i was out with my friends at 14.
probably under mummy's thumb who wouldn't say boo without her permission.
sad
Brain scans are available today so you get to see the dysfunctional areas. Some use a test that looks at your tracking skills. You can't pass if that is dysfunctional for you. According to my grown son, Xbox is a videogame system for adults. I expect BInformed is more a GameCube kind of kid.lol. Thanks Binformed. Dont you have an Xbox to play or something?
if you can read through that good luck.if like us you can't.don't worry it is nothing of intelligenceIgnore binformed. He is a 14 year old shut-in that comes on when mommy isn't watching to be a pest.Meds should never make that "zombie kid" that the anti-med groups are touting. That typically is either overstated or a symptom that the meds simply aren't working.
Ritalin will typically slow down a capital-H hyper ADHD kid. That's a part of what it is intended to do - allow the child to slow to the point where concentration and quiet study are a possibility. The child should still be happy and able to communicate his/her feelings with no apparent lack of emotion or initiative.
The important part to remember that in the care of your child the end control is yours. If you honestly feel like the meds are simply not working or worse are causing difficulties then ask them to stop the current med and think over the next step. There are many treatments available.
Have you begun cognitive behavior therapy? CBT for short - it teaches real-world alternative behavior. Most good psychs know how to administer CBT and if they won't deal that way ask them to refer you. It works wonders (especially when the right med is found).
The worst thing in the world is to go through childhood (then adulthood) with ADHD feeling clueless and walking in a fog. Maturity is stunted and eventually life will begin to break down. It did for me - and many others.
I wish I had started my son on meds 2 years ago. It has really helped him. It does sometimes take a long time to get the right med or combination of meds for your child.If your son is reacting this way to his current meds, then you want to think about discontinuing this med. Finding the right med does take some time and work, but a reaction like what you're talking about isn't normal or good. Talk to your prescribing doc tomorrow about altering/changing/discontinuing. Also visit the alternatives board to see if there's a therapy that doesn't use pharmaceuticals. My son is on Strattera and Ritalin LA, and I don't think there's anything wrong with meds, per se. I do think there's something wrong with the way your child is acting. He just may be one of those people who don't do well on meds. Talk to your doc tomorrow.I was just wondering how long it took for you all to find "THE med" that worked for your child. We are on our second now and it is just hell on legs. lol. I have read that it can take a few trials to find that one med that works the best, but this is just AWFUL. My son is a shell of his former self. Honestly, I was saying to my husband this morning that I preferred having an out of control ADHD child on no meds than this mess I have now.
Can someone just reassure me that this is all "getting the bugs out" normal stuff and that it will get better. This just feels like such a life sentence.
There is no way for any doctor, no matter how good, to know what is wrong with a child as young as yours. If it were me, and I had to do it all over again, I'd wait for meds and get him diagnosed by a good NeuroPsych before I'd let him be put on any medication. If you medicate the wrong disorder with ADHD meds, the child could get considerably worse. I'd try other interventions at his age and get your name on a list for a NeuroPsych. They are very thorough and usually have long waiting lists because they're good. Until then, I wouldn't do it, especially if he is acting out. That could mean that you aren't dealing with ADHD. Out of control behavior is more common in a couple other disorders, especially if rages and violence are part of it. I'd be careful. THere is no guarantee that this is the answer or that he'll get better this way. Once he is propertly diagnosed, he'll get better because they'll know what to treat. Right now, they're taking a crapshoot. I'm guessing a pediatrician did this and IMO they have no business trying to diagnose childhood disorders. They don't have the extra training needed and all the childhood disorders mimic one another, but the treataments are all different. Go slowly. I'm not sure (nobody can be including a doctor) that any stimulant is the answer for your child. Good luck :) OlderMom38865.5426967593I agree with Oldermom. We had a QEEG done on our son and it was more of a concrete form of diagnosis rather than just a doctor saying your son has ad/hd. We were able to make better choices for our son by seeing the results of this test. We use a small dose of Foaclin xr and his doctor also has us making diet changes. NeuroPsch's truely look at everything. They are not quick to make irrational decisions. We haven't had to change our son's medicine or dosage. I think in part to the thorough(sp) testing that has been done.QEEG=quanatative electroencephalographic (EEG)patterns
This test is suppose to be one of the most accurate tools available. It is an objective tool that the provider can use in conjunction with a thorough evaluation to determine if the patient indeeds have ad/hd. It is my understanding that the patient is compared to those that do have AD/HD and those that do not have AD/HD in their age range. It is something like 90% accurate.
I think this particular tool is fairly new in recent years. I don't think many doctors use it yet. May be wrong on this one. I just got that impression from research I did and the communication with the doctor.
It can be costly if you don't have insurance. I fortunately do have insurance.
As parents we received a NeuroLex Indicator Report that showed us the results of the tests.
Hope this explains it some.
What is a QEEG? There really is no concrete test for ADHD...it's all guesswork at this point.At the moment we are working with a child psychologist, a child psychiatrist, and a ped who specialises in AD/HD. Also, my DH is a psychologist (admittedly not a child psych).
We are military, so insurance isnt an issue. I will look into the Neuro psych.
For the record, his behaviour is not violent or aggressive. He is extremely emotional, nervous and having trouble sleeping.
Thankyou for your input, ladies.
Is he emotional and nervous both on and off meds? Does he have trouble falling asleep both on and off meds?
ANY ADHD med can exacerbate anxiety so that's what you may be seeing.
Glen...you have stated what I've been trying to tell friends and family who are skeptical of my ex and my decision to medicate.
The idea of my child going through life "feeling clueless and walking in a fog" is exactly why my ex and I decided to go with medication, play thereapy, and diet for our son. We just didn't want him to experience this feeling of life breaking down. ( Down deep I think my ex may have experienced this himself and this is why he agreed to give these things a shot. Unfortunately, he is not quite there in regards to getting the right help for himself. Maybe someday.)
There are no guarnatee's in life but hopefully we've made the best choice for our son.
Thanks for sharing your viewpoint!