New here--Son recently diagnosed | ADHD Information

Thanks for the welcome. Yes, he was diagnosed by his pediatrician. We had been seeing a child psychatrist, and one of the first things I discussed with him was the possibility of add/adhd, and he said no he didn't think that was the case. He chalked it up due to sibling rivalry and being jealous of his sister. We had appointments 2 days a week, which went down to once a week, and then to once a month when we were having a string of  good days. Then it seemed like everyday was a bad day and we were seeing the psychatrist 3 times a week. A year of seeing the psychatrist 3 times a week and there was no change in him. So we stopped going and asked our pediatrician for a referral to a different psychatrist, that is what led to the assessment for add/adhd.

I'm not sure if it is the diagnosis I am uncomfortable with, or my child being on medication to be "normal". I have felt for years that he was add/adhd, so I wasn't surprised when he was diagnosed. Maybe it's the confirmation. I don't know.

We also questioned rather our son had ADD or was just a boy.  It is  a very hard decision to put your child on meds.  My 8 year old son has been on meds for 8 months and they have drastically improved his/our life but I still question if we are making the right decision or not.  You are not alone!

 

my son, 9  is also on Vyvanse 30 mg and it took about 2-3 weeks to work out all the bumps. We also give him Melatonin (over the counter natural sleep aid) and he sleeps great now. appetite is still a problem, he needs to eat a good breakfast and while he is eating i give him the Vyvanse. not much during the day but when it wears off He gets a full 12 hours, around 7pm he eats his dinner and has quite a few nutricious snacks until bedtime. but this is the best thing we have found, he still has all his personality which was a problem with other meds we tried. good luck, my advice is to give it a few weeks till you decide if it is right or not. Good luck.

Hi and welcome. Second guessing is the name of the game! All parents do it, not just us .

You absolutely should get a seoncd opinion if you are unsure or uncomfortable with his diagnosis. Also you say a doctor whos known him his whole life, so I assume you got the diagnosis from the pediatrician? I would suggest being referred to a neuropsychologist, or at least a psychiatrist.

As far as the meds, if you can stick it out for a couple of weeks, quite often the side effects your seeing will subside. Loss of appetetite and insomnia are quite common.

I agree with everything Diane said, I would also get a second opinion, and an evaluation by a Neuropsychologist, instead of a pediatrician.

Hi everyone, My name is Tina, I am a 32 year old mother of 2. My daughter, Kayli, is 3, and my son, Austin, is 7. We started having behavior problems with him when he was about 3 and a half. Since then it has only gotten worse. Including problems with school. I held off on having him evaluated for add/adhd wondering if he was "just being a boy". I finally broke down and made the appt, and he was officially diagnosed with adhd this past Monday. His doctor has put him on Vyvanse 30mg. Today is day 3 with the meds. Day 1 was very different, he mostly laid on the couch watching tv, and didn't even bother to act when his sister aggrivated him. Around 2:30 he started acting up and I had to call him down several times. This lasted about 30 mins and he was ok again. (I assume this what you mean by "rebound"). That night he had some trouble falling asleep and was still awake at 11:30, he finally went to sleep when I told him if I had to go back in that he couldn't spend the day with my Mother in law the next day.

Day 2 was yesterday. He went with my mother in law to their old house that they are fixing up to sell. She said that he was non stop from the time they got there. Running around and working, helping her do things. She had to force him to stop so they could leave. There was no rebound yesterday and she didn't have got get onto him about anything all day. She called me this morning to say that he was still wide awake at 3am.

Day 3, Today. He came home around 11. For the most part it's been a good day. I keep a friend's 2 kids on Thursday and Friday, and he has acted out a little more than the past 2 days, but nothing like before the meds. I did have to make him go to his room for a bit for thowing a tantrum. Since then he has been perfect.

So, apparently the Vyvanse is working, but we are dealing with the sleeping side effect, and he also has lost his appetite. The past 3 days he has only finished half , if even that much, of each meal. Now he is a little overweight and could stand to lose a few pounds, but he is not eating or drinking much of anything at all.

My main concern is if we are doing the right thing. For a long time I wanted a "reason" for his behavior, now I have an official diagnosis and meds to help, but I worry if this is truly the case, and if we aren't medicating him needlessly.  How do I know if this is right? Should we seek a second opinion from a doctor who has never met him versus a diagnosis from a doctor who has known him all his life?  Is me second quessing myself normal?  I just don't know what to do or where to go from here.

 

 

Medicating is very difficult.

We decided to start because my sons life in school (and as a result ours) was horrible.  We were being called almost every day, my son was suspended in 1st grade for impulsive behavior, his teacher was ridiculing him and punishing him by making him sit in the hall, excluding him from class activities, etc.  All the other children referred to him as a "bad boy", he wasnt' invited to parties, etc.

So we decided to start medication, and it was wonderful for a few years.  Yes, he lost weight, he lost sleep, he had some minor tics and rebounds, but we handled it.  It bothered me every day, and every day I wondered if I was doing the right thing.

In 4th grade we had to increase meds to keep them effective, and then we had horrible side effects.  Major tics, major aggression issues, he was picking at his skin until it bled, etc.  Thats when I decided to take him off the meds to see if he stopped.  And he did - he stopped all the problems.  No more aggression, tics, he gained 18 pounds in 6 weeks.  He was happy & healthier. 

Now we had to deal with the ADHD - because he still had it!!  But I developed a Behavior Intervention Plan that the school had to follow, to keep the teachers consistant in their discipline and also tell the teachers how to handle the behaviors.  We did neurofeedback through a  private psychologist which helped him tremendously.

He is now 13 and going into 8th grade.  He still struggles with organizational issues and his concentration isn't the greatest.  He's about a C student, but he is healthy and his behavior is finally under control.

So I guess my point is that you do what you have to do for each stage in a childs life.  If his life off meds is worse than the side effects of the meds, and the meds help, then use them for a while.  When and if circumstances change you can always try other options.

Best of luck to you.  I know how difficult these years are, but I also know that many kids can outgrow alot of the problems and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Parents and care givers........you know your doing the right thing when you start to see your child experience quality of life. If your child had bad asthma you would never second guess yourself because your child had to take steroids. No one enjoys giving their child medication but because medication for ADHD is a life saver emotionally, socially and physically as well because your child will stop and think instead of running out into traffic impulsively, you should be applauded for your decisions :) The wrong decision is to sit back and do nothing or stay in denial chalking behaviors up to the child "just being a boy". A child just being a boy doesn't run parents into a doctors office to be evaluated so whenever you question your decisions, know they are the right ones because good parents do whatever it takes to insure that their child has the same opportunity as everyone else to succeed and exhibit their personal best in all areas of life However, if you don't feel the diagnosis is accurate, always get a second opinion. While everyone worries about side effects of medication, the repercussions for the untreated child or ineffectively treated child can have devastating down the road Ok, does everyone feel better now?