If she has not been evaluated by a Neuropsychologist, or a Child Psychologist then you have NO idea what her actual diagnosis may be. I would stop the meds until then. Pediatricians are not qualified to diagnose, or prescribe meds.
There is no "test" for ADHD, a diagnosis is made thru many hours of observation, ruling out other medical issues etc.
You would also need a Psychiatrist for meds.
IMO until she is diangosed through a Comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation then there is NO diagnosis, and meds would not be the right thing to do until she is.
Ashy'smom, I would stop the Adderall too. She cannot tolerate it. Those side effects are extreme. Your best bet really si with a psychiatrist to manage her meds. They are just more knowledgable and experienced. Th meds have to benefit your child, not make them miserable. This si supposed to help. You're doing the right thing. Hang in there, it takes a while to get it right.Ashly'smom, Well Your not the only one going through the same thing my 9 year old son was prescribed 18 mg of Concerta on 2/14/08 and its been a long five days, called the doctor he said stop the meds. I feel the same way I want to help him as much as I can but I don't want a zombie child which is what happened.Most psychiatrists and neurologists are into prescribing meds. I think a first look might be into sensitivities to foods and allergens with a naturopathic pediatrician or OD. Also, behaviorial psychologists to help get her (and you) through the days.
Well she has been seen only by her ped. and went through a series of test before being diagnosed. I am totally new to this and am now thinking she may need to see a psych. I definitely think she wont be able to tolerate the adderall based on the last week. Im getting feed back from everyone and don't know where to turn every doctor every nurse has a different opinion and its all very confusing. I know that my doctor is the only one in the office that offers the testing because of her knowledge with it. well when I say that she was tested I don't mean she went in and took some test and it came out that she had adhd, we did go through a series of evaluations and had not only parents involved but also her tutor her teacher and her resource teacher involved. It took awhile to evaluate and wasn't done in a single office visit. As of today is off of the adderall and we are going to try something else. I don't believe that my ped. doesn't know what she's talking about. As there is no one way for the findings of adhd, it doesn't mean that only a psych. can evaluate this. I have bean researching this and I'm not totally blind to this. I do know that working with a mental health professional along with the ped. is the best thing to manage an overall plan. I just need to find one that can work cohesively with her ped. Thank you for everyones input it really helps! Hi there I just recently found out that my 7 year old daughter has adhd. She was prescribed Adderall 10mg time released and immediately had side effects that my doctor said would go away after about a week. Well yesterday was the fifth day and she was in the emergency room all day with chest pain and shortness of breath. So needless to say today I didn't give her the meds and am going to the doctor at noon so I can figure something else out. They said at the E.R. to lower her dose but I would rather not give her the adderall because Im so scared now. I just want to know what the best thing for her is and if any one else has had similar experiences. I want her to have the help but I don't want a zombie and anxiety ridden daughter either! Please let me know what you guys think I feel like its a serious issue and want some feedback PLEASE. Is she seeing a Psychiatrist for meds? If not I would see one ASAP. Pediatricians and GPs are not knowledgeable enough to prescribe ADHD meds. It honestly sounds like she cannot tolerate Adderall, and possibly needs to be changed to a different class of meds.If you feel the eval was coprehensive, and all the Bloodwork, EKG's EEG's etc were done, then by all means go by that diagnosis, BUT use a Psych for meds, it will save you alot of grief in the long run.
pediatricians are fine for prescribing meds, as long as you do ok on the first or second try. Our ped prescribed Concerta for my daughter, then Ritalin, then we were having issues so she referred us to a psyhcopharmocologist, and we needed him, he was much better equipped and experienced to handle our needs. If the Concerta worked right off, we probably never would've even gone to the psych. You are having issues though, so it seems like a psychiatrist is your best bet for the med piece.
I did have two ekg's done as well as a an extensive amount of blood work. She was very thorough. I have contacted two Pysch's. and am waiting to here back. The doctor did proscribe a new med. that I haven't given yet(she actually just called but I missed the call, to tell me not to give it to her yet)?????? I know this will be a trial process, but I haven't done anything yet without researching it first so again thanks for the feed back keep it coming....