Need help with 13 year old son | ADHD Information

Thank you so much for your help-I have an appt with his Dr.  I am so glad I found this board.  I need the support.  I am an elementary teacher and see children every day benefit from medication, but was not seeing the same result with my own child. 

We chose his name because he was on Days of Our Lives-I hate to admit-  I just really liked that name-

Thanks again for your help-  I look forward to getting to know all of you on this journey to help our children.

Susan

Your a good mom Ilovebrady!

Please keep us in the loop on your travels. We too are on the same journey as you!!

My son is in the 7th grade and was diagnosed in the 4th grade.  My problem is mood swings.  Everything sets him off and he starts crying.  Of course when that happens his friends make fun  of him for being a baby.   His grades are better but his socialization is not.  He used to be an outgoing, happy child who struggled in school.  Now he is an unhappy, moody boy who does not talk to anyone with good grades.  I also want to cry because I don't know how to help him.  Do I take him off the medication totally and let him be my happy boy with bad grades or continue the meds so he will do well in school?  He is a totally different child in the summer time than when he is in school.  His problem is attention only.  He has never been hyper.  He is on 15 of Focalin XR.  That is the only med he has ever been on.  Please help me help my child.  First of all, don't count out puberty. It makes everything harder.

It's not an all or nothing thing. Start looking for grays and try everything
- it might even be something as simple as an extra half hour of sleep a
day that turns the corner.

1) Therapy? My son (8) went to therapy to learn to label his emotions
(that was about 50% of it - when he knew what was going on he could
handle it) and then what appropriate responses were.

2) Doctor visit. Don't settle for a medication that only does half of what
he needs. It could be that a temporary anti-anxiety medication until his
therapy kicks in could be what he needs.

3) Ask the school for help. They might be able to help him get
resocialized. Technically being called a baby is bullying - the school
could intervene, or at least not look the other way just because the kids
are friends.

4) Give yourself a break. I so feel for you. It's what I'm dreading -
thinking we've got it down and then realizing it just doesn't work right
and we've got to start over again. You don't have to fix it overnight. Little
steps build up, and they will make a difference over time.

5) Keep talking. This board was a godsend when I started out with my
son and I learn something new nearly every day. Someone will have the
tip you need to help your son, and it feels great to be able to help
someone else, too.

Best of luck!

My son is also in 7th grade. Our boys are going through peer pressure as well as puberty.

Did you notice the emotionals since he began focalin? How long has he been taking focalin? When you find the right med and dosage, it should be more positive than negative. If this is happening in front of his friends, and he probably has no control over it, I don't think I like this dose/med for him. Something has to change.

Does he ever talk about his day at school with you? I always have asked my son  how was school because we have dealt with bullying and exclusion since elementary. We have been lucky in the sense that he has friends now at school, though no socializing outside of school.

See if you can get him to open up to you. It may be things happening to him at school that bother him, it could be the teen puberty "thing", BUT it could also be his med.

I also would call his doctor and tell him/her of this ASAP. I don't like keeping him where he is, I would want my happy boy back AND the right med to help him with his focus and attention. Something is wrong.

Have you tried lowering or upping the dose of focalin yet? Can you do this on the weekend so you can see how it effects him? I hate to see him break down in schol when he literally can't control it. That is really hard at this age. Kids can label him and have it carry through high school, it is really tough in school to try to fit in and just get through to graduation.

My son has been on concerta for over 5 1/2 years and we don't have this happening at all.

Please call the doctor. And please let us know how he and you are doing!

I just have a quick question ILOVEBRADY,

I live in MA and we have a quarterback named Tom Brady playing for the  Pats. Is that how you picked your name? We too love Brady!