Hello and Any Suggestions? | ADHD Information

Hi and welcome. I was going to say what Vickie said. Once you start meds, add back a behavior plan. You will have so much more success once his able to do a behavior plan. AND HE WILL. It can be even more frustrating finding the right med at the right dose. ALWAYS remember be patient. If you are having an issue ask around see if others are too, most things go away. It all gets better with experience and time. He is such a lucky little boy to have such wonderful people. He found the place he was meant to be and is going to thirve because of it.

It's ok to be nervous, you are using prescription meds, we all are. My daughter has been on meds for almost 5 years and we've had quite the journey. ALthough she is doing very well right now, every day I still worry.............. ALL parents worry, we just have extra stuff to worry about!

Welcome, lambkins! Just want to say I agree with Vicki and Diane V. The
right medication can make a big difference. It is not a "behavior pill"
(wouldn't that be great?), but my dd can now focus better and control her
impulses. (She was diagnosed at 5 years of age as well.) She takes
Metadate CD, which lasts all day. Things will get better for you guys
when a behavior plan is in place. We use 1-2-3 Magic...you can read the
book or watch the dvd. (Or maybe CD, I forget) It has changed our
household.

Good luck on your journey. It's a roller coaster, but aren't roller coasters
kind of thrilling? (Both in good and bad ways, I guess, come to think of
it!) I think our ADHD kids are gifted in unique ways...once they get a
handle on their impulsivity (remember, too , that our kids lag in
development by about 20% in comparison to their peers), they can be
extremely creative. Look for his gifts. Build on them. It is challenging to
raise an ADHD child, but rewarding as well.       


Welcome! I'm still new here, too, so I don't have much advice for you. But wanted to welcome you to the board and sympathize with your impulse control issues. My son is 3-1/2 and ADHD with the capital H also, so I can totally relate to your crazy life!

hello...I'm with everyone else that has posted...with the right med and behavior plan your child's life and yours for that matter will be so much better. 

Just this morning I took my 6 year old son(diagnosed at almost 4 years of age with the help of a QEEG test and many visits to the doctor) to breakfast.  Couldn't understand why he was so loud and a hyper to boot.  Then quickly realized since we didn't have breakfast at home that I hadn't given him his meds yet.  I gave him his med and within minutes I saw a difference.  I thanked him in the car for using his manners and nice voice with me and he was quick to say I think the medicine helped me mommy.  So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even the kids know and feel how the meds help them.  I, of course, explained to him that the med was just a tool to help.  He was the one who with the help of the med settled himself down.  He just grinned at me and said, yep.

I still believe diet is important, too.  I don't mean take all kid friendly food away.  I just mean watch the type of foods and amounts.  My son is on a high protein low carb diet for the most part.  Still eats fun foods but just in moderation.  I think this makes a huge difference too.

4myson39460.4858564815

Thanks so much, everyone.  I'm sure you all know how much it means to have a community like this one where everyone "gets it".   I'm lucky in that most of our friends and family support our decision to go the medication route at this point (they've all been both fascinated spectators and exhausted participants in Matthew's world)...but they don't live with the same level of anxiety that a mom or dad does when it comes to giving their child a prescription drug. 

It is unfortunate that when you try to "google" ADHD meds, the first sites that come up are horror stories of children dying in their sleep or committing suicide while on the meds.  My heart breaks for those children's parents, while my mind races with all of the horrific possibilities for my son.  The internet can be a dangerous place for an anxiety filled parent, can't it?

I'm well aware that it is likely going to be quite a process to find the right med at the right dosage for my son...but it's okay to hope for the magic bullet, right?  I just can't wait for the day when people can appreciate my son for the unique, hilarious, beautiful boy that he is, without all of the "buts...".  He rarely meets a stranger and people are usually quite drawn to him because he's incredibly charming and as cute as a button...but, you can soon see them become overwhelmed by him and that makes me so incredibly sad.

If no one minds, I'll probably continue to write and ask questions as we actually get started on the meds...

I commend you for taking on a child of special needs from the foster care system for they are the ones forgotten.  I work for the County as a CPS Preventative worker and see it all the time.  It is good you began with behavior mod what we found is low dose of meds with behavior mod is what works for us.  As for your child being rejected by others same here and it does hurt.   I was against meds in the beginning due to fears however people I have met through this board helped me see the other side and when we did go for it wow what a difference.  I do not give her meds for weekends or school breaks.

Hello!  I just found this forum and I thought it might be wise to go ahead and introduce myself and my family, since I imagine I'll be coming back on a daily basis.

My husband and I had our first son the old fashioned way, but when we felt we were ready to add another little person, we decided to look into our state's foster care system.  We'd not had any fertility issues, but had always thought that we'd someday become foster parents when our birth children were older.  Instead, we thought that adopting an available child would be a great way to both have another child and fufill our desire to get involved in the foster care system.

Our precious 2nd son came to us at the age of 2 with some pretty extensive developmental disabilities and with a possible future diagnosis of mild MR.  He was born at 29 weeks and had a less than stellar prenatal experience.  He has a small cyst on his left frontal lobe...can everyone say, "impulse control"?  His first 2 years in the system weren't fantastic either, unfortunately.  His foster parents kept him clean and well-fed, but he didn't get much interaction. 

He started therapy at Easter Seals at about 18 months and continued there until he was 3, when he entered our school district's pre-school for children with special needs.  It's a wonderful environment where he can get the therapies he needs (speech and occupational) and the teachers are fantastic. 

Fast forward to today...he's 5 years old and has a diagnosis of ADHD (emphasis on the H).  His IQ is well within normal limits and he's actually quite bright.  He's extremely agile and inventive. It is possible that he has a learning disability or 2 and/or other comorbidities, but, right now, his inability to pay attention and his impulsivity are keeping his therapists and his teachers from getting an accurate picture.  He's kind of at a stand still in school and we are now pursuing medication.  In all honesty, I was one of those people who thought that parents who medicated their ADHD children were either lazy or misinformed...I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG! I've poured over all of the anti-medication books and websites until my eyes have bled, but none of them ever sound like they even remotely understand what my son has endured.  At this point, behavior modification has been tried and tried with very little effect, and my son is in danger of becoming a social pariah.  I feel like my husband and I are constantly reprimanding him (even when we try to choose our battles, he spends most of the day engaging in activities that simply can't be ignored or simply redirected, but have to be addressed) and I know that can't be good for his future self esteem.  In school, he's oblivious right now that there's a problem, but I know that in the next couple of years, that's likely to change.  Thankfully, he's generally a happy boy (when he's not having a flip-out)...very affectionate (although the hugs are usually quick because he has loads of things to get into) and he loves his family and friends (to distraction!).  Unfortunately, he can't be trusted unsupervised for even a second and he is, in all honesty, a danger to himself because of it.  His behavior is escalating and we know it's time to take the next step.

In any case, we have our big conference with his doctor (who specializes in ADHD kids) on Tuesday to discuss the various medications and their side effects.  I admit to being very nervous and thought that now would be a great time to find a community of people who may understand!

Welcome lambkins,

You will find help and support through this difficult journey. The first thing I must say is -things will get better. It will be hard at times but your family will get through it and see better times.

When you get to effective medication (which is sometimes a hard trial and error process), you should add back a behavior modificaion plan (see the marble plan at the top of this parent's forum for ideas). These work better when the child is better able to slow down and associate rewards and consequences with behaviors (which improves with medication). The doc may also be able to point you to classes as needed. There are usually available classes for parenting challenging kids, social skills for kids, etc.

Ignore most of the info on the antimed sights. If they are claiming meds are useless and dangerous, they usually are trying to sell you something or are a front group for an anti psychiatry group.

Hi Lambkins! 

This site has been such a comfort/release/friendship!!  I'm glad you found it. I have a 6 year old son who is ADHD and is on Adderall XR 10 mg...we were diagnosed in March.  It sounds like you're on the right track and I 'echo' what everyone else on here has said.  Just wanted to welcome you and wish you the best! (and your little guy, how blessed he is to have you and you to have him!)

I thought I'd update...

My son was given a prescripton for Adderall XR (2.5 mg sprinkled on applesauce at first, then to 5 mg if needed).  He has an EKG scheduled for today, so we'll be holding off on starting the meds until we have those results.