I am new to this forum. I found this forum is with lots of people, parents, kids, teachers..., dealing with ADHD. My son was diagnosed ADHD just a week ago before Christmas. He is 7 now in 2nd grade. He reads/spells above grade level. His math id doing well, but writing is not staying on what teacher wants him to focusing on. I guess it was his mind flying somewhere elses while he was writing.
His major problem is behavior at school. He talks a lot at class. He can't organize himself very well. Nice thing is he has lots of friends, since he always has neat ideas to have fun together.
His med set up appt has been scheduled half month later. I and mom are struggling if medication makes side effects to him. Besides, we found diet trerapy could work for him.
You have any suggestions to us? I would really appreciate it if you can help.
Medication is always a hard thing a hard decision. I was in that position over a year ago and I at first wanted nothing to do with it out of fears what changed my mind was other parents on this support board and hearing success stories. I was also informed my child was not doing well not only acedemically but socially as well and that helped me decide to give meds a try. I was told within a month later she had a total turn around. This year she is in a research study through a university and was off meds for a couple of months and she did poorly so I know she needs meds for school. She is back on Ritalin LA 10 MG. Have you tried behavior modification for school yet? That would be the first step.
Just to be aware there is no perfect science to the meds what works for one child may be different for another child you may find the perfect one right away or go through a few. I got lucky Ritalin is good for my child. We did try Concerta a short time and that was not good when it wore off she was a nightmare where in the Ritalin when it wears off she is fine nothing. That is an example good luck on whatever you decide.
If you want to try an alternative method to medication, you should read the book Stopping ADHD by O'Dell. It has helped me very much. I do the exercises from the book and that is it. I am no longer on medication and feel like I have improved vastly. It is definitely worth reading.
The theory in the book is that 75% of all ADD and ADHD cases are caused by an immature reflex in our bodies that we have as babies. If we did not crawl enough as babies, the reflex stays with us and distracts us with discomfort, etc. I believe this theory. I have done over 1/3 of the exercises (they take 8 months) and they have helped me very much.
daddyofadhd
hi welcome
when my son was dx 4y ago me and his dad wasnt sure about medication. our son was falling so far behinds his class mate and was heading to being kept back a year
so on the day he was dx the doctor gave us a prescription. there and then for ritalin and to see him again in 2 weeks
i week later we still hadnt started treatment ANYWAY
we gave his the ritalin 10mg 2x day the first day he started. he showed tics .felt sick and had tummy ache
the next day weekend we went out for 1st day trip in the car. be fore meds he would try get out of car pull up my hand brake throw things out of window at other cars
not on 1st day trip, it was so scary, he sat in the back seat for 2 hs looking out of window. so weird (was this the same kid from last week) i was thinking
his grades improved so much he dint get kept back and is still doing well and putting on weight
not all parents use meds but it worked for us
good luck
The treatment a family chooses is a very personal one, based on the severity of the ADHD, the areas affected, other comorbid issues and personal beliefs.
By time we even had a diagnosis for my daughter, she was failing school, depressed, anxious and defiant. We were in crisis and needed to get effective treatment fast, because my daughter was a danger to herself and others. She is gifted, has dyslexia and ADHD. With effective meds, a behavior plan and an IEP at school (not needed as much with the meds), my daughter has gone from Ds and Fs, to As and Bs and she participates in class (prior to meds she would just sit and not participate in discussions). She does not need most of the accomodations in her IEP for the dyslexia, and the school is working to have her completely in the class room (she is currently only pulled out for spelling tests). Her self esteem has increased and she is happy, no longer depressed or anxious. For us the meds and behavior plan was the right treatment.
Because my daughter's only side effect was weight loss (now handled), the early med trials only showed positive response so it was easy to stay with them. Side effects and not seeing positive response to meds can be discouragning when trying to find the right treatment.
Good luck with your descision. You will find suppor here, what ever course you take.
It's a very difficult decision. We decided to give the meds a try. We tried 4 different stimulants and my son did HORRIBLY on all of them - nausea, dizziness, vomiting, loss of appetite, sleep problems, anxiety - you name it, it started.
However, even though the side effects were too severe, it did WONDERS for his attention and ability to read and write, not to mention social skills improvement.
My feeling was that the meds don't stay in the system, and do not have a permanent effect, so it really does no harm to try it. The last bad reaction though, had him so severely depressed and anxious I didn't know if he could continue to cope with school. Needless to say, we are not trying any further medications until AFTER puberty, if at all.
So, unfortunately, it's a crapshoot. If you don't try meds, at least now that you have a diagnosis both the school and the parents can come up with strategies that will help. If you do try meds, either they'll help. or they won't, in which case you can always stop. It's not permanent, like a tattoo.
Whatever you decide, best of luck to you
daddy, read the book anni suggested and read Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey. Check out the alternatives board as well. My son is on Daytrana, which is a ritalin patch. It's worked well for him and he made A-B honor roll in November. Visit the meds board, too. You've got a lot of researching and reading to do. Welcome to the board! If you want to find support and info, you've come to the right place.
Thanks Anni, I did read the book STOPPING ADHD before I went to med set up appt. Doctor was ready to put my boy on med, and my boy seems like okay with that. I guess he did not know much. He knew Dad and Mom took him here and he thought we should done something right to him. When doctor asked him if you feel bad about your school and relationship with friends. He said I am happy. That again makes my mind to stay away from med, at least for now. We don't want possible side efffect to happen on him. We would like to try the exercise from the book.
I think our doc is a good one, he asked my self and mom if we are ready to put him on med. I am not. He provided us several alternatives, such as consultant, change school... We can come back any time if we think we need to have him on med.
We will start the exercise soon, and will share our experiences later.
Thanks all for your input