Need some input!!!!
Hello, I'm new here. I am trying to find some more info regarding ADHD. Here is a little background info. My mom was told as I was a child that I was hyper-kinetic by the family physician the teachers urged her to put me on Ritalin. She never did and around 12 I grew out of it. It affected my schooling slightly and my ability as an adult to find stability. Now at 26 I feel that having children (7 and 3 years both boys) has worn me out to the point I wish I was still hyper. My son who is 7 has for a few years displayed many qualities that I did too. Unable to sit in a seat properly, unable to stand still, always on the go, stutters over his words, very busy at all times. Before school it didn't bother me much, now he is in 2nd grade and I see that it is bothering him. He is very smart reads at the 5th grade level and does decent in math. Close friends have asked if I have had him checked out for ADD and I replied with "I don't believe in ADD." Recently his teacher has sat down with me and told me that my son had ADHD. I thought about it for a few weeks and took him to our Family Practitioner. HE has it!!! I'm sure this is all familiar to you guys. It was crushing for me....I cried. His teacher said that she would agree with what ever my choice was regarding treatment and the Dr. said that because he does well in school he does not recommend drugs. Here is the dilemma. My son is required to do a 5 minute test of 100 math questions everyday. Not as a race of who finishes first but only trying to beat the previous days score. My son comes home hurt because he doesn't even get half of them done. HE is asking me for my help!!!! I have been very diligent in not letting him know that this thing called ADHD is affecting him. I DO NOT want him to use it as a crutch in any way at any time in his life. I have explained to him that I am doing what I can right now and soon the problem will get resolved. He is a great kid with so much potential, mild mannered, and sweet....he just can't keep his hands off of things, sit in a chair, keep things organized, just to name a few. He knows this and is asking me for help. My Dr. says he highly recommends Ritalin, my sons step mom says try Cylert, and I'm looking at Straterra. His teacher also recommends that if I try drugs to use Straterra. Does anyone here have some suggestions on a drug for a highly intelligent kid who has troubles concentrating and sitting still? He has coping mechanisms, he is non violent, had many friends, no temper, and a loving disposition. Please Help Me!
Pandora, There are so many options out there. My son age 8 is on both Adderall XR and Strattera. The Adderall helps him with the concentration and the hyperactive behavior but the dose that doesn't have side effects isn't enough to do the whole job. The Strattera helps with the hyperactive behavior. This being said some parents are having luck with nutritional supplements. The problem is finding the right combination of supplements. And, this does not work for all children. I am also giving my son Omega 3 fish oil capsules and additional zinc. Since I have been doing this I have not seen any change in his behavior so I don't think it is making much of a difference but since it doesn't hurt I am going to continue to give this to him. There are several post on this site that have supplement and dosage information from parents who are using this approach. Since your son is so intelligent he will be able to get by without the drugs for now but down the road this is going to become a problem. Maybe not until college. You can already see how it affects the number of problems he can solve in relation to children without ADHD. If you are going to choose a drug I guess Strattera is where I would begin as it does work on the hyperactivity and since your son does well in school slowing him down may be all he needs to succeed. I hope you can dig through all the information available regarding ADHD treatment and make a successful choice. Don't be disheartened if the first try isn't the answer. We had to make several med changes (dosing mostly plus adding some other meds) before we found what worked for us. Best Wishes. -Gettingagrip-My son is required to do a 5 minute test of 100 math questions everyday. Not as a race of who finishes first but only trying to beat the previous days score. My son comes home hurt because he doesn't even get half of them done. HE is asking me for my help!!!! He is a great kid with so much potential, mild mannered, and sweet....he just can't keep his hands off of things, sit in a chair, keep things organized, just to name a few. He knows this and is asking me for help.
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Pandora, Everybody, needs some hurdles in life, that is normal and natural. Even muggles (my term for non ADHDers) have problems.
I would not medicate this child, if he is doing OKAY that is great, I would rather try to explain to him that there will be things that he is not great at and things that he is good at.
Not everyone can win the race and get 100% on the science test. The doods getting the 100% on the science test usually arnt the ones winning the races.
Get my idea!
He may have a perfectionist personality. Teach him to praise himself for doing his best and that is all he ever needs to do "his best". He doesnt have to be the Best. Through life he will have wins and he will have losses, and learning to accept this at a young age, helps them to accept themselves and avoids depression due to feelings of failure later in life. Crikeys, if I kicked myself for all the times I failed, I would be a blubbery mess on the ground! 
Rather I think, okay, what did I learn from that or where can I go from here, things like that. And this was a big lesson for me, I once quit a dance class because I was the second best and not the best.
Meds are a last resort, not something to use to make a good kid better. But that is my opinion, and I would hate to see this boy go down the med road if he doesnt need to. 
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