Hi Hallanole,
Is your daughter only having trouble at school? If so, you may want to wait on the meds until closer till school starting again. My son takes a stimulant medication but we are giving a medication break for the summer...so far he is jumpy but he is eating and he is so much happier.
Hello Everyone.
I'm totally lost and seeking some help and useful knowledge from all you folks with ADHD children. I'm going to try and make this short and not too confusing for you.
My daughter is 6. We just visited the nerologist today. He prescribed Metadate CD 10mg for my daughter. I really didn't want to do the med route first, as I believe that my daughter also has a behavioral issue.
She is smart, as a single mother I live at home (unable to afford rent even with a decent income) with my parents, brother, his girlfriend, and my maternal grandparents. (Yes we have a huge house which helps) My daughter has never been babied, and basically assumes the smart adult in pygmy form. Ha ha ha.
Well she is just finishing Kindergarden. We've had sever issue with the teacher. The teacher pushed for the ADDH testing. My daughter is great one on one, acts like what I believe a typical 6 year old would act. Yes there are some issues, I will not deny that. Even the principle called me into a meeting and basically "When are you putting her on meds?" Even though it was supposedly there for another reason, which I found out was not due to my kid. But that is another story.
My daughter is very smart, talks like an adult, uses a computer brilliantly, finds most solutions. But she also, doesn't pay attention, has a very hard time focusing at school, often loses free play because she didn't finish her work. Hates school that she cries to me practically every morning that she doesn't want to go.
Well we did the school report eval, school psych monitored and reported, saw her pedi who referred me to the Neuro. Neuro did exam today and just gave the Rx to me. He did state, I do not have to give to her every day. But reading up it says to. Which alas confuses me more.
Honestly, I was hoping to start with something along the lines of councling, then if that didn't work, then move to the next step. But I feel like he knows and if he didn't believe meds were right, then he wouldn't of given. But then I feel like that everyone just wants to medicate every kid. I'm so caught in my own mind, I don't know what is right.
I want what is best for my child. I love her how she is. Yet, I know she needs something to help her focus better. I believe if she has anything it is more on the attentive, less on the hyper. I don't have to peel her from the ceiling. She can sit for hours, playing a game and being very content.
I need help. So much help. I don't know if what I wrote gives any understanding to you. If you have suggestion, questions more direct needed, I will answer and appreciate any directions to finding answers for myself.
As a side note, I'm not adament against meds, I just want them as a last resort. I have a degree as a medical assistant and like to know all before I make a final decision on meds and what they do. I just can't seem to find any real answers on how they intereact with some children to get an idea of things. I like case studies to understand. God, I'm rambling.
Thank you in advance for you help.
Halla
Welcome,
You will find help and support here through this journey. There is a lot of reading you can do about the posible treatments (meds, behavior modification, coaching, etc) at:
http://www.help4adhd.org/en/about/wwk
You will find the scientific basis for ADHD, terms, potential risks for untreated ADHD, all kinds of info.
A positive reinforcement behavior plan (refer to the thread called ogram's marble system at the top of this board) is helpful with many of these kids.
Depending on the issues at school, and IEP or 504 plan can help.
If you want to look into non medication supplements, omegas and magnesium have some scientific support but no large scale blinded studies yet. Refer to the alternatives board for more info.
Arm yourself with lots of information from reliable sources to help with your decisions (there is a lot of junk on the internet so be careful).
Hi and Welcome.
My son is 8 and just completed 2nd grade (which he is going to repeat next year). He has been taking Metadate CD 10mg during the school year, but is off for the summer. Metadate is long-acting form of Ritalin. It makes my son very calm. It also decreases his appetite, which he does not need he's 4 feet and only weight 47 lbs. Since he's been off this summer he looks like he has gained a little in only 2 1/2 weeks. It helps him to focus at school.
How is she with school work? Is she understanding and learning? My son is struggling with reading and a little bit with math. He was fine in Kindergarten, he didn't start struggling until 1st grade.
We all want what's best for our children, but it's difficult when your working with doctors on meds and fighting the school system for extra help. We finally got him tested for learning disabilites this week after requesting testing since April. They don't think there is a problem, just a mother with high expectations.
Hope this helps a little. Maybe someone else can help you more my son has only been diagnosed for about 1 1/2 years.
Hello and welcome.
Vickie is right, the more knowledge you have the better. this will open all your options to you also. No single option is right for everyone. My daughter was first diagnosed in Kindergarten (also inattentive not hyper). I chose not to use meds although they were suggested. By third grade we changed our mind as she just could not pay attention in school and she came home one day in tears telling me her "just gets all spinny". It was too much for her.
Do not worry about rediscussing with her doctor either. Another option is to go to a child psychiatrist and get another opinion. Make the appointment, read up as much as you can and start a list of all your questions and bring them with you.
Deciding to use meds is a big decision and shouldn't be taken lightly. It is also not a lifelong commitment. If you do not like how things are going you can always stop, under the guidance of your physician..
Many people do have success with alternatives, please read the alternatives board for these options. But as Vickie states you won't find a lot of studies backing these up. That doesnt mean it doesnt work though.
No you're not confusing me. What you're thinking is exactly what my wife and I went through when our son was in kindergarten last year. Such as...The positive here is that you see her attributes and problems early.
We knew our son was very bright but when he was having troubles when he started school, it took a while for us to open our eyes because there were no issues at home. Waiting until 2nd grade for us to begin searching for answers to his behaviors proved to make social life for our son quite difficult because by this time, his impulsiveness and lack of attention was causing disruption in the class and also missed free time, recess and more time in the hall and principal's office than in the class getting an education. It doens't sound like your dd has the hyper part which can compound problems in the class, but as the kids get older, any reprimands (ie. missed free time, etc) soon get noticed by other kids and problems can escalate.
When meds were mentioned for the first time I was devastated. I feared what these drugs would do to my child's brain, his growth and his future happiness. We did try behavioral counseling first which also extended into the classroom working with his teaher. It helped to an extent, but he still couldn't focus. We finally tried meds and saw improvement.
For most, it can be a long road of obstacles (especially with the schools) doctor visits, trial and error and many tears. Getting yourself educated on ADHD immediately and following your instincts as a mother are cruical and can lessen or avoid problems early. The links listed above and this board are invaluable, but don't forget or ignore your gut feelings. You can go to 3 different doctors and come out with 3 different diagnosis, some multiple. It truly comes down to you know your child best. You don't want to get wrapped up in every little problem or idiosynchrocy (sp?) your child shows with all the information you'll be ingesting. I began to get so engulfed in research that I didn't think I knew what was the best way to do this or handle that - I was a mother who didn't think I was capable of doing best for my child. I forgot my child has a wonderful, unique personality and I needed to let him express that but help him to feel competent.
It sounds to me like you're on the right track and aren't having too difficult of a time right now. Keep up and don't think "oh, everything's fine, we'll let it ride...". Handle the situations as they come and when you're having a bad day and need to vent or share great news...someone's always here.
Best of luck to you!!!
Thank you all so much. I just feel so overwhelmed.
I called today to start up some couciling for the both of us. I know I need help myself, just so I'm not so frustrated.
On a good note, I told my dd what the meds were and she actually wanted to take them.
I called a place I found (finally) that deal with AdHD children and setting up all the things for counciling for the both of us.
I'm overwhelmed because now, I'm in a realm of unknowing and I'm trying to grasp something. I truely thank you all for your guidence and support.
Hey there Hallanole! I just wanted to tell you that you are doing the right thing! getting educated on ADHD and the meds are the first things you should do! I know putting your child on meds is a very hard decision. We were totally against it at first. My son is 12 and was just diagnosed a few months ago. teachers have been telling me for years that he has trouble focusing, staying on task, always talking ect. he got by in elementary school but now that he's in middle school....well lets just say we have had a rough year! he never really got in trouble in elementary school too much other than for talking to much. but now that he is in middle school so much more is expected of kids. they have to be more self sufficient and disciplined. we tried different behavorial and discipline strategies that the psychologist suggested but to no avail...so it was close to the end of the school year and things were horrible at home..he was getting really bad grades so we gave in and tried the meds. WOW! we tried the daytrana patch and it is working really well. this is his forth week on it now and his grades are WAY up! I have gotten some really great emails from his teachers too! of course there is side effects though. he doesn't have much of an appetie, and he has been complaining of a stomach ache the last few days. we don't put it on him during the weekend and we probably won't use it during the summer. so we will see how it goes.. SO I guess what I am trying to say is that you are on the right track. absolutely try everything else first. but also think about the big picture. I think ADD can be especially hard for girls when they get into adolescent and teen years. there are some great websites out there too. here is a link to one of them
http://www.addvance.com/help/women/index.html
hope this helps! sorry for my rambling! and good luck!
School is the hardest for her. At home she's the same, but I worked with her behavior. Just assuming it was her personality.
The doctor wanted her to be on the meds as a trial to see how she reacts. She finishes school on Tuesday so we tried a couple days. I'm very concerned and trying to get ahold of the doctor. After a few days on the meds she ended up with a swollen throat.
Still hunting down couciling. All the places I called are not accepting new patients or have an extensive wait list. This does not look positive to me.
(no I'm not going through the white pages, I work for the insurance I carry and have access to a provider listing. Lol finally something I can use.)
So she has only tried one med for a few days? If so, that is good news! dont' be discouraged. There are so many meds out there! What is she taking?Metadate CD 10mg, once a day. she may just need a different med. They all work so differently and affect everyone so differently. When you talk to the docotr ask about trying something else. The summer is a great time to try things as you can observe her and their stress is generally down being out of school.Yeah I called the doctor. He won't be in the office until Monday. Go figure. Ha ha ha. But I advised the receptionist that I was taking her off the meds, that per the side effects of the meds, a swollen throat is not a good sign. I told her to note that and to get the doctor to call me asap.
Just to "second" the suggestion that you check out the Alternatives to Meds board. Many of us are able to use supplements and/or diet modifications (as well as other methods) instead of medication. Good luck in your search!