My son is 7 (52 pounds)and newly diagnosed with adhd-inattentive. He started on Medadate cd 10 mg...helped a little...increased to 20 mg...has helped alot...we(his teacher and I)are trying to decide if it should be increased further. She says on a 3 step directive he is getting at least 2 of them(before it was none) and if he forgets the third he will come and ask her what it was...before he just would'nt do the work. I was in his class yesterday he seemed to stay on task very well...I saw him before meds and it was like night and day. He was in reading centers and reading books...(lots of distractions in that class) he did very well though, finished his books...he did tell me that he was having trouble reading because the other kids were reading too loud. And they were, that is a tough class, lots of distractions. No side effects with the 20 mg. anymore he has been on that dose for about 2 weeks he did seem to have some rebound issues at first but not anymore...it really seems to keep him calm and focused most of the day. Wears off at 4:30...he takes it at 7:00 A.M. Just wondering your opinions before I call the doctors.
Thanks!
I personally would give it a little more chance to work before adding more. Your last statement about it seems to keep him focused most of the day is what I base my thoughts on.
As a teacher I have to also say that some of my peers are not well informed or understand how the meds work. I'm not saying that they are ignorant, I'm just saying that until they live it personally they really won't understand unless they read up and study on the topic.
In my own experiences with my ds and speaking with his doc and play therapist I learned that it takes time. You can't expect a "pill" to fix things immediately. I hope this makes sense. I think I'm trying to say that you also have to learn how to handle things in conjunction with the med. This can be done through experiencing some successes and then the more the child experiences these the child learns how to manage himself along with the meds. Does this make sense? I'm having a hard time with my words this morning.
Example if I may:
My son had a hard time expressing his thoughts prior to his meds. He would get angry and throw something instead of using his words. He also had extreme difficulty sitting still and listening to the teacher. When he first started his meds he made some improvements, but still reacted at times, with words. As time passed things kept improving at school and at home. He know expresses himself and uses his words and actions like we all wish for our children. His teachers are constantly telling me how far he has come over the past year. He still has occasional moments but in general we are very pleased with how meds, diet, and therapy have helped him over the past year.
Hope things work out the way you want. Take care.
Yes, that makes sense to me...Thanks!