I feel like I’m going to lose it
I just wanted to say that I am glad you came out of lurkdom to ask for help and support - I don't have a lot of advice for you, but I am sure others will.
Perhaps Concerta is not the med for your daughter, or perhaps there is something else going on. You may want to see if your doctor can do additional testing.
Good luck...and hang in there.
WOW, thanks for all your replies. I left that message and then left for work, then when I came home and saw all of your helpful and kind words, it really made a huge difference in my day. Thank you so very much.We all feel like we are losing our minds some days!!!
You could try a social skills class. You could try lots of play dates.
They say a combination of meds and behavior management work best. You could try cognitive behavior therapy. If you have an IEP you could request a behavior plan.
You could visit the alternatives board and try some things there that you find appealing. We use Omega 3 and homeopathy.
I'm listening to 123 Magic audio book now, and it sounds pretty good.
Hello & welcome. Just as everyone else has said....we all feel like we're losing our minds at one point or another. My 7yo dd has been lucky so far, however she's only been on meds for almost 2 weeks now. The first & only med we have tried (Dexedrine 10mg slow release) has seemed to be the right one for her. She is not like a zombie at all. Instead, she is just my sweet, loving, smart little girl! Even she has noticed how much better she feels & is doing. Her teacher has said that she is participating more, focusing more & not disrupting the class. At home has been so great, no arguing & no battles. Maybe the med's your dd is on or has been on just aren't the right ones for her. From what I understand, many people have to try several different meds before finding one that fits. Trust me, you will be able to tell which one is working. Hang in there & keep us posted!!
Hello! I am a new member, but not "new" to ADHD. We've been dealing with it for several years now, although my son wasn't diagnosed until 13 months ago. Regarding the meds, your daughter should not be "zombied" out. The pediatrician told me if my son got that way then he was on too heavy a dose of medicine. It should be enough to help the child "stay on task." It is a balancing act, and sometimes it does take several weeks to get the dosage right. You'll know you have the right medicine and dosage when your child starts listening/following through with basic tasks at home, and when she stops getting in trouble with the teacher at school.
We tried adderall, which didn't work at all (it was horrible)-- made him completely emotional. We then tried metadate, which is working well. I have also heard a lot of good things about concerta.
Yes, it is normal to feel overwhelmed. It comes with the ADHD territory, unfortunately. You CAN do this. God gave you this child for a reason. Something that might help is the buying the book called _Taking Charge of ADHD_. It is one of the best ADHD books I've read.
We also considered home schooling, but not for long. We realized doing so would prevent our son from getting the social interaction he needed.
Believe me, you are NOT whining! If you only knew the morning I had today. :)
I really liked what jaderrock54 said about how once the right medicine and dosage was found it was like "getting to know him for the first time, that all the positive aspects of his personality could finally shine through." I wrote almost the SAME thing in my journal. That is EXACTLY what it feels like. Best of luck to you. Things will get better.
I am so glad I found this board. You people are like angels. Literally.
Teachers have been telling us since Grace was in K4 to get her evaluated. She was dx'd in May 2005. She just turned 9. We've been trying different meds with her doctor but they don't seem to "work." (What does that even mean? How will I even know what "normal" will look like? When she's zombied out, is that normal, because she's quiet and passive?) Everyday after school I ask the teacher how the day went. It's never good news. Don't get me wrong, her teacher has been fabulous, but Grace just isn't doing well in school. At home she's all over the place and I feel like I'm going to lose it. She's a sweet, empathethic little girl, but so sensitive and intense about everything.
How many different meds/ dosages did you try til you found one that worked? What worked for you? She's on 54mg of Concerta now. She's also been on different dosages of Concerta and and also on Adderall, which didn't work at all for her, made her more edgy.
Is it normal to feel like you're losing your mind more days than not? What if I can't do this? I work part-time, should I home-school? How do I get other kids to not be put off by her intensity and want to play with her?
I don't know what else to do. Tried the marble thing, worked for about a day, then it seemed she didn't care about it.
Sorry I'm whining so, but I finally had to stop lurking and just come out and ask for help.
Hi and welcome! {{{{{ Hugs }}}}} I know you're hurting to finally come out and introduce yourself! Trying to find the right med is often difficult. Welcome to our world. I would say zombied out is not what you are shooting for. Less impulsive and more able to focus on schoolwork is the desired effect. We just changed meds also. We were doing 50 mg Ritalin LA, now we dialed it back to 30 mg and added in Tenex. Don't know if it is working or not yet. Have you ruled out any learning disabilities? Has she been screened for those? Maybe that is why she is having trouble in school?? My advice is that if you are mystified by her behavior, have a thorough eval done by a neuropsychologist who will run a complete battery of cognitive tests on your dd to determine her strengths and weaknesses. That should shed some light on the situation. Does she have an IEP? Maybe she needs extra help from the school so she can be successful. My dd does. If she doesn't have one, you should request that she have one. Those are my preliminary suggestions. HTH!I feel like I'm losing my mind on a daily basis, so you're not alone there.
Does your daughter have an IEP or get any type of classroom accomodations? That would be the 1st step to helping her in school, if you haven't already.
It really takes a lot of trial and error with the drugs. There is no way of telling which drug will help her the most, except by trying them. The rewards are worth it when you find one that works, though. Don't worry about her becoming a "zombie", she won't. When meds are working they help to focus all that creative energy that seem to just spill out of these kids in unorganized or unsafe ways. You'll see an improvement in self esteem as she starts to succeed in school. After we found the correct dose of Ritalin LA for my son I felt like I was really getting to know him for the first time, that all the positive aspects of his personality could finally shine through.
I know there are a lot of homeschooling groups these days, but I'd be afraid of actually losing my mind if I tried that.
My son was fortunate in that the first med we tried did the trick. However, I think that he is kind of the exception to the rule...it seems that most have to try several different meds, dosages and indeed combinations of meds to get the right fit for their child. Have you talked to the doctor about adding something else to the concerta to augment it? I have seen many posters here whose children use Tenex along with the stimulant meds to aid in some of the impulsive, hyperactive issues. it has a calming effect and helps in sleep issues, which in itself can add to the moodiness of a child (not enough sleep).
How long has she been on the Concerta? In my son's case his focus improved almost immediately and his grades went from low b's and c's, to all A's and B's in one grading period...his first day of meds happened to coincide with the first day of the new grading period. That was at the end of last year's school year, and the first grading period this year he accomplished all A's for the 1st grading period.
Maybe concerta isn't the drug for her, but if you have noticed some improvement, you should search the ADHD medications thread, and find someone whose child is on the Tenex, send them a Private message, and "pick their brain". You will find that most everyone here is happy to share their experiences and observations. Google it on the internet and read up on it to see if it may be the missing link for your daughter.
In my case, my son had extremely good results with the Concerta, but had major eating issues. I read a thread posted by another mom on the drug Periactin (Cyproheptadine), an antihistamine with the happy side effect of appetite stimulant and weight gain..I have added this to my son's medications (the pediatrician agreed to a trial) and he is eating again, thank goodness. I would never have discovered this if not for that mom's help in our exchanged private messages. I researched it for days on the internet, then called my pediatrician.
good luck and welcome to the board!
Anne
Hello,I am also new to the board. My 10 yr old was "officially" diagnosed in January. We tried Adderall xr and took him off becasue of the same side effects taloola spoke of. I was worried about trying anything else.
We have been just muddling through for the spring and summer. However Fall and Winter are upon us again and I am seeing the same things as last year that lead to a miserable time for all of us. There are so many different avenues to go.
We did not like his pyschologist, the one who diagnosed him. He had us bring up all of his flaws and things he has done bad in front of him. He did have us bring up good things but it was almost as if it added fuel to all his bad behavior.
I guess we need to seek out a different person to help us, but I am confused as to whether to go natural or go the medication route again. His pediatricain doesn't even like kids to be on cough medication when they have colds but thinks homepathy is a joke. I feel like we are on our own and at a crossroads with a million signs saying "try this".
I homeschool him but send his younger siblings to school (mainly for a break from him) What to do though when I want a break from homeschooling or should I say battling him?! The schooling part is great once I get him focused or if he is not having a bad day. Sorry this turned into such a long post. I just feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that I must try to go thru and still try and make life managable now.
Thanks for hearing me out.
Suzy
We tried the therapist route also -- it did help some. We went to someone whose clinic specializes in helping kids with ADHD. The head psychologist himself has a son with it. You might consider asking your pediatrician for a reference.
I understand the concern about the medicine route. We tried everything else before trying it (doctor, child psychologist, flaxseed oil, omega 3, no sugar diet, homeopathic "calm child"...) Some kids respond well to the natural remedies, my son didn't seem to. As a last resort we went the medicine route. Metadate has worked really well for my son. He is thriving in school this year instead of being in trouble all the time, or going to the principal's office. I have also heard really good things about concerta.
Know you are not alone. The book _Taking Charge of ADHD_ really helped me. You'll find yourself nodding in agreement with much of what is described!
Weigh the pros and cons, say a little prayer, and your head and heart will help you decide what is best for your child.
Suzy, what you said here: "I feel like we are on our own and at a crossroads with a million signs saying "try this". and ""I just feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that I must try to go thru and still try and make life managable now."
That is EXACTLY how I am feeling. You worded it so well. I am so grateful for all the advice; you are all so wonderful. There's so many different possible things that can be done, so many possible combinations of things that can be done, and knowing what the right thing to do (which, in reality, isn't really possible) for your child with his/her own set of challenges is so frustrating and frightening. And we are so in debt with medical bills it's not funny. That's with insurance.
I think what is the best here is knowing there are others out there who feel the same way, or have felt the same way. I guess I knew on some level other parents were feeling as frustrated and anxious, but hearing all your responses just makes me realize I'm not alone. I'm so ashamed to say that at one time, when people would say their child had ADD/ADHD, I didn't really think it was that big of a deal. I had NO idea how challenging it is. And now I realize, when I seem totally overcome by the things going on in my life right now, others who don't know what it's like must be thinking the same thing. "Man, she's really making a big deal of this thing with her kid. It's just ADHD." I feel bad for not having known how serious a disorder it is.
This is the best site I have found so far, as far as forums. It's amazing. The amount of collective knowledge and the feeling of solidarity is pretty incredible. Is there a place on the site for others who are in the same region? For example, I am from Milwaukee, and I'm wondering if there's others here from the same area. Or are we not supposed to say where we're from? The CHADD meetings in my area occur on one of the nights I have to work.
Enter Your Email below to claim your Free Book