worried mum | ADHD Information

Hi kcottot01,

Although we haven't had the best luck with meds (complications from co-existing conditions) , it is worth remembering you can try them and stop immediately if they don't help.  With the stimulants, the positive effect seems to be almost immediate...estpecially if a fast acting stimulant like Ritalin is used.  In our son's case it started working in about 20 minutes and worked for 3 1/2 hours.  Our DS's doctor prescribed the stimulants in hopes of giving him 20-30 seconds to "think" before he acted. 

I can't remember which book I read this in...but one of the Drs treating kids with ADHD said something to the effect that if "yelling at them worked"...he would yell at them for the whole 45 minute session and they would be cured.  We wish it was so easy.. the same with spanking. 

 Good luck & God Bless, 

My son was very lonely before we started therapy for his ADHD. His buzzing
mind was really annoying, but it was the lack of friends that really bothered
him. One of the best things that happened to him socially was special ed,
because he got to hang out with other "misfit" in the school, and together
they all learned how to be friends.

Try everything; keep doing what works best.

I would be SOOOO happy if all my child needed was a "kick in the bum"!  That would be SOOOO much easier to "cure" than the real problem he has-ADHD! People that don't have children like ours will never really know what it's like...and they should be very thankful! If your son's behaviors are caused by ADHD then he truly cannot control them! Please don't beat yourserlf up like you've failed at parenting.  Our children simply CANNOT control much of their behavior and I have found that most of the parents on this board work harder at trying to help their children than many other parents do!

We tried a lot of other remedies before we turned to medication for our son but medication is the ONLY thing that has ever worked!  You are right that you might be surprised at the outcome...once you find the right med the results can be unbelieveable! Even before we got the right combination we could immediately see the positive results!  It was amazing actually.  And always keep in mind that the decision to try medication can be changed at any time.  You can always change your mind and stop taking it!  Good luck and keep us posted!

thankyou your comment helped alot. glad your son has gotten better. guess it cant hurt to try i mite be suprised with the outcome.< id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" =""> my son is 8. i noticed he was different since kindy when he wouldnt sit still on the floor and jump all over the other kids. but i just put it down to being a little over excited or just being a boy. then school started teachers were coming to me saying hes not doing wk or distracting the other kids in class. he was sent to the office regularly and most of year 1 he was sent home. i then decided he needed to change schools as he was being bullied by other kids and was known as the silly kid. The new school was christian and lasted 4 weeks till they expelled him for not doing his wk and distrupting the class. at this point i was  very upset thinking is this ever going to end, why does no one like my son. my relationship with my son was on an edge i spent more time angry. i then enrolled him into another school. the teachers spent alot of time screaming at him which angred me so much very hard to just sit there and say nothing.hes now a year 3 still same problems but has a nicer teacher who encouregers him to do work and hes improved alot. now after 4 years hes been diognosed adhd.  after years of been told what i must have done wrong and believing it, being told he just needs a kick up the bum, having him not be invited to any parties and parents looking down on him and me, i get told that its because he cant help it and its a relief. ive started to feel a bit better about myself. and its been so hard as i am a young single mum age 25 now. the big question i now face is weather to medicate him. he has calmed down abit. i just dont feel rite medicating him so am trying the fish oils and othere natural resorses. what everyones opinion on this?< id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" ="">

My son was diagnosed shy of age 5 with adhd. We didn't medicate because we were afraid.

BUT he sufferred tremendously from labeling, exclusions, no birthday party invites - the mothers of the other kids were horrible. We finally medicated him at the end of first grade but it was too late, the label lasted through 5th grade.

If I could change anything for my son, medicating him sooner would be the one and only! HIs life would have been so much different if we had.

All my son's adhd stuff did stop with meds, but the labeling didn't! Please ask us any questions, we have all been there. And we too were scared. But you don't have to be. We can help!!

thanks. i just dont wont him to be a zombie or completly change who he is. cause i think hes a beautiful boy but no one else sees it but thankyou youve given me more to think about its great having people to talk to who have been there and in the same situation.< id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" ="">

There are lots of us moms and dads here to help you!

My son has never been zombied out. You do have to try different meds and dosages to get it just right, but you start low.

We have also tried more than one med. We know the side effects, etc. so please let us know how we can help you help your son!

Hi and welcome. You will get great advice and reassurance on this board. My son is also 8 and we just started using med's just over 2 months ago. My son is on a low dose and we may need to do a "top-up" in the a/noon.  My son is alot calmer on the med's, is more on an even level with other children and basically, alot more pleasant to be around. I have not seen any "zombie" look in him whatsoever. It is a matter of getting the right med's and the right dose and this can be trial and error as everyone is different. I can relate to your comments about being told your son's behaviour/issue's are as a result of your parenting style and beleiving it. Me and my husband beat ourselve's up for years wondering where we went wrong with our son until we got the diagnosis. The comment that really hurts me is as you said "your child just needs a good kick up the bum"...............if only it were that easy!! Medication is  a personal decision and mine was made after reading several books on ADHD from the library and advice provided by other parents on this board. My sons med's wear off around mid-day at school and he is always having issue's with kids at school during this lunch break and if I can give him a top up dose which will help alleviate these playground issue's, then it is worth it for my son's sake. I need to do all I can to help my son socially as he too dosn't get invited for parties/playdates......if medication can help him in this area then so be it. By the way, we all thought the same as you are thinking prior to medicating our children. It's a hard decision for all parents. Cheers & good luck

Candycane