ADHD

[Korinne]

Hi, my oldest son has been having some trouble in school, which has been escalating into some pretty serious stuff and now he has been diagnosed with ADHD. He has been put on Ritalin, which actually seemed to make things worse for him, so they are trying another drug. I hate seeing him being used as a guinea pig, but he is impossible to live with lately!!

Does anyones child have this condition and what things have you done to cope with it and help him/her deal with it?

 

[Sanny]

We used to have a teen-age foster son with this diagnosis (ADHD) - along with ODD (oppositional defiance disorder) FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) and RAD (reactive attachment disorder).

He went through a HORRIBLE PHASE for a couple of years and we tried a variety of meds for him and eventually for him Wellbutrin worked the best. I don't remember the dose. He also was going to weekly therapy and we switched him from the regular school to a day treatmt school (very, very structured and all teachers trained to deal with his issues). He was an extreme case - I am sure MUCH worse than your son, but I remember trying Ritalin and it not being right for him. We felt it was formulated too closely to speed and was winding him up more instead of leveling out his moods and actions.

 

[lilhorseladie]

I am a teacher and deal with this kind of thing every day. I also have two children with it. First off, there are more choices than Ridilin (sp) out there. I would definately ask my doctor about Aderol or Stratera. These have less side effects than Ridilin. You need a lot of structure...these are the rules...etc...as freedom is something they don't handle well.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Has he been tested for food allergies?? One of my first encounters was with a child with ADHD who turned out to be a borderline Celiac- not bad enough to make him sick but bad enough to upset his CNS badly!! So he acted out. Either way you know about diet, right?? Sometimes Doctors fudge over that part.

 

[littlehorse2]

My 6 year old daughter has it and she takes Adderall XR 5mg. It seems to help her during the day. As she gets older she might have to have it upped. There is also Concerta. My brother has ADHD and he doesn't take meds any more, but he was on a few of them. He was worse than my daughter, and my son acts just like he did. I'll be haveing him tested this winter. If you need some one to talk to you could email my mom @ [email protected]. She also has foster kids that are ADHD, plus she was a paraprofessional to kids with it so she knows quite a bit.

Christy

 

[Miniv]

I'm agreeing with Rabbitsfizz on this one. Don't forget to check a child's diet for allergies. SOMETIMES doping up a kid is not the answer.....but it is often the "quick fix" for the doctors.

MA

 

[Marty]

This subject makes me cry. I feel I could write another book on this one because I have ADD.

My oldest son has very severe ADHD which we knew early on this would be a problem and it still is. It's really hard and also sad. The poor kid struggles every day with everything.

He has been mostly on Ritilin for a million years seems like. Takes a while to get the right dosage adjusted. That's normal. Having to go back and forth a while getting the dosage right. And then, just when you think you've got it, the kid grows and weighs more and needs it adjusted all over again.

We've also tried Aderol and Stratera and other things too. Now we are on Medidate.

They all have some side effects one way or another: loss of appitite, upset stomach, headaches, different things. That's why it takes a while to find the right thing for each kid. He simply cannot function without it and Lord knows we have done everything in the world for him.

One thing that does help, is a sugarless diet.

And sometimes, you'll find that caffiene works backwards on an ADHD kid. If he needs to settle down and focus in a hurry and can't, he drinks a half a cup of coffee.

 

[Marty]

This subject makes me cry. I feel I could write another book on this one because I have ADD.

My oldest son has very severe ADHD which we knew early on this would be a problem and it still is. It's really hard and also sad. The poor kid struggles every day with everything.

He has been mostly on Ritilin for a million years seems like. Takes a while to get the right dosage adjusted. That's normal. Having to go back and forth a while getting the dosage right. And then, just when you think you've got it, the kid grows and weighs more and needs it adjusted all over again.

We've also tried Aderol and Stratera and other things too. Now we are on Medidate.

They all have some side effects one way or another: loss of appitite, upset stomach, headaches, different things. That's why it takes a while to find the right thing for each kid. He simply cannot function without it and Lord knows we have done everything in the world for him.

I guess you know now why there's an "edit" in almost 100% of my posts.

One thing that does help, is a sugarless diet.

And sometimes, you'll find that caffiene works backwards on an ADHD kid. If he needs to settle down and focus in a hurry and can't, he drinks a half a cup of coffee.

 

[tifflunn]

Hi- Both my older children have been diagnosied with ADD( Son 16) and ADHD( Daughter 13) My son was diagnosied late( grade 6) we thought it was a different learning disabillity( my daughter Grade 3). Both were diagnosied by a physchologist out side the school system and by a pediatrician and by there family dr. It does take time to find the right medication or routine to help a child out. Both of my kids are on Concerta at the moment and are doing very well- my 13 year old is a A- student and my son will be completing high school and hopefully continuing on in a service feild( fire fighting) It took us a long time to get here- but it was worth the struggle. Medication is not the only things we did to help the kids- there were both taught learning stratagies both at home, in school and it was very important for them to have some help learning some socialization skills. We attend our Dr. every 3 months to keep monitoring there progress and make adjustments as needed. I could write a novel on how far they have come and will be happy to give you more details- but the important thing I am trying to say is medication is one form of treatment not the only and it is the most effective with other stratagies in place. P.M. if there is anything I can help you with including an ear when needed.

Tiffany

 

[Korinne]

Wow!! I never imagined it was such a wide spread problem!! My son has started taking Strattera. His first dose was this morning, and he seems to have tolerated it well. He reacted to the Ritalin right away, with dizzyness and hot flushes, shakey hands, etc. I am hoping this will help. He is not a bad kid, he just makes terrible choices in life, ie who to be friends with, who not to treat with respect, etc etc. He is very smart academically(sp) but will not slow down long enough to read an entire question. Lately he and another boy were caught writing a very graphic story, with all kinds of morbid thoughts and ideas. I was physically sick after reading it. We are waiting for an appt to see a child pyschologist, but with our system that could take months. It will, however, be worth the wait, because he supposed to be very good.

Thanks for all the support. It helps knowing that there are more parents with such heavy hearts.

 

[tifflunn]

Yah Marty! I forgot Eric uses coffee or chocolate when he forgets to take his meds before school until I can get there or he can go to the learning resource room-

I drink a barrel a day should that tell me something

.

Been there with the heavy heart after the police showed up for the forth time in 2 weeks and parents revolving at our front door with all the wonderfully choices my son decided to make when he was on a med holiday. Alls I can do as laugh now- but boy did I cry then

.

Tiffany

 

[tuffsmom]

My youngest sister has ADHD. My parents have tried numerous medications with her. The stratera litterally made her depressed. She'd come home from school and stare at the wall, she wouldn't talk, wouldn't eat, nothing. Her grades shot through the roof, but she was just not dealing well with it. They tried Ritalin, and a few others, but all had the same affect.

She's been doing some counseling both at school and with an outside counselor, and is actually doing well without medications. They've changed up her diet, makes sure she gets exercise, and basically just give her day lots of "structure". It takes a lot of patience with her, but she's doing well.

 

[Marty]

I don't want to air my dirty laundry in public but I can tell you that part of what you describe I think is just part of growing up too.

Lately he and another boy were caught writing a very graphic story, with all kinds of morbid thoughts and ideas

We had something like that too but we didn't go to a shrink. Daddy opened up a can of whoop butt instead. Made a lasting impression I'm sure. The ideas came via CD MUSIC that was not allowed in the house. I have since become the CD MUSIC police around here. Check the game boy videos too.

He reacted to the Ritalin right away, with dizzyness and hot flushes, shakey hands, etc.

That's your common over dose.

My boys made some really bad choices too indeed and I finally quit bailing them out of it and had them suffer the consequences. Bad choices with frienships, and just day to day screw ups especially in school. They were not going to learn a thing if I kept coming to their rescue and they had to deal with the messes they've gotten themselves in and it wasn't pretty. We had warned them before about how these other kids would lead them down the wrong road and then dump them flat when push came to shove. When it finally happened (more than once) and they were left standing there holding the bag for a lot of trouble, I did not gloat and say "I told you so." Instead I said "too bad, you made your bed now lay in it." That was pretty hard. They aren't babies anymore and although I want to protect them, I also want to teach them the error of their ways. I have a sign up in one of their bedrooms that says

"STOP" before you act

"THINK"before you speak

"DECIDE" after you pray about it ....

With ADHD everything is "go slow, don't rush, take deep breaths, don't act on impulse......yup it's hard.

 

[DunPainted]

First, please accept my sympathies for what you're going through. Secondly, God give special children to special people.....always remember that and it'll get you through some rough times.

Our son who will be 11 in December was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (high functioning form of Autism). Initially, he tested as mentally retarded because he couldn't speak at 4 years of age. For many years, doctors/educators kept urging us to put David on medication on a guess. Finally, at age 9, we had David formally tested by a reknown pediatric psychiatrist who determined that he has ADD, along with Aspergers. This doctor keeps up on the latest studies and genuinely cares about the patient and family. He now takes Adderal for ADD to help him concentrate and a caffeinated drink at midday...and Reminyl at night for the Aspergers. According to a three year study at Harvard on Aspergers kids, they determined that by using Reminyl (alzheimer drum), it helps the child's neuroreceptors begin to move closer, thus their social skills get less stilted.

I agree with looking at the dietary angle, as food allergies can make us all nutty. Truth be told, I have to take medicine for ADD just to help prioritize my day. As an adult, it's truly painful not to be "normal" like most folks who can suppress their impulses or see a task through completion without getting sidetracked. Trust me, if it hurts for an adult who is fully cognizant of the problem. how much worse for a child or adolescent who is clueless about how their behavior affects those around them. I'm 47 years old and sure wish this information would have been available 30-35 years ago.....it would have saved a lot of heartache for both myself and those around me.

Marty's right about letting kids feel the repercussions of the decisions they made. Better to learn while they're young than as adults when the stakes are higher.

I wish you all the best and remember to ask "professionals" questions that come from your "gut". There's nothing more intelligent than a mother's instinct about her child, so long as she's not in denial. Do take care...glad you shared!

Cindy

 

[BigDogs & LittleHorses]

I am not sure if I have a lesser case of ADHD or not. I do have trouble relaxing and have had generalized anxiety for a lot of my life. Meds like Dexedrine or Adderal have the paradoxical effect on me of slowing things down and helping me think a little more clearly. Of course they feel absolutely wonderful until the end of the day when I come off of them. When I was taking them I got more chores done around the house like painting the walls and cieling. ha ha

I found through trials with a doctor that I simply could not tolerate any of the stimulants for more than a day or two without turning into a walking zombie. The miracle that seemed to happen the first day could not be sustained. I had to take downers like xanax to sleep at night. Also I found that the penalty of recovering from them really outweighs their benefit.

I have an important engineering related certification exam next week and am thinking that I might take some of my left over pills to help me concentrate and then just deal with the consequences afterward.

I DO have food allergies, both proven from experience and by an ELISA test. Last time I had pizza my nose bled off and on for several days! Corn, garlic and onions and spices are the worst for me. My muscles actually ache after eating onions.

High Fructose Corn syrup is the nastiest stuff ever invented. My nose plugs up about 5 minutes after a soda. Get your kids off of soda pop!

I try to eat simple, unseasoned foods without additives most of the time and this does help. I have found that my anxiety level goes up with large sugar intake also.

I am also taking a small amount of Armour thyroid (1/2 to 1 grain) and it seems to help a little even though tests don't show hypothyroidism.

Daryl