Spelling Bee | ADHD Information

Hi Andrea,

I think you might see a world of difference when Matt begins the 10 mg. I know with Kendal, although we saw a big improvement at home with the 5 mg. it also was Christmas day and he had so many new toys to play with that he probably would have behaved better that week even with no medicine! And the teacher said she saw NO difference in his behavior the first day back to school on the 5 mg. So, the next day we upped it to 10 mg. and he has been getting stellar reports even since. I do notice on the weekends, that he has about an hour period each day where he seems "not himself"...not really what you would term lethargic, but on the brink of being overemotional or sad. But that passes and the rest of the day he is perfectly fine and happy. Another thing, you mentioned was the behavior you were concerned about took place when he came home from school. The 5 mg. only lasted about 6 hrs. with Kendal, and he did get the "rebound" after that, so he was harder to deal with than ever! After about a week on the 10 mg. he seemed to have no rebound, that is, you can definitely tell the medicine has worn off because he is more active and impulsive, but his transition is definitely more subdued. Although there may be a need for your little guy to have supplemental medication, my advice would be to wait and see how he does when he gets up to the 10 mg. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thanks Kathy and Bethann for your replies. 

 

Kathy - I hope to see more improvement after we start the 10mg.  And you made a great point about the rebound since this dose isn't enough.  Thanks for your kind words!

Bethann- my main concern is that he really has no interests.  He loves both legos and video games, but those interests really don't lend themselves to much interaction WITH others.  We've tried sports when HE has asked -- very unsuccessful.  And I am fine with that.............but he needs to do something.  Art, music, whatever........which is why I thought the Bee is his thing.  He loves to read.  We don't push anything on him, but casually suggest it and it's always the same negative response.   Thanks for the suggestion to add guanfacine.......maybe that will work.  I"m just new to this medication thing and want to try one at a time. 

 

Thanks,

Andrea

I am sorry. I thought that the problem was him not having any self esteem and didn't think he could do it.

We had our son in chess lessons and did LOTs with the library. The recreation department was also great. My son does play team sports which helps.

A lot of adhd'ers don't like sports, not uncommon.

It is so hard at this age. We also had no playdates or birthday party invites. thank goodness for team sports.

Would he be interested in art classes? We also had lego classes at the rec center, that too was a god send.

I wish you both well. I know how difficult it is. Hang in there. Please post any thoughts and questions as well.

It's probably going to difficult to guage right now because he's just starting the meds.  If the meds work, the child you are going to be dealing with is very different than the one you're dealing with now.  So you may want to wait until you get a little more stable on the meds to make any big decisions.

My son was also like that with his self esteem before he went on meds.  He still does it to a certain extent. He doubts his abilities and doesn't think he can do a lot of things.  But this got much better after meds. 

I'm with Kathleen0515 I think you're going to see a big difference when the dose is increased so I'd wait to make any decisions.  Good luck and keep us posted!

Well, we started the Focalin this past weekend and have only seen small improvements.  I'm sure that the 5mg is just not enough and will need to be increased next week at his appointment. 

That being said, at home he is much less argumentative and temper tantrum throwing but still as WILD as anything. He has always somehow mangaged to keep himself together at school and then "let loose" the MINUTE he entered our home. I know that it would only be a matter of time until school would be a concern, too, which is why we started the Focalin.   His grades have always been good and that is where my question comes in.  He was sent home with a Spelling Bee form today.  Only certain 2nd graders were given the form..........those who have not missed one word on any spelling test this year....something to be very proud of.   We are very proud of him and compliment him on his achievements.  He told me - in no uncertain terms- that he WILL NOT be participating in the Bee.  Actually, he screamed at me how "stupid" they are and how "dumb"  they are blah, blah, blah.  I was truly left speechless.  After he calmed down, he confided that he doesn't think that he's smart enough to compete with 3rd graders. 

I KNOW that deep down...........he wants to do this, but he has absolutely NO self-confidence.  Does anyone have a way that they use to persuade their child do something.  I am concerned since he seems to think that everything is stupid...........sports, music lessons, Karate, etc.  I need an idea because I know that this is his "nitch'!

Thanks so much!

Andrea

Matt's mom40198.7316782407

What is HE interested in? Mine loves legos', video games, and yes getting A's in school.

I wonder if he added something to his meds to help him relax so that he can get involved in these things, become successful and build up his self esteem, to help him?

Have you ever thought of adding guanfacine? My son is on concerta and guanfacine. He takes both each morning, that is all. He takes the guanfacine to help him relax and settle down.

It is just a thought!