widening gap between himself and school mates. 

After winter break my son tested in knowing only 3 letters of the full alphabet, could only count to 8, etc. Had a school-initiative Child Study done, they of course referred me to our Ped. where she did a full assessment and diagnosed Inattentive ADD. Behaviorally my son is "on par" with most his age, but learning is a HUGE problem for him. I knew this situation was coming, I knew the day would arrive, I could have told anyone this was going to happen by the time he was 2 years old I KNEW my child was ADD. So, it was no struggle for me to decide to try medication. It was no struggle for me to accept that he is different and needs extra help.

I want to offer that I did not at any time experience the high-pressures from school officials that some others have unfortunately had to deal with. Ultimately I was made to feel that the choices and decisions were MINE to make and that I would be supported in whatever direction I decided to take for my son. I feel very lucky to have that support from our teacher & school and I'm outraged everytime I hear an account of school bullying parents into decisions on diagnosis & treatments. I digress......  

We started Metadate 10 mg daily the beginning of Feb. Since then, as of this morning, my parent conference with principal and teacher, this kid has done a complete 180. In that short amount of time he has learned his alphabet including sounds and recognition, can count to 50 and has learned to write not only his name but most of the 100 words they are mastering in his classroom. At home I notice a complete change to the positive in his attitude and compliance with household rules/conduct expectations. My only regret is not having taken action sooner, at age 5 while he was still in PreK.

I also want to add that I give my boy a good daily multi along with flax oil everyday, and have since his 2nd year. We limit dairy, food colorings and sugars. My son drinks generous amounts of reverse osmosis water every day. I believe all this has helped in that we have not experienced adverse side effects common to this medication.

I just wanted to share our positive experience and make connections with other parents who are experiencing what I'm dealing with in my son. I have enjoyed reading others experiences and hope that I can contribute positively to the forum.

My primary concerns surround the fact that he has been diagnosed so young, and the possible side effects of long-term usage of Metadate or any other ADD drug. At what point will we know if he even needs medication any more? Our Ped advises that in Inattentive cases, the child is likely to grow out of it at some point.

Anyway, glad to be here and look forward to getting to know you all. Still learning everyday.......

 

 

 

 

 

We have also had great experience with metadate.Hello!

Hate to say it, but I am an inattentive ADD 42 year old. My son is inattentive, and my father is inattentive. From what I have read, ADD is seldom outgrown. It used to be thought that it was usually outgrown. As people get older, the ADD can change, become more internal, so to speak, but it doesn't go away. It is still hard to pay attention, organizational problems, and there is still fog in my brain without meds. Some just don't need the meds as much when they are no longer in a school setting.

I just started taking meds, and I've been finished with school for quite a while.

It's great to hear how well your son is doing and how well the school has teated you. You can always try a few days without meds if you need to see how much they are helping. Summer is coming, too, and some do a med vacation then.

Anyway, welcome rianmomx2 
Koko...I have to agree with you,i have nor do i know anyone who has "outgrown" add/adhd.I think its just the parents keeping hope,hoping that thire child wont be "different" forever.iam not one of those parents (anymore)We did the all natural thing with our son at first,worked for alittle while and i mean alittle.He is now 14 yrs old,he does have LD and lucky we are in a good school system.He is on Concerta 2 36mgs once aday,and without these meds he could'nt do as well as he does.We use to take him off his meds in the summer,but then noone had a good summer,he was getting into trouble for something or another.We could'nt go out on trips or anything,cause of the way he was acting.Now at 14 he's 145lbs,5'11 1/2...So also want to let these parents know these kids do grow!He is on his 6th yr of playing football,he has friends and even a girlfriend.Sure life is still hard,we have bumps in the road,but we have that with our 2 other children as well.Noone is perfect ,just have to take it as it comes.And somethings we have to by pass with these kids,bigger things will come.And trust me your'll know when they come.I run our local Chadd Chapeter here in Pa,and i have met alot of parents that think this will all go away,that thire child is ok,they dont need meds,but then they come to the support group pulling out thire hair,wondering why thire kids are failing ,fighting,no friends.If we put our kids on meds they are going to become "druggies".which is'nt true.Chadd is for parents with kids w/add/adhd and Adults with it.All the adults are doing well and holding jobs,having families.I really think if you have a good home life(the kids)they grow up just fine.We have always been open with our son,he knows what he has,what it means.And he knows these meds are'nt just for him to be"good".I just think these kids are great,they things they go through,and what they have to put up with.I always say God does'nt give us more then we can Handle,We were given these kids for a reason.I know why i was given a child like this...Its to help other parents,which i'm doing.I speak at schools,and to other kids..Just wanted to give my input ..

I don't think it's so much that kids with ADHD outgrow the disorder as learn to cope with it.  My DH has ADD and my best friend has ADHD and they have both learned to cope without meds (my friend more than my dh though).  What has helped them as adults adult was learning about the disorder, how to recognize when they are being distracted and putting in place a couple coping mechanisms to help them deal.  Also, now there are really neat life-skills/counseling/executive function mentors and trainers that can work with teens and adults to improve their ability to function in college and work environments. 

No worries, I just wanted to be sure that you weren't set up for disappointment there. I don't know if doctors just have old information or if they like to end the appointment on a positive note. They just should watch their words because we parents take them very seriously! 

KoKo, thanks for your input, I appreciate your sharing your personal experience and applaud your grip on it. I realize that the probability far outweighs the possibility that this will be a lifelong struggle for my son. I accept it for what it is. Maybe my doctor was just trying to be hopeful. I didn't get the whiff that she was being neglegent or offering flat out WRONG information. Subsequent research on my own supports your assertion that more times than not it isn't outgrown.   

ReadingChadd.....I'm not fooling myself or waiting around for his ADD to wear off. I'm completely new at all of this and can only consider what I'm told by professionals and people who are more experienced than I am. Overall our experience so far has been a positive...we were lucky to get a good assessment and apparently accurate diagnosis & the right med therapy right out the door. when and if it doesn't work anymore, then we move on.

If ADD is in the cards for my son to deal with his entire life then I'm fully prepared to equip him to be able to do just that in the most appropriate and effective ways possible. I don't have my head in the clouds or do Denial. I regret that my post may have left that impression.

 

 

i tried stattera, focalin, adderall xr adderallxr severe mood swings; strattera 10 mg not much diff. then focalin 5mg  nothing and then back to strattera 18mg took the edge off a little now started metadate20mgs not sure take edge off o bit  but bad tummy aches i hate it all

 

We have good results with Metadate Cd 20mg with my 5yr ds, he metabolizes very fast, it only lasts about 5 hrs.  But no side effects at all.

i have a person at work that had her son on ritlan and with in a year he did not need it any longer if that helps at all.

 

 

and my son just started metadate on 4/26/06 so i hope it helps him i really hate meds.

axm281638833.6519444444Rian it is good hearing about positive stories.  Same here my child was doing poorly in school no friends we tried behavior plan after behavior plan for I was reluctant to use meds out of fear and all the hype.  After being around this board a year I decided after the psychologist made the recommendation decided to give it a shot and same  her 180 degree turnaround.  It was not an easy choice it is not for anyone but it turned out well.  She has had some adjustments already since she began in November but is doing well.  I have to add she now has two classmates she plays with and talks about, when I visited her school last they both told me that they were my girls best friends. .IMac38945.5102430556
my son is on ritalin LA 25 mg, he is 7 years old and I have heard good things about meditate(spelling not sure of) My doc gave me a week script to try out, did you try any others before the meditate.

Wow. I was glad to see this thread revived and that our positive experience has been encouraging to some.

An update: My son just got RAVE reviews at our last IEP meeting last week. Nobody involved can believe the positive changes in him. Essentially he's completed the first 3/4 of his kindergarten year in just two months time, he's caught up with the class now, testing in the mid-above average range compared to his peers and his confidence level has skyrocketed. Similar to what another poster said, my son explained to me "it's like I can hear the teacher now mom"

Behaviorally I'm seeing a huge improvement as well. My boy no longer takes out all his aggression and frustration on his little sister, our household is much MUCH more peaceful than it ever has been....EVER. My son no longer "Rules" the home and sets our daily tone - for which I'm incredibly grateful.

Angelique I can certainly identify with what you are saying about your children. I know how hard it is to "like" your kids when ADD/ADHD is present. It's hard enough with help (a spouse) I cannot imagine going it alone but I know there are LOTS of parents in your shoes. I remember one day last summer looking out at our two children playing on the swingset on what was otherwise and idyllic summer day - most moms would have swelled with pride and love at the picture - I was overwhelmed with anger, grief, confusion, DISAPPOINTMENT. I just cried and cried that day, not knowing what to do. Peer pressure from other parents, church influence, etc., kept me from marching straight into the Docs office for help because "I knew" it would result in meds.

Having now made the decisions I've made and seeing the results we've experienced, I'm now ANGRY at myself for not following my own gut instincts much sooner, for my CHILDS SAKE, myself aside.

One small pill a day. Very few but important dietary changes. A few supplements. Who knew? My child is now the son I've always dreamed of.....and MORE importantly is able to live to his potential and really live to be the person he was created to be.

Keep the positive posts alive!!!! There is hope for every child!!!

smiles today, Rian Mom

 

 

 

 

 

my son michael his metadate takes about an hour or more to start and then it works until about 5:00pm that is giving it to him at about 5:30am so it is almost

a full 12 hours which i guess it will level off this is only his third day. 

i wonder why me sometimes too and it is hard when trying to raise two boys a lone and no around that truly understands how hard it is and even just trying to tell someone it makes it harder because it makes me feel terrible that i can not help my son.   i always hear need to be more consistant yea i wish they could see how consistant i really am they might call cps on me for being too strict i have an expectancy of my son and keep in mind his adhd but still hold him totally accountable for his actions how much more consistant can one get day in and day out.....We had good results with Ritalin as well.  We changed to the longer acting Adderall it worked longer, obviously.  I agree we were given these kids for a reason as well, although sometimes I wonder Why me?