I would not recommend you taking him off the medication, and if you are going to I would not do it cold turkey. My 5 year old has controlable ADHD at home with me and his dad but at school and at daycare or even places where he is over stimulated he is out of control. and that is where we medicate him.
GodOfImpiety (Paul)
It is hard to train or to make a 5 year old understand self control if he can not focus on the task at hand for 5 years we have worked on a reward system with him and even created a behavior chart that in the week if he gets a number of smileyfaces he gets a special reward...that didnt work at the end of the week he thought he was good and didnt earn the treat he didnt understand why.. I think as he gets older and understands more about what is going in in his head, he will learn to control himself better.
HEY!GodOfImpiety (Paul)
Thank you, thank you, for taking the time to share with us your experience. It reinforces the need to get second opinions and to be extremely prudent when meds are prescribed. Many folks on this site have had their kids diagnosed with ADHD and in reality had other conditions. Sounds like you were one of those kids back in 6th grade. ADHD meds on a bipolar proned child does exactly what you said, "pisses them off and kick's their ass". To my knowledge Steroids for ADHD is not a current treatment protocol, but again, your letter really makes a case against steriods.
Unfortunately, sometimes when you may have a child who can't gain traction in school because of their inability to focus beyond a moment or two, then its necessary to have a more "awake state of mind". When you have a child with no impulse control who has no friends because they piss off everyone off with their unpredictable and uncontrollable negative behavior, then again, a more "awake state of mind" may be called for.
You are absolutely right when you said, "Its so much better to grow up learning how to deal with a disorder with your Own will-power. If you cant learn how to control yourself without medications You never will and you will be really messed up in the head when you get older." (I couldn't have said it better myself). Unfortunately, some of us have children that can't do this on their own no mater how much therapy, behavior modification, parenting or reward/punishment systems we deal out. As a result we are have to make the painful decision to employ meds. And as a parent we have to be sure that we are well informed and vigilent when we resort to drugs when nothing else works.
I'm glad that you have continued to grow without the support of meds. This gives me hope that someday my child's future can also be one free of that support.
Paul &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; &n bsp; (by the way, great first name that you have!)
DJsmommy
One of the hardest things to accept with ADHD is that it can't be cured but can be effectively treated.
Will this go away? Personally, I would re-phrase the question as, Will it be OK? The answer can be “yes,” but recognize that this is often the “fifty year plan.” In other words, these children can be wonderfully successful adults, while they continue to work on these issues over their lifetime. Meanwhile, we “just” need to patiently steer them in the positive direction often with the help of family therapy, diet and perhaps meds.
"While the rest of us are obsessing about the future, or morosing about the past, people with ADHD are experiencing the present. ADHDers can be a lot of fun; dullness is never a problem. Their “Why not?” attitude may free them to take chances that the rest of us may be afraid to take. Their flux of ideas may lead to creative innovations. And most importantly, their extreme passion can be a source of inspiration and accomplishment to the benefit of us all". (quoted from an ADHD ref)
Having come to realization that my son probably inherited his ADHD from me, I only need to look in a mirror and realize that he will be okay. I was never treated for it but at the age of 50 I can look back and see a very successful life with successful relationships with family and friends. No, I didn't have that as a child because my motor mouth and lack of impulse control drove folks away. But over the years, I've learned to control both (well almost) and function successfully.
It’s going to be quite a ride but with a mother like you, your son is going to be okay. Don't settle for one doctor's opinion, better yet form a team of your pediatrician, a child psychologiest, and a therapist with you as the leader. You'll be amazed how the consensus will reinforce whatever decisions you derive.
Paul
Paul
I feel like the puppet master with my child dangling from the strings --- i want what is best for my child but at the same time i am frustrated with the trust i have not only with my doctor but every dr. out there whose solution to everything is a perscribed drug -- then our children are on these and what have we done???? yes it helps him control himself to a point but am i saying he cant function without his meds?????? thats why i have come on to this bored for advice and knowing others are in the same boat is refreshing to me -- i dont want my son to be on meds for the rest of his life and i am wondering now despite the fact they are helpful to a degree if i did not make a mistake by starting him on them at all -- I had pre-school teachers from day one forcing me to put him on meds i could not stay at home with him i need my job for us to survive but the continous threats of him not being allowed to come back left me no choice -- at home for the most part no problem the question is was the minumum wage job of pre-school providers to demanding for them to take on a child who may or may not be having a good day so the solution is to get meds??? I know i am rambling on but what do you believe anymore???????
My child is 5 years old he has had problems since the age of 3 he was diagnosed with ADHD/ODD January 2004 with some trial and error we came up with a combination of 36mg of Concerta, .1MG of Clonidine, and 25mg Stratera, now all has been good for the most part he has started Kindergarten this year and is in his third week although I havent heard from school or his teacher and he is getting good marks on his school work I am under the assumption that he is doing well there ( I HOPE ) however, when he comes home DIFFERENT STORY the fits he has been throwing lately are way over EMOTIONAL screaming, hard crying, telling us he hates us, really bad attitude-for 5 years old the way he talks to us is unbelievable calling us stupid -- following every sentence with DUH -- we whip his butt, tap his mouth, discipline him in slightest sets him off in a rage he has even been known to hit at us -- i have recently got on to Zoloft so that i can control myself -- when he is like this i dont know what to do -- his father blames me for putting him on the medication and says it is messing with his head and should never have been done and that he wants him off of it and truthfully i have always questioned whether it was to much meds for a 5 year old and of course his pediatrician says no its not but what am i doing for his future? what are the reprocussions fo taking him off meds??? atleast the concerta???? HELP!!Your son is coming down off the meds, you need to talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or changing the times you give him the meds, perhaps spreading smaller doseages over the day.
Talk to your doctor about considering trying him again without the meds, you need to really get some info out of your doctor.
Are you on the Zoloft or your son.
And personally, I would avoid meds until around 7 anyway, unless the child is hurting others or himself badly. (this is just my opinion, you dont need to accept it)
My entire family gave me a really hard time when my son first started his meds. From experience I know that it is a really tough decision. However I know that my son does so much better IN SCHOOL when he is taking his meds. I would encourage you to discuss the issues again with your Dr. It takes a while to come up with the correct rx. As I have learned reading from others in this forum, you're not alone! It really placed a strain on my marriage when my guy was dx with adhd and it was 3 years before we started him on the meds. Hang in there!yes it's me that's on the zoloft I actually talked to his Dr. this morning and he said to drop the mg of Stratera from 25mg to 18mg and leave the Concerta at 36mg -- he advised me that taking him off meds is not advisable and that this will be an ongoing process to treat him -- i was thinking about doing the take him off meds for the weekends but i'm not sure if that will make him better or just do more harm -- I've gone for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinions and all seems to point to meds i almost have to believe the dr.s and pharmucutical companies all are in this together and for the money -- however by taking him off meds that opens a whole new can of worms for him in Kindergarten and i dont want to have to pull him out and start him next year that would crush his self esteem cause he actually loves going to "big kids" school.My PED told me because my insurance doesnt cover much of the price that i could get away with out giving my son the medication during the weekend or holidays. But it may depend on the medication that they are on and how quick they rebuild the dose in there bodies.
did he react differently on the weekend?? and was there like a "knock out" stage when re administred on Monday - after the weekend break???Thank you i may try it for a weekend -- i don't have a problem with him taking it thank goodness -- he does take the meds good for me -- i just don't want him all hyperactive over the weekend then come monday he takes his meds and his mind and body get zombiefied or have trouble adjusting when i put him back on come Monday -- hope I'm not rattling on and on but i do appreciate all who gives me advice i desperately need to take anything i can get.
Thank you
It may all depend on the intensity of his ADHD and the medication (I know my son was orginally put in concerta but can not swallow the pills so he was seitched to ritilin) and he PED said it would be fine to not give it to him on the weekend with out a problem.
But I am not a DR and I dont know how long he has been on meds and what would happen if you took him off.
djsmommie
Can you imagine what its like to be in control and then suddenly not be in control? That's sort of what you're proposing for a drug holiday. Not only is it tough on the child, its also tough on the family.
Your son reacts to a situation or stimulous one way when on meds and then you respond accordingly as does his friends. Yet on weekends he reacts differently and you have to remember to say, "Oh yea, he's not on meds so I won't react and get irratated or mad because I know he's not in control" NOT!
Go for it, and watch how the irratation, volume of your voice and the level of anxiety within your household raises on the weekends.
No parent wants their child on meds; it makes us feel guilty and we are scared of what the side effects will be in the future. But if it's a required to help your child maintain control in order to establish relationships excel in school and bring peace in your household then do it.
One of the postings mentioned turning your child into a zombie. If the meds are doing that then your doctor is over medicating. It is up to your doctor to find the right combo of meds that will optimize your childs behavior (if meds are needed). BUT ITS UP TO YOU TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT. Sure you can medicate to being a zombie, but the real skill is minimizing meds by balancing diet, and behavior modification.
Paul
I agree 100 % with Paul's veiw, if I know that it is goign to be a relaxing weekend at home and nothing big will happen then I dont medicate him for cost reasons, however if I know that we are going to the park, or something that has a lot of stimuli and requires focas then I would medicate. Like I said every one is different and all cases of ADHD are not alike and to follow the DRS orders. My PED didn't see any big side effect to not medicate and she said it would help with certain side effects.......but to follow directions of the PED.
we gave it to him this weekend because we were going to a birthday party, but last weekend we didnt give it to him and he was active but not down right nasty. The following monday he was fine to take it as normal (he doesnt know that he is taking it) because he has ODD and refuses to do much of anything so we sneak it in stuff.djsmommy,
I swear you are describing my son at that age. He even had the same exact incident with the 3 year old kid on the next street. What we ended up doing was transitioning from a Pediatrician to a Psychologist to help treat our son. Pediatricians are knowledgeable regarding ADHD but are not experts. They are also limited on what meds they will prescribed since there are off label ones (Risperdal) that only a trained Psch would prescribe.
If your son has the same challenge as mine then you are faced with the same dilemma. He is the type of ADHD where he is hyperactive and has minimal impulse control. The hyperactivity drives folks around him nuts but is bareable. Unfortunately, the low impulse control is the aspect that drives friends away, irrates and makes us nuts. That's the aspect where his mouth says things before his brain, his actions go forth before he thinks them through and he lives only in the moment not thinking about past experiences and future consequences. Realize that at this time he has minimum ability to control himself.
As a result, the doctor has prescribed something for the ADHD. Concerta or Ritalin slowed him down reducing the hyper activity and improving impulse control, but would not let him eat or sleep. He's now on strattera which does the same but does let him eat and sleep. Unfortunately on either Strattera or Concerta we still have to deal with the afternoon rages and anxiety so after consulting with a psychologist we added Risperdal. The combination in very low doses works with no side effects.
He's not a zombie, still has a temper and occasionally rages, but now he's at a point that he can be reasoned with and is developing the skills to let go of confrontations. GODOFIMPIETY does make a good argument to have your son reevaluated to ensure that ADHD is really the issue. Therefore, by checking in with a psychologist, you can be sure that whatever path you choose to follow will be one chosen with more confidence. Please remember, if you have to resort to meds, then start with the absolute minimum and observe for a week or two before you decrease or increase.
Paul