How young is too young for adhd meds?
I responded to another of your posts, but I assure you the right medication (whether it be a stimulant or non-stimulant) should not make your daughter into a zombie. I struggled (and still do) with the same issues that you are struggling with. I guess for us it was a quality of life issue for our daughter. She was getting into so much trouble at school and her self-esteem was really dropping. I became really concerned when my 5 year old would say that she was a "dumb, stupid girl" evry time that she was frustrated or felt that she did something wrong. I was also very concerned about her relationships with other children. She is a very dynamic, extremely bright and social child....i felt, however, that her relationships were becoming impaired with her impulsivity and aggressive outbursts toward her peers.
Our psychiatrist (who is pretty low key when it comes to prescribing medication) felt that it was time to medicate when the ADHD truly began to affect your child's life...i.e. major school or social problems, family problems or really low self-esteem.
I hope this helps.
Suzi
she went to a stimulant found out it was making her aggressive, adderall it was way to many side effects for her, then went to strattera i loved it for her,she was calm, not as hyper, still some impulses, but her disposition was good. i feel it helps her. the one thing I don't want is to see my daughter in a zombie-like condition. She's very social and outgoing (unfortunately too much), but I still like that about her. Did you find the drugs did that to your daughetr at all? It's funny b/c she very popular with some of her preschool class and then others have labeled her as "bad" since she's so impulsive and hyper. My MD told me that she had to weigh more for straterra since she's only 35 lbs. Is that drug made for older children? Did you struggle with your decision to put your daughter on the drugs too? no 4 is not to young these days, my daughter was 3 when they put her on medicine because she was so hyper and impulsive she needed it then to focus----she's 7 now and the dr. suggested taking her off the meds because she can focus in school, but she is still hyper just not as bad, we try to redirect her behavior.... no i did not accept the diagnosis at first but friends told me what they saw and i guess at that point i had to deal with it, and i'm still trying to deal with her behavior today, i never went to another dr. for a another diagnosis, i just figured they knew what they were doing. i wish you luck i know how you feel......... Did your daughter go straight to a stimulant or did they try non-stimluants first? Both scare me, but her behavior scares me too I guess. Well it's always good to try using tools other than meds first. It's like fixing a car..... don't automatically take the whole thing apart when there's a problem.... it might just be a simple fix ya know?Try other things first see what yuo can figure out and go ahead and try the medicine but personally the medicine is a secret weapon... I use it when I must but beyond that I try to keep my attention in other ways...
there are hundreds of methods...
hi im new to this i seen youre post and read some others and no youre child isnt too young for the meds if you agree my son has been takeing it since he was four and he will be six in july.he takes concerta it is the only thing he has ever took . he was just recently diagnosed so i can change his medicine he takes 56 mlgs . and i thought it was too much on him for his appetite. he is realy frail. but the last appointment it was uped , it seems to adjust to him he has regained his appetite with the other lower doses he wouldnt eat only in the morning . and then all day iwas continously trying to get him to eat . but no im not changing the meds im pleased with them i guess you have to work with it to find what works!!!so good luck with youre daughter !!!! michelle We didn't put my son on med.s till Gr. 2. I think we would have been better off to put him on them earlier. The reason we didn't was because I needed to prove to myself that he couldn't control himself. If I were to do it again, with the knowledge I have now, and the mistakes I could have avoided with the use of medication-I would have put him on earlier. He would have had better self esteem and probably wouldn't have got behind in school. He did catch up easily though. He wouldn't have been in trouble all the time at school and at home. It is never too late I don't think. He's doing well at 14, although still immature and challenging at times. What he does now is a walk in the park compared to earlier behaviors. &n bsp; &n bsp; Good Luck I hope this helps
It's a person by person basis, all you can do is think it through and make an informed decision..Personally I wish I'd been on meds since the beginning of highschool...
Okay I was a handfull before that but not outrageously......
It wasn't until Highschool that it REALLY mattered and could have helped me... You just have to go along and do what seems right... And whatever you do don't be afraid to admit you made a mistake. You can always correct a problem as long as you're willing to revisit your views, but stubbornness will only lead to bad things.
We didn't medicate our son until he was almost 7. Personally I would not medicate kids under the age of 6 or 7 for adhd. At least when the kids are a bit older you can get some feedback from them.
Alternative givers: told to do the same for allergies. Blood tests are the next best allergie source also.Hair finds it all. We are bairly making ends meet so that's why we didn't do it. If you can afford this do it. Homeopathy is how things were done before meds.They treat the whole body.I would suggest trying other things first and a nero consult can never hurt. I fought the dx on my son for 2 years. He was barely 3 when he was dx and I did not medicate until he was almost 5. I often think that I should have given in earlier but he's manageable now and is not anywhere close to a zombie. I only wish I had half the energy he has now. I hope to one day be able to take him off meds but that may never be possible. We tried here a little back and boy was that a disaster. He's been on them now for 2 years. Your child is still young enough that you have time to pursue other methods. Do what seems best for you and her. For every child it is different.
Kristy
Hi there-
My husband and I are struggling whether to put my almost 4 year old daughter on meds? Is this too young? She was diagnosed with ADHD and her doctor suggested we start off with a non-stimulant to help "blunt" her impulsivity, aggressiveness and hyperactivity and then we'll see if she matures on her own to deal with ADHD symptoms. If not, then we'll try stimulants. It all seems so scary.
Has anyone else put their 3 1/2- 4 year olds on meds? And if so, were you happy that you did? Did you see a dramatic improvement in his/her behavior or was he/she just a zombie all the time? If you waited....do you wish you had put them on earlier? What age?
Hearing other parents stories really helps, so please share.
Thanks so much.
Oops! I also forgot to ask...
When your child was diagnosed with ADHD, did you just accept the diagnosis or did you also explore other avenues? My daughter's OT suggested we go to an alternative MD that could run hair, blood and urine tests that would tell if she is allergic to any chemicals, dyes or elements in the environment. And a MD friend suggested we go to pediatric neurologist. Did anyone go down these paths before giving ADHD meds just to make sure that was the correct diagnosis? I am SOOOO confused what to do...all I know is my daughter and our family needs help.
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