disastrous family gathering!!! | ADHD Information

{{{hugs}}} I also believe he was overstimulated. They can hold it together for only so long, after all. He held it together for as long as he could, then let go. Maybe for future events, plan on exiting earlier so you won't have this problem. Try not to stress too much--I think this happens to lots of kids, ADHD or not.

Oh my gosh Tabby15, our boys could be twins!!

My son will be 10 this June and acts like that before the meds kick in.

My belief is that your son was overstimulated. He was probably having a wonderful time, his meds had started wearing off as you mention, and he couldn't control himself.

What your sister did was actually very helpful. It also prevented him from hurting himself.

My son has sensory processing issues. He has had an OT since he was 3. He cannot self regulate himself. If it was a 120 degrees, he would run at full speed for hours and not feel the heat.

His adhd meds have really helped in this area, especially his guanfacine. This helps control is overstimulation, and boy does it work!!

Don't feel bad, ask the doctor about guanfacine/tenex!

Here is a hug for both of you!!

beth

Has anyone had their ADHD child exhibit the following type of behaviour? Two days ago I had a family get-together (which we have twice a year due to distances people have to travel). Everyone got here at noon and lunch was served and a good time had by all until about 4 o'clock when my 10yr old son who was playing with his cousins started jumping up and down on the bed in the guest room. I told him to stop and he ignored me (naturally!) and he was pretty hyped up from all the visitors and I guess his Ritalin has worn off as well. I grabbed his arm and said 'get off the bed now!' . He started screaming at the top of his lungs and running around the house crouching with fear everytime I went near him - my relatives looked on with horror at this scene. He continued to run and scream and leap over chairs until my sister grabbed him and held him tightly. He calmed down but it was just the most terrible thing. I've never smacked my son but you can imagine how it looked. I don't know why he behaved like this and he is very sad that he did it but can't explain why. I feel really distressed about this and wonder is this the beginning of some new typed of ADHD behaviour.

Sad, depressed and crying.

don't feel bad. the other week, we were in the baggage area of the airport, and i was stressed because the luggage was late. DS8 was tired and hungry and started being very uncooperative and started talking back.

i started yelling at him and hit him, and in the airport, you do not yell! people in baggage were just staring at me like i was an abusive parent.

gettingclear39181.5433796296

thanks all, what you've said helps a lot when you're down.

Bethann, what is guanfacine prescribed for and where do you get it? Is it over the counter?

Commonplace with my son! He has even done this in the conference room at school with the principal present. She thought he was being defiant because he was hiding under the table.

That was great your sister helped out. Sometimes that is just the only way to handle the situation. It is embarassing when these type of things happen in front of other people. We just have to keep strong and try to stay 1 step ahead. As kids grow and continue to change sometimes we just can't predict how they will act. Your son probably does feels sad this happened because it shows he did not have control over what was happening with him. I hope the both of you can go forward and not dwell on it too much and try to use it as a learning experience.

For some reason my son gets over-stimulated when people come to our house too. He could be playing nice and quiet and someone will just stop by and it's like you flicked a switch in him. They just get sooo excited in the variation of routine, the visitors, all the noise and paople. We have to discuss before hand what is going to happen and how he is going to behave and what the consequences will be - total "over-parenting" - and half the time that doesn't work anyway!!Tabby, guanfacine is the generic form of Tenex. it is a hypertension drug used to treat irritability and hyperactivity in ADHD patients. It does not however help with focus. You must also have a focusing agent if focus is a major factor Here is the link to the Tenex thread, you can read more about it there.
http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24770& PN=1

Guanfacine is a heart medication. It relaxes people. My son has it for his overstimulation. His prescribing doctor is where he gets it from. We use a psychopharmacologist for all our son's meds.

Beth

I have the same problem with playdates. I actually stopped them, they were too much and often didn't play out well as being friends the next day.

I keep him in activities outside the house, like sports, train club, etc. so that he socializes that way. School is fine for social, he is very much included.

I just hope that it gets better when he enters middle school. and that the boys still accept him.

That is my biggest worry, but I have one more year before he enters Middle school.

Beth

Hi Claudia72 my son also has sensory issues as well! That is interesting info how guanfacine helps with that stuff too!

My son takes it due to his ovestimulation and it helps calm him, relax him.

My son has self regulation problems, but since he has started his concerta and guanfacine, it has truly helps!

Take care,

Beth

New kids, new environment, Ritalin worn off, etc........ one word sums up what happened: O V E R S T I M U L A T I O N! Actually....... I would have been shocked if he HAD NOT had that reaction at some point in the day/evening.

My son over the years had a few of these episodes at family gatherings. I learned very quickly how to try and minimize them with careful planning of the timing of medications, careful supervision during play time, plus avoiding situations that I would know trigger a problem. I just learned what his biggest triggers were over time.

Okiemom

Hi Bethan, my son is also now on guanacine/tenex. I was also told it helps with the sensory issues also. It is helping quite a bit. However, the aggression is still there while he's at school. It seems his worst time of the day is in the mornings verses afternoons. Little at a time we are going up on the doses. Being around other children does get them stimulated.That is so strange, both of my ADHD sons are off and running when someone new is in the house. I was thinking that it is the fight or flight response. Some one new, some thing new and they do not know how they should react so adrenelin kicks in and they are off. With an ADHD kid it does not take much.
When my kids are over stimulated that was when I would see biting and hitting and back talk. Getting in their face does not help with over stimulation. I (red face here) am ashamed to say I have also given my sons a wack on the behind or squeezed an arm. It only serves to add fuel to the over stimulation. You can't kill them no matter how right you are!!! What does work is removing them from the area. I have had to get out of line and pull my kids off to a corner to slow down. At home I have a time out room. At a recent Easter event we sat in the car for a few minutes. If I look at the behavior as fear, and that is what I think it is, maybe trepidation is a better word, it is easier for me to stay calm and be comforting.
However... that said... when you are up to your a__ in alligators it is hard to remember your main objective was to clean the swamp!!