20 minutes over HANGERS? | ADHD Information

I'm new here; wish I had known about this board a few years ago!  It's so good to know that we're not alone with what we're dealing with.

Yesterday my 6-year-old (tentatively diagnosed with ADHD since age 2, just formally diagnosed 2 weeks ago) had a 20-minute screaming fit because her younger sister was playing with some plastic clothing hangers.  Honestly -- hangers??!?  I just about lost it.  I am so tired of dealing with these crazy emotions, and I don't think I handle it very well.

I feel so guilty, wonder what I've done to add to this, wonder why I'm not more patient -- but then I'm angry, when I think of all the things I've lost or given up because of this, all the things I can't do because of dealing with my older daughter all the time -- and then I feel guilty again for being selfish.  It's like a never-ending carousel ride of horrors.

Some questions, if anyone can answer or point me where to get more info, I'd be really grateful.

First, my daughter is an EXTREMELY picky eater on top of everything else.  Several behavioural plans and 5 of private therapy, and nothing works.  She eats, basically, some milk products, some bread products, some meat, and one brand of unsweetened applesauce.  Anyone else dealing with this?  Any hints?

Second, she is on .5 mg of Ritalin and .5 mg of Risperidone daily (just started).  I'm still confused about the Risperidone and what it's supposed to do.  She fights going to sleep big time, and these meds don't seem to help.  Any ideas?

Third, does anyone know about support groups for parents in Ontario?

Thanks; any information or ideas would be helpful.

Gin
Hi and welcome to the board! You'll find great info here. What kind of doc diagnosed your daughter? Hopefully it was a specialist such as a pediatric psychiatrist or developmental pediatrician. You'll want a specialist managing her meds. This is because there are new meds coming out all the time, and a specialist keeps on top of all the newest information; also because they see these types of children all the time and know what they are doing. Anywhoo, you said .5 mg ritalin. Are you sure about that? I don't think they make dosages that low. The lowest my dd was on was 5 mg. Is he actually introducing two new meds at the same time? Seems like introducing one med at a time is the most logical thing to do--how can you determine the effects of each med when doing both at the same time??? Risperidone is an anti-psychotic. I've never heard of it being used as a first-line treatment for ADHD. It is a med you try after everything else doesn't work. I've heard it used for autism cases and bipolar to help with violent outbursts. You should ask your doc about this and why he is prescribing it. I don't have a good feeling about your doc if he is prescribing it for ADHD. Again, I'm not an expert by any means, I'm just a mom who has been dealing with an ADHD child. Good luck and keep the questions coming!Thanks for the reply; the current main doctor is a pediatric psychiatrist.  She's been in care with different social workers, behavioural therapists, a behavioural pediatrician, and now a psychiatrist.  You're right, it's 5mg ritalin.

She was on clonidine for sleep, but was complaining consistently of migraine-like headaches every night within a half hour of taking it, so she was weaned off of that.  The Risperidone and Ritalin were started because she got violent (again -- we dealt with this a few years ago, too) and attacked me.  But now she's fighting the sleep again, so I'm not sure it's the right combo.  On a positive note, she seems to be a good responder to the Ritalin, as we noticed a difference right away, although I think the dosage needs to go up a tad.  We check in with the doc every couple of weeks, so I'll follow up with her.

Gin
Her food sensitivities may be a sensory integration issue. Have you looked up Sensory Integration Dysfunction? You could google that. And also there is a great book called "The Out-of-Sync Child" about children with sensory integration dysfunction. Also, another great book is "The Explosive Child." That may give you tips on how to minimize the meltdowns.Thanks; I swear by the Greene book, although parts of it won't be applicable until she is a bit older.  The sensory integration stuff was raised when she was much younger, but then dropped.  I think I'll look into that again.  Thanks for the book tip!

Gin