ADD and medication for children and adults

[HaleyB]

I noticed there were a lot of people with some experiance on this topic that hang out here so I thought I would ask some questions.

First off, I am very sure I have adult ADD. I am not by any means hyper and never have been. I have learned to cope in a lot of ways. The Flylady was a huge help to me, to tell the truth. But I am still a mess in some ways. I seem to be getting worse... you know I used to feel like I always had six balls in the air. Now I feel like I have four in the air and two that hit the ground and rolled under the couch. I just never know which two I lost until the **it hits the fan. Driving me nuts. So that is where I am. I am also dyslexic and I take a lot of medication already for chronic pain and Thyroid problems. Some with some fairly scarey possible side effects. I have not really considered medication for the ADD because I already feel like a chemical plant, kwim? I do wonder how any adults with ADD feel about medication, and if the have tried anything what they have found.

Second and more important right now is my son. He has ADD, no hyper- he is a slug bug, and he also has dyslexia (very classic case, the dyslexia specialist said he was one of the "most" dyslexic people she has ever tested, he has all the classic symptoms/abilities), on top of that he has other processing LDs (he can not listen and write at the same time, or copy anything from a board). He is also very bright with an extreamly high crystalized knowlege score. If he is read to, his reading comprehession is also very high.

By the way, he is 10, almost 11. He has been held back once so he is in the 4th grade, and he gets some support services at school. Not enough, but I am not sure anything would be. He can not focus at all in class, unless it is something he is really interested in. Then he will 'hyper-focus' and so he gets "lost" either way. He does not really fidgit or need to move around (if you make him move some it helps him stay on task). He just goes off into his own head, which is a very interesting place (he makes up great stories, invents games, and just thinks about stuff in odd ways).

His teachers have hinted that we might want to try medication on him. I worry a lot about it. I read so often about depression as a side effect and do know one child that had a horrible time with it (awhile back). My son tends to be slightly depressed naturally, I sure don't want to bring that out in him. His doctor doesn't see a need to medicate him. But the part he focuses on is that there are no disipline issues. I didn't want to medicate him because I know from my own life that you need to learn to work within the ADD, and develope ways to cope with it. I also worry that the push to medicate is because the schools, and maybe society as a whole, has a very cookie cutter mentality. That there is a tendancy to want everyone to be the same.

However we seem to have hit a wall. He seems to be getting worse. He used to be able to do his work with a lot of reminders and hand holding. This year that seems to be slipping away. He is falling behind in school again and his reading is not improving. He can't write at all, it scares me, to tell you the truth. He tells great stories, asks great insightful questions, and orally can answer anything. Ask him to write it down and forget it. The grammer goes, the complexity goes, you get three words that are all spelled wrong and hard to read because the penmanship is missing too.

The school has pretty much stopped his pull out services, and they refuse to do it anymore. They give him in room support, but it is worthless to him. He never asks for help because he is not really aware enough to realize he needs it. He is never disruptive so the teacher really doesn't notice she has 'lost' him half the time. We can come even close to affording the local private school for dyslexia and it is over an hour from my house (he has a younger sister too).

So I am begining to think I may need to medicate him, or at least try and see if it helps. He already has sleeping problems too. So yet another concern.

So I wanted to hear what other parents have found. What sorts of changes they see in their kids, good and bad.

How do these drugs work? What do they do?

 

[drgnfly30]

I don't have any advice on the AADD (Adult ADD), but my DS10 was diagnosed with ADHD at 8...

Regarding Meds... I was not dead set for or against Meds but was at my wits end & was willing to try anything... Our PCP subscribed Metadate 20mg.. I figured we'd give it a shot & if it didn't work, go another avenue... within 3 weeks he went from failing grades to honor roll work... the difference was amazing. It is a time release capsule so I give it to him before school in the morning & by the afternoon it's 'affects' are gone. He was also given a low dose of Ritalin to use as an extender for homework but he's never really needed it (more like I don't want to 'overdo' the meds unless it's REALLY needed).... My DS seemed depressed prior to meds as well.. but I'm pretty convinced that the depression was a side affect of the problems he was having at school & making friends (all attributed to the ADHD)... now that those issues have cleared up, the depression has too....I've seen some parents report that they don't like the affects of the meds on their kids... I have not seen any adverse affects but every kid is different.

Regarding your cooperation with the school - DS's school refused to do anything special until I received a formal & extensive diagnosis. Once he was, Delaware state law requires special accomodations specifically tailored to his needs (not just for ADD/ADHD but for any special needs child). We have yearly (or more) meetings with the principal, teacher & school nurse to re-evaluate his progress & make any adjustments to the accomodations (DS's has been reduced significantly based on his upward progress)....

Good luck & feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.
Christine

 

[janette]

He sounds a lot like my 11yo DD, she has severe dyslexia but has been making good progress. It is not complicated by other learning difficulties and the school district we are in has a dyslexia program that I was able to get her in instead of special ed this year. She has been evaluated for ADD but it's always been inclusive. It tends to show itself in that she can't switch gears quickly. The hyper-focus is really more of a problem than anything else.

Because the things in place right now are working she's doing okay, I expect her to graduate out of special ed categories this year but she'll still get services for her dyslexia.

Does your DS get no services or is he main streamed with services in the classroom? He should qualify for services under special ed if his gap is significant or under a 504 with a dyslexia diagnosis. When was his last evaluation?

Most school districts don't have good dyslexia programs, the one my DD is in has helped tremendously but she was too far behind to qualify in the lower grades. She did special ed reading then.

There are also special TAKS rules, this is the 1st year she took the regular grade reading but was allowed extra time. The test questions are given orally, this is for math etc too.

As far as the medication, it probably wouldn't hurt to try it. If my DD was struggling more and it seemed to be related to her focusing issues I'd do it. I think that would be the only true test of whether it will be a solution. Work with the Drs and teachers, let them know that you really have to have their feedback and find out what an acceptable trial would be. If there are no improvements than there is no need for the medication.

 

[HaleyB]

probably wouldn't hurt to try it. If my DD was struggling more and it seemed to be related to her focusing issues I'd do it. I think that would be the only true test of whether it will be a solution. Work with the Drs and teachers, let them know that you really have to have their feedback and find out what an acceptable trial would be. If there are no improvements than there is no need for the medication.

You know, you are right. I guess I should think about a trial. There is time enough this year.

My son is 504, which is gives him more protection than just Dyslexia (I am told). His SpEd teacher is doing a dyslexia program with him. There is a dyslexia program but he does not qualify, because (I love this one) his dyslexia is too severe! They also claim he would be 'double dipping' if he were in both programs. He is mainstreamed and only sees a SpEd teacher for about 90 minutes a week (although they claim a lot more on paper). He is exempt from the reading and writing TAKS and takes the Math with modifications, but he tested really well on the reading SDAA (I think it is called) last time he took it so he may have to take the 5th grade TAKS.

What I am most worried about is Middle School. He has one more year, but then it is out of the pan and into the fire and I am worried to say the least.

We have been talking about getting rid of cable around our house for months. I think we will give it a try. He uses TV as a form of escapism. If he is going to be escapist he should at least be reading or using a computer

 

[Caradana]

At this point it might be time to consider an alternative school, small, private, for kids with processing differences. Your son is dysgraphic and at this point he needs some fairly heavy intervention. I'm not convinced this is ADD ... I think this might be a kid who feels lost and hurting, and who realizes in class every day that he's so far behind that there might not be any point. He might just want to hide from everything, everybody.

 

[janette]

He is under special ed services if he qualifies for the SDAA, there is coverage for just dyslexia but they do have to take the regular test. With the SDAA they should be telling you at his annual ARD which level he'll take. He has to pass the test specified in his IEP. My DD is 5th grade and took the regular test for the first time this year, but with modifications allowed for the dyslexia.

I understand what you mean about his dyslexia being too severe. I had to work on convincing them that my DD was caught up enough to enter the dyslexia program. It was aggravating and took longer than it should have for the school to transition her but they all agree now it was right for her. Most dyslexia programs are designed for kids with more moderate dyslexia, kids that qualify for special ed are usually not considered.

I asked that my DD be sent to resource for tests, she really does need the quiet space and the oral reading option. They've cut that time and I expect will do more next year.

I've made a rule that TV cannot be watched on school nights, of course this means I can't watch either but it has helped. I've found that my DD is much better about remembering she has homework when she isn't sucked into the TV programs she enjoys. TV is absolutely the worst thing for kids that tend to hyper-focus. I think the house could be burning down and I'd still have to touch her to get her attention.

My DD will be in middle school next year, I think there will be some advantages in a more defined schedule and no overlapping between pull out classes & regular classes. Hopefully the advantages will overcome the disadvantages.

Cardana makes an excellent point about private specialized schools. My DD had some problems in pre-school and we moved her to a private school that specialized in social / learning issues. She was there for about 2 years before transferring into public school as a 1st grader. We opted for 1st grade although she was eligible for 2nd but would have been one of the youngest in that class. The early intervention I believe has helped her be on the level she is, there is no cure but they really can learn how to cope and compensate for the way their mind works. Since our public school has served us well we haven't had to reevaluate the private route but I would go private before I'd allow her to fail.

 

[barkley]

ds 9 has adhd and is in a private school (and thriving) but it is not specialized. it works for him because it is small (his class is k-2 with 8 kids and 2 teachers) and while he must keep reasonably on tract with his fellow 2nd graders he is allowed to advance in subjects he excells at (he finished 2nd grade math before christmas so he moved into the 3rd grade book, at this point about half of his subjects are at 3rd grade level), and reinforce the ones he has difficulty with (writing, spelling, reading).

ds was diagnosed at age 3 and began (still is on) dextrostat. we give him "medication vacations" during the summer (so he does'nt build up a tolerance) but the impact on his ability to function educationaly and socialy is greatly improved on the meds. when he first started he was also given a mild anti-depressant (imipramine-i believe) which also helped him with sleep issues (the kid would TRY to sleep but just could not relax enough to fall asleep, in fact it's only been withing the past 2 months that he can lay down on his own and fall into a deep rested sleep for the entire night-but i think insomnia can be somewhat hereditary, i have a horrendous problem with it).

our thought were that we could try meds and if they had an adverse or no effect decide to discontinue. we found that they can make a remarkable difference in the quality of an adhd kid's life.

good luck with your decision.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

HI!

If you haven't already....Please, please, Please check out Dr. Frank Lawlis' book, The ADD Answer: How to Help Your Child Now. There is also a supplemental book. ...before you go to meds. I am no Tom Cruise when it comes to this subject and have personally taken meds, in the past, for depression but Dr. Lawlis has had astounding success with his natural methods for helping ADD children!! Also, I believe that Dr. Lawlis does feel that sometimes meds are necessary, in small doses, so he really takes everything into consideration. I especially like the fact that he address the child as a whole person, not a "label" that is broken and needs to be fixed.

I'm sure you know that it has been found that food colorings act as a stimulant in kids and that often just keeping them out of the diet changes a childs behavior completely . This is one small example of how simple changes can make world of difference!

I wish you and your family all the best. I know that ADD is a challenge but it doesn't have to define who a person is and I'm sure you'll find the best way to help your son's true brilliance shine!!