New to Forum - Medication Problems!

We held our daughter back in first grade(She hadnt been diagnosed as adhd at the time) and it did wonders for her self esteem. She had been having so much trouble learning to read & she was one of the youngest in the class. The teacher made her the "special helper " for her second year in the grade & that helped her feel important. She also received help through a special reading class. She is now in third grade, reads beyond her grade level & has many wonderful friends! If you can work with your child's teacher, being held back can become a positive experience. I agree with the other person who said that it is better to do it now than in a later grade. It was a hard thing to do, but it worked wonders with our child.

 Hello all! I have a 6 1/2 yr. old daughter who is currently in 1st grade.  She was diagnosed with ADHD at 3 yrs. old.  She is a great kid and very loving (very, very active, though!!!)  We had trouble at the preschool and the teachers brought her "active" behaviour to our attention several times.  We had our daughter tested by her pediatrician, then referred to a specialist (Neurologist).  They put her on Ritalin (lowest dose) to begin with.  It worked for awhile, but her appetite went downhill.  Then, when she was about 5, the Dr. put her on 12-hr. time release Concerta.  She's been on that since Kindergarten. 

My daughter is already getting the special ed. help at school, with an IEP plan already in effect since Kindergarten.  The reading teacher is telling us that she isn't catching up too fast and they would like me to think about keeping her back a year (flunking).  I told them no way! My daughter will not be held back - it would ruin her self-esteem and no good would come of it.  We will tutor her or hire someone to help with extra tutoring!

Anyways, I'm rambling...sorry! Anyways, we think the time-release isn't working as it used to, as the Concerta seems to wear off after 7-8 hrs.  We may suggest to the specialist some other type of medicine which is 4 hrs., taken 2x per day instead.  This way my daughter can get a "fresh" dose after lunch - eat her lunch with an appetite, and apply herself to reading class after lunch.  Any suggestions on other types of medicines they may recommend for her?

Thanks for reading my "novel"! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hey Corinne!

Was your daughter being medicated at age 3? I only ask because I have a 3 yr old son who's been diagnosed adhd, and they wanna medicate him, and I'm a little apprehensive, to say the least, so some feedback would be nice!

I also have an 11 year old son who's been diagnosed adhd since he was in the 3rd grade, and our experience with him is that after a while, whatever meds he's on will eventually "poop out" (his dr's words), or just not be as effective as they once were, so if your daughter's been on the same meds (particularly if it's the same dosage!) for a while, then it may be time to either increase the dosage, or switch altogether. One thing to consider when thinking about taking her off the "time release" stuff is that her appetite might not even reappear for the brief amount of time in between doses, I beleive that she'd have to go much longer for her appetite to return. (fyi: I don't give my 11 yr old his meds at all over the weekend, and it's usually not till 1/2 way through Sat that he really wants to chow down).

Don't know if any of this helped you out or not, but good luck with your daughter, and keep us all posted, in a way, we're all in this together!

Pamela in Ga