dyspraxia, adhd, girls and drugs - concerta/ ritalin

[Mousie]

Ok a demanding title to try and pull in as many experiences as poss. Have posted in special needs but thought probablya good idea here too.

My dd, 7, is dyspraxic and has adhd - recently diagnosed. i have been prescribed concerta - basically ritalin,a nd will start thsi weekend probably. she drives us insane at home - yet is immaculate, if struggling at school. has no friends but doesn't act up - is just a bit of a misfit. I want to knwo if anyone has found taking meds has really improved their lives. I cannot dare to hope this really mgiht be the answer - still in shock and obviously I hoped it would never come to this, but recently her frustrations and violence out of school are becoming totally insufferable. experiences please...

[eclipse]

Mousie, just read the bit about your daughter's tics and quirks at the social skills group. For some children who have tics and twitches, ritalin and concerta can make things worse. Some find clonidine helpful for both adhd and the tics. It might be worth mentioning when you are next reviewed. As others have said, different meds work for different children.

[Mousie]

thank you for support. school she has suddenly found she cant do the work - or the differences with her and her peers are more ovbious. her writing, her maths, all atrocious. and she is too angry and hyper at home to settle down and do work with us. she does do sport - football and am i just starting athletics after easter. she is very sporty - very fast runner - it is what she does best actually.

my ds is very different - i see what you mean about relishing the fact it isn't just me on the parenting front! however he does still (5) have massive tantrums and though doesn't have her social and academic problems isn't an easy child. though on their own they are much much easier, obviously. the two of them together are toxic. I had ten mins with them in sainsburys yesterday and all eyes were on us...

we have tried two sorts of meds - but will keep trying. both were ritalin based. Made her parnoid. did sort out focus a bit but the tearfulness wasn't worth it.

[SparklePrincess]

There are loads of us out here Mousie. You are certainly not on your own. Feel very free to CAT me if you want a shoulder to lean on.

I totally understand your frustrations that the meds are not working. We havent got to the meds stage yet, & I cant say im looking forward to it. I love my little girl as she is, its just the rest of the world that have the problem.

From what I understand there are several different med options & its a case of trial & error until you find the ones that suit your dd. Have you got an appointment with CAMHS to discuss alternative meds?

[Mousie]

and miss chief - hello to you too. i have read your other posts and they always make me feel I am not alone...

[Mousie]

and miss chief - hello to you too. i have read your other posts and they always make me feel I am not alone...

[Mousie]

hello aero - early in the morning on sunday and I have logged on for some support - it is so bad athte moment. so my sypathies with you too. We are still going with the aDHd thing - and have read a good but ultimately depressing book on understanding girls wtih adhd - she fits perfectly. but the meds haven't worked so we are back to square one. it took her to a social skills weekend group this weekend - in my mind hoping/ assuming she would stick out as a child who didn't really need to be there. The opposite - she had facial ticks and quirks and kept grimacing and pulling up her tights and fidgeting the entire time - it was kind of excruciating though she enjoyed it which I guess is the important thing. I feel totally lost now - doesn't help that we have huge financial worries at home and the easter holidays loom horrifically. Aero - CAT me if you would like some one to one. though I may bring you down!!
I feel I am not accepting her - I am infuriated by her quirks and don't celebrate them. I just want her to manage things and have friends and do well at school and make life easier for us all (horrible I know, but this is how I feel atm) Doesn't help that my ds finds life a breeze.
i so worry about her future - i wish we could afford something private educationaly - not though, that that would be the answer, it's just not having the option and seeing her drown more month by month in a big class.
enough moaning. will make myself a cup of tea and rejoice that we have an hour less of the weekend today. to think how outraged i would have been by this pre kids!!

[MissChief]

if you didn't catch it, was an excellent R4 Check Up programme on ADHD - transcript link here
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/checkup_tr_20070823.shtml

thought discussion was balanced and v sensible. Also recommended "One, Two, Three, Magic" by Phelan
here:www.amazon.co.uk/1-2-3-Magic-Effective-Discipline-Children/dp/0963386190?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Raht er offputting jacket cover (v upbeat American,ifykwim?) but v well regarded by professionals apparently. About to order it myself (tro add tro the many on the bookshlef!)

[MissChief]

Wondering how it's going for you now, mousie. Just had same diagnosis for ds (same age) not seen anyone on "medical" yet other than GP for referral to paed but had 2 ed psych reports done now and both indicate same conditions. It is so hard, isn't it? Are your family supportive at all? How's the medication going? I know what you mean about enjoying the offbeat etc myself and thinking how unusual and interesting I must be but now this smacks me in the face and I'm cryinh out for normal now!b Looking at his parents though, it's not a surprise!
Has yr dd been referred for physio at all, might that help?

[discoverlife]

My DS is Dyspraxic, and was tried on Ritilin. It was horrible, he turned into a depressed, frightened wreck after only 1 week of medication. It took 2 months to flush it out of his system.

[Aero]

How's it going now mousie? We had our initial assessment on Wednesday. Link

[Mousie]

she is back to awful today (monday) having been calm yesterday, and ever so thirtsty. wish I was a medic and understood all this. whatever backlash she got yesterday suited her extremely.

[Aero]

Meant to add, no need to apologise. One good thing for us though is that the weekend has been fairly relaxed and dd is at least willing to go to school in the morning.

[Aero]

Well, in this case, 'normal' would make their lives much easier in terms of their social and emotional welfare. It's only this year also that we feel things cannot be explaind away on account of her age and the gap is widening betwen her and her peers. Of course, we lov them and wouldn't change them, but what parent wouldn't want their dcs lives to be easir to cope with, and not to be forseeing bigger emotional problems several years down the line, which is a really big worry. Age 7 is definitely a defining age.

[Mousie]

my dd is nearly 7 - funny how this year it is all sort of fitting into place (though not quite) in terms of more people actually realising there is a problem, until this year I was just told it was a phase or that I was imagining things (basically just made to feel I was a crappy mum and didn't have control).

Oh it is difficult when your child isn't totally mainstream. I have always enjoyed the unusual and off beat until now - now I just want totally utterly NORMAL. Bad word, sorry.

[Aero]

She's 7.5. I'm on there as Aero too, though mostly lurking atm, but have posted a fw tims and introduced myself.

[Mousie]

ok have had another bash at adders and emailed them.
remind me how old your dd is aero?

[Aero]

Aplolgies for missing 'e's in my posts - it dosn't work half the time.

[Aero]

Adders I had trouble registering too, but it all takes a few days as is run by volunteers and they've had trouble with spamming so you can only view the boards if you join. I emailed them in th end and they sent me asy to follow instructions about joining successfully. It's not as easy to us as mn, but worth the effort as everyone thre has experience of AD/HD etc.

[Mousie]

no have failed to get on to the adders site succesfully - do you have a link?

in the end didn't persist with the meds today - we have a further appointment on friday with psychiatrist so I will run it all past him then. won't rule out drugs but I just instinctively feel this one wasn't right - I am sure a day or two to settle is to be expected but she was so extreme and agressive and tearful that I just couldn't do it to her for today, not until i have a bit more info.. thanks for posting Aero

[Aero]

Oh mousie - that sounds terrible. Your OP could have been mine re dd and I wasn't ven thinking about meds (if they dx her). If things don't settle aftr a day or two, then it's likely that they need to try something else. Obvs, only experienc of dd to go by and we've not got as far as you down that route, but hopefully a bump or two will keep this in active convos for you. Did you look at the adders site? Loads of experience with meds there.

[Mousie]

my dh feels we need to give it one more day - she has certainly been more articulate about her woes - but that is not necessarily a good thing. I had so hoped today would be a momentous turning around..
thanks evenhope for responding.

[evenhope]

That's not right. Sounds like concerta doesn't suit her. I would go back to the doc and get it changed. There are lots of alternatives- doesn't mean that if this doesn't work nothing will.

[Mousie]

sems disastrous, she has almost (not quite, there has been a slight consciousness to it) had fits and has been hugely extreme and tearful - a massive parody of her normal difficult self. Clearly very over emotional and uncontent in everything. I am tempted not to have another go tomorrow, assumign that this really isn't going to help at all...