Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) can also mimic ADHD and are not responsive to meds. Definitely get your diagnosis from a mental health professional, the -iatrist over the -ologist as they are up to date on the latest meds and are seeing them at work in their own patients. Also, if you do suspect something like HFA or bipolar they are the ones who can actually diagnose those issues, I believe a psychologist has to referr. And make sure they run a full battery of tests, not just the parent questionairre. I've been to multiple pdocs in my area and some are just - quite frankly - ritalin farms. You come in, they talk to you for 10 minutes and write you a scrip. Comprehensive testing should take multiple hours, for a neuropsych, I believe it is multiple days and you should come out with an IQ score and everything.
Also, until you get a final diagnosis, make sure you have tried meds in each category. There is strattera, the ritalin type stims and the adderall type stims and they can work differently on different types of ADD, there are also the mood regulators, but you should have a diagnosis long before you get to that point. :) Unless you see a negative impact or your ped recommends agains, I can't see any reason for not continuing to trial different meds until you get your diagnosis. After all, it could still be ADHD and then you are just further ahead in finding the right med for your DS.
I agree with most here in that you need to see a neuro/pysych and you can get a referral from your child's pedicatician. Until you gert a firm diagnosis, it is wise to stop the meds because your son is aggressive on them and in this case since the diagnosis is questionable, you don't try meds to make a diagnosis. It's best to get a definitive diagnosis first and then make a treatment plan. Good luck and keep us posted.I think I did overlook the agression issues. If you are pleased otherwise with the results on concerta, you might consider augmenting your meds. My DS is impulsive type and showed a high level of agression as well. He has been on Strattera (which has a higher incidence of agression) for over a year and we were really pleased with the results for attention and impulsivity, but the agression was still a problem, so about 6 months ago we started him on wellbutrin at night and that really helped. According to my doc, wellbutrin also has properties that help with concentration, but regardless, it took the edge off DS's agression significantly.
Then again, this may all be moot, as I hope your appointment went well and you got a diagnosis you can be more confident with. Best of luck, let us know how things went!
I went to my sons pediatrician today. I told him, he is still extremely agressive on his concerta. (This is his 4th med, all do the same). He told me he is wondering if he might have given him an "improper diagnosis". Luckily I am going to a pyschologist Wednesday. I just want to know what to do. Is there anything that mimics adhd besides bipolar?Not responding as expected to the meds is a good reason to reconsider the diagnosis. There are many things that can mimic ADHD. Your pediatrician has probably tested for the medical conditions. A child psychiatrist of neuropsychologist can do the testing needed. Here is a list of 50 things that can mimic ADHD. I know 50 is a big number, but you will see that many things on the list are easy to rule out (and some of these are no longer thought to apply).
http://adhdparentssupportgroup.homestead.com/50conditionsmim icingADHD.html
We had medical eval by the pediatrician (hypoglycemia and hypothyroidism runs in my family); educational psychologist eval for learning disorders and IQ; and testing by the school psychologist and special ed teacher (my daughter has learning disorders and is gifted as well as ADHD). Then the child psychiatrist put it all together and is getting us through the treatment optimization. It has been quite the journey, but a correct diagnosis is invaluble for getting the best treatment.
Good luck.
Go to a neuropsychologist. He/she'll be able to do the kind of testing necessary to reach a firm diagnosis. Your ped is a good doctor, I'm sure (hey, he can admit that he might not have made the right dx!) but he just doesn't have the time to stay current in every childhood problem. Good luck! I'd recommend an evaluation with both a board-certified child psychiatrist and a neuropsychologist. Psychiatrists are best at dxing mood issues (anxiety, depression, mood disorder) and neuropsychologists can assess for many childhood disorders, including but not limited to ADHD. In my experience, psychologists are not that great at dxing (they blame a lot on poor parenting), plus they can't prescribe meds. You do need to know what you're dealing with before you can put the proper interventions into place. Good luck.