Hi,
I'm new to this board and while I've browsed some, haven't really introduced myself. I posted briefly with a specific question on the medication forum. I have a 6 year old daughter who has been taking Ritalin LA for 3 weeks now with AMAZING results. We hae seen such a wonderful turn-a-round in her ability to foucs, control impulsivity, and decrese in aggression. Her teachers are thrilled, we are thrilled, and she feels better too. How have others explained the need for meds to your young children? She takes a couple of meds (for seizures and now for ADHD). I know there are lots of good books for kids out there and will probably pick some up and she and I can read them together.
Martha
Everyone is has different thoughts on this. I have always been up front with my daughter and told her what the medicine was for and why she had to take it. Keep in mind my daughter was 9 before we put her on meds.
My thoughts are like anything with kids is to be honest, but dont give them more information than they can handle. In other words like with everything that everyone is made up differently and people needs all kinds of different things to help them. In her case she needs her medicine to help her stay healthy. As far as getting into it helping her focus and the beahvior issues, that is up to you how much to get into.
I'm sorry, and also.....WELCOME!!!Thanks for the welcome. I'm sorry we all need to be here but it's nice to know that there are others out there who deal with this day in and day out. We're fortunate that we've had good luck with her first meds -- both depakote and now Ritalin LA.
She's spirited and wonderful and I wouldn't have her any other way.
hannah'smom39228.2557175926
My son started on Concerta and did pretty well for about 9 months except he lost weight he could not afford to lose.
We added an appetite stim, which helped, but his aggression just kept getting worse, so we switched to Ritalin LA and added guanfacine.
He is doing great on that combo....actually for the summer, we have taken away the ritalin LA, and are just using the guanfacine.
I told my kids that the meds were like glasses for thier brains. The meds help with focus and attention and allow the child's natural intelligence to show. My kids are also older and they see the benefits of the meds to help them be as successful as posible.Welcome to the board hannah's mom, glad you found us!!