Starting med’s tomorrow | ADHD Information
Hi Candycane!
I can completely relate to how you feel about starting medication because I feel exactly the same was as you described! When we started on medicaiton last month, and again this week when we made a medication change, I was a nervous wreck, and at the same time extrordinarily hopeful. On the one hand, I'm phobic that my son is going to have some kind of rare, but damaging, reaction to the medication. On the other hand, I am hopeful that my son will have one of the amazing behavioral turnarounds that other people's children on this board have had. Does that make sense?
Like you, my family is of no support whatsoever. I've got one corner that insists that there's nothing wrong. I've got another corner that thinks that I'm rushing to give my child the latest popular diagnosis without any caution.
What grounds me is being on these boards. I am reassured by reading others' experiences that I am looking in the right direction.
Wishing you all the best luck!!
I've found that even on the meds the sass mouth is still present, but discipline is now working. My son has been taking Straterra for a little over one month. Behavior modification never seemed to do any good before the meds, so I'm now working on adjusting those bad habits he developed before meds. I'd heard of miracle turn-arounds for some kids, but our first two tries at meds were a disaster. By the time my DS started Straterra, I was no longer looking for a miracle, only a med that didn't have terrible side-effects for him. I am very pleased to let you know that on the meds, it IS possible to adjust those nasty habits that your son as acquired over the years! I have started small, with immediate time-outs when the "hate" word is used. So far, so good. I'm also working on "pleasant" participation at family meal times. The trick is to only try to adjust ONE behavior at a time. I'm pretty sure that once the habit is broken, it's less likely to come back, but I'll let you know
. Good luck, and don't give up. candycane, Did you start the meds? How's it going?Hi, thanks for all the response's. We did start the med's on Wednesday. The "regular" dose is 1 & half tablets in morning however, we have started on just half tablet in the morning for the first 7 days till we see the Ped this coming Wednesay. My son seems more calm and relaxed, focussing for longer periods, more tolerant towards his sister, not so vocal or fidgety. It seems as though it's taken him down a level or 2 which has made a difference so Im thinking on Wednesday, the Ped will probably up the dose to 1 tablet a day and hopefully, that may be sufficient. We had a family luncheon today and there were a few kids here and not enough seating so we set a rug on the floor and the kids were happy to sit there except my son, in front of everyone he said "I don't want to sit on the stinking floor" in an obnoxious tone. This morning he called my husband a big fat liar over something. Would this sort of backchat etc..... be reduced by med's increase or does it still happen on med's but just have to deal with it? I'll keep you posted.
Tarina
My husband and I noted to each other that this was the first weekend in memory that we felt rejuvenated. This weekend my son was not perfect. There was not a magical turn around. His attention span is still short (much shorter than other children's). He is still impatient. He still wants to be wtih mommy and daddy. He still needs a great deal of social prompting. He is still very active. But the quality of our interactions are so much better. Here's the difference: On Sundays while my husband and I read the paper, our son usually is whining for us to pick him up, sit with him, etc. This Sunday, he sat down at the table and came up with the idea (all on his own!) to make a Valentine for his friend. It is a friend who he has a meaningful relationship with. He drew pictures of things that his friend likes. He made the card almost entirely by himself. THEN he made another card for another friend. It was a nice time for all of us at the table.
I hope things go well for you!
maw51121,
May I ask what meds have you tried so far? Have you used a psychopharmacologist for the prescribing of meds?
I hope strattera works for your son, but I want to let you know it doesn't work for many. It helps mainly those with the more inattentive type of adhd, not the HHHH hyperness or impulsiveness. Just a little FYI, if you know what I mean. 
I am so sorry to read that you are struggling to find the right med for your son. Keep in mind also that the dosage is VERY important. You may not thing the med is working but you honestly have to make sure even by increasing the dose or decreasing the dose before you honestly know.
Hang in there and keep us posted to what is happening. Thanks!
We too have given up on the miracle at this point,just something that helps. DS is on week 2 of Strattera and needs to taper up one more level. So far nothing to report BUT I am so hopeful.Our patience is wearing so thin as we have been med free/wrong meds since early Nov.
I keep telling myself to stay strong and eventually something will work.The mouth right now is SO bad,but honestly we are kind of giving up on discipline until meds are squared away.
We tried the marble system for a few weeks...what a joke that was with no meds.We too lost all marbles and then some by lunch!
I know meds are a necessary evil as compared to just pure evil without.
My DS too is much better on the medication, but we haven't nearly eliminated the nasty mouth stuff. However, with the meds he has for the first time responded to a behavior plan. He was the kid that absolutely couldn't/wouldn't stop himself even when faced with the consequences. Now, we have a "chip" program for screen time (computer/tv) and he has earned time for the last 5 days in a row. Before, we had to scrap the program because he was always out of chips before the afternoon. So we are seeing success on may levels. I would say the negative talk has deminished by about 80%, which feels great. Hang in there and when the meds work you will see a big change and be able to breathe easier.
________
Sandy
Bethann, thanks for your response. I live in Australia so it's summer school holidays over here..........a whole 7 weeks! With just over 3 weeks left, I am counting down! We had my son's pescription written up early December but I wanted him at home with me to monitor so that's why chose now and have held off out of fear but wev'e had some really bad day's lately with my son and at time's it seems he is getting worse. Yes it is the lowest dose, the script is for 1.5 tablets each morning but the Ped said to start off on 1/2 tablet and we see Ped in 7 days and he will then review so your right in saying that we may not notice any difference (but I'm hoping maybe just a little would be nice!).
I'll keep you posted.
Tarina
Hi, Were starting med's tomorrow morning and I am so scared. The script is for dexamphetamines. After the last couple of day's with my son, I'm actually looking forward to starting them but still so scared if that makes sense. My main let down would be my family members.........several have made comments about every second child these days is diag with ADHD, he's just being a kid when he does this or that, isn't there anything else you can do except meds and of course, you need to discipline him better. One has even made a comment my son listens to her (for the rare occasions she has had him). I have advised family they should borrow a book from the library to get a better understanding of ADHD and they may even be quite surprised by what they read. Whether they do or not is another thing. Part of me feels like steering clear of them for awhile. Thanks for listening.
Tarina
Does your son go to school? Just asking to see if you will have him home all day in case he doesnt feel well and that you can see the results.
Remember you are probably starting at the lowest dosage and he may need an increase. If this is the case you will NOT see the results you are looking for. BUT you can't make that decision until you start bottom/up.
Keep us posted, best wishes!!
Good luck candycane! Just remember that you don't have to wait for your next appointment to talk to the doctor. You should be able to call and get your questions answered and let him know about your concerns in between appointments. If he's not willing to do that then you may want to consider switching doctors. Trying to get these meds right is hard enough without having to wait weeks or months to talk to the doctor. The only way it works in the beginning is if the doctor is informed of what's going on with the child and makes changes quickly.
I'm sorry to hear about your family. I find that most people are blissfully ignorant of what ADHD really is. They have NO idea what it's like to raise an ADHD child and they have NO idea how lucky they are! Most people are willing to be educated. You may want to get the book from the library yourself and give it to them. Or give them things you've printed from the internet-even things from this message board would be great! You can't do anything about the ones that don't care to be educated except completely stop talking to them about it. Believe me, if the meds start working properly they'll notice and become believers!!!
Please keep us updated!
candycane,
Good Luck and you are making the right decision. I have issues with my mother and her need to control issues and is anti meds in every aspect of life. We have chosen to not tell anyone in our personal lives,just school. I have told my 2 siblings recently and they share some info with my mother so I know my parents know but they know not to ask too much.
I would love to have a support system in them but honestly she stresses me more about it. I feel judged,as if dealing with it is not bad enough.
Please keep us posted,best to you all
Melissa
I had the same issue with my family- much of it is lack of knowledge, but that doesn't really help when what you need is support, not criticism. I ended up not discussing it with my family, but my in- laws were interested in learning more after they saw the changes in DS.Medicating can be a hard decision, but it turned out to be great for my son. The second day he was on meds he came home from hiking with his grandparents and was able (and willing) to tell me about his day in a way that made sense and in chronological order to boot! I cried. He had never done this before (he was eight at the time). Stories about his day had always left us confused. He did end up having to switch meds because the initial one lost effectiveness very quickly, and he's also had a couple of dosage adjustments.
I hope you see results tomorrow, but if not don't give up- meds can make all the difference when it comes to our kids' success.
Good Luck tomorrow!
We are new to meds too and have had wonderful results over the last 6 weeks. We would love to hear how it is going.
Sandy