New and Nervous | ADHD Information

HI deebean!

Boy oh boy do our sons sound alike! When he finaly does get focused, your comment about an exploding bomb will be borrowed by me!! It's the truth. Get that boy on his PS 2 and you're likely to never get him back, but put him in front of some reading or writing he's completely....!!

Don't be too hard on yourself about giving him meds. IF the side effects are too much, they'll mess with his dosage until he gets in a good, comfortable place.  You won't hit it right the first time, or most likely anyway. It's a bumpy road, but I 'hear' a lot of love for your son in what you write so you've got a great advantage with that (as does Gabe).    Keep educating yourself and be positive. I also think you SHOULD be open with Gabe about what's going on. Someone once told me that medication for ADHD is like glasses for those who have eye-sight trouble, and it's true. SO, that is how we explained it to our boy (he's 6, how old is Gabe? I think I missed that somewhere...) 

Best of luck to you!

 

edbson,

Thanks to everyone who gave me a reply.  I certainly appreciate it.  You asked if he had bloodwork done  and the answer is no.  I come from a long line of ADHD individuals and there was enough evidence for several professionals to assume that Gabe has ADHD as well.  He is 7 and he is the poster child fro symptoms, although he is extremely well behaved.  He tends to be loud, interupts a lot, jumps from one activity to another until one keeps his focus so strong that a bomb could explode and he wouldn't look up.  His handwriting is extremely poor and his teacher sends multiple incomplete assignments home even though he is an advanced reader and his math skills are awesome.   People that know him say he is extremely kind but he has no attention span.  All of that said, should I get bloodwork done?  What other conditions have symptoms that mock ADHD?

There is a list here, and I DO know of several kids who had something simple, and when it was treated their "symptoms" went away.

 

http://www.incrediblehorizons.com/mimic-adhd.htm

Hi everyone,

So I have a beautiful lil boy named Gabriel that has been struggling with attention issues for a couple of years now.  It wasn't until recently that we took him to a private therapist and got him diagnosed with combined ADHD.  Immediately the doctor recommended medications.  Because Gabriel has been stuggling so bad, we took him to the doctor and she agreed.  She prescribed Metadate CD at 10mg and wants us to start this Saturday.  I have a couple of questions as I scared to death of drugs, especially when it comes to my baby.

Why are doctors so quick to jump to the conclusion that drugs are the only way to go?  Niether doctor mentioned ANYTHING about alternative methods.

Does anyone know anything about Metadate and/or have you heard of side effect stories?  If the children experience side effects, how do you explain and comfort them?  I mean I would be the one inflicting it on him so how can I say I'm sorry?

Does anyone know of children that have grown out of ADHD?

 

Sorry about the newbie questions but the internet is too scary to research because of sites like ritalindeath.com and such.

 

deebean39464.6701736111

How old is he? I am assuming EEG's EKG's and bloodwork were done? They are usually a must before meds. To rule out underlying problems , and things that can Mimic ADHD.

Metadate CD is a long acting form of Methylphenidate, the same med as Ritalin, Concerta, Ritalin LA etc. It has been used successfully for ADHD for many many years. Side effects include, but are not limited to":Insomnia, decreased appetite, weight loss, headache, irritability, stomachache, and rebound agitation or exaggeration of pre-medication symptoms as it is wearing off.

For ADHD usually meds are the only way to go, in conjunction with Therapy, a MUST. Kids who are medicated early and properly tend to not experiment with illegal drugs later , to self medicate.

If you do not agree with the Dr's diagnosis you could have further evaluations done with a neuropsych.

most physicians do not use alternative therapies. Our pediatrician is not comfortable with supplements as she says they are not FDA regulated and she is not comfortable approving any supplements. Plenty of people do use supplements and alternative therapies, just look at the alternative and complementary medicine section of this forum. It is quite active. There are doctors that specialize in these treatment paths. Most studies that have been done showing success are with the prescription meds. These medications are also regulated and have been studied extensively. As Edbson says medication is a tool that is used to give these children the ability to do a behavior modiciation plan and for many a modified school plan. Some children only need medication and this gives them the ability to handle school and they have very little behavior concerns.

You cannot predict side effects and it's not really worth getting too worried before hand as you have no idea if your child will even experience any of them. Most children do have some appetetite suppression. That truly seems the MOST common side effect. If your child does get a headache, you will react the same as you would any time he got a headache.

A good idea is to start a journal. Throughout each day just jot down, what he ate and when, how much medication he took and when, his behavior and any side effects if any. We all tend to be hyper vigilant when our children are on meds and then attribute every little thing to the meds, so by keeping a journal you can look back over a certain time period, like 2 weeks notice if there is a pattern.

Diane V39464.7764583333

Welcome deebean,

The methylphenidate meds have been used for ADHD for over fifty years and are considered to be the most effective treatment, so are suggested first. Meds are used in combination with behavior modification (see ogram's marble system on the top thread), help in school (if needed), social skills coaching (again if needed) and treatment for any co-existing conditions (anxiety, depression, ODD, etc).

THe alternate route works for some, but it can be a long road. If the symptoms are mild, it is well worth going with alts first, but if school and self esteem are starting to suffer, meds are a faster way to symptom releif for many.

As far as growing out of ADHD, some people internalize the hyperness (go from busy body to busy mind) as they get older, and some learn coping skills. There is an increased risk of school failure, accidents (driving), early pregnancy, STDs, substance abuse, brushes with the law and jail for those with untreated ADHD. This is increased by worse symptoms and co-existance of things like ODD and CD.

I agree with vickie about alternatives. It's a long road. I took it. Long, expensive, and kind of exaperating. I still use alternatives and will continue to do so. The key that no one told me is --- it's got to be mild ADHD, if it's not, you can't really get to where you need to be. I don't know if behavioral modification is considered an alternative, but this should go with the meds in every case.

.

NoTellin39465.8938773148Hi deebean,

Your son sounds just like mine!  Doctors jump to meds right away because, as others have mentioned, there are reams of studies showing the effectiveness.  There are very, very few studies about alternative methods (unfortunately for all of us), and doctors have to stick with what are considered best practices.  Methylphenidate is one of the most studied, and safest, medications in history.  You will probably have to change doses and maybe even medications before finding the right fit, but when they work, they really work.  Your family has a history of a neurobiological "difference" that happens to affect behavior.  The only successful medical treatments must affect those neurotransmitters and the uptake, which is why most alternatives are iffy.  Behavior therapy can help some families as well.  My son's behavior is so dramatically different when on medications that we haven't gone the therapy route for more than a few sessions, although I've spent a lot of time on my own learning about strategies that work (or don't work).

My son has been evaluated by a private psychiatrist and also by a development team at a medical center and he has never had an EKG or bloodwork specific to ADHD.  He has been tested for lead and for thyroid problems in the past, but I'm not quite sure what else they should look for.  He is pretty much textbook, "genetically transmitted" ADHD.   The EKG would be because if there are any underlying heart issues, you do not want to add a stimulant to the mix.  I am considering asking for one in the future because it would put my mind at ease.  A heart condition would be very, very rare, but some doctors obviously feel better testing for it beforehand.  An EEG would be for seizure activity.  I think that a lot of people have medicated their kids without these tests but they can rule out any other possibilities.

You are lucky that your son is well behaved.  That's a huge plus that some of us don't have (my son drives everyone batty when he is off meds).  As far as the websites go, some people have quite a hang-up about the ADHD diagnosis and sponsor websites like these to scare people.  You have to read the double-blind studies and not general websites to get good information.
So we started Gabe on the Metadate at 10 mg yesterday.  We had instant change.  He was able to speak directly to people without his eyes going all over the room.  His pupils got a little dilated but not much else for side effects yet.  Thank God.   I almost can't wait for school on Tuesday! , great news! Keep us posted, I hope this works well for him.