My daughter..... any advice?!?! | ADHD Information

Okay so Keira is almost 8, she has always been "busy" we will say.  Walked well before she was 9 months old and hasn't stopped moving since.  She has always been "feisty" (she pretty much fits the ODD description although we haven't even bothered addessing this issue, we are starting with the ADHD first....)

She is pretty much text book ADHD, her teachers have been encouraging me to have  her assessed since kindergarten, I waited til the second grade.  Not because I was in denial, mostly because I wanted to avoid meds, I thought I could try and "fix her" other ways, or that I would be a crappy parent if I used meds as my first option.

Luckily for me she is smart as a whip.  Despite her extreme lack of focus at school, she manages to grasp just about all the school work thrown her way.  Most subjects she is at the appropriate level, and her reading is well ahead of a 3rd grade level.  She had a great teacher last year that really understood her, and took a lot of extra time to pull those "A's" out of her.

She was officially diagnosed in April of this year, but I decided to take some time to think things over, after all the school year was about to end.  I re booked an appointment for the end of September so we could re address things when the new school year had gotten underway. 

School has been in about a week now and already the same issues are arising.  Lack of focus, distracting the other kids, blurting things out at inappropriate times, impulsive benhaviours on the playgroud, and frustration with herself when she can't seem to get the work done.... 

I did a complete overhaul of our whole families diet and stuck with it really strictly for about a year and saw next to no change in her ability to focus.  So I am seriously considering going ahead and trying the meds for her, but I am terrified that I am not making the right decision.  People look horrified (except her teachers lol) when I mention that I am considering medication. 

Any advice on what kinds of meds to try?  I feel as though I am cheating her if I don't do something!  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

< =text/>_popupControl(); Your story sounds a lot like ours. We got a diagnosis in 1st and waited 'til third (after diet mods, behavior mods, omega's, etc) to try a med. What med you settle on will really depend on how your child tolerates them. I guess it's a lot like antibiotics: some are great for some things, other do best with other illnesses. Some kids can't tolerate certain stims, but do well on others. We use Focalin XR, which is a very refined form of a stim. It's really a process you and your doc will have to work closely together to figure out.

I know what you mean about people's looks. It makes our psych so frustrated to talk about people's perceptions! Her advice is, "If they don't need to know for the betterment of your child's welfare, then they don't need to know."

I agree with BPQW's psych.  Unless someone needs to know about your child's medication why tell them.  Only a few people in our family knows that our son has been diagnosed ADD and takes medication. 

Just remember when you start the meds the first one does not always work.  We just switched from Focalin XR to Vyvanse.  The Focalin made my son like a zombie.  I believe once you start meds and see the benefit you will be happy with your decision.

 

Many children diagnosed with ADHD are average to above average intelligence and do well in school until the grades get higher. The work becomes more abstract and students are expected to be more responsible and that's when the child with ADHD who is not getting effective treatment starts to decline. Many parents are not aware of this because either they haven't been there yet or they are being misinformed and unfortunately, many are of the mentality that ADHD is an academic or school problem. It's a problem that affects every area of life.

You know your child best so when you make a decision, make an informed one by getting accurate information. Don't base your decision on what other people think because "other" people more times than not are ignorant or ill informed. As parents when we let others who are uneducated about the subject influence our decisions we give others the power to make quality of life decisions for our children.

Reaction and response to medication is very individual so what is effective for one child may not be for another. Medication is a first line of treatment, not a last resort and as far as letting others know, I too agree that the only people that should know are the people who are interested in the betterment of the child's welfare. Good luck and please keep us informed

Deciding to use meds can be a difficult decision and it sounds like you have tried other things.  DOn't feel bad about going the med route - I'm sure you would give your child insulin if she were diabetic.  Meds can make such a difference for our kids.  When you find the right one life will get so much easier.  Good luck and don't feel bad about going the med route!

We have gone through similar problems.  We tried the diet thing (Feingold) for 2 years with little sucess.  I understand it works for many.  The meds have made it so I did not have to quit work and homeschol my son.  If I did I am not sure I would still be around since I would be so stressed out!

 

Good luck in your decisions!

Thanks for such quick feedback!   I am also thinking of switching doctors because I am not really caring for the one we have seen, and if I am going to medicate her I want to be dealing with a doctor that I have a better report with.  Thanks for the support and I will keep updated.  There is also a lot of information on this board that I have found helpful!  Thanks! I also went through the same situation.  When I was pregnant I went to great lengths to find a pediatrician that did not "believe" in ADHD.  I used to think that it was just parents that couldn't handle a kid being a kid.  Then, I met my step-son.  I did everything that anybody told me.  My son, 5 at the time, and I would sit in the morning even drinking coffee together.  Finally, I realized that I owed it to him and HIS future to try medication.  We are still dealing with some other behavior issues, however we had great luck with Adderall XR on the first shot.  We recently switched to Vyvanse and as of yet I'm not that thrilled.  I do understand that it is a hard decision but when you have exhausted all other options it can't hurt to try.  I also had to change doctors, ironically, his doctor kepttelling me he was just being a kid!!  With a little research we found a great specialist for children with ADHD, 2 years later.Third grade was a tough year for my daughter and the year we sought out help.  She was diagnosed at the end of the school year and we started med before she started 4th grade.   For us, it was the right choice.  It's a night and day difference in my daughter and in a good way.   She happier, more self confident and much more in control.   She is now in 6th grade and doing well.  The first few months of 5th grade where hard but things smoothed out with a med increase and a good therapist.