Need to hear GOOD things about ADHD Meds

[MadameSin]

My son's teacher is hinting more and more about ADHD meds. She describes him as a lovely, bright little boy who's inability to stay on track/concentrate is seriously hindering his academic progress. I have always said "over my dead body" will I medicate him to attend school, but now DH is suggesting we trial meds .... I feel sick, angry and as if I have seriously failed my ds. He is very aware of his 'issues' and the fact he is not 'up there' with his class mates. Our peadiatrician didn't feel he merited meds with a mild diagnosis, but said we could return to her anytime if we needed. She has discharged DS from her care in the meantime. I only ever read nightmares about these meds and feel like I'd be pumping amphetamines into my child with so many side and long term risks, just to be a good little boy in class. I DO NOT believe that meds work for all children with ADHD and is used as some kind of magic wand by ignorant teachers seeking to have a quiet life. On the other hand I don't want my DS to fail where he has potential ... head spinning, aarrgghh!!

Hi My Ds has been on Equasym for 3 years now and it certainly helps. He is not a hyperactive child but has difficulty concentrating and staying on task. We give him 20mg of the slow release type before school and we have a prescription for 5mg after school of the quick release type. However we dont usually give him the after school dose any longer as it was impacting his ability to sleep. The downside is that homework doesnt go as well without it but we get by.
DS notices himself if he doesnt take his medication as does his brother. He cant focus as well and acts a bit silly.

Have noticed no other side effects apart from the fact that he went off his food a bit in the morning for a couple of weeks after he started.

I think its worthwhile giving it a go. If it doesnt work you can stop and if it does work then you can have the discussion about whether you want to continue medication or go down a different route. At least you are armed with the knowledge at that stage. For me not knowing and wondering if I should/should have would drive me mad.

Have you tried omega, zinc & magnesium?

That combination certainly works wonders for some kids (see posts by HolyCalamatyJane)

I tried Omega quite a while ago for a long period of time but noticed no change really other than an increase in concentration that could be explained by him getting older and in line with his twin brother. However have not tried zinc or magnesium and possibly its best to take all 3 together

The senco at our school mentioned the possibility of medicating our 5yo DS2 for ADHD. I very firmly told her that it was OUR decision to make as parents, and that she had no business suggesting it. She is not a paediatrician and is not qualified to make that suggestion. If they are having difficulty, perhaps they need to come up with some new strategies rather than push for meds. She hasn't mentioned it since. Subtle, me? Um, nope.

DH and I are not ready to go the medication route. This is mainly because DS2 CAN access the curriculum if conditions are right for him (which is why we are now applying for him to go to a SS). If this was not the case, then we would consider it more seriously.

IMO, medication for your child is between you, your child, and their paediatrician. It is NOT in any way something the school should be suggesting.

Hi there, my dd1 has ADHD. At her old school her teachers were firmly of the idea that she should have meds and scored all her Connors very highly . She has since changed schools after I appealed to get her into a better school and the change is amazing, they've scored Connors in the mid range but have said they would no way want her medicated as they believe they can manage her behaviour and teach her to self manage her own behaviour. Since moving schools she has gone from below average in maths to top of average range and she's doing soooo well. Her shook got ed pysch in and he recommended loads of strategies to help dd stay on task and concerntrate and things to help her memory etc.

So I guess meds aren't everything and I'm glad I didn't leap into them a year ago, and I also know that they will be there in the future should we need to think again

Hi Madame

As Indigo says we have had great success with Omega and supplements. Our DD is 5 and has ADHD and was also having lots of behavioural issues. We were given meds after seeking a private DX. They were dexamphetamine but it really didn't sit well with me giving my daughter an amphetamine so I thought I would try the supplement route first and also changed her diet using the book "Is that my child -the brain food plan" As indigo says we give DD a multivitamin called Floradix Kindervital and a zinc and magnesium supplement also by Floradix. The Omega we use is quite a highly potent one called Barleans Ultra EPA. We have been doing this since January our DD is unrecognisable from the child she was. t one point we thought she would have to go to a special school not anymore.

If this had not worked I would have put her on the meds but am so glad I tried this first. Read the Tinsley House thread for more great advice.

Runninggal Hello hope you are well x

Madame never ever think you have failed you ds, you have not. ADHD is a medical condition that effects the frontal lobe of the brain, it causes the electrical impulses that effect self control to be blocked, this also affect the cortex which creates the hyperactivity . ADHD can be seem on an MRI scan and EEG's when they look for the levels of alpha and theta waves. Yes in some people it can be helped by diet but not all. The way I see it is, if he was diabetic would you give him insulin? If he had a infection would you give him antibiotics? I think you would. To me it the same thing. this site explains a lot about the actual neurology of the condition.
I am not saying you are not well within you right not to medicate him, I am just saying that it isn't as simple as medicating him to sort his behaviour out. The behaviours that a child with ADHD will display are the symptoms of the condition not he overall condition, as with any other condition you need to treat the cause of the condition to alleviate the symptoms.
All the negativity about ADHD meds has been created by the press without actual knowledge of the condition.
All I know is that my ds has been on his meds (concerta xl) for a few years now, after trying all the supplement and diet routes, and it has done wonders for both his schooling and his self-esteem. Only issue is that he is now showing some dyspraxic traits, but I am sure he would have anyway, DBx2 and DF have it. I only learned the above after he was on the medication.

Thanks everyone! KeepingUp Thank you for sharing your experience, really appreciate it. I understand exactly what you are saying about medicating for medical conditions, but I guess I feel that as it's not 'life threatening' it's a bit extreme. My main concerns aren't short term effects, but long term. Whilst I'm aware that these kinds of meds have been used for over 50 years, I've read some awful articles and blogs about kids becoming depressed and even suicidal on them. It could also be that we only hear the bad stories and not the successful ones ... the reason for my post. HolyCalamity I've read 'Is that my child' and at first I was really impressed with Robin Pauc's reasoning. However, there were fundamental flaws in the book ie: Bacon & bread have some of the worst preservatives in them along with his 'get out clause' that his therapy won't work on children with ASD. In other words, if it's not working, your kids probably autistic what the hell?! However, the proof is in the pudding and from what I read on MS, there are some DC's with ASD that have had success with his diet and excersises. I am up for alternatives and will take a look at the products you recommend, many thanks for that. Chundle so true what you say about different schools, my situation has been exactly the same as yours.

Statistically people with ADHD who don't take meds are 40% more likely to become depressed or suicidal and 60% more likely to self medicate with illegal drugs. Although Strateera (sp?) can cause depression and suicidal though as it is not the same as the other methylphenadate based meds. The thing with the type of medication that are used for ADHD are stimulants and will only work if the person taking it has ADHD, stimulants work in the opposite way for a person with ADHD.

Ds1 (16) has ADHD and started on meds when he was 8. Like you I was reluctant even to try them. However we felt we had exhausted all other avenues and I agreed to a trial. The difference was amazing. He went up 4 reading levels in 2 weeks and his self esteem improved so much.

The downside - it affected his appetite and he lost weight, however he is now a sturdy lad and 5'10 so nothing long term and he went from being very daring to being quite cautious. Nothing really major.

We will start tailing off his medication next year after he finishes his exams and see how it goes. He feels he still needs them at the same dose at the moment.

He is doing well at school and is a lovely social boy who gives me no trouble. I now believe we did the right thing for him although I have never been completely at ease with it.

Hello everyone - I am so glad that this thread is here. School is heavily suggesting that my DS (8) has ADHD, and part of my reluctance to accept this is that I do not want to medicate him. (he has sensory issues & mild Aspergers has been mentioned)

I am also desperate not to do the wrong thing by him. Will watch with interest.

plus3 do you think they may be right? With a diagnosis you could access help for him. You do not have to use medication if you don't feel it is the right thing for him. I have friends with children with ADHD who don't use medication. There is no right or wrong.

Plus3 don't be reluctant to get your son a dx if you feel he warrants it. Like several have mentioned on this thread, no-one, other than a doctor, should discuss meds with you. I know my sons teacher is out of line in this area. No-one can make him take them and no-one can make you make him. Only good has come of my son having his dx. School have been able to dip into their SEN pot of dosh and really help him in the classroom. Although not statemented, he gets 1-2-1 with literacy, reading and handwriting. You could be doing more harm than good by refusing to get him formally assessed. This is how I feel about the 'to med or not to med' dilemma. It's a double edge sword as far as I'm concerned .....

Jubilee10 - I don't know. When they describe his behaviour, they use all the buzz words associated with ADHD. I accept that there are issues, and I am working with the school, but they originally suggested that he had sensory processing disorder. Then, there would be a 2yr wait for an OT review, so we went private. Watching his assessment was staggering - I couldn't believe what he was struggling with.

We got a review with the community paed team, who acknowledged the SPD, but also felt that he may have Aspergers or some form of ASd. We completed the Connors scale. School scored him moderately high, we scored him fairly low. He was then reviewed in the ADHD clinic who felt that he didn't have ADHD but would review him again in 6mths. On Monday he was reviewed by an educational psychologist who couldn't believe that they would say that! (she was actually very rude & patronising, but that is another story)

I have so many people saying so many things about my DS and it feels like my head is going to explode.

If he does have ADHD then we will deal with it. However, I do not want it to be the easiest diagnosis to label him with, when SPD can look like it but be treated completely differently.

He's also so skinny. He just couldn't lose any weight

The medication my son has taken for the last 10 years have literally given him a life. Without them he would have remained uneducated, never had friends or a social life, certainly never have been able to hold down a job and become a productive member of society. No other kind of help or support did anything for him, help at school did nothing, nor did statementing, no matter what we did or didn't do as parents made no difference either. The dietary controls we put him on were kept, but made little difference - well except sugar made things worse still. His symptoms of ADHD were particularly dramatic and awful for us all, but of course especially him. Medication allowed the real person to emerge - the one he always was inside but was unable to release.

Initially it was higher and higher doses of ritalin, though the period just before the next tablet was due was always a difficult time. Now he takes strattera and concerta, and apart from a difficult time first thing in the morning and last thing at night there are no problems. Now as a young adult he can articulate how impossible things were before he began medication and how now he can be in control.

There have been few side effects, despite the high doses he has always needed. There was a time he was particularly thin, but that changed with adolsence. Interestingly he has a twin brother (without ADHD) and his height and weight have never been a real problem.

It was the best thing we ever did to agree to medication - and thankfully the doctors always listened to our opinion in changes of doses over the years. He now knows it was a good thing too and so our opinions of medication are not just positive, but in many ways were life saving.

Good luck whatever you decide.

I don't think you should even be thinking about medication at this point. Just remember he is your lovely ds and that won't change whether he is diagnosed with ADHD/ASD or whatever. If he is struggling with things then I think it would be worth your while pushing forward to get a diagnosis (whatever that may be) as he would then, hopefully, get the help he needs.

My ds has ADHD. He is bright, clever, did well in his standard grades last year and will sit 5 highers this year. He plays violin in 3 orchestras (lead violin in one). He is gentle, kind, has loads of friends and would do almost anything for me. So ADHD is not the end of the world.

Just in case you think I have it too easy, he spends too much time on the computer and won't get out of bed in the mornings - but hey!!!

Ds1 is dx ADHD (late at 10).

He is on a vyvanse trial, which school are thrilled about. I have the same reservations as you - are we only medicating him to make him more compliant so that school don't have to differentiate or support?

We may home school. He's seeing a psych currently (has other issues - asd ish traits/sensory, anxieties, phobias and is gifted) so we're hoping she may be able to shed some light on what is best for him int he long run.

I'm on ADHD meds.

It's tricky - if I could go back in a time machine and give my school-age self Ritalin, I would do it like a shot. No question, my life would have been improved hugely. Mostly educationally, but also there's a limit to how many umbrellas one person can afford to lose in a lifetime... Whether I would do the same for DD2 if (when?) it came to it - well, yes, I probably would (will?). But after a lot of consideration because there's a huge difference between deciding to take something yourself and deciding to give it to your child. So though I think the meds are a very GOOD thing, I understand the reluctance and of course you try other things first/as well.

Fwiw, I think it's one of those things there's a lot of reasons to try out because the down sides of trying it are very low. The common side-effects are mostly mild, tend to disappear after a couple of weeks and are easy to spot. There are no side-effects to withdrawing the meds, so for me it was very straightforward: I'll try them. If they don't work, I'll stop. If I don't like the side-effects, I'll stop. Otherwise I'll carry on taking them. Simples. All the "risks" that I can see are around ignoring the side-effects and plugging on regardless, or because we don't yet have data on very long-term usage, which there will be plenty of data on before our kids become adults and decide on that risk for themselves.

Cornishsue & r3dh3d Your posts are inspiring, honest and really helpful .. thanks! I have mild ADHD and I suppose because I've never taken meds, I feel even more guilty of thinking of it for my child, exactly what you said r3. My main fear is long terms effects that are yet fully known. I understand it's a case of pros outweighing cons, but to what cost? Keep any personal experiences coming, they are really helping me ......

We are just about to start DS1 (10) on meds for ADHD. It has been a long time to get the dx. The school originally thought something wasn't quite right in year 3 and so we had him assessed by an OT (privately). She diagnosed SPD and worked with him for a year on overcoming the sensory issues. At the end of that, the concentration problems were still there and we went to the GP to get referred to a paed.

Over a year later, we have had a dx of ADHD and have asked for him to start meds over the holidays. We really feel that we have done absolutely everything else possible for DS - to help him concentrate at school and to organise himself. Nothing makes a big difference (although his learning support teacher at school has been a huge help to him). We have had enough time on this road to come to the conclusion that meds have got to be tried before his self esteem disappears completely and never returns.

Obviously we love DS as he is but the school have said that the ADHD is affecting his ability to realise his potential. He is v creative and enthusiastic in class but as soon as something has to be written down or in a test, DS checks out. Even in the meetings with the paed, we could see that as time went on he was getting more and more fidgetty. I can also see that he is such a thrill seeker that potentially he would get in to trouble in his teenage years.

It has been a real help to find this thread and read about others going through similar situations...helps a lot to know we're not alone in this.

I am also finding this thread incredibly helpful. Thank you MadameSin

Can I ask: do you all have the same problems at home as school describes? Is homework a big problem? I just feel that concentration at home is not an issue. I haven't noticed thrill seeking behaviour, but do think that DS is easily led (which of course worries me )

Am I right in thinking that you can have attention decifit without hyperactivity?

I can't tell you how helpful you all are.

You can have any of the 3 types (inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive) together or in combination. I have inattentive with a dash of impulsive.

Ime, inattentive can be tricky to spot at home though you can have problems with homework - but not all homework. ADHD-i actually makes you incredibly good at concentrating on things you are interested in. The problem is you can't force yourself to concentrate on things that are dull, however much you want to. So if at home your kid mostly does things they are interested in, and if there aren't too many distractions, you're not going to see the problem to the same extent as the parents of a child with the hyperactive type, for instance.

It's hard to read the "easily led" thing. Yes, it's entirely consistent with ADHD, especially the impulsive type. And ime, there's a strong incentive to live off your (quicker than usual) wits, paying the clown, to make up for self-esteem issues. But it's consistent with all sorts of other things too.

The really good at concentrating (to the exclusion of all else) on certain things, is called 'hyperfocus'. V common even in inattentive ADHD. Ds is predominantly inattentive, with a dash of hyper activity and impulsivity.

Well you asked for good things about ADHD meds. Ds has very severe impulsive hyperactive ADHD with ASD and LD and ADHD meds were also mentioned very early on. Like you I was very against the idea but after reading up and several near death incidents after starting school we eventually went down the medication route. My philosophy was to try everything else first and we still use suppliments and diet as a means to keep ds on the lowest dose of meds. Before medication he was single channelled and completely unable to pay attention or do anything he did not choose, or listen and see at the same time so was effectively deaf most of the time. He had no attention span for learning, although he could focus for a few minutes on self chosen tasks of high interest to him. Things at school were deteriorating fast and my bubbly little boy was getting very unhappy at being constantly in trouble. He was shouting stupid little boy in his sleep.

When ds first started meds the main action was to slow him down a milisecond - not much but enough to allow him to start to learn impulse control ( I swear his impulses bypassed his thinking brain!) and other action control. He appeared calmer, but was still his joyful fizzy self. He is nicer and can be kind and thoughtful now during school hours ( his medicated time) I think the meds help him control himself and give him the opportunity to learn, both at school and in life. We have fewer visits to A&E now! Of course we continue with everything ( diet etc) else but the single most helpful thing for ds himself has been meds. He just about manages in an MLD school, but I doubt if he could do that (or be safe) without medication.
I realise your child is more mildly affected (and still very young) so it is hard to compare - but do not be afraid of a suitable medication trial if you feel your child is being held back by his ADHD.