Anyone with female daughter with ADD/ADHD | ADHD Information

Young,

Yes, she knows why she is taking it and seems pretty happy about taking the pill.  Yes, I give her allot of positive enforcement for her self esteem to rise!  There are other family issues that she could be holding in, we have started with a Child/adolescent specialist recently.  Right now we'll go every other week to see Ms. Rosemary.  Thanks for all your support everyone, I love this message board.

rhonda

 

 

Yes Young she has trouble controlling anger......and funny thing is there is not anger issues in the family.  We handle outselves at home well, so i wonder why she don't learn from us.  But again, it's a chemical lack sometimes.  I'm 19, dxed with A.D.D.... there are a ton more boys out there.. and us girls get diagnosed less, we're generally more a.d.d and less a.d.h.d. so it doesn't get flagged as often...I'm so impressed your kids are dxed so young. I got informally dxed junior year of high school and medicated but my school said I was "doing too well" to get any formal assessment (little did they know teachers were giving me extra time on tests in the cafeteria!) I wasn't formally dxed till I got to college... and it's been like a month since the testing finished. It's so great that kids are going to grow up knowing that they're a.d.d, not that they're dumb or lazy.. hopefully that'll be good for self esteem and learning!

My daughter is 8 years old and she was diagnosed when she was 5 yrs old.  She has been on concerta, ritalin and we just recently tried vynase and went back to ritalin.  Her grades are pretty good, but her behavior is the problem that we are working on right now.  You are definately not alone!

Yes it is great that my daughter does know that is is not dumb and lazy that she acullay has a problem. But Her self esteem is low anyway because she tries so hard and still can't accoplise what she is working so hard at. It frustrates her. She was doing well with her ADHD until they took her off of Aderall (Because of side effects) Now they can't seen to find the right meds so her esteem is going down the drain. Along with her grades. And alot of time I run into people who think she is just not  appling herself. That the ADHD is just an excuse. That just make me so mad. Hopefully Stratera Which is what they have her on now will start doing the job. Melissa

Hi,

I have a dd who was diagnosed in 2nd grade because she couldn't get reading.  The teacher said she could not teach her because she didn't pay attention.  I was told to get her evaluated by a doctor.  We were completely against drugs at that time so we got a 504 and she had a pull out for reading.  When my ds started preschool we started the Feingold diet. We did it for 2 years. It helped my dd but not my son enough once he started first grade.  Now both kids are medicated.  My dd is on Daytrana since she cannot swallow pills.  We both have trouble remembering to put in on at 6 am and she only uses it for school.  I think she is getting more hyper since we are not on the diet anymore and we forget the patch sometimes.

She has straight As in 6th grade so I think it helps her focus alot.  Her reading has improved too.

 

Yes I do not tell my daughter too much.  Just that this is going to help her focus, be attentive, and control her anger.  so far, the only side affect which I notice is going away the tiredness. I give her a good solid breakfast with the pill every AM.  My DD is 10, diagnosed with ADHD /innattentive at age 7. DD knows she has ADHD, knows she has trouble concentrating, and knows what her meds are for, when she takes them and how much. She is active in med choices( Pills over patch, etc). We have done Feingold, we do Omega's and we do meds. Hang in there.  You may find Stattera to be a good match.  My Dr told me that it is prescribed to patients that also have anger issues.  In my case, anger was internalized i.e. over-eating, passive-aggression, self-mutilation, etc..  I didn't discover I had ADD till I was 35.  Sometimes girls are under-diagnosed as having ADD and ADHD because they tend to internalize their feelings, reactions and emotions and they become other isssues.  Diagnosing and treating this early will probably eliminate other more serious issues that could effect your daughter later in life.  Things like eating disorders, self-medicating, promiscuity, depression, etc..  Congratulations on taking the bull by the horn and keep telling your daughter what a strong competent, wonderful person she is and when you find the right Rx or program for her nothing anyone says to the contrary will matter.Thank you for the encourgement.  And you are right. No matter what anyone else says she is my daughter and I will do what I think is best for her. MelissaYes, my daughter was just diagnosed earlier this week, though i've known she's had it for quite some time.  She just turned 6 at the end of October.  Dr prescribed her Ritalin.Yes. My daughter is now 10 She was dionosed when she was 8 years old. THey add her on Adderal but she started getting some side efects from it so they took her off this year and she has been on Concerta but that wasn't working as well So not she is Starting Stratera tomorrow. I am hoping that will work because righ now she is failing the 5th grade. Behavior wise she is doing well now that she has gotten older but grades and just not being able to focas is her problem now.my daughter will be 8 in February.  She has had ADD for sometime.  Just newly diagnosed. Taking her to the physcholgist on Dec. 8th and she has started recently every two weeks with a Child/adolescent counselor. I'm seeing allot of male kids with this, but not too many females.  And is on her 3rd day on med's. 

Well today was bad day at school for my 2nd grader.  They were preparing for their turkey center pieces for the school Thanksgiving luncheon.  The class was working on their turkey's.  Teach said Brittney was in a pretty good mood.  She was busy running around the class getting ready, for about 10 minutes so for thi stime period she really didn't see what happened. My daughter all of a sudden crumbled her turkey and put someone else's in the garbage, stomped across the room sat herself behind the TV which is on a stand pretty high. She then proceeded to kick the TV stand, and the TV fell to the floor, but no one got hurt.  But luckily the TV didn't fall back where my daughter was sitting on the ground.  It feel in front.  She got another referral. This is her 2nd. She has been on med's now, and today it was up'd as that is what they do with Straterra, today was 25mg's.  Teacher said, don't right away think it is the medicine.  Which I'm not, but this is the first outburst/impulsive thing she has done since starting the med's. I have seen nothing but positiveness in her.  Teach says she thinks someone said something, but it is still unacceptable.  Should I address it with my daughter, or leave it that the principal took care of, which she did.  My daughter seems to do real well when she works alone. Can't wait to see what the Pedia Pyschiatrist says or what the testing will show. 

I have a daughter who is 8 1/2. She has combined type ADHD--inattentive and also hyper. She has been on medications since age 6 1/2. The medication trials were a roller coaster ride. Her first med was Strattera. She's also tried Concerta, generic ritalin, Ritalin LA,tenex, and now the Daytrana patch. We're loving the patch so far (2 weeks so far). She also has an IEP in school, and gets accommodations for testing, as well as additional help in math and reading, and speech therapy (receptive language defecit).

[QUOTE=cr12345mr]I have a daughter who is 8 1/2. She has combined type ADHD--inattentive and also hyper. She has been on medications since age 6 1/2. The medication trials were a roller coaster ride. Her first med was Strattera. She's also tried Concerta, generic ritalin, Ritalin LA,tenex, and now the Daytrana patch. We're loving the patch so far (2 weeks so far). She also has an IEP in school, and gets accommodations for testing, as well as additional help in math and reading, and speech therapy (receptive language defecit).[/QUOTE]

 

How do you know the diagnosis so specifically?  I haven't been to the physchiatirst yet, but we go next month.

 

hi,

my daughter sally 9, was dignosed in may with adhd and autisc, she has a lot of promblemblems controlling her anger, she goes into volent rages, she is on concerta she was taken off for a while as she has trouttess, now tic's, but as it has eases off she has got back on her meds. But sally is very loving and loves pleaseing people . i wish you luck,

 

sally-anne, Visually Impaired, hard of hearing, adhd,ocd,autistic.

[QUOTE=madhouse]

 

hi,

my daughter sally 9, was dignosed in may with adhd and autisc, she has a lot of promblemblems controlling her anger, she goes into volent rages, she is on concerta she was taken off for a while as she has trouttess, now tic's, but as it has eases off she has got back on her meds. But sally is very loving and loves pleaseing people . i wish you luck,

 

sally-anne, Visually Impaired, hard of hearing, adhd,ocd,autistic.

[/QUOTE]

 

How was diagnosed with autism?  Was that through the Pedia Pyschiatrist?

My daughter goes for the consultation on Dec. 7th?   I wonder what this consultation and testing they are going to do on her??

Yes, I also have a daughter with ADHD. She has the "inattentive type" which seems to be more common for girls.
She was diagnosed at age 5 and is now 11.
Her preschool teacher pointed out her lack of focus when she was three. At the time, I thought the teacher was crazy. But then the next year in preschool at a completely different school and different teacher, the same thing was mentioned.
We sent her to a highly-academic school for kindergarten. My son went there and we loved the school for him, but for her it was a disaster. She was very unhappy. We had her diagnosed and were told we could try medication if we wanted to, but since she was only 5 and already on several medications for allergies and asthma, we decided not to.
We decided to transfer her to our local public school for the second half of kindergarten and that worked out great. She continued at that school and it worked out pretty well until 5th grade when she ended up with a teacher that just didn't work well for her. At that point we got her a 504 plan and it was a lifesaver.
This year she is doing well in 6th grade, although there are still struggles with the amount of time spent on homework, and organization. I've been in talking to teachers numerous times!
She is still not on medication, but we began giving her omega 3 fatty acid supplements at the beginning of first grade, and this year, since I discovered this message board, I began giving her an amino acid supplement (PS) that I believe is helping her. She is in middle school now and we were able to send her to a charter school for grades 6-12 that specializes in the arts. She likes it a lot and socially it has been great for her.
So, that's where my daughter is at with ADHD. I think  the supplements, the 504 plan, and the right school are helping her succeed. At the same time, I don't want to make it sound like we've found a magic cure. Last week I had a day where I was at the end of my rope, but generally speaking, things are going well.
My D was diagnosed with ADHD aged 4 .She has had it sometime.

Hi,

I am fairly new to these boards, but I too have a daughter who has ADHD.  She also has a seizure disorder (has been on meds for that since she was 18 months).  She started on Ritalin LA last May and it has made a HUGE difference. 

While there are certainly more boys than girls diagnosed with ADD/ADHD you are not alone as a mom of a girl.

Martha

 

 

Saffire - you're never "damned" when trying to do what you thinks best for your children.  Just be patient and observant.  There are many choices in meds these days and a lot of research shows that if you treat the condition early the chances of the child looking for ways to self-medicate as they get older are greatly decreased.  My sons seem to be an example of this rule.  Good Luck!

Saffire - don't assume that ADD/ADHD is just a male-based problem.  I believe that the condition goes undiagnosed in females because the condition manifests itself differently in females and they tend to internalize these problems and they usually are diagnosed at later stages in life as other disorders i.e. eating disaorders, depression, etc..  But these disorders can probably be traced back to ADD/ADHD in early childhood.

 

Mistlee -"I think she has a little of OCD as well. Her clothes have to be perfect, her hair has to be certain way all the time"  This sounds just like my youngest son, when he was 4 or 5 he used to lay out all his clothes the night before school.  When I say "all his clothes" I mean his socks, underwear and even which belt he was wearing!  It would be laying out on the floor head to foot - it looked like a little human minus the body.  He'd wake up take a bath, put on deodorant, splash on after shave, comb every hair into place and then spray it with Vavoom hairspray (kinda like spray-on shellaque.)  Then heaven forbid anyone touch his hair!  He's 22 now, he still likes to dress nice, wears his hair short so it can't get messed up.

I think all ADD/ADHD kids and adults have a little OCD.  They have so little control over the things in their lives that the things they can control they obsess over.  If it's not hurting themselves or someone else I think a little OCD is OK.  There are too many kids out there that don't care enough about anything.

 

Good luck with the Vyvanse, I just started it myself about 2 mos ago, the side effects seem to have worn off for the most part.

Hi
I had ADD when I was younger but I was a write off as far as my family were concerned, I know that it is not male based but is more common in males. Thankfully my impulsivity has ceased as only 2 years ago I nearly dies drinking far far too much.
My fear is that with my daughter I am damned if I do give her meds but I am damned if I do not.
I am just about to start the med route with my daughter and I am frightened, When I was about 12 I was given Beta Blockers for my troubles!! I guess medicine has come a long way since then and IO guess I will have to put my faith in the professionals.!!
Hi, my daughter will be 9 in Feb. and has had been diagnosed with ADD for about 2 years now. She whas serious attitude issues, her abilities to not focus in school were non-existant. She was great socially, has many friends, well liked. But I think she plays herself well,she knows how to get people to like her I mean. Very intelligent!!! Gets super upset when she is told she is wrong about anything. I think she has a little of OCD as well. Her clothes have to be perfect, her hair has to be certain way all the time. I also have 2 other children. They do not have this. She was on Adderall XR from the beginning and just started to have some side effects that were worrying me. Switched her to Vyvanse yesterday, and already this morning noticed a difference. Not one argument at all!!!  Never happens! I was thrilled. I know its just the 2nd day, but that was a great obsticle for us. Hope it stays that way. I have headr nothing but good things about this med. until I started looking through some of these message boards and found some things I was not happy to hear. I know everyone handles it differently, but I hope she does not get any of these side effcts. If anyone has any advise let me know. She also lies quite a bit!!!  Over stupid things too. I'll watch her do something and she will see me watching her and she will still lie about it. Thats the amjor issue we have. She just started seeing her school counselor, maybe that will help.Hi to all We had an incident where our daughter climbed in my sons playpen when he was about 18 months and she was 6, We do not know what happened, We were in the kitchen but I heard my son make a noise and when I went in the room my son was not breathing, We will never know what happened and my son was ok but we had to be very careful for about 2 years. We have never used meds but we got through it. Most recently we had our daughters ears pierced and an earring got embedded in her ear, When we tried to remove the earring  she threatened Dad with a carving fork. It is when she becomes overwhelmed scarred and confused. We have had to move ALL scissors and such items as she will cut her hair and clothes. Our daughter cannot play out unless we are watching.
We intend to plunge our girl into ballet and dance to keep a routine and hope that she will gain reward from her efforts.
Today I have a connection with my girl its a good day so far. This AM she wet the bed and when I went in her room she was lead on the floor still. She had been lead there thinking about what our reaction would be and just laid there in a state. It is the first time in a long time I have seen her soft as in not defensive  and hard.
[QUOTE=Saffire07]Hi to all We had an incident where our daughter climbed in my sons playpen when he was about 18 months and she was 6, We do not know what happened, We were in the kitchen but I heard my son make a noise and when I went in the room my son was not breathing, We will never know what happened and my son was ok but we had to be very careful for about 2 years. We have never used meds but we got through it. Most recently we had our daughters ears pierced and an earring got embedded in her ear, When we tried to remove the earring  she threatened Dad with a carving fork. It is when she becomes overwhelmed scarred and confused. We have had to move ALL scissors and such items as she will cut her hair and clothes. Our daughter cannot play out unless we are watching.
We intend to plunge our girl into ballet and dance to keep a routine and hope that she will gain reward from her efforts.
Today I have a connection with my girl its a good day so far. This AM she wet the bed and when I went in her room she was lead on the floor still. She had been lead there thinking about what our reaction would be and just laid there in a state. It is the first time in a long time I have seen her soft as in not defensive  and hard.
[/QUOTE]

When was the last time this child was assessed?

There's a number of factors here that really concern me and I'm sure they must worry the heck out of you Saffire.
Hi
She was assessed and diagnosed when she was 6, I knew there were issues before then.

I have an appointment on the 12th December it is an hour and a half we have to have a full assessment to diagnose all of her conditions.

I get very worried and sometimes feel I am sinking but my husband is great and I have a strong support network of several people who care and understand. I look at my daughter and suspect ODD but I pray that this is not the case.

I must add at this point that My husband is the step father of my daughter although you would not know it, He has been around since she was 3 and she calls him Daddy,He treats her as his own. My daughters natural father died just over 3 years ago, He was an undiagnosed sufferer a repeat offender and serial self medicater. It was his self medicating that killed him in the end, As I have ADD and I see her natural fathers conditions I can think and I mean the is very lightly , Two wrongs does not make right, I do not mean this in a detrimental way I just try to look at life as lightly as I can whilst trying to get a grip of the situation.

I am very grateful for your opinion it is such a wide area and I am so pleased since I have been on this forum I have had the strength to re think and make my little girls life a lot better.

Regards

HI, am am new here but we also have a dd with adhd she is almost 8 - I haven oticed that she too has anger issues to the point that we won't put our youngest dd (almost a year) in the same bedroom.  Its not that I don't trust her but then again she doesn't always think about what she is doing, we have been using Strattera for almost a year and have had great success with it

Lauren

I am 29 with ADD and my daughter has ADD and other issues. It is a more male based problem.Sometimes I quite like having ADD and other times I am depressed and hate it. My daughter is med free and sometimes I wonder if it is worth the struggle!!! [QUOTE=Saffire07]I am 29 with ADD and my daughter has ADD and other issues. It is a more male based problem.Sometimes I quite like having ADD and other times I am depressed and hate it. My daughter is med free and sometimes I wonder if it is worth the struggle!!! [/QUOTE]

I suspect the male bias of the medical profession at work, here.

Girls tend to get labelled "depressed" or "anxious". Boys tend to get labelled ADHD.

I suspect there are more anxious/depressed boys than we know and more ADHD girls....