Hi, i have a not so quick question. To give you some background, my 6yo was dx in sept w/ adhd, and was suggested we try meds. We have tried 10-40 mg of metadate, concerta (made her weepy when she came off), adderall (again weepy at night) and now Ritalin LA nothing really helps with the focusing, and anything over 7mg of Ritalin La makes her a zombie (dry mouth, very rigid and no personality). She recently had tubes put in her ears (fluid since november, this happens every year and ent finally said enough). She has a language delay, and possible a processing disorder (we see an audiologist on monday). dr said to take her off meds until we figured out what was going on with her hearing. Only now she can't sit still in class, still can't focus and today had a major meltdown and lacks the language skills, esp when emotional, to communicate effectively with her teacher. I had to go to school and after 10 sec w/ my daughter had to explain why she was so upset. When i called her dr he said we can try Tennex (sp?) to help with the activity level, but that it won't help with the attention.
so finally the question. i am wondering if anyone out there has a child with adhd and a autoriy processing disorder. and if so what are the symptoms you are facing. and if the lack of attention is partly due to a processing disorder and partly due to adhd how ever to you find the right meds. and finally is it possible that the meds are not fully satisfying the attention problem because it is due to more of a processing disorder.
i don't want to keep her medicated if i don't have to, but she is a wild thing without them, talks to herself alot, and can not follow a conversation to save her skin.
i dont want to jump to conclusions, but have you thought of the possibility that its not ADHD? the significant problems with speech and language, as well as social difficulties seems somewhat like Asperger syndrome. ADHD also tends to be comorbid with Asperger syndrome. But i could easily be wrong.we origonally took her to see a psy because we thought she might have an asd , he said that she was way to social for autisim. although i know that adhd is also on the spectrum. i don't know much about aspergers but she doesn't seem to fit the general description. i was kind of under the impression that if stimulants didn't improve attention (i should also say that attention on meds is better when it is something she does not mind doing) then it was not adhd. But at school she has such a hard time sitting still and staying on task, and her teacher doesn't think that it is all processing related. i am completly confused.
Stims work for about 85% of the kids with ADHD, in some the amount of med needed for control of symptoms is too high to keep using or there are side effects.
You might benefit from going to a pediatric developmental team at a childrens hospital or university if such a team is available. Or a child development pediatrician.
On the tenex- look at the tenex thread on the medication board. There is good discussion and lots of links to additional information. I recommend you look into this posibility to get your daughter at least some relief.
My duaghter is on the generic guanfacine and it is really good for her. It helps with hyperactivity, caliming, sleep, impulsivity and defiance. For some kids, guanfacine does help with attention. It is better than nothing for my daughter, but a stim with the guanfacine is perfect for her. Shire has submitted clinical data for thier long acting guanfacine for use for ADHD (alone, no stim) further indicating it is beneficial for attention for some kids. It is used in PDD and many other disorders. It needs to be started low and increased slowly to avoid or reduce side effects. My daughter takes 2mg AM and 2mg PM with 1/2 mg after school if she is expecting a challenging social schedule.
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