doctor appointment today | ADHD Information
i am taking my dd to see the pediatrician today and get a script for ADD/ADHD. we hope to try it starting tomorrow. keep your fingers and tossed crossed because i am so concerned regarding starting meds. as i posted previously, the psychologist does not think it is ADD/ADHD in her report, but we had our daughter's school conference on tuesday night and her teacher believes otherwise, as do my husband and i. her teacher does not believe that her issues in class have anything to do with a learning disability..she fully believes that it is add/adhd, and so do we. eeeccckkkkk! we are going to have her thyroid tested as well today...to rule out hypothyroidism. we will start our first med with the pediatrician, but will pursue a child psychiatrist in the future-if deemed necessary. my daughter has not fully mastered swallowing a tic tac...and that has me somewhat concerned. two days ago she did well...and then the next day she had difficulty. i am leaning towards asking for concerta or daytrana. after everything that i have read. she's 9 and #65 pounds...adhd combined.
i realize that nobody can predict which one is better for my dd...what her metabolism will be, etc...our pharmacist says that he hasn't filled many daytrana scripts...but does concerta all the time. i think we will be able to get her to master swallowing...i *think*...the skin issues of the patch concern me too...oh, this is not an easy choice. i feel like all the weight is on my shoulders persay...i don't want to make the wrong med choice after all that i have read. make sense? i know the pediatrician wanted to start out with strattera, but that is not what i want my dd to start out on. i just would LOVE it if the first med we tried would be a good one for her:) :) :) :) :) :) my husband is just more laid back regarding this decision...i wish i could be a tad bit more like him!
shelley
I know this is difficult and I am sending you my best thoughts for success.
we just got home from the pediatrician and having her thyroid blood test to rule out hypothyroidism. the vanderbuilt screenings that my husband, myself, and her teacher all stated add/adhd. and, we are the ones who are around her throughout the day! her teacher is *seasoned* and has seen it all...i trust her and my own gut after everything that i have read on add/adhd. i truly was baffled when the psychologist stated that it wasn't add/adhd after testing her for 90 minutes. her teacher truly believes that she is too smart..."too much gray matter" as she put it at conferences for it to be a learning disability. she truly sees it as an attention issue. we will go ahead and have the woodcock johnson run...and i realize that these meds are very serious...that's why i've done so much research. the pediatrician would not prescribe daytrana, nobody in their practice will, because it is so new. she did not want to start my dd on concerta, 18 mg either, she said that dosage is too high to begin with. she ideally wanted to start my dd on a short acting ritalin, but my dd didn't want to go to the nurse, etc at school. SO....we ended up with adderral, 5 mg long acting capsule, which we can do with the applesauce starting tomorrow.
vickie...thanks for the med comparison link...i printed it out and took it along to the appointment, it was very helpful during the appointment. now, IF meds don't work...we'll know that we are looking at something else, and not adhd.
soooooo...wish us luck with the adderral tomorrow, we bought plenty of applesauce at target today:) my dd seems okay with knowing that she can swallow the medicine with applesauce. now, here's hoping for success with this med...and little to no side effects...
on the good side...i truly felt comfortable discussing med options with the pediatrician today...i knew things that she didn't know regarding some of the meds...and i owe that to this board:) :) :) you all have been so helpful...thank you!
shelley
Will the ped prescribe even though the psychologist doesn't think it's ADHD? I'm happy that you trust the teacher so much, but when it comes to medical issues, he/she is really just a layperson. If I were you I really would make an appointment to see a psychiatrist asap, one who can prescribe, and have lots of testing done to rule out other issues. After all, the adhd meds are classified the same as serious drugs like heroin, etc., and should really be taken seriously. What does the psychologist think the problem is?
Good luck at your appointment. It is difficult to start medicating our kids. It was like that for me, I even went through a denial process but thanks God it wasn't very long.
Currently I medicate my child (Strattera, by the way), and have him go to therapies to improve behavior and school issues. I really feel that I am doing the best I can for my kid so he can feel happy in all environments surrounding him.
I really wish you the best!!
Wishing you luck with the adderall tomorrow.
Keep us informed and as you know, you will find support on this board through out this journey.
"vickie...thanks for the med comparison link."
I was wondering what is this and how can I find it?
Could I please have the link also?