So thankful Newbie | ADHD Information

I just wanted to start out by saying that I am so thankful to have found this Message Board. My youngest son (7) was diagnosed this past June with mild ADHD, mostly has a huge problem with Impulsivity. As I'm sure most of you I am having a hard time with the medication part of it. I don't want to do it but I feel sometimes like that is my only option. I guess I'm just scared about possible long term side effects. Like will this damage his heart, will this make him more prone to drug addiction later on? I'm just honestly scared and my husband just leaves this decision solely on me saying your his mom it's up to you. I really don't know where to turn. Any input would be appreciated. Also what does ODD stand for? Thanks.Hi Redsmom,
My 9 year old son has inattentive ADHD and like you I am scared about the
possible side effects of medication now, and later on. I don't feel as though
medication is the only option for my son because nutrition and classroom
accommodations has helped a great deal.   Your 7 year old son was
diagnosed fairly recently and perhaps if your concerned about medication,
research on natural remedies can be tried first. I am conservative about
medication if it isn't necessary however, if the benefits outshine the risks....   

Hello and welcome, this is a fantastic board with lots of wonderful advice (and people!). My son is almost 9 and was diag adhd early this year and is on meds. No-one wants to medicate their child and I think it is a very hard decision for all parents to make but as previous poster said..........benefits may outweigh the risks. My son is impulsive and that can be a serious safety issue......he's already darted across a road without looking and this was only 6 months ago.  I have also read/heard on a few occasions ADHD'ers are more likely to take drugs if they are not medicated (again, an impulsive thing to do and their self-esteem could be very low) in comparison to an ADHD'er who is properly medicated as "coping" well and able to self regulate their impulsiveness. Personally for myself and my child, I would not have made the decision to medicate my child without my hubby's imput. It is alot of stress to place onto you to make the decision alone.  The ODD stands for "Oppositional defiance disorder" which you can google for symptons. My son does display symtons of ODD and this is something that can occur if ADHD not treated effectively. Sometime's ADHD'ers can display symptons of ODD but once medicated the ODD symptons dissappear indicating the ODD was a result of the ADHD. If you do decide to go medication, it cannot just be medication alone, you still need to do behaviour modification etc........

Good luck.

Hi Redsmom, and welcome!  You've found the right place!  

I agree with Tara4us, it's more likely that untreated ADHDers will turn to drugs later.  I think there's a lot more chance of that than the medication making them prone to drug abuse later.

Is your husband your son's natural father or step-father?  I just ask because how he said "You're his mom, it's up to you" sounded like it could be a step-father situation.  If he is the natural father then I wouldn't allow him to take the easy way out!  This is a very difficult thing to cope with and it's simply not fair for him to put it all on your shoulders! I would let him know that this is how you see his attitude and he needs to get on board!

I also agree with 9lives that you should explore all of your options including the natural remedies.  We took my son to an Naturopathic doctor who did food allergy/sensitivity testing. He's not allergic or sensitive to anything (gluten, casien etc.)  She also tried numerous supplement but unfortunely none of this worked for him.   We also took him to an Occupational Therapist who is also a Behavioral Therapist.  She helps us a lot with different behavior techniques. Unfortunately, none of these techniques worked until he was medicated properly but they work for many kids without meds.  I guess the point is that there are a lot of options out there and you never know what will work until you try! I wish you the best of luck!   

Thanks for all the input. Actually my husband is his natural father. I have since decided that the benifits do out weigh the risk at this point. Right now his impulse control is a huge safety issue, I used to have nightmares about him going on field trips. So I'm going to try the meds the Dr. prescribed. Hoping it all works out for him. Thanks again

Redsmon,

I know exactly what you are going through.  The decision  to medicate is not easy.  I tried to avoid using medications for my son who has the combined ADHD and ODD.  However my son is on focalin now and he is doing very well.  He is now a straight A student and barely in trouble.  He tells me when the medication needs adjusting becasue he can't focus.  It broke my heart to medicate him but now I feel the results are well worth it.  The amount of happiness he has being able to succeed and controlling his impulsiveness is incredible. 

We do weekends and summers with out medication except on the summercamp field trip days.  That seems to work for us.

I have taken mutiple classes through the children's hospital here for parents with ADHD children and according to the Doctors, kids are more likely to use drugs later in life if they are not medicated as a child. 

Hope that helps some.