The night from $%*@ | ADHD Information
[QUOTE=geesmom]Hey everyone,
I am new to this site and am learning a lot by reading your posts. Please advise me, though - my 10 year old has ADHD and it has been up and down at school since preschool. Second grade was the best - he was on Concerta and life was good! That summer, something changed and the Concerta made him EXTREMELY nervous. Since then, we've tried different drugs at different doses but this year seems to be the worst. We are having to reteach math every single night, fighting over getting assignments completed, won't sleep through the night, grumpy, aggressive at times, and emotional. We live on a military base and there is only one child psychologist. The guy is overworked but...my child is my concern. The doctor won't give us a different drug to try. We've tried different doses of Concerta, added Wellbutrin and it just doesn't work. Now after weeks of telling the dr. this doesn't work, he just adds a 5 mg ritalin. My son is the one losing on this - by night I'm tired and get frustrated with him. I'm trying to understand but I'm human - then I feel guilty because I don't want to damage his self-esteem. Does anyone have any suggestions??
I am so confused as to why your doctor won't try a different medication?! We see a psychopharmacoligist for my son's meds. He is a pyschiatrist with a special in meds.
Do you think there is something else gong on in addition to adhd, which is very common!? That is where you need to start, the poor thing! He is so young!
My son has anxiety but guanfacine has helped with that! Have you read any of the other posts in regards to guanfacine/tenex? YOu may want to!!
Do you think your son may have something in addition to adhd going on?
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Thought about that, but I think the shipping would kill me...it has got to be pretty heavy....
I think that they say the lower dose is the most effective, and higher doses can have opposite effect, and possibly cause nightmares. If the lower dose works, stick with it.
And I did notice her sticking our noses in the weather.....no fair!
chasesmom79
where do you live? The past 2 days here in NE Texas have been up in high 70's and absolutely beautiful. At least they look beautiful from the office window at work.
NW Ohio....Just about 80 miles south of Toledo, straight across the state line from Ft. Wayne Indiana.....20 minutes from the state line, you should be able to find Ft. Wayne on the map, but not my town...
Last week we had like a foot of snow in 3 days, with wind. Then this week it has been in the 30's, the snow is melting, the air is warm,and we had "ice fog" , it was so thick that there was still no visiblity at 4:00 in the afternoon...yesterday. Today it is just around 30 and holding...
Tomorrow who knows?
[QUOTE=Jo-D]chasesmom79
where do you live? The past 2 days here in NE Texas have been up in high 70's and absolutely beautiful. [/QUOTE]
Hey, Chasesmom, did'ya notice how she rubs it in about how beautiful it is where she is? Just Kidding, Jo-D!! I wish I was somewhere warm. I'm in Milwaukee and it sound like where you are CM. ughh, send us some of that warmth Jo-D!
Hey, do you guys think taking too much melotonin could cause dd not to sleep? I gave her one pill (300mcg) one night and she slept. Then the next night I tried 3 and she didn't sleep (until very late). maybe I should just stick with a low dose.
Also, Chasesmom, maybe you could get that drink stuff on the internet...maybe even cheaper?
dolphinjen39135.8444560185Thanks, tonight he is being hero daddy and has both kiddos in living room with him playing some x-box game and I am escaping. I know the road won't be perfect but by the grace of God maybe it can at least be a little better.
I think I will call the office and see what they suggest. I would like the psych to see him off meds because I do want him to see how he is, but I also hate it for Ty cause he gets embarressed about his behaviour and I don't want to make him self conscious.
I am at my wits end and ready to literally run away. My son who I am sure most of you have read about at one time or another is 8 and adhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhd and my husband is short tempered on a good day, this was not a good day. Tonight was world war three at bedtime and I feel like I am the casualty. Ty was up and down over and over, then got caught playing after this there was a spanking and my husband telling him he is SICK TO DEATH OF GOING THROUGH THIS EVERY NIGHT. Then there was getting caught with his pokemon cards in the bed looking at them then we had the IN THE MORNING EVERY THING POKEMON OR YUGIO (SP) GOES IN THE TRASH. In the meantime he has been grounded from his TV and basically his life. In one way I agree with my husband that there has to be rules and boundries, but good grief he is an EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY. I made the mistake of saying well at least with his cards he was very quiet and not playing or getting in and out of bed a million times. WRONG thing to say. If I say anything my husband automatically thinks I believe he is wrong. I don't mean to make my husband sound terrible, he really is a good father, obviously loves his kids, plays with them and rarely spanks or anything but sometimes he just goes on a tangent. I guess I feel caught in the middle because I understand where my husband is coming from but I feel like it could be handled better. I finally told him tonight that we are lucky that our child is not suicidal with all the discipline he got tonight. Probably a little harsh but dang, going to bed is not a life or death issue. Yes it gets old and yes I get angry at Ty too because this seems to be an every night thing but good grief I just want to look at my husband and say "A little Bitchy tonight baby?" I have heard people talk about melatonin on here, is that a good option? I know my son gets tired of being in trouble, I get tired of it for him. Anyway I just needed to get that off my chest. Any ideas besides changing my name at least for a few days, getting some alcohol and holing up in a cheap motel, lol.
I am definately open to suggestions.
Try the melatonin, it only takes a small amount, and it really does help most of the time....
I totally get the volatile hubby thing...my husband is the same...goes off every now and then, and yells things, and threatens things that are totally inappropriate and way overboard...
Hope things go better for you!
Your husband just needs to realize that your child is not doing this on purpose. My DS was jumping one night. I asked him to lay down and he stated that he wanted to but his "body would not let him". Tell him that if child stays in the bed quietly and does quiet things until he falls asleep, he should be happy with that.To the mom who asked...I used to give the melatonin about 1/2 hour - 1 hour before bed, and it worked quite well.DDs use melatonin at night, 1 mg. Makes bedtime sooooo much easier. We have our doctor's OK to do it.[QUOTE=chasesmom79]
I totally get the volatile hubby thing...my husband is the same...goes off every now and then, and yells things, and threatens things that are totally inappropriate and way overboard...
Hope things go better for you!
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My husband too. The funny thing is hubby has adhhhhhd also. I always thought he would be understanding since things were tough for him back in the day with no medication, just being considered the bad kid.
Hubby has lots of bad days, but won't even consider medication, even fought me on getting my son on it.
Now after seeing how much good it does for my son, he is the one to give it to him faithfully each and every morning, while I work the overnight shift at my job! Though he still won't try it for himself. He would be so much better at his job
Thank goodness hubby remembers to give our son his pills and doesn't lose them unlike his cell phone and car keys
Hang in there!
well i know where your coming from, now i am a male, used to be the one always having the moods, now my role has been switched.........ye have to give a safety barrier which allows ye all to work it out....try allowing a area of safety or a set of words to help ye decide who deals with ty, i have a 14 year old with ad
hd and odd, and there was always a way to kill him but we have a level of agreement in place, it only works 85% of the time but it works....keep the faith
I would try the melatonin. Also maybe calcium / magnesium during the day.
We have a product here called Biostrath Elixir which has been excellent for my kids in both calming them down, building them up and helping with concentration. It's got building substances, vitamins, minerals and trace elements and amino acids. Maybe you'd be able to match it up with something you've got there. PM me if you want more in depth details about it.
Last year before diagnosis my son and my hubby were at each other's throats night and day. It really got exhausting - I was emotionally finished, as I felt I was always in the middle. I felt I wasn't doing much good as a peacekeeper and the love in our house was being hidden by the anger.
In the end though I figured out my hubby was under WAY too much stress. He felt like he was a failure as a father. He didn't know what was going on with my son but it felt like everything he tried was a failure, and he thought that I thought he wasn't a good dad. I put a lot of pressure on him subconsciously as when I was a kid my dad was the disciplinarian and I expected the same of my hubby. Way unfair with ADHD. In his family his mother was the disciplinarian and he expected me to do it ... Our children are not the same as we were when we were kids and we can't expect each other to be the same parents. We have to adapt. Once I realised this, and we got to the bottom of ADHD and realised that we have to work as a team to effectively raise our children, and that it's NOBODY"S FAULT, things got a lot calmer around here.
chasesmom79
thanks so much, I think I am going to try it tonight, is there a dosage guideline on it?
BETHANN
It is nice to know more people deal with this part of the issue, you know last night when I was totally stressed out I just wait until he went to work so I could log on and vent because I knew I would get good advice back.
tcftralee
I love that idea, that way no matter who it is that is going overboard at the time just one little sentence or something could help you know and let the other parent take over. I esp. like it because we can disagree but Ty would not really know it and no one would feel like they are having to be the bad guy or the lax one or whatever. Thanks so much
Gutsy
I would like to know more info so I will pm you
All of the research says that smaller doses of the melatonin are more effective than larger ones...try 1mg at first and see, some parents even use 1/2 or 1/3 of a 1mg pill with success. my son took a 3mg pill each night until he started taking the guanfacine, which helps him to sleep.
Good luck! I hope it does the trick for your family!
Bethann
My hubby is aslo ADHD, but fortunately he went to the doctor, and I think we have found a med for him, we are just tweaking the dosage. He does have regrets that he did not have it when he was a child, but he doesn't obsess about that too much.
Right there with you honey. That is why my son is on Clonidine. I did tell the dr though that I do not like the idea of giving my child a BP medicine to get him to sleep. He also suggested melatonin. Also, I told my son that if he could not sleep, NO, he may not go into the bathroom and play, NO, he may not hop around his room but YES, he may lie quietly in bed and practice his reading or pay with his I-dog but he MUST NOT get out of bed. This has worked. He may be awake, but does not leave his room or bed.
Leslie
Good Morning Ladies.... reading these posts over coffee I feel as if we are all one in the same. Ds has been on almost all of the stimulants and you are right the night thing gets OLD FAST. We are now trying Focaline which is supposed to start up fast and come down early enough for a good night sleep but I don't see any change. I agree with longsally, ds can do what he needs to do at night ie:listen to music, read a book as long as he stays in his room. Whatever it takes,at 10 PM, to get some peace in the house.
The hubbies don't get it either, my dh works late and doesn't get home until about 8:30 just when I'm trying to calm ds down and of course then it is play time with DAD. I just want to scream and the being caught in the middle thing is soooooo true. Thanks for the support!
By the way, what time do you give the melatonin? I might ask the DR. to give some
myangel013139125.2916319444some hubbys do understand.....ye have to educate them........dont be a sexist please......I'm not being sexist.. just posting an observation from personal experience and the other posts. Believe me I have seen Dads who do far more that the Moms
chasesmom... that would be me who asked about the melatonin. cc12345 mentioned that you have the dr.'s ok to use it. Is melatonin a prescription or over the counter?It is over the counter, and I asked my ped if it was okay, just because I think the doctor should know everything he is taking along with his stimulant. I would think that if you phoned the office you should be able to get an answer pretty quickly.
You can buy the 1mg at GNC, I used to buy a 3 mg tablet at dollar general that can be broken into smaller pieces quite easily. At DG, the melatonin is like 2.50 for 75 pills, and the 1mg at GNC was .19 for 60 cherry flavored lozenges.
I agree with longsally. Sometimes we just have to step back and readjust our expectations. Think about what you really want at bedtime- him in bed, quiet, and staying there, right? So, if a deck of cards, or a book, or just something to fidget with does the trick you both win.
Talk to your husband about what we as adults do when we go to bed. How many of us get in bed, turn out the lights and go to sleep? I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of us read, watch tv or chat with our significant other as part of our routine. The younger a child can learn to calm themselves and fall asleep the better. Sometimes you just have to let them decide what works for them.
Thanks for all of the advise, I really appreciate it, I think since I cannot seem to actually get him on this website I am going to print some stuff out for him to read, so he will realize it isn't just Ty being bad, but something that a lot of other parents with children on stimulents go through.Oh my goodness, do try the melatonin. Start at 1 mg and go up to 3 mg. Hopefully it will solve the problem. That situation could lead me to packing my bags.
Yea I have thought about that a lot lately.
I am trying the melatonin tonight, could only find it in 300 micrgrams so I figured this being the first night I would just do one and see how it goes. I can always increase it up to 1 gram as needed.
I am praying that things will be better tonight.
I also copied a lot of the suggestions for my husband to read, will see how that goes as well.
I am fortunate that my son sleeps well (once he is asleep)! I allow him to read a book in bed which he does quite happily and quietly once he actually gets into bed. I seem to struggle more with him getting into bed and just settling down. DS has become quite a pro with stalling tactics.
Hubby, on the other hand does not agree and thinks it should be lights out and silence. Pretty much like asking a fish not to swim, I think!
Hubby is supportive for the most part but sadly, feels ADHD is embarressing and something to be frowned upon. He refuses to even touch my research and says I blame too much on ADHD when it is quite simple, the child should just listen! (Yeah, right!). My conflict resolution lately is to just withdraw and not challenge him on this.
Thanks so much dolphinjen. I needed that post from you. I actually sat down and talked to my husband about how it feels when he speaks like that to me and I am a grown woman. I told him to think back to most of our arguments and how I am always telling him, it isn't what you say it's the tone you say it in. It either makes me feel sad, or stupid or both and is that how we want Ty to feel. Isn't bad enough he feels different enough already at school and other places. Can't he have a safe haven here. I don't mean not to get onto him, discipline him when he needs it but to also encourage and build him up even when we discipline. For ex: Ty yelling at your sister and talking back to us hurts our feelings and it is wrong and you do deserve this punishment, however while you are in timeout or whatever thinking about what you did wrong. Remember we love you and if we didn't we would not care how you act. Oh and btw what an awesome job you did on your spelling test you really aced it. And you handwriting is looking so much better today.
I mean is that so hard, for every negative come back with 2 positives. We are trying to mold them into good Christian people
BTW he is going to go to the psych with us. Do you think when we go, should we have Ty on or off his meds?
I love the support I get here, it means soo much to me.
Thanks jfla2. Everyone has given me so much support here. It's a good place to be. I get a lot of information but more importantly, I get the support that helps me know I'm doing the best I canThat's a great question, whether you should have him on meds. On one hand you want the psych to see how he is when he's not on meds. But on the other hand, you want him to be able to be "there" mentally and hear what the psych has to say. I've had both. We go early in the morning, before Grace goes to school. So the Therapist has not really seen her off meds, but the psychiatrist has. It made me feel good that the psychiatrist, who sees lots of ADHD kids, saw her and said, her case is fairly severe. It made me not feel that I was just being a baby about it. I really don't know. Both situations could be beneficial. Maybe you should call the office and leave a message for the person, saying would you like to see him without his meds, or should he come having already taken his meds? Do you have documentation from school etc that will reinforce the degree of his behavior when he hasn't had medication? Hopefully others can give some input.
I am so happy you sat down with your husband and told him all that stuff. That is great!! And how cool is it that he is coming? That is good proof that he truly cares about your son's progress. GOod job!
Jo-D,
It's good you came here to vent. I so feel for you. I'm so sorry the day went like that. That stinks. I think the psychological visit is going to really help.
My husband comes from a very abusive family (physically, verbally, emotionally - you name it). For him, it's totally natural to yell. And I know exactly what you mean when you said "it takes more than just a few nice words after being belittled to make the situation better even for a 9 year old." That's how I feel too. You wonder, what is this constant criticism doing to your child's self esteem? And they're still pretty young. What about when they're teenagers? When they don't want to come home to face that kind of treatment? Where will they go/what will they do then?
If there's any possible way for your dh to go to a therapist, it would probably help so much. Beg him if you have to. I go 1x week, dd goes 1x week, dh goes 2x month, and then dh and I meet together every other month to go over stuff, how we can cope, etc. It costs so much, we are swamped with the deductibles and 20% copays. We owe a lot, more than we can afford, but dh is 150% better with dd, and actually learning to deal with his own childhood issues, sloooowly.
These kids can be such a handful. I'm not excusing your husband, but it's a bad combination, when you have a "spirited" child, and a short-tempered parent. What your dh is doing is not good for your son, obviously, but also it's also not good for you! That natural instinct to protect your child kicks in, but then you have to deal with the "Oh you're just protecting him" or "you're going to make him into a wimp." Then there's a wedge between you and your husband. I've been there. (Still am someitmes, more than I care to admit) Jo-D, you should consider seeing someone even if dh doesn't/won't. I have a lot of anxiety issues, depression issues, which, granted were there before dd was born, but are flaring up lately with trying to cope with this. Plus, I have read that these are some of the worst years for dealing with a child with ADHD.
I will definitely keep you in my thoughts. Just remember, you are a terrific mom, you are doing everything you can for your child. I can tell that from your posts. You are protecting and nurturing the self-esteem of your child. That is the only path you need to concern yourself with following right now. Your son needs you, and he's lucky to have you.
hugs
I think I will remind you....BTW meant to tell you we had "family time" today. First it was outside playing a little basketball before the rain rolled in, then it was inside and I agreed to play that stupid X-box that him and his dad seem to think is the best thing ever invented. What a disaster, at first all was well. Then Ty started doing stuff when his dad was trying in very elementary ways to show me how to play the dumb game. Then dad went off. He starts yelling at him, Ty starts crying (does that a lot anymore) and once again here I am in the middle. Ty will be told not to do something and then he does, I will get onto him but then dad will just blow up and so Ty just go do it, do whatever you want to do. With this his voice is very sarcastic and it pisses me off!!! I finally went off tonight myself and told hubby that we were lucky our child was not suicidal from all the yelling and sarcasm he gets. Well now dad is watching TV and I am here venting. I know his dad loves him very much but he is naturally a sarcastic, arogant person by nature and doesn't realize he does it, but good God enough is enough. Anyway things settled down and his dad talked to him, but you know it takes more than just a few nice words after being belittled to make the situation better even for a 9 year old. I know when he talks like that to me I stay mad and hurt for quite sometime. Just keep us in your prayers, We are all going to his first psychological visit and I have papers I have typed up of questions, conversations and incidents and I am hoping he can help. Or maybe do we need a psychologist for that part. I am don't know. Any suggestions besides running away.chasesmom79 and dolphinjen
Remind me how much I am enjoying the weather come July and August when it is 100 plus degrees and even your underwear is wet. That sucks.
I agree on the lowest dose possible depending on the child. We went from 1 300 mcg to 2, then 3 then 4 and have backed it down to 3 and he is doing very well with that so with that we will stick for now.
Amylee
I think maybe my husband and yours may be psychological twins. It is very hard, the balance of advocating for your child, but yet also trying to keep the peace for your child. It pretty much sucks
cr12345mr, dolphinjen
Well last night couldn't tell a difference but I think I am going way under the dosage guidelines most people are giving 1-3 mg, so I am way off. I am increasing it tonight, Dear God I hope it helps. Tonight I have him 4 of the 300mcg which is about equivalent to a little over 1 mg. I got it at Wal-Mart.
Jillette
I have told him I will get him a lamp and he can read (he hates to read) so I hope this will serve two purposes, maybe keep him in bed and get him interested in reading. Math he loves, reading is a fight and with the 3rd grade TAKS test in just 1 week I am worried if he will pass the reading part.
Also I got to thinking, I work as a nurse with a Hospice group on the weekends sometimes and we see a lot of people who are not able to eat or just have no appetite and we give them a supplement. I bought some today because our pediatrician said he was underweight. It is called Weight Gain and comes in either 1800 or 2200 calories. I got it at GNC for about .00 and it is a huge bucket. It says 3 scoops (each scoop is about a cup) into 16 ounces of water, but we just did one scoop. We got strawberry and he liked the taste. It can be given with water or 2% milk and my doc said it was a good idea. I hope it puts some weight back on him (I personally would love to have that problem) I just remembered soooo many posts about kids appetites and this seemed more nutritional that pedisure and doing it like this much cheaper. Has anyone tried something like this?
BTW my husband is going out of town for a few weeks soon, so maybe he will get a much needed break and come back more tolerable lol (as, if)
I'm curious too, Jo-D, how;d it go? I may go get some Melatonin myself for DD. Sometimes she is awake til 1:00 am. Not normal right? Chasesmom, you told me Melatonin worked great. Did you find it at Walgreens. Jo-D, how much did you give last night? Where did you get it?
I would not even worry about the cards as long as he is staying in bed where he should and being quiet. My daughter has a hard time falling asleep and will read a book in bed with her night light and as long as she is quiet and doing the right thing I am okay with it. She will come out when having to use the bathroom and that is fine too.
Jo-D
When my son was dx, his ped told me that she has read countless articles on the benefit of melatonin in ADHD kids(this was a huge struggle with us prior to the dx) and if him being medicated(he is on 10mg of Focalin now) didn't help to let her know and we could try that. I put a call in to her today to see what dose she recomends. It is slightly better with being medicated, but still not good, so I am going to try it too. Just thought I would let you know that it has been studies, and there seems to be a benefit to it, while being pretty safe. I hope that helps you in some way.
Has anyone tried it and found negative results in their children? I would be interested in hearing those stories as well. For those of you that have problems getting kids to sleep, how long does it usually take for them to fall asleep? My son, Korey(7yrs old) takes on average 1 1/2 hrs to fall asleep. It was 2 before being medicated. Thats just on average, some nights more, some a little less.
I also agree with the others that say, if they are quiet its ok. I mean how can you force a kid to go to sleep? You can't with Korey. I am ok if he is quiet and reading. Atleast he is educating himself right?lol Sometimes its playing with army men, or the cat, etc. Usually it is constant noises, singing, getting up MANY MANY times for various reasons etc. I am ok with quiet, esp 2 hrs into it!
Also 1 more question, Anyone out there who has a child who takes Focalin. Did it work well right away? We are still trying to "tweak" his dose, but would love to hear from others.
Good luck Jo-D and please keep me posted on how things go.
My oldest takes melatonin at night and did this before she ever started adhd meds. It works well for her. It does not work for me. At the low suggested doses, it is pretty safe. At higher doses it can cause nightmares.
Both of my kids are on focalin. The oldest (inatentive) showed nothing at 10mg and is doing great at 20mg. She knew right away that she could get through math class much easier. It is her hardest subject and is just before lunch (the worst time for her). She said she also "hears" the teacher better so is getting the instruction much better.
The youngest did great on concerta but we wanted to try something that did not affect weight so bad. She has only been on the focalin a few days. She never noticed anything on the concerta, so I did not expect her to notice the focalin. I need to watch her for a few weeks to see how well she remembers to bring her work home (mostly the larger projects) and get the connors reports from her teachers. The guanfacine makes her do so much better than with no meds, the additional help from the stimulant takes a little more time to assess.
Hey everyone,
I am new to this site and am learning a lot by reading your posts. Please advise me, though - my 10 year old has ADHD and it has been up and down at school since preschool. Second grade was the best - he was on Concerta and life was good! That summer, something changed and the Concerta made him EXTREMELY nervous. Since then, we've tried different drugs at different doses but this year seems to be the worst. We are having to reteach math every single night, fighting over getting assignments completed, won't sleep through the night, grumpy, aggressive at times, and emotional. We live on a military base and there is only one child psychologist. The guy is overworked but...my child is my concern. The doctor won't give us a different drug to try. We've tried different doses of Concerta, added Wellbutrin and it just doesn't work. Now after weeks of telling the dr. this doesn't work, he just adds a 5 mg ritalin. My son is the one losing on this - by night I'm tired and get frustrated with him. I'm trying to understand but I'm human - then I feel guilty because I don't want to damage his self-esteem. Does anyone have any suggestions??
chasesmom,
I believe the powder Jo-D got is the same one I got. I got the info from her, and that it's available at GNC. It's called Weight Gain. I asked the clerk if it was a protein powder and she said no, it's sepcifially for people who want/need to gain weight. Then she pointed to a container on a shelf below that looked similar, and said that was a protein powder, for people who want to gain muscle mass. So I think the taste is definitely different. Jo-D?
I am so glad I was bored and searching the forums....I could not for the life of me remember where this drink info was posted! Ok so it is not a protein powder, it just supplies some protein along with the extra calories....Chase loves chocolate milk so I say it is worth a try....
And I am right there with you....someone needs to invent a fat transfer method...I have PLENTY to spare and would gladly donate some to my skinny minnie boy!
I will have to get some if I can ever get out of my town to a GNC...first a blizzard, then ice fog....never cleared ALL day long.
Jo-d so glad the melatonin is helping!
dolphinjen
They also make other flavors, I know they aren't cheap so switching around is hard. Ty also gets resistent when I "bug" him so much about eating and his weight loss. Sometimes I think it is because he feels so out of control with everything else, that this is something he can control.
What about trying it with icecream and making it into a shake, but instead of insisting or overly encouraging her to drink it try making it something that is so special she has to earn it. Have you and other members of the family have similar shakes (maybe with nesquik w/o the weight gain factor) and talk it up as to how you feel that you earned the special treat, this works esp well with Tyler if his sister Kadee gets something that he does not have. We have gone that route before and it worked ok. Kinda deceiving I know but hey if it helps them put some much needed weight on then it is worth it.
BTW just an update we are now doing 1mg of melatonin and the sleep issues are working out great now, hope it stays that way for awhile. I actually tried it the other night and slept great.That's a good approach, Jo-D, having it be his special drink. I tasted it last night when I made it and it is definitely not a bad tasting drink. I don't like chocolate milk to begin with so that's saying a lot. I am so, so bummed out that Grace doesn't like it. I made it for her last night. You're right, the scoop is ginormous! I think it's an actual 1-cup measuring cup. I put one cup of powder in the blender w/1 cup whole milk. She wouldn't drink it, but she hasn't been drinking choc milk with Nequick or Carnation either, so I don't think it's the taste. Hopefully it stays good for a while. I think the more I try to get her to eat something the more resistant she is. Anyway, thanks for the reply. And yes, you did mention that you give it to your patients at the hospice. You know it's gotta be safe if they use it there. And I also wish I had that problem of needing to put on weight ! I'm gaining all the weight DD needs.
I agree with dolphinjen. I was told it was not a protein powder. I just pulled it out of the pantry and it says it is supplies the extra calories you need to put on the added pounds you want. (wish that was my prob) It does have protein in it, but also carbohydrates and full spectrum of vitamins, mineral and amino acids, creatine. I think I told you, but can't remember for sure, that we give this to our hospice patients when they start to lose their appetite for food as a nutritional supplement that is better than pediasure and stuff like that.
dolphinjen, the way they say to mix it makes it extremely thick and as Tyler is very picky also we don't really make it that way. It says 3 rounded scoops (and they are huge scoops) with the milk. We put in enough, I would say one full scoop and that is thick enough for him. But I figure some is better than none. We have increased that from one drink a day to two, 1 in am and 1 in pm. He does like it so that makes it easier. He considers it his special drink that no one else in the family gets, including little sis so that is the clincher for him.
Do you guys ever feel like every other child is "normal?" I'm having a pity party tonight. I kept dd off meds today to catch up on calories. What a day. It was awful. I feel horrible saying that. I mean how can I have a perfectly healthy, vibrant daughter and feel that being with her is "awful.?" It was just so draining. I have so little patience. We went to see a couple movies (brought lots of high cal foods and got popcorn). God, I love her so much but sometimes she drives me nuts. When is it the hyperactivity is supposed to level off a bit??I am right there with you. I look at my child on a daily basis and wonder why he isnt "normal" like the other kids, he is the square peg in a round hole. He is so hyperactive. For all the adhd, if he had add instead, I think it would make a world of difference. He3 is so impulsive. Itdrives me NUTS!!!!!!!Thanks for replying to my post.
Yes, I've been reading about guanfacine on this site (my doctor has never mentioned it). Our doctor is a child psychologist but he serves the entire Kanto plain of Japan so he is over worked (my husband's in the military). Anyway, I want to know as much as possible so I can insist that a new med. be tried. We can't get in to see the dr. for 2 more weeks, so i'm planning to find out as much as possible before I go in. What can you tell me about guanfacine?
Again, thanks for replying!
My son takes to control his over stimulation, as well as impulsiveness. It works great for him in addition to his concerta.
We use it for sports later in the day, after 5:00pm if we think he may need it due to medication wearing off.
It does NOT get in the way of his eating and sleeping, as some stimulants do since we would be giving him a dose late in the day/early evening.
I hope this helps.
There are others, such as Vickie, who know a lot about it! You may want to look for her prior posts or send her a pm question!
Regards!
Beth
If you go to the medication board there is a long thread that expains a lot about it...I will bump it up for you....Ok, tenex is the brand name, guanfacine is the generic...I bumped a 6 page thread on the medications forum for you to read....it has tons of questions and answers for you.
Many years ago (Korean War) my dad was in the Air Force...and I have a sister born in Tokyo, and one born in Okinawa....I wasn't around yet
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Longsally - Dolphinjen
I understand how you feel. Sometimes on the weekends I think, well I really shouldn't give Ty his meds today, give him a day off. Usually about 10 minutes after he wakes and he has already climbed the walls, hung from the ceiling fan (just joking) and anything else he could find to do in 10 minutes I think to myself forget that. The next thing I know I am putting on his patch just so I can make it through the day without wanting to wring his neck or drive myself off a cliff.
hey, my sons dr told me to keep him on the meds even in the summer and weekends or I would go insane. I think he was right
I just love when people who have noooo idea what my life is like tries to give advise. They don't seem to realize that we have already gotten other opinions and most have tried numerous meds. It isn't like we just woke up one day and decided "Hey lets see what all we can do today to screw up our child." "I stay frustrated also most of the time."
Just so you know I increased his melatonin and last night it seemed to help. Well today he and his sister have both been home sick all day, are on meds for congestion and having to do breathing tx's. "Can we say wired!" So we'll see how well it works tonight.
I called today and set up an appointment with a pediatric psychologist. I love our pediatrician he is the best but he is the first to admit he doesn't know a lot about adhd alternative meds. I am ready to try someone who does. We have an apt march 12 so we'll see. I feel like I am always saying that "we'll see"
I get that "Tyler looks like a skeleton" a lot. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!! It isn't as if we don't encourage him to eat and sometimes almost force it down him. He seems to like this drink so far.
You should have told the pharmacist that if he knows so much maybe he should have gone to medical school instead of stopping at a pharmacist.... THEN he could give medical advice!! Yes I do think that a pharmacist has a lot to offer....but I trust my doctor more.Thanks guys. That's exactly what I needed to hear.
Ironically, dd fell asleep on the couch, so I don't even have to try the melatonin tonight...Will try the drink in the morning. She was kind of leery about the container, and the fact that we were in the mall to buy it. Was making up her mind that it wouldn't tast good, I guess. I just explained it's a "big container" version of Nesquick.
Thanks Vickie! His Focalin has been increased to 15mg(today was 1st dose so we will see) Also I tried the melatonin(at 1/2 mg per his Dr) and he went right to sleep! It was great! He even slept through the thunderstorms we got at 4 a.m. I was amazed. Im hoping better sleep will help him some in school along with the increase in meds.
Thanks for your help
dolphinjenJust curious, have been tied up for a couple of days with sick kids and other things. Did she try the drink. We got strawberry and he loves it. He says it tastes better with the 2% milk, but that it is ok with the water also.
We got chocolate, but she hasn't actually tried it. Does it get really thick? How much do you use ie 1 cup powder per 1 cup milk? She is soooo picky, I am not exaggerating. And it gets worse...the other morning she wouldn't finish the "darker" cheerios. She thought there was something wrong with them, cause they didn't look like all the other ones.
The powder, however, is in the Nestle Quick container, so she thinks that's what it is.
Thanks for asking. Has your son been drinking it every day? It's awesome that he likes it, that's a huge wait off your shoulders if you can get even 400 extra calories in him. How's the sleeping? The melatonin worked well the other night. I will be giving her some tonight as it's school tomorrow.
Jo-D
Is this weight gain powder a protein powder? Because Chase can taste them a mile away.....and he gags on them! Just curious.....
ShawnB, I know, it is really hard not to "lose it." I yell all the time. It's ridiculous. I never imagined being the kind of parent I now am. In fact DD yells at her little 2 yr old brother sometimes, which I am sure she gets from me and DH. It's so hard. I never knew this would be this hard.
I stopped at the mall to get the Weight Gain at GMC. I was so pi*sed, I walked in and asked the clerk where the Weight Gain is, and she looked me up and down and looked at me like "?!" (I'm about 40 pounds overweight) I nodded towards my DD, and said "It's for HER," and the clerk was like "Ooooooh." Just what I needed, lol
Anyway, then I went to Walmart to get the melatonin, and I got the 300 mcg, and the pharmacist said it was a bad idea, even though I told him her doc said to try it. He said, "I'd get a second opinion, I think you're going in the wrong direction." He asked if we've tried other stimulants besides Concerta. Inside, I was thinking, "Of course, I'm not trying to get off on drugging my daughter. It's not like I have Munchausen's." I feel so frustrated by all this. Then of course my dad is always like, "She's just so thin. Is it worth it having her on the Concerta?" Argghhh!
I can so relate to this post.. but honestly, the yelling and getting out of control comes from me most of the time. I have been diagnosed with an Emotional/Mood disorder and ADD. I have sense tried really, really hard not to yell (sometimes hard with 3 and 5 year old girls that love to whine, 5 y.o has ADD) and I even made a point to tell my husband that I will not spank the children, ever. Yes, we spank, but we are also finding it non effective so we're looking at other avenues of discipline since that and time outs don't work.I have also resorted to going into the living room and letting my kids be kids at bedtime and play for awhile. They get up and down constantly, but when they're ready for bed they crawl in bed and go to sleep. I decided this wasn't a battle that I want to fight anymore. It's helped my nerves a lot too.
I will have to go to the mall and Walmart today and get some melotonin and some of that Weight Gain. I wonder if it is protein powder.
What kind of light are you getting him? Be careful about those kinds that have a clamp and twist around in different directions. That's what we had for my duaghter (so she could turn it off without getting out of bed when she started to get sleepy) but some blankets got on it and it started on fire
! I think though letting him read in bed is a great idea. It will probably make him sleepy if it is a struggle for him.