Need some advice | ADHD Information

I need some advice, regarding my 7 yr old daughter with ADHD.  My daughter was diagnosed when she was 5 yrs old in kindergarten and was started on concerta, we were seeing a great nurse practationer in the child psych center at my work at Children's Hospital and then the nurse left and we had her ADHD managed with our pediatrician that was comfortable with treating her.  Then in November 2005 we moved to Las Vegas, BIG BIG change!!! Leaving her grandparents (both who she was VERY close to especially since we were living with one set of grandparents since she was a baby) and she always saw my 2 sisters and their kids.  Well ever since we moved I've been having a very hard time finding a doctor that I like and that seems to listen to me.  When we first came here she was in 1st grade and did very good in school and had a great teacher that recognized that if you challenge my daughter, she does very good. Two months after we moved my father passed away and she was greatly affected by this also.  Which brings us to January 2006.  and this is when we switched her to ritalin CR 20mg (2 tablets once in the morning, so 40 mg) because we had to switch over to my husband insurance and concerta was 0/month on his insurance, so we tried this, well this got us through the rest of the school year and the summer.  Then I had to switch doctors again because our current physician dropped our health insurance.  So after going to 2 or 3 pediatricians that didn't want to treat her b/c of her ADHD, I'm with a psychiatrist again, but don't know if I like what she wants to do or not yet.  Well the last couple months it had seemed like her body was getting use to the medication because her behavior at school was starting to be bad, where she wasn't listening to the teacher and disrupting other students, and not paying attention to her work (handwriting was very sloppy where she has very nice handwriting for a 7 yr old) and at home she just seemed out of control, where I couldn't get her to calm down (just so strung out and hyperactive) and not overly aggressive but getting mad when she would do somethign wrong she would put herself down and say that she hates herself and that she doesn't do anything right (whenever she does this I sit her down and try to talk to her about how other children aren't perfect and do things wrong also and its a learning experience and not to be so hard on yourself and you dont have to hate yourself for doing something wrong.  So, we've tried concentra again recently, but that didn't seem to improve her behavior at all, seemed like it made her go downhill pretty fast.  We also tried Ritalin LA which I think did absolutely nothing and her behavior was bad at school and was very much a handful at home.  Now we go back to the psychiatrist and go back to ritalin CR same perscription and it seems to be working, but the DR wants her to take zyprexa at night b/c she thinks that she might also have bi-polar....which I just don't see.  She says this because of how she gets upset and mad at herself and because she's been waking up some nights (certainly not all the time, I would say maybe once or twice a week) and b/c my daughter told her that at night its hard for her to fall asleep because her mind's thinking a lot and because she will occasionally just like not hard hit her forward with her fist saying that she hates herself when she gets in trouble.  What do any of you think?? I mean I don't think my daughter is depressed or overly angry.  I do think that she does have anixety about things (but then again she has just had a year of change, moving from wi to nv, losing her grandfather, and then I also changed her schools from the school that she attended when we first moved here, which is for the better, but I think that is a lot for a child w/o ADHD to handle!) so I just don't see her having bi-polar.  I just think that she is pretty hard on herself, which really isn't unnormal for a child with ADHD and she also is just sensitive and I think that is just part of her personality. Sorry this is so long, but wanted to give some background about her ADHD and meds before asking about the bipolar part... THANKs for any of your advice/help.  Also, if you happen to live in the area of Las Vegas and our seeing a pediatrician or a physician that specializes in ADHD please let me know.  maybe it would be a good idea to look into a second ooppinion on the
bipolar part. I have bipolar and i have violent mood swings and i used to cry
a lot but i never let my parents know.

Welcome to the board robinnnw. Children with ADHD tend to suffer from issues of low self esteem so its not uncommon for them to get upset or mad at themselves from time to time or experience self loathing due to so much negative feedback they receive on a daily basis. Also, the moving and the loss of her grandfather could certainly trigger depression and a certain amouint of anger and anxiety. My ADHD son wakes up all night long when he is feeling anxiety and anyone, ADHD or not who has a lot of anxiety tends to have a restless sleep. While ADHD and Bipolar disorder very often co exist, there are many other reasons children have these symptoms that have nothing to do with Bipolar disorder.

I recommend that you find another psychiatrist and get another opinion before you put your daughter on any other medication. A doctor should never prescribe medication because they think the child might have a disorder. The doctor should be educated enough and confident enough to make a differential diagnosis and a conclusive diagnosis before any medication is tried. Medication should never be used to try to make a diagnosis but rather the other way around. Hope this helps

I just wanted to bump this up to get a couple more opinions/advice.  Thanks to the two that have replied and thanks for the welcome luvmykids.Welcome, you might want to check out the Alternative and Complimentary Meds section of this board.  Specifically the Omegas Latest Research thread.  Omega fatty acids serve as a mood stabilizer and can often compliment medication nicely.  I'd recommend that thread (and some research on those on your part).  I wouldn't be surprised if they helped quite a bit!