ADHD and Anxiety | ADHD Information

Yes, zoloft can make you tired, but it can also have the opposite reaction in some people, depends on how sensitive u are to meds. That's all I need another sleepless child again. Well there goes that theory. He complains about his stomach alot(from the anxiety) I could say they are for that? Maybe. At our next doctors appt. I will have alot more questions to ask regarding the med issue, I really hope this guy is better that who we have now.Well He has decided to forgo the weekends as well. We are not pushing the issue as hard but are still firm and offer it every day. some days he says yes and he throws it up after shaking. He is so anxious. I don't know why we can't treat that I could give him the zoloft the doc reccomended at night and tell him it is for sleep. I bet he would take that. Besides doesn't it make them tired anyway?Just thinking.He was diagnosed back in June, not too long ago but having bad problems for 1 good year. I did tell him that I had problems also when in school and had wished that someone had offered me a way to make things go easier. It didn't make a difference. I am undiagnosed ADD. I didn't tell him that because there is a lot of friction between us right now and I didn't want him to blame me just yet. But you are right I want to leave the door open so when he is ready, he feels comfortable enough to come to me. And I'm afraid you are right it is going to take some time for this one. It is just so hard when you are so close to an answer.Can he himself notice a difference in his behaviour when he is taking the meds?? Maybe you could encourage him along that way, that if there is nothing wrong, then they will not work, and that if they do harm him, that you and the doctor will take him off them immediately. There is some connection with anxiety and meds, I don;t know what, but a fear of the unkown, that it is beyond your control. Get him active in the taking of them and keeping track of hius achievement with taking it. His behaivior on the meds is much more calm, and you can actually have a conversation with him vs him running his mouth non stop. He listens then, and says all the right things but when Monday Morning come around, Panick attack city. We have tried to involve him in most all steps so he will be aware but he wants nothing to do with it. He is in deep denial. I bet he takes his meds this morning. spamula39368.2502430556 [QUOTE=spamula]

I think you hit it on the head. It's the feeling different from everyone else. He says he feels no side effects so I don't think that is the issue. He just doesn't want to be different. But how do we convince him that it doesn't make you a geek to take meds? He knows there are kids in his class (and he doesn't know who) that take meds for the same reason. It doesn't seem to help him to know. He still feels isolated and angry for having to take them. At home it's ok cause there's noone here to say "see" the difference. Even though the difference is better feeling for him he tells us. Interesting.

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Unfortunately I can't think of anyway you can convince him he's not a "geek". You can attempt the 'diabetics take insulin' argument but it may not have much effect. Children have an incredibly rough time feeling "different".

The hardest thing for a parent is to stand by and watch a child suffer and struggle when you know they don't need to.

If he really understands that he feels better and does better on the meds then as painful as it is--HE may have to come to the realization that he's more normal with the meds than without them. If you engage the struggle then it becomes him vs. you--and that will make it harder to get him to take them.

Has he expressed concern that taking medication makes him feel "less than" or "different" or "like a head case"?

I suspect it's going to take some time to get this thorn out of his paw.

Keep in mind, as painful as watching it is for you--you have many, many years left ahead. The most important focus is to keep that trusting/caring relationship and the door open so when he's ready he can tell you his fears and ask for your help. Also, if he thinks you love him no matter how good/bad he is--you're more likely to get compliance in the long haul.

Maybe if you can remember a time as a kid when you felt ashamed and weird, I mean REALLY ashamed [a story he never heard before] and embarrassed he might be able to relate to that.

How long ago was his dx?
MetisRebel39367.6358217593[QUOTE=MetisRebel] [QUOTE=spamula]We took everything away for a long time. It got to the point that he would not funtion in school because of the anxiety of having everything removed. It didn't work at all. He still did not take them. The psych says stop trying to force him. Heck I don't know what to do.[/QUOTE]

I know how the kid feels. Honest.

My mom used to force-medicate because I hated the pills too.

There are a lot of reasons why kids hate some meds:

The side effects.
The feeling of being "buzzed". Adhd kids feel terribly out of control and when I had "fuzz head" it felt even MORE out of control. The feeling of being different/geek/loser/mental/etc. ADHD kids already feel socially isolated. Feeling even more different from other kids adds to it.

Also, pills [like food] can become part of the power struggle between kids and parents. I suspect that's why the psych said not to push the issue. That doesn't necessarily mean that the parents view it that way--it can be a subconscious reaction on the side of the child.

I'd listen to the psych. Back off it for a while. Yes, I know that means you have a 50lb hyper mosquito buzzing around your house for a while, flunking school etc. but if this grows into a bigger power struggle it could get much, much worse.

Work on only the behaviour not the pill-taking. Hopefully, over time he will realize that it's that much harder for him to behave when he isn't medicated.

Also, truly HEAR what he is saying about why he won't medicate. At 9, he can't always describe exactly what his fears are, but it might give you a place to start if he truly believes you are interested in why he doesn't like the medication. In fact, I would be tempted to ask him to write me a letter that I won't open without his permission telling me why he hates the medication. If he then gave me permission I'd thank him for his trust because that's a big risk for a child to take
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I just wanted say that I disagree with what Edbson has said. All stimulants are not created equally, hence the different forms and names. Adderall had no adverse effacts on my sons anxiety. However, the Daytrana patch threw him over the edge. I actually had to pick him up from school one day because he was totally wigging out. He insisted there were bugs crawling from his desk and socks. Bugs have always been his phobia and Daytrana made it so much worse. He is on Strattera now and it has been a dream! I was hesitant to put him on it since I had not heard many good things about it, but I'm glad I went ahead and agreed to trying it...It has been amazing! I just wanted to add that the bug phobia completely gone! Now, he will pick up bugs, whereas before I was lucky to get him to walk anywhere he thought a bug might be.

LonerGirl39367.3812268519I'd reward him every day. [QUOTE=spamula]We took everything away for a long time. It got to the point that he would not funtion in school because of the anxiety of having everything removed. It didn't work at all. He still did not take them. The psych says stop trying to force him. Heck I don't know what to do.[/QUOTE]

I know how the kid feels. Honest.

My mom used to force-medicate because I hated the pills too.

There are a lot of reasons why kids hate some meds:

The side effects.
The feeling of being "buzzed". Adhd kids feel terribly out of control and when I had "fuzz head" it felt even MORE out of control.The feeling of being different/geek/loser/mental/etc. ADHD kids already feel socially isolated. Feeling even more different from other kids adds to it.Also, pills [like food] can become part of the power struggle between kids and parents. I suspect that's why the psych said not to push the issue. That doesn't necessarily mean that the parents view it that way--it can be a subconscious reaction on the side of the child.

I'd listen to the psych. Back off it for a while. Yes, I know that means you have a 50lb hyper mosquito buzzing around your house for a while, flunking school etc.

but if this grows into a bigger power struggle it could get much, much worse.

Work on only the behaviour not the pill-taking. Hopefully, over time he will realize that it's that much harder for him to behave when he isn't medicated.

Also, truly HEAR what he is saying about why he won't medicate. At 9, he can't always describe exactly what his fears are, but it might give you a place to start if he truly believes you are interested in why he doesn't like the medication. In fact, I would be tempted to ask him to write me a letter that I won't open without his permission telling me why he hates the medication. If he then gave me permission I'd thank him for his trust because that's a big risk for a child to take

I did not say ALL stims are created equally, but ALL stims with Methylphenidate are similar. Adderall and Daytrana are 2 different meds.

I agree with rewarding everyday, if he takes his meds he gets X reward, if not then no reward. It might work.

how about the opposite, like rewarding for taking the meds?

I agree with edbson, try Daytrana. My daughter has not one skin issue, you just never know. Try it, if he hates it or his skin is irritated you stop.

We have a reward system in place now if he takes his meds for 1 week straight. It has not worked yet. He sees a psychologist every week and they think it is anxiety. He told me this am that he will take it on the weekend. It just doesn't make any sense to any of us. We will see what the new doc has to say when we go in a few weeks(quickest we could get in and have been on his waiting list for months) so maybe he will discuss other options with us.We took everything away for a long time. It got to the point that he would not funtion in school because of the anxiety of having everything removed. It didn't work at all. He still did not take them. The psych says stop trying to force him. Heck I don't know what to do.Was he evaluted by a Psychologist? there could be something else going on.

There are meds in liquid form, and the Daytrana patch is also an option. IMO it isn't going to affect anxiety any more than any other Methylphenidate med( Concerta, Metadate, Ritalin etc). I would try the patch, give it a little while and see if it helps.

Honestly, my DD is 10, and if she told me NO about anything,including meds, she would be rethinking it very quickly.You have to be firm as the parent, and not let him make the rules. I would implement some consequences for refusing to take his meds, take something away.

Our 9 year old who refuses to take his meds in any way, needs them desperatly for school focus and social reasons also. We (parents, grandparents, psychologist) can't seem to make him understand why it is important for him and how much easier it will be. We tried FocalinXR 5 mg and had hard rebounds, lack of appetite(and he is small) and more anxiety(but it worked great for the focus). Our current psychiatrist refuses to discuss anything other than the Focalin with us so we have an appt. with another psychiatrist in a few weeks. My son is afraid TO DEATH to take a pill, yet taunts us with how much food he can swallow without chewing. He has sensitive skin and has problems with band aids so I'm not sure Daytrana would be the answer(besides it says it is not good for anxiety) I am scared of strattera, which I heard could be compounded into a liquid, but he probably won't take that either. I just don't know how bad it needs to get before he sees he really does need something. He says he knows it helps and it makes him feel better but he can only take them on the weekends and I have to hide the contents of the capsule in ice cream. During the week he has panic attacks when it is time to take them and throws up. I am confused and upset and do not know how to help my child. He is not failing school yet but come another year or 2(he is in 4th grade) I am sure he will not make it in middle school. This is killing me. He is so bright and intelligent(that is what has got him this far) has a 504 and a great teacher THIS year, but come 6th grade that all changes. He needs to be prepared. He is nowhere even close. I am just very stressed and it has affected my whole life. I am not looking for any magic answers just needing to vent somewhere and thought maybe someone could relate. We have tried practicing swallowing tic tacs which he can do but come med time NO WAY Panic attack. I hope this new psych has some sort of answer for us. or al least some options. I had felt we needed to treat his anxiety first then the ADHD but this doc says NO. AARRGGHH!! I am going to go nuts!