adhd~~RITALIN 5 MG

[~queenie~]

My doctor wants us to try RITALIN 5 MG for my ds(10) to see if it helps with his ADHD..

If you have any experiences with this med. I would love to hear it..
I would not like to get in a debate about whether or not you believe in giving these meds to children..

believe me I am going through enough doubts myself

Kelly

 

[vickyBaby]

What kind of Dr.?

 

[~queenie~]

Pediatrics

 

[Microcell]

My friend took Ritilan when she was (finally) diagnosed with ADHD at 19 years old. She is more of an articulate person than your average 10 year old and her perspective was this: It made her calmer, and focused in a way, but she would get off in a daze and zone out, so it didn't help with school work. She would also complain that it made her feel strange, almost not 100 percent sober, and she didnt like the feeling of it so she stopped.

 

[HaleyB]

It works for some people, not for others. Some people have side effects, others don't. Not much help, am I? We are about in the same place as you are with my 11 yo son. We were going to start a trial and he got sick, so I put it off for awhile. I really want to get a grip on this before next school year.

The advice I got from someone with a child on meds was to start a journal. Note everything, what he eats and when, sleep patterns, moods, and of course anything to do with the Adhd symptoms. Start it tomorrow. Start the meds a few days latter and keep going for at least a few weeks with a real detailed journal. After that, if you want, switch to less detail but if you think you notice anything go back to the details.

You and your son will be the only people who can judge if it helps, helps enough, and if there are side effects if they are ones you can live with. There are lots of choices so if it is not working for him or he has side effects that bother either of you, try another drug. His teacher(s) may have usefull input, but I worry that what they 'see' and report as a good outcome is an 'easy' child. So I take the teacher input with a grain of salt. You will know.

I hope that helps. Good luck to you both.

 

[~queenie~]

thanks for the input guys.. I think keeping detailed notes is a great idea..

his teacher was the one that sent us to the doctors.. he seems to show much more of the adhd at school..

his dr said the pills effects dont last more tha 4-6 hours so if he doesnt take well to the meds we can pull him off.

boy am I having a hard time with this.. i want to cry of course that is not good for anyone elsebut me!!

 

[JoiseyMom]

There are many other drugs out there other than Ritalin. Look up meds for ADHD on the internet, and look at the other meds, and see the side effects they have, and then tell your doctor which meds you want to try, if you decide to try. It is up to you, not the teacher. If there are issues in school, you can try to get a 504, or have him evaluated by a child study team. They can help do other methods to help in do well in school. Meds should be the final answer, not the first. Good luck!

 

[donnajon]

DS9 was 6 when he started on Adderall. He started during summer school (and is now on the honor roll). The first day he took it, I asked him how it worked. His reply, "Good. I wish I could take that medicine everyday." How is that for insight from a six year old. We are still playing around with medicine but there is no way he could focus in school without it. I can deal with the hyperactivity but the attention deficit would be impossible without meds.

 

[r3ngels]

I am really sorry you are going through this... it really is a hard thing, it has been a year for my DD (9 1/2). She is on Concerta... she only has to take it once a day.... it isn't 24 hrs but only 12 with a time release. But it wears off so she can sleep at night.

With the diagnosis we went to the teacher, the learning counselor (at school), our Dr. tested her and then sent her to the school district for a 1/2 day test. It was not fun and she was thinking something was "wrong" with her. It was such a tough time.

But now she is doing great... doesn't like swallowing the pills but likes being on it... she noticed that she isn't the last to turn in her test anymore.

Feel free to PM me if you need to talk... I still have a tough time with it- you don't want to misdiagnosis the problem but you don't want to not treat something either.

Good Luck.

 

[vickyBaby]

A Pediatrician is NOT qualified to diagnose ADHD (nor is a Teacher or School Adminstrator).

I will repeat that:

A Pediatrician IS NOT QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE ADHD.

Do not let a Pediatrician put your child on Ritalin because the school says so or any other reason.

Go to a Pediatric neurologist to get a proper diagnosis. If Ritalin or a Ritalin type of drug is necessary, a Neurologist should be the one prescribing it and keeping a close watch on your child. Follow up appointments should occur at least quarterly.

 

[JennyMominRI]

My son just got diagnosed with ADHD last Monday. We start Concerta tomorrow,so I'm in the same boat.. It
s taken months,lots of visits to doctors and a Psychologist, lots of testing etc. to get to this point. In fact this started back in Nov..
I'm liking the idea of the journel also

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

A Pediatrician is NOT qualified to diagnose ADHD (nor is a Teacher or School Adminstrator).

I will repeat that:

A Pediatrician IS NOT QUALIFIED TO DIAGNOSE ADHD.

Do not let a Pediatrician put your child on Ritalin because the school says so or any other reason.

Go to a Pediatric neurologist to get a proper diagnosis. If Ritalin or a Ritalin type of drug is necessary, a Neurologist should be the one prescribing it and keeping a close watch on your child. Follow up appointments should occur at least quarterly.

What she said!

Also - if your child truly has ADHD then they have it ALL the time - not just during school hours. Please have your child properly evaluated before beginning any medications.

My best friend is going thru this with his 4 year old now.

Good luck and hugs to you and your DS.

 

[Byrd]

My son struggled in 1st grade, but made passing grades. No behavior problem, but just not interested. As a teacher this really hurt. He was tutored over the summer and evaluated. The doctor suggested further testing which showed ADD not ADHD which at that time I thought was the only possible reason for any meds. On the day that he started Ritilan my child who never studied without adult help sat down in the hall with his classmates for early morning bus duty opened his spelling book and learned his spelling words for that week. This was many years ago. Medicines have changed some and in HS he did without any medication. College was another thing. He struggled and asked to be put back on medicine. He said that he needed it and compared it to me without my glasses. I can see to read without glasses but can not do it for long as I get tired and worn out by trying so hard. After another evaluation by 2 different doctors and a psych he is back on medication (Folalin) by his choice and doing very well in his sophomore year.

Medicine is scary, but it can also make a tremendous difference on the ability to focus and stay on task.

Good luck to you and your son. Sorry this was so long, but if you need any fellow mom support please pm or just ask.

 

[Tigger Fans!]

Thought I'd voice a quick opinion. I'm a teacher and neither I or my school would make a diagnosis and recommend medications -- that's a doctor's role. What I would do is tell you what I'm seeing in class and voice my concerns.

Once you have the diagnosis do what you feel is best for your child. If he/she needs meds then get them - if you find another alternative that works then use that. I've seen parents help their child with ADHD in a variety of ways. As a parent you are uniquely qualified to know what is best for your child. Trust yourself!

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

Best of luck. My dh is medicated for ADHD. I have a daughter who is suspected ADHD (waiting for neurologist consult, but she is so much like her daddy its scary). We have decided not to medicate dd (should it ever come to that with an official diagnosis), just because we've seen how difficult it is to get the right the right med, the right dosing, etc, etc... Its was a nightmare till my husband found the right one and then after awhile it stopped working and then we start the search again (and thats with him being 33yo and able to express whats going on with himself much better then a child). We've done some small changes at home (diet, etc) that have helped some and are waiting to find out if she was accepted for next year into a local charter school that operates with a different teaching philosophy (kids can move around alot and work on their own schedule provided they meet all their daily goals) that has had tremendous success with ADHD kids (and is a highly rated school for any kid). Its a very cool program, I'm praying she gets in. Sorry I can't offer ritalin specific experience. I know how overwhelming it all can seem and you just want to whats right for your child(and you you will!!!). So I just wanted to say I feel your pain. I wish you guys the best.

 

[ducklite]

My son was severely ADHD as a child (he's still ADD as an adult and uses Wellbutrin for it now). 5mg is a very small dose--DS took I want to think 35mg a day before we switched to something else.

We tried therapy for a few years before we went the meds route, I wish we had done meds earlier. In my sons case the meds were prescribed by the pediatrician, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he needed them, including his pediatric psycologist. But a pscycologist can't prescribe meds.

Ultimately afte a couple years on Ritalin we decided that there was more of an issue than ADHD and did see a psychiatrist, and to make a long story short found additional DX and he got treatment for those as well. But the Ritalin did help him a lot.

You have to be careful with almost all ADHD drugs, as children enter puberty they can cause depression and other issues, but you've got a lot of time to plan ahead, and most kids outgrow ADHD before that point anyhow.

All of that said, DO NOT allow the school to bully you. If YOU don't feel that your child needs meds, find out exactly what rationale they have behind their suggestion. And it's only a suggestion, they can't force you into this. Often a behaviour modification program will work with a mildly ADHD kid without having to medicate.

THe difference is that the teachers have to be willing participants. Don't be afraid to fight for this, even if it means your child is classified. IMHO having an IEP is the best thing you can do for your kid, it REQUIRES the school to make accomodations for their needs, and "we can't afford it", "Don't have the staff", or "Don't have the raining" is NOT your problem. Federal law required the school to come up with a solution.

But if deep down inside you know that your child is having difficulties, then please take her to see a pediatric psychiatrist, psycologist who will work in tandem with your pediatrician, or a pediatric nuerologist. One of the reasons we went the psycologist route is that our DS continued in therapy which stressed behavious modification, and we felt it worked well in tandem with the meds. Most pediatric psychiatrists do not offer therapy, rather "how are things, OK, here's your scripts."

Let me know if you have any questions.

Anne

Anne

 

[~queenie~]

thank you all for your help.. I am a bit confused about having my son see another dr.. Why did his doctor not suggest this??


how do i go about doing this??

 

[Marseeya]

I totally agree with Anne here. She is very informed when it comes to these things.

It also bothers me when you said that the teacher is the only one noticing it and pushed to send you to a doc. Had any of his other teachers noticed it? You should be seeing a lot of this at home -- check out the list of symptoms: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm Have you observed what's going on in the classroom? Is this teacher as structured or organized as his other teachers were? That could be part of the problem. Has his diet changed at all? Is he struggling academically, or is he just having some behavior problems?

My DS was dx'd with ADHD as early as five, but we were seeing the symptoms at home first. DD is 10 and in the 4th grade and we're just now getting her tested by a neuropsychiatrist tomorrow. This is actually at her teacher's urging, BUT I've been seeing the symptoms for years and we were just trying to work through it with behavior modification first. Since that's not working anymore in the classroom OR the home, that's why I'm willing to consider meds.

Good luck to you! 5 mg is a very low dose (course, I don't know how much your DS weighs or what his metabolism is like) so you might not see any changes at all. When my DS was on ritalin, then adderall, he was very underweight, so that's something you need to watch. These meds are like candy to my DS and don't really affect him much at all.

 

[Marseeya]

thank you all for your help.. I am a bit confused about having my son see another dr.. Why did his doctor not suggest this??


how do i go about doing this??

What kind of insurance do you have? Call them and get a referral to a mental health provider psychiatrist, or like Anne said, a psychologist who will work WITH your ped.

I don't know where you live, but it can be extremely difficult to find a child psychiatrist in some areas. We've struggled with this for YEARS and years.

 

[~queenie~]

: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm

thanks for this link.. when reading this we do see alot of those signs at home.. filling out the form from the doctor was a little differnt.. i thought the form was vauge.


we have always heard from his teachers that he was very impulsive, blurts things out, craves attention can't sit still in his chair..

this is the first year his grades have been a problem.. things are more multi stepped in 4th grade.. he often misses steps in the middle...

thanks again for all of your help and support