ADHD and medication

If you have decided or not to medicate your child, could you please share your experiences. My older son (7) would most likely be diagnosed with ADHD. I haven't gone down a neurologist route or developmental pediatrician route because my dh is against meds. However, I am at the point where I may want to medicate and want to get all my eggs in one basket. My son CANNOT sit still for more than a few minutes. Throughout dinner he gets up like 5 times...has the same issues at school. Fortunately though, at this point, it is not affecting his academic functioning, so they will not address it at school. However he is getting more and more difficulty to manage at home (and at school because he keeps getting in trouble there as well). He rarely listens to directions on the first try (and/or purposefully defies us). His attention span is really poor...he is constantly moving/jumping on things. He really requires a lot of sensory input (jumping on people etc). He is extremely impulsive and when he has something in his mind, he can't focus on anything else but that. I am just really at a loss. I feel like he is always punished. We have a marble jar for following directions on the first try and when he fills up the jar, he receives a marble. It doesn't really work...and he doesn't really care when he loses stuff either. I am really at my wits end. Anyways, if you did medicate, did you see any side effects, any issues? If you didn't, did you see a neurologist/developmental pediatrician? if so, how did they help?
Thanks all

Re: ADHD and medication

I don't have advice on the medication but I wrote in the other thread I would recommend seeking a developmental ped. You don't have to start on meds, but I would see what they have to say. They may be able to give you some things to help. Does your son receive OT? My son (he's 4) does and the OT recommended fidget toys. Basically it's something they can squeeze when anxious. She also recommended a mini trampoline which we got and when my son really starts bouncing off the walls, I send him to the trampoline to bounce. I swear that thing saved my sanity. Each kid is different, but I definitely think a developmental ped could offer some useful advice. Good luck!

Re: ADHD and medication

I agree, a dev ped will help with strategies for ADHD and sensory issues. They may suggest medication at some point, but you don't have to go that route. Whatever you decide, in my opinion they have more experience and knowledge about these issues then pediatricians and have more to offer regarding strategies then neurologists. You can make an appointment with both and decide which is more helpful. Either way, the next appointments for these specialists are usually months from now. Maybe best to make the appt and decide to cancel if you change your mind.

ADHD and medication

My son has been medicated since Kindergarten. His neuro suggested it since it was interfering with his ability to be successul in the classroom. He is not impulsive, or a behavior problem, he is more of the inattentive type. Needs constant redirection when he is not on his medication. It's really like night and day without his medicine. Slow weight gain and trouble sleeping were the initial side effects, but those have diminished throughout the years.

My theory is, if your child had diabetes or another medical condition, you would medicate for it, right? ADHD is really no different. Sometimes all the natural routes, and behavior mods in the world won't correct their condition.

Re: ADHD and medication

I feel your pain and I'm that sorry you (and your son) are dealing with this. DS is 6 ½. I think I kept wanting to believe that he was just a normal, crazy, jumpy little boy. I’m still not 100% sure I feel like he’s so out of the ordinary, considering I think that making a child his age sit in a classroom for 6 hours a day is not right (and some days I wish I could just homeschool him though that’s not really a viable option) but after he had numerous breakdowns and started crying how he hates himself and wants to hurt himself, we had to really talk to the doctor about it. After many paper evaluations for us and the teacher, he was diagnosed by his pediatrician. When I first had brought it up, the ped said if this was the diagnosis, we could try medication and therapy together. I was surprised to hear her say medication so quickly. I, like so many parents I’m sure, don’t want to change my child – make him a zombie or lose himself, so I was pretty hesitant to consider it.
We saw a couple of the doctors in the practice and both explained to me that there is a “connection” or some wiring issue in a child like my DS’s brain that medication can help. We also brought him to a therapist before starting any meds because there was some thought that maybe it was anxiety that caused the ADHD like symptoms. The therapist agreed with the doctors assessment of ADHD.

So, around the beginning of the year we started DS on a low dose of meds first with a short acting one – which was great except when he would start to come off it at school, he would have a hard time with it before he’d get the next dosage. Now he is on a time release which has really helped. And since he is able to focus more, he is able to do better and feel better about himself.

At home it’s still difficult at times. But overall, I’d say it has really helped him. His teacher says she sees him getting frustrated much less and though he still needs reminding to stay seated or raise his hand, overall I think it’s much better. For a long time he’d say every day how he didn’t want to go to school and he’d get so upset, now he hardly ever says that.

We were finally able to get him in with a psychologist who I think (hope) will be able to work with him on self-control and behavior skills, and with any luck, that will also alleviate some of the anxiety he gets from being “a bad boy” (as he tells us. )

As for side effects – I was VERY worried about him losing his appetite and losing weight as he is already soooooo very thin. That has not been an issue for us.
He has always been a good sleeper and still sleeps well through the night, though I feel like maybe it’s making him get up even earlier since he’s always been an early riser, but that could just be the sun coming up so early too. Otherwise, we have not seen any side effects.

Good luck with whatever you decide. It's not an easy decision.
ETA - sorry that is ridiculously long!

Message edited 5/9/2016 11:48:01 AM.

Re: ADHD and medication

Hello,

I agree see a behahorial Pediatrician or a Pediatrician that specialized in ADD/ADHD My DS has been diagnosed as ADHD and my ped suggested giving him Fish Oil in gummy form for kids. She said it may help him focus better, so I started today with it.

Also make sure the foods you are giving him do not have dyes in it.

HTH Erica

Message edited 5/10/2016 11:54:27 AM.

Re: ADHD and medication

My DD is 6. She had been seen by Neurologist Dr. Manganas. He is amazing!!!!

Since pre-k we he has been observing my daughter. He is a great Dr. because he will not label your child until he makes sure its not an immaturity thing. We will be returning to him in October when she enter 1st grade to see if she has gained the ability to sit still in class. My dd can not do independent work for more than 5 minutes. She is easily distracted. If we decide on meds when the time comes she would be put on the lowest dose and we would go from there. I highly recommend him. He will listen to all your concerns he will not force medication on you. He is compassionate and has great mannerisms.

ADHD and medication

I sent you a PM about our experience.

Re: ADHD and medication

My DS is primarily inattentive and is now almost 10. We have been doing Vanderbilt forms with our ped for many years after teachers expressed concerns. We have used Focus Factor, essential oils, high levels of fish oil, behavior therapy and home organization skills- all great but as he is entering 5th grade and problems with multi step, I know he needs more serious intervention. We just started low dose meds to help him. My ped knows I am not for medicating but we tried every option known to get him to an independent level and its heart breaking seeing him struggle and become hard on himself over his memory issues. We are hoping this is what he needs to get where he needs to be.
Our ped sub specializes in ADD so we did not jump to a neurologist plus DS is very well behaved in general and his issues are only school related.
I'd say before jumping to meds, research all venues just so you and DH are confident with your decisions if meds become your only option.
I think for us, I had a hard time accepting his diagnosis. When his ped said- okay, we are ready to officially diagnose him with ADD inattentive, I teared up. I have denied anything being "wrong" with my little boy for so long but I had to accept that he needs medical intervention. My ped told me that his son was diagnosed at age 7 and is now 22 and in pre med. He said without medication his son would never have been able to get to that point.
I'm still dealing with accepting everything and working on not blaming myself like many of us do when we don't have the textbook perfect child. Our families are very supportive and will help with the adjustment. PM me if you need to talk!

ADHD and medication

Definitely go see a Dev Ped. If you find a good one (I recommend Dr. Adesman at LIJ) they will not jump straight to medication. They will see if they can put some behavior plans in place first to see if that mitigate the behaviors. Also ask the school to do a Functional Behavior Analysis and they will also work on putting a behavior plan in place.

I will say that though many kids with ADHD or ADD need more help then just the behavior plans. Medicine is not a bad thing and you need to look at it from a health perspective. If your child was ill you would give them medicine to help them. This is the same thing.

Re: ADHD and medication

My son is 6 1/2 and is diagnosed ADD combined type. We had a terrible kindergarten experience. I was told by three different professionals that he needed medication but I resisted. He is tiny and skinny and I was not ready. I tried diet changes, fish oil, essential oils, behavior modification, etc. and while they all helped, none helped enough. Middle of the year I started giving him caffeinated beverages before school (tea) and it seemed to help him but again not enough to keep him out of trouble. And he was always in trouble. Impulsive, unfocused, destructive because he didnt know what to do with himself (he would literally peel the paint off the wall). That turned into him not liking himself. That turned into me sitting at our kitchen table while he started stabbing himself with a fork saying how bad he was and no one liked him and his brain was broken. At that point I seriously had to consider whether I was harming him for NOT medicating him. We saw an ADHD specialist and she really set out my options. She said many kids don't need medication but her professional opinion was that he did. We tried one medication right at the end of kindergarten and it was not a good fit for him. It made him "wonky" and he would "crash" when it wore off and made him angry. We switched to the one he is on now and I had him on it the whole summer before school started. It was night and day. My son who could not sit still long enough to put a lego set together was doing them on his own. While there are certainly some bumps this year in 1st grade it is a complete turn around from what we had in kindergarten. Honestly, I feel guilty for not starting him in earlier. His esteem is up, his impulsivity is down. He is able to focus on playing sports except for afternoon and night games which are very challenging since the medication has worn off by then. Side effects have been few. He does tend to have no appetite during the day but he makes up for it during breakfast and dinner. He has always been a good sleeper and that has not changed except that he tends to have a harder time falling asleep so I just made his bedtime later. My advice as I have BTDT is to see a dev. ped or a neurologist. It sounds as if your son has no IEP and personally once you get a diagnosis I would push your district for one. Satisfactory grades are not the only benchmark for educational success. If you son is getting in trouble in school that can be addressed. My son receives short breaks during the day. He sits closer to the teacher. He gets OT for his sensory issues. Feel free to PM if you need to talk. Also, there are several special need groups on facebook that have a wealth of information and support.

Re: ADHD and medication

My older DS is ADD inattentive. He's in 4th grade and not medicated, but I do have a 504 in place for him. He gets small accommodations that really do help him succeed. He gets things like special seating (which generally means away from the windows to keep his distractions to a minimum), breaks if he needs it (he can take a short walk within the classroom as long as he isn't making noise or distracting others), he is allowed to chew gum (which is probably the most useful accommodation he has), and time and a half and separate testing room.
Fortunately, he does well academically and with these accommodations, he does really well in school. He still needs some redirection at times, but he's very self aware and has a pretty good handle on things. I would be lying to say I'm not worried about when he gets into middle and high school. I worry about him transitioning classrooms and being more responsible for bringing things from home, to his locker, and to the class room. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it.
Only you know your child best. If you have tried these other things and feel you're still not getting anywhere, then medication may be the next step for you.

ADHD and medication

wow you described my son to a "t"
he will be 5 in two weeks and does everything single thing you listed!

I am not medicating yet. I guess I will wait till the school years to evaluate and see.
he will be entering k in September.

Re: ADHD and medication

Have you considered trying behavioral therapy? At such young ages therapy has been proving to be very, very effective. Seek out a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. Actually, 1st have him evaluated by a psychologist or neuropsychologist who will provide you with a definitive diagnosis with his strengths and weakness and any learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, etc included if present. A good report should include very specific recommendations for home and school based on his needs and will be what you need to get him services at school (and it sounds like he needs them). Just bc his grades aren't horrible doesn't mean that his issues aren't interfering. You should start with a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation. In my professional opinion, based on the reports I've seen come past my desk from developmental peds and neurologists, those reports won't get you much except a general diagnosis and an rx for meds.