ADHD with impulse control ? | ADHD Information

Hyperactivity and impulsivity kinda go hand in hand. Kids often get up out of their seats, interrupt people, and generally run circles around the rest of us. That's both hyperactivity and impuslivity. Not interrupting someone requires you to control your urge to interrupt - that's totally impusle control. But in adults, those same symptoms are often seen in fidgeting, impatience, and explosive tempers.

Anyway...yes, impulsivity is a classic part of ADHD. :)

Thank you all so much. It is wonderful to know that there are actually other people out there who have gone through the same thing!!

What types of medication are you using and what side effects have you seen?

Thank you so much.

Hi all -

I am new to the forum and new to ADHD entirely. I am so happy to have found this.

My 7 year old son is being evaluated by a psychologist (at the request of his teachers and parents) and he exhibits a lot of the typical ADHD symptoms, however, he does have a lot of issues with impulse control.

He seems to 'meltdown' whenever something doesn't go his way -- does anyone else have this issue with their child?

I am confused and looking for help and support.

Thank you all in advance.

L.

coffeebean73, WELCOME!!

Your post is a very common concern. Yes what you describe are all adhd symptoms. My son has them!!

He was diagnosed shy of 5 and meds were begun shy of 7. boy what a difference.

I am glad you have found these boards. Those here are a wealth of knowledge!! Your son will be fine, we can help!!

One of the most common symptoms of ADHD is lack of impulse control. The other is hyperactivity.  Before I had my son I never knew that lack of impulse control was a part of it.  BOY have I learned about it now.  When my son is not medicated, he has NO control over his impulses.  He would run right into a busy street and get hit by a car if I didn't hold his hand everywhere we went.  Also, he was always touching EVERYTHING and EVERYONE!  Friends, family, strangers jogging in the park! (and I'm not kidding about that one! ) 

My son also had the most horrible meltdowns before he was medicated.  Now that he's property medicated the impulsiveness is much better and so are the meltdowns! 

Welcome to the site!  We are all here to help each other!

My daughter is the queen of meltowns when she is not medicated.  As for the impulse control - everything she THINKS comes out her mouth, there is no filter.  And she has to touch EVERYTHING!!!  She is on Concerta (was only 18 mgs- getiing her prescription filled to day for 27 mg - she's gained 11 pounds and finally weighs 75 pounds (6th grade)!!!Only a great and loving parent would reach out on a support board looking for help and emotional support Bad parents just don't care and do nothing to try to improve the quality of their child's life. We sure do understand so plese stick around. There is always someone here for you

Thank you all so much for your advice and stories!

I can't tell you how much it means to have people who actually understand what you are dealing with and just don't assume you are a bad parent who isn't disciplining your child.

 

We tried several before deciding that concerta was best for him, in addition with guanfacine which helps him with impulse control and anxiety.

We see a psychopharmacologist who is fabulous in this field. He is brilliant with all the meds available, and there are lots! Unfortunately you have to try them to know if it is right for that person or not. What works for some does not work for others. That is why having a psychopharmacologist prescribing for our son has been best. I feel comfortable with our son in his care. It is a scarey thing giving a child medication and not knowing the end result. The other thing that is important is that the dosing is just as important as the type of med. If the dosing gets adjusted, that med might just be the right one and do the right thing. Otherwise it can look like it is not the right one.

I am glad you found these boards, they are great!!

Welcome to the board coffeebean73. Many symptoms can look like ADHD but can be something entirely different. Lack of impulse control is a trait of ADHD but it is also indicative of other thing including medical conditions. Non professionals or those lacking the expertise attribute  many of the symptoms to ADHD but a true professional recognizes the distinctions between disorders and therefore can and should give you an accurate diagnosis. A true professional will state that it "looks like" or "sounds like" your child is having daily struggle so let's test him to find out why. Educated guesses are not accurate so take one step at a time and when you get a conclusive diagnosis, the next step is working with a professional to come up with a treatment plan tailored to your child's needs. Good luck and please keep us posted

My son takes Ritalin and it does a great job on his hyperactivity and impulse problems but tends to aggravate his anxiety and makes him "crabby" and angry.  He takes Tenex along with the Ritalin to control those side effects and it works fine.

Some of the common side effects that I've seen are loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, irritability as well as several others.  It took us about 5 months to get the medication "cocktail" right but it's made a wonderful difference once we did!  Just remember, switching medications is not the only way to help the side effects.  The dose can be changed or the timing of each dose can be changed etc.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I have had the same problem with my five year old son. Everyone kept telling me he is just acting like a boy till he got suspend from Pre k three times. I then changed his diet and tried natural supplements. It did not work. On last Friday I started  him on Focalin xr. It was the best thing I ever did. For the first time last Saturday he did not pick on anyone. He followed directions, and was very sweet. I almost cried.  I was not stressed out at this baseball game and could acually enjoy watching him.  Without yelling at to stop picking on another kid.