pediatrician said no to meds | ADHD Information

Hey! I just wanted to say thanks for all the input! I'm very big on "feelings" - I'll go with a doctor or house builder or mortgage person based on the feeling I get from them and I just have the feeling that my ped will be great.I think that you know if it's a good fit almost immediatly. And like you all said if he's not comfortable then he will say so. Actually I'm a little afraid of that cuz it will be VERY hard where I live to find a good child psychiatrist or a psychopharmologloigisttstiststs (a what?ha ha). But, we'll just wait and see. Like I said, his eval. isn't until the 12th. I'll keep you all informed! Thanks again!!

Good luck!

And the psychopharmocologist is a psychiatrist who specializes in "pharmocology". They just have an expertise in meds. Not all that easy to find...........

My ped has been great at med management, though many here don't like a ped doing it..........I don't know if she is a developmental ped or just plain good...but I love her and so does Chase!  And that is enough for us!Thanks so much for all of your replies.  He does see a developmental pediatrician once a year (because he also receives speech and occupaional therapy).  We saw her once before the diagnosis and once after the diagnosis.  She is an expert on ADHD, autism, and so forth.  Even though she didn't push for medication, she did give me a whole bunch of info on it.  I'll give her a call for an appt.  (Our next appt. with her isn't until October).  She's really hard to get an appt. with, but maybe if I explain we want to try medication, she'll meet with us.  I just thought meeting with the pediatrician was easier to do, but, as some of you said, she's not an expert in ADHD.  Thanks again everyone.Oh definitely see the developmental pediatrician. Keep calling maybe they will even talk to you over the phone.goinnutzz, I also used to have my child's meds managed by a pediatrician.  She told me that my child's situation was getting more complicated than she was comfortable handling, but she continued until our appt. time came up with the developmental pediatrician.  She then literally heaved a sigh of relief.  When given the history of what the pediatrician had done, the developmental pediatrician said that he was impressed with the way she'd been handling things.  My situation sounds similar to your ped.:  dr.s who are knowledgeable about managing ADHD, but who know their limits and when to request someone with more expertise handle the situation.  If I were you, I'd be comfortable using the ped. to manage things.Take a look at the Alternatives to Meds section of this board -- we manage our son's ADHD with supplements and diet modifications quite successfully.

My pediatrician is who started us on meds. Because my son needed more than 1 medicine, he then referered us to a psychopharmacologist. As my pediatrician explained, adhd is not his field of speciality. He felt more comfortable having our son see a doctor who specialized with the meds used for treating adhd, as well as any other "things" that may come up the road.

If it wasn't for the psychopharm., my son would never have been introduced to guanfacine, which he has been on for almost 3 years now. The doctor also knows so much more about how these meds work as well as what exactly ADHD is.

That is our experience!

 

O.k., first off I just want to say that we are finally having my son evaluated on the 12th so I'm assuming we will be starting meds soon there after and I have thought all along that it couldn't be a better time of year to start and find the right one before he goes back to school. Sure the issues between summer and school may be a little different, but I think, in my case, being with him all day to see all the effects it has will be a great thing.

Second, after he is evaluated and officially diagnosed I totally planned on having his ped handle all the medicating. Is this a bad idea? I absolutely love his ped - he is smart and thorough and has been a big help to us. He was the one who wanted us to get him officially dignosed by someone more qualified - he knew that he needed a second opinion. But as far as meds, he is completely comfortable dealing with it and I do trust him! If I am this comfortable with him, do you still recommend I go find a child psychiatrist?

not necessarily. Lots of people use their pediatrician to manage meds.

We started there, but when we started having issues and it got a little more involved she referred us to the psychopharmocologist.

goinnutzz,

Sounds like your pediatrician knows when to refer you to an expert. If med manangement is relatively easy and there are no co-existing disorders to treat as well, a pediatrician can do a good job. If things get too complecated, the ped will probably call an expert or send you to the expert. Since he had done this before, he has shown that he knows when to ask for help from someone more expert than him (this is good thing).

OK a little devils advocate here. I agree somewhat with the immaturity thing. I have a 5 year old who I was juss horrible to live with 6-9 months ago. We did a neuropsych eval (through school) and thought...... well...... we did not know...........so we did nothing for now. She turned a complete corner (for now, she is still not perfect and we will re eval at 6). They change drastically from 5-6. Maturity, especially emotionally and socially, play a HUGE factor at this age. Conservative diagnosis is not necessarily a bad thing.

OK, that said, I agree with everyone else. You need a neupropsych eval if you can get one. I personally would not do this until after age 6 as it is more comprehensive for 6 + year olds. I also agree that starting meds in the summer is generally the best choice. It can be quite the journey finding the right meds for your child.

I didnt give you a direct answer sorry, but wanted to point out really good points to both sides. Repeating Kindergarten may be a good place to start and if the meds dont start right away, your son will be in an environment that is not over his head. He is getting the chance to mature. I think both decisions make sense. The only thing titling the scales in favor of starting meds now is the psychologist already giving you the ADHD diagnosis. If that is there, then why wait??

I agree with chasesmom if that is what you really feel is right to go to your pediatrican with your facts and your reasons for wanting to start meds while you can observe your son. Good luck.

 

My 5 year old son was diagnosed last July with ADHD by a psychologist.  He did not push for medication and he said see how kindergarten goes.   Well, my son did okay in kindergarten (although we will probably repeat it because he is so young and immature).  Anyway, my husband and I were very much against medication, but have finally realized he needs something.  He is silly, gets angry easily, temper tantrums, trouble socializing, etc.  We are all just not happy and we never seem to have "one good day."  We finally decided to give medication a try.  Even his kindergarten teacher said he probably needs it, but did not push it.

Well, I made an appt. with the pediatrician, and after talking to her she said no.  Summer is not the time to try it, children grow a lot and mature a lot in the summer, he's probably very immature and even her kids do some of the same things.  I was kind of disappointed because we had finally decided to try it.  She said if we still think he needs it  a few months into the school year, then try it.

What do you think?  Has anyone started medication in the summer?  I know I've read a lot of people stop medication in the summer or on vacation to give the child a break.  His behavior isn't horrendous, but it's wearing on us and I think he needs something.

I would think that starting meds in the summer might be a good thing, so that you can be there to see how he acts on the meds. 

Perhaps you could talk to the ped and express that you would like him to be able to try out meds while at home, so that you yourself can see how they affect him before adding school to the mix.  Maybe you could start the meds at least a month before school starts at least.

If you state your case that way, calmly and quietly, the ped may listen to you...

We started meds at the end of the school year, only to start over during the summer. What worked for us was that we could figure out which med helped my son then deal with the dosing. We also went to a pscychopharmacologist who helped us as well.

It does help by having the feedback from the school, if they will give it to you. My son't teacher wouldn't. She would only tell me when he was in trouble. That told me that he needed an increase. I would ask her for help, but she didn't feel comfortable (I believe). Once I increased him, she would tell me he was having good days. So I guess we did have some type of a system!

All in all, we got through it. Personally, I felt more at ease in the summer because I could watch my son and how it was effecting him. If he was at school I could only sit at home, wait, and worry.

If you do start in the summer, you will definelty feel more comfortable sending him off to school with the meds in his system. You will know how he they make him feel.

That is my experience! Do what is best for you and your child.

Beth

I think the best option would be to see a Child Psychiatrist. Psychologists cannot prescribe meds, and Peds really shouldn't. Summertime would be the perfect time to start meds, to make sure it works, and try new ones if needed.At 5 an ADHD diagnosis is hard to determine, maybe your ped is just not sure.

I agree with edbson, a child psychiatrist or neurologist would be the ones to see and treat. They are familiar with these meds and side effects and would be better to follow him. Summer is a wonderful time to start meds and start next school year on an even keel.

Jorgy

I agree to go to a dr. more knowledgeable about ADHD, and that's a child psychiatrist.  We use a developmental pediatrician for ADHD meds management.  He's an ADHD expert. 

My child started meds last summer.  I agree with pps and it's my experience that summer is a wonderful time to start a new med.  It may take time for trial and error to find the right dose and to find the right medicine.  Ideally, your ds will start the new school year already functioning better. 

Don't worry about what the ped. said.  She doesn't sound knowledgeable about ADHD.  I'm not surprised her kids do some of the same behaviors, but with ADHD, it's the frequency and intensity of the behaviors that cause a problem for the child and others around him/her. 

I'd call the psychologist who diagnosed your ds, and ask for a recommendation for someone to manage ADHD meds.

Getting meds right can take time. If you start during the summer, he can start the new school year on the same footing as other students, rather than at a disadvantage. Starting without meds can cause him to be labelled difficult and create social problems that may follow him for a while. Finding an expert to manage meds is a good idea. It can be hard to get to the right med regimen and the meds may have to be adjusted periodically as his needs change (after school activities, puberty, driving, etc).