ADHD

[mum23sons]

My almost 7 year old has been diagnosed with ADHD. We are living a nightmare at the moment as he is totally out of control and impulsive. We are a loving family and try hard as parents but am soo sick of being judged as being an awful parent. I am thinking of medication (it was recommended in the summer by a consultant neurologist) My DH is v reluctant to medicate him and TBH I have always been anti drugs of any kind for my boys, even calpol, so it goes against the grain! I am at the end of my tether though as our 3 year old is now emulating his big brother which is making family life intolerable.

hi mum23sons, my son was like this and i couldn't understand why, we kept trying to get him tested, finaly at 15 he was dx adhd, we had to decide if to medicate or not as my ds became a danger to himself, ie walking along stair banister at school on 3rd floor as he was bored, i was trying to cope without him being on meds but i had to give in, tbh it was the best thing for him, he could finally sit down at school and learn something, he could do hobbies that he loved, he could even watch a tv programme and films that he couldn't concentrate on before meds, and we had a better home life as he was calm, you could try the meds for a few weeks and see if there is any change in ds behaviour, you don't have to keep him on meds if it doesn't help, btw i hate meds too i don't take any meds unless i really need to. hth

I feel for you!

My just turned 7yr old DD1 was DX as ADHD at the end of July, and we were asked to consider medication. We have an appointment on 21st September where the doc is going to want an answer!

We have a meeting set up with school next week to see how she is settling into P3 (Scotland) and if they feel medication would be of a benefit, not only to her and her learning, but to that of the rest of the class!

At home she is a nightmare, but we deal with it - I think because we have known deep down there was "something" about her since she was tiny, its just become a part of everyday life.

DH is the one wanting to give the meds a go, and its me who is slightly more resistant, but as I say, for me, a lot of it comes down to whether it will help her at school, as she is such a clever little girl but isnt working to her full potential as she just cant concentrate long enough.

I also have a 5yr old and 3yr old, and can totally see where you are coming from with regards to copying the behaviours..... its a hard path to travel, and I think we will go with the medication for a few weeks and see what happens. Im nervous about it, but I need to do whats best for DD1 and our family unit. If the meds will mean that finally we can have a family day out without the severe stress of her ADHD symptoms, then Im all for it, especially as we are going away in October and want to have a lot of fun!

Good luck with whatever you decide, its such a personal choice, but one that has to be made and lived with! Take care. x

There is a CiteULike Group: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - library 95 articles which is a growing collection research papers about ADHD, including the various medications, and how they may help overcome some of the impulsive and addictive behaviors which can affect teenagers and adults who have ADHD.

Unlike davidsotherhalf, we had a pretty good idea that DS1 had ADHD from the age of 3, when he was diagnosed with ASD, but when he started on medication for it, just over a year ago, it made a difference ot him in exactly the same way as for her DC. He could now do his schoolwork, he bounced off the walls a lot less, thanks to the type of ADHD medication he was given, evenings were no longer such a nightmare and he could finally build lego city models by himself without losing interest after 5 minutes because he was so overwhelmed. It has made the world of difference to his (and our) quality of life.

Thanks so much for replying, I feel less alone knowing that my child isn't the only one! The dr last night has recommnded concerta. Do any of you have any experience of this. My little boy today was describing the feeling: he says that his brain is busy and always on fire! I feel guilty for thinking about drugs as in part it is to make our family life less chaotic and him more managable but I know that he finds this "business" hard to handle even though I try and help him with strategies (such as scooping out the busy stuff and throwing it out the wiindow! Virtually, not actually giving him a lobotomy!!) It is good to have a diagnosis but we have kind of always known. Thanks :)

Thanks Justabout. I agree but it is a hard decision to make. I think it will help his "busy" head and help him to concentrate. We will try it for him. My worries for his future are that he may well "self medicate" when he hits his teens if we don't help him now.