to medicate or not?!

[crazygal]

hi there...
I'm afraid to give ds the strattera the pead gave us to give to him!
I have had so many people say there is nothing wrong with him....
He has mild to moderate ADHD,
I don't know what to do?!
I keep thinking that maybe he does'nt have ADHD.... I dont know anymore,maybe its because I've had a good week or two with him behaviour wise,iI think thats why i'm confused....
The school did'nt help when i told them we had meds to start him on,they were saying,is that what he really needs?he can be controlled and managed,its ups to you,but...... god!! i don't know what to do!!
help me understand and see someone please....

how did he get a prescription (or dx even) without school on board?

keep them in the cupboard. think about it.

the first time ds got prescribed meds we ignored it. (we had no dx and the meds were prescribed without discussion). the second time we did a trial for a week, but the timing was all wrong and we still had no dx.

ds is now on a trial of a different med, which school are saying is fantastic. we have yet to see any of it at home, as the timings mean that it is most effective during school hours, but we have noticed a few things - he's more chatty, and he apologises sometimes. (small but possibly significant)

we are back at the paed tomorrow to discuss how it's gone.

your choice. how did you end up with the prescription?

He got his dx threw the pead last summer,
We had an appointment last week as before xmas he was showing many signs of aspergers,the pead agreed that,from what we said,he was showing signs,but that was also part of ADHD,
We told her his last week has been quite good,and his last week has been too,but she thought we should try the meds and she prescribed them,
Last year when she diagnosed him,she felt he didn't need them though,
I know it's up to us at the end of the day,but now that she's given me the strattera i'm really questioning his dx,and will we be treating the right condition,do you see what i mean?

Oh yes. Totally. Ds also has some asd quirks and social stuff.

It's only human nature to query stuff. We decided to trial meds to see. If they work, then they work. If they don't, no harm done and we can discontinue. If they do, we can decide whether the benefits are enough to keep taking them, iykwim.

But you do need school on board really (presumably they were one of the reasons you pursued dx?) it's just a bit unusual that they are saying he doesn't need meds. Most schools I know moan if parents don't want to medicate. They sound v switched on and as though they are managing him okay without?

When I say you need them on Baird, I mean to know if the meds are working. School feedback is great to help you make a decision after a meds trial...

Hi crazy

We got medication in dec I gave it to DD twice but it really didn't sit well with me. So I decided to only use it as a last resort. I overhauled dd's diet no sugar no white bread fish twice a week, protein for breakfast etc and in conjunction started giving her zinc and magnesium supplements multivitamin tonic and omega. The difference has been staggering her school actually asked me was I now medicating her She still has her moments but she is more focused, coherent, her memory has improved and she can control her temper. I have the medication in the cupboard as a back up should I ever need it but am hoping I won't . It's a really awful decision to make though so good luck.

Board. Fecking iPad.

School asked us the same re omegas, zinc and Epsom salts.

Ds has some continence issues we were also hoping to address though (he's 10) so we decided to go ahead with meds this time...

The other stuff is well worth a go if you haven't already. I tend to assume people have sorry!

Yes i see what you mean when you say i need the school support,
the school have been amazing support other then that!
It was the school that noticed problems with ds in the first place,and encourged me to take him to a gp etc,and they have always sent supporting letters to help us along the road,they know i've been stressed over it all and have always tried to help me :)
Is your ds ADHD?
I was shocked when the teacher then the head teacher said that about the meds!! i think again because he has been "ok" over the last two weeks,but up untill then he was excluded from the playground for 8wks! for violence....
I'll speak to them again about it,i really wanted there support on this,
x

Yes, sorry. He was officially dx ADHD last year, but has other quirks etc. I'm still not entirely certain, but it fits for now...

Thank you holy..
We are waiting for an appointment down south to go and speak about diet,that is something i would like to do now! but dont know where to start!!
Whats your diet/vitamins?

Outofbody....Did you feel like this when they handed you meds??

I've been chatting to Indigo bell quite a bit and she has steered me in the right direction and also have emailed Tinsley house for advice. Am using the supplements reccomended by them. There is a thread on here about the best multivitamins etc and we have both giving the ones that are recommended. Am in bed at moment so don't have the info to hand but if you can't find it let me know.

Bumped the thread up for you.

Yes i know the thread you are on about,I have spoken to the guy there at tinsley house and we are trying to get to see him,we are just trying to sort out work and holiday time at work for myself and dh,
But you know what us women are like....i wasnt to get started now!!
patience i know!!!

I'm surprised you were given strattera straight off the bat - protocol is normally to start with methylphenidate unless contraindicated, since atomoxetine is £60 a packet (it was for DS1 due to anxiety and bouts of poor appetite and food refusal, plus a tendency to be extremely bouncy when tired, which methylphenidate exacerbates, rather than ameliorates). I'm also concerned that you seem to feel a little out of the loop regarding the prescription in the first place.

I'm guessing you've been given a small starter dose of 10 mg? Unlike ritalin etc, it's not a fast acting blood and has to build up to therapeutic levels in the blood stream. When DS1 was first prescribed it, for the first couple of days, he was rather tired. This effect was gone by the 3rd day, though (although his sleep was vastly improved for the rest of that summer). After 4 or 5 days, his language and communication had really noticeably improved and he was actually attempting schoolwork, which he had completely refused before. The hyperactivity took longer to calm. He still bounces off the walls, crashes into things and makes me seasick, just by being near me, but it's been reduced from a scream to a dull roar.

I can't tell you he should or shouldn't try it, but if you do, give it a week or two, unless there's any nasty side effects. It's not a drug he'd have to slowly come down off - he can stop at any time and it will be out of his system in a day or two.

Yes, for sure. Still do. And still haven't made any decisions, really.

What I really want to do is to remove him from school and start from scratch. But he's ten. So it needs to be a decision we all reach together, I think.

Yes ouryve,i was given 10mg to start with...
My ds suffers panic attacks,hes not overly hyper,altho he has his moments!
he cant concentrate and is a constant fidget! hes aggessive too....
As for homework...my god,ive told the teacher,that we are not having our evening ruined by the hr long battles to get him to read etc,but isnt that every child where homework is concerned??

We've given up on the reading battles. He seems to be thriving well enough without having to be subjected to a dismally boring book from school, every week. He reads for information well enough and his comprehension is age appropriate.

And I've just had to ban him from wikisaurus for soem rather interesting and random editing!