Newly Diagnosed Teenage Boy | ADHD Information
My son was diagnosed with ADHD last Wednesday - 2 days after he turned 14.
I am relieved but angry this has taken so long to be discovered. For years I have put up with being told he was "naughty, bad, different" I had him checked at 3 yrs of age for ADHD however was told he did not have it.
School has been a battle every year. It got to the point this year where he was almost expelled after 3 suspensions.
We have started him on Concerta, any advice, feedback, chat appreciated.
I know no one with an ADHD child, my husband does not believe it exists, everyone around me does not believe it is the reason for my sons bad behaviour.
After 2 days on meds I have 5 emails from teachers advising he has improved. I hope it goes up from here.
Thanks for reading
Do the teachers know he started meds? Not that if they did it would mean
their opinions are less valid, but just curious. Sounds like things are
already looking better. I have no advice/experience with meds, but hope
things continue to improve!I can understand your frustration!
Thanks goodness you finally got a diagnosis and the meds appear to be working!
How does your son feel about the diagnosis and the meds? I hope it is a relief to him to know that he is not "naughty, bad, etc." It will probably take time to undo the damage from those sorts of labels. I hope he understands that he is a good kid whose brain works a little differently than most, and that you will make sure he gets the help he needs to succeed. It's also good to know that lots of people with ADHD, who struggled as kids, lead happy and successful lives.
My son has been on concerta since he began meds at age 7. He is now turning 13 in June.
Please, Please, Please ask us any questions. He may need an increase before you know it.
We all have been through this stuff that you are beginning.
We are here to help you.
Welcome and I am so glad you found these wonderful boards.
My son is 11.5 and after finally being dx'd at age 8 we tried a varied amount of medication. Concerta has been a lifesaver so far. he started out on 18mg and is now up tp 72 an he metabolizes quickly. It has made ALL the difference with school and some at home although it is usually worn off by the time he gets home at 5:30 pm. he is in an after school homework/study club. he is gifted and HIGHLY intelligent. He gets A+ in most every class except for tests we are working on that now with his therapist. he goes 1x a week to an adhd therapist and it all helps everything. He just started Intuniv (long acting Tenex) to help with the anxiety and impullsiveness he still has. just started takes 4 weeks at higher dose to see if it will work. I completly understand your frusrtation. My hubby did not want to believe it for years either he is just coming around to accepting it now. by the way he is undiagnosed add but would never admit it. I also am most likely ADD but was never properly diagnose they said I was depressed. NOT. Good luck with the Concerta and I hope all goes better for you now that you know what you are dealing with. there are alot of good books out there as well to educate you as well. Delivered from Distraction is a good one among many others.I have a very similar situation to yours. My son was evaluated for ADD in 2nd grade and it wasn't until 5 yrs later that he was actually diagnosed with it! We just got on the medication roller coaster a little over a month ago and it has definately been frustrating. He started out on 18mg of Concerta with no improvement. Increased to 27mg and my son didn't notice any difference (neither did I) but his teachers noticed SOME improvement. We increased again to 36mg and the dr. warned of more aggressive behavior with the higher dosages and we beleive we may be experiencing just that. Our next appt is not for 4 wks and the doc wants to wait until then to make any changes. So I was instructed to go back to the lower dose for now. I too am looking for answers and experienced advice. Hang in there and good luck to you!