need someone to talk to | ADHD Information

hi i am a single mother of three children. my oldest is 7 and has severe adhd along with other issues, my middle is 6 and she might have the inattentive part(currently testing), and my youngest is 5 and has a milder version of adhd. It gets very hard around here and i am just hoping to meet up with people that can understand the situations that go on and offer support and a ear.

You have definitely come to the right place.  What kinds of treatments/therapies/meds are you using if any for your son?

My son (aged 10) has the inattentive form of ADHD, and is taking ritalin LA, guanfacine, and periactin.  He is doing quite well on this med combo....for now....

Welcome to the board!

How long has he been on the meds?

I am fortunate, my son only has ADHD inattentive....no co morbid disorders, thank goodness, though I see from my research that many children often have other things to go along with the ADHD. 

well my oldest son is on risperdal, strattera, ritalin sr and normal, melatonin and clonidine. my other two arent on any meds just trying to correct with behaviour therapy for now.

we just got back from a six week in hospital, assesment for my oldest and i never thought so much could be wrong with one seven year old

Hi Fire-Ice. Welcome.

I do feel for you......I just have one child.  I OFTEN wonder if I will have any sanity left by the time she is grown.

My daughter is 11 and has multiple issues.....mild TS, ADHD (primarily inattentive), sensory issues, meets the criteria for ODD, some anxiety and OC symptoms, and anger and rage issues.  Honestly, I'm sure there is more that the Doctors haven't figured out yet.

It's rough, but we just "Keep on, keepin' on".  I research, learn, and advocate as much as I can, because if we as parents don't, no one else will.  I can't imagine what puberty is going to add to this already colorful mix of moods and emotions! 

Again, welcome!

fire-ice3...have your son's doctors added anything for appetite?  My son takes periactin for that reason.  In Canada that med is over the counter, but you should ask the docs if it would be safe to add it to aid in appetite.  This is an antihistamine that has the side effect of appetite stimulant.  It must be pretty strong for appetite, and relatively harmless, because they give the med to the elderly and anorexic patients to make them hungry.

Before Chase took it, he would really only eat breakfast (before his daily dose of stim).  He would bring lunch home from school virtually untouched and dinner was a few nibbles, forget about a snack after school....after taking it, he now eats most of his lunch and is hungry for an after school snack and dinner.  He gained back the 4 pounds or so that he had lost and then after the guanfacine was added, he gained 3 pounds in about a month....so I am not sure if that was all periactin, or if the guanfacine helped....he takes 4mg of the periactin a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening.

I do know that Chase was hungry again after starting the periactin and I almost didn't care if he gained, just ecstatic to hear him say "Mom, what do we have to eat?  I am HUNGRY!"

thanks and the same to you Jillette. i see your child has sensory issues also. how do you find that makes it for her, and how do you help her cope?welcome to the board fire-ice and wow you have 3 dealing with ADHD.  I have only one and she sometimes make me feel overwhelmed at times,  G-d bless you. he has been on and of meds for around 4 years. and they say that there is no chance that they are going to be able to fully control his symptoms right now because he really has a suppressed appetite so he is quite small and under weight which affects how much he can take
sometimes i wonder what i have done to let my son have such a hard time. he doesnt like how he feels but there isnt alot i can do about it
but at least he knows it isnt his fault and knows he can get better with time and practice of some skillsQuinton is the one that has massive anger and aggresion issues along with ocd, odd, sensory, and to top it all off has perfectionist style. i think that sometimes i might just go insane because they all seem to set each other off and when they alll start going, watch out. Jeffery and Anyssa are realitivly not to much of a problem just constantly having to repeat myself and remove them from some situations.
Anyssa's newest thing is to set off her older brother on purpose now. I don't know what to do about that. It is almost like she enjoys getting Quinton riled up. At school she never does her work just stares off in the distance and gets in a lot of trouble.