Any one with a child with ADHD.......

[tmli]

I was just discusssing the idea of caffeine helping adhd with my pharmacist and mentioned to him the Mountain Dew theory. He has heard of it before in the U.S., but he says Mount. Dew in Canada doesn't have caffeine in it.......thought this was interesting! He did say for some cases a little caffeine does help, we discovered the hard way my ds is not one of those people.

 

[nativetxn]

Jana~~I don't have any experience with ADHD in children <i>or</i> adults. I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that I hope that you find the treatment that is best for your son. That will make such a difference in his life, if you can find the best way to deal with <i>his</i> issues. Everyone is different. Medication is best for some, diet control is the key for others, behavior modification is the treatment of choice for other people...every child and adult has different needs. Some children and adults require a combination of all three methods.

What is right for one of us is not necessarily the solution for all of us. I admire you for asking for other experiences and advice. You make me believe you are a wonderful mother and love your children very much. I know I'm right, too

Katholyn

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by tmli
Mount. Dew in Canada doesn't have caffeine in it.......thought this was interesting!

I don't like coffee so I always have diet Mountain Dew in the mornings.

Good luck with your son. I'm sure you will find something that works.

 

[momof2OH]

I'm glad you like it Tracey! I love it as well. I have a copy of it right in front of me on top of my desk. This way I see it every day and it reminds me to not sweat the small stuff.

 

[ugadog99]

Just wanted to mention another option for you. My 9 year old DD is ADHD and first started on Adderall. She had horrible side effects from it and we had to stop taking it. However, she is now on Strattera. It is the first nonstimulant drug approved for ADHD. She is doing so much better on this new drug. I would urge you to check with your doctor about this. We have had wonderful results and I feel much better about medication since it is a nonstimulant.

 

[LIDisneyFan]

We tried Feingold, Behavior Modificaton, and just about everything else for DS (now 8). Last year, we broke down and had him start on meds. We had the usual issues getting the right dosage and drug, but he is now on Concerta and dong great. We continued Behavior Mod, but found that sometimes it was OUR nehavior that needed modification - so we are constantly working on ourselves as well.

But we couldnt have had the breakthrough we did with him without the meds.

I am interested in other experiences with Straterra - our doc didn't wan to go that route because of some of the side effects (especially on the heart) but I loved the idea of a non-stimulant. Maybe it was just too new, but it wasn't the way he wanted to go - any other experiences?

Anyway, to answer the original post - we tried, but the non-med way didn't work for us.

And, no , it was not the easy way out - and I resent anyone thinking that any reasonable parent would simply drug their kid to make their life easier - most of us go through horrible internal struggles before we go to meds as an answer.

 

[momof2OH]

Both of my kids have tried several different meds with varying results. We tried them both on Strattera in Jan. when it first came out. My DD (14) is still on it and doing very well. She is Dx ADD. My DS (12) had to be taken off of it because it was if he wasn't taking anything. He went back on AdderallXR and is back to being"normal". He is Dx ADHD. Our Dr. said he is finding out that with his own patients that the ones who are Dx ADD are doing much better on Strattera than the ones Dx ADHD.

 

[PigletsPal]

I'm also a mom of not only a ADHD, but a IDDM 15yo with ADD and Mild Touretts. My ADHD son is now 11 and I had to fight tooth and nail to get the school to test him for this. I know alot of people think it is an easy way out to for a troubled child. But I knew something was not right with him and I also did not want to do the med route, but we finally put him on adderall and I have to say what a world of difference it has been for him. He made the "B" Honor roll twice since going on this med. A co-worker's son could not take Adderall so yes it's not for everyone.
I think you have to do what you an your doctor think is best for not only your child but your family because the outcome also affects family life.
I don't think the people on this forum are so much as judging you as only want to share what has worked for them, or at least that is what I'm doing, because I've already gone thur my co-workers thinking I was trying to take the easy way out for my son, but after seeing the difference in him and how he has grown in the last 7 months I have no regrets.

Good luck with whatever you decide and keep us posted.

 

[Dancind]

We've been through all this, and I can only say that things do get a little better as the kids get older. At age 6, my DD's 1st grade teacher hinted that she might be mildly retarded. Long story, but we got her out of that classroom. Turns out she's highly gifted, with ADD, severe Auditory Processing Disorder, Dysgraphia, and probably clinical depression. Almost seems as if the smarter they are, the more quirks they have to deal with. The first thing diagnosed (in 2nd grade)was ADD, and we tried Ritalin. Absolutely the wrong med for a child like this, made her extremely paranoid and anxious. Eventually tried Dexedrine Spansules, and it worked like a charm. Her 3rd grade teacher then recommended the gifted testing.

Problems continued through 5th grade where I wound up pulling her out for home schooling. I was the one that figured out the learning disabilities, the school will not give her any assistance because she still manages A's and B's in her classes. This despite the fact that she understands and retains only about 5% of what she receives verbally, and cannot manually write a cohesive sentence. Teach her visually (or musically!), she remembers 100%. She started computer keyboarding at age 9, the 4th grade gifted teacher predicted that she would be a writer!

I got her tested after 5th grade for the Audiotory Processing at my own expense, the school wouldn't test her. Also paid for a therapy program called Fast Forward at my own expense ($3000). It helped, though. I can now say something to her and she responds. She still has a way to go. Can you imagine what mid-school is like socially for a child like this?

Last year, she flunked a test for depression given by her pediatrician. The Dr. wanted to put her on Paxil, and I couldn't see it. I started her on a course of Omega-3 oils, and her depression has disappeared, along with her mood swings. She's doing so well, that I even experimented with not giving her the stimulants a few times this summer. Know what happened? She couldn't even get dressed! She will probably need these meds for the rest of her life.

So, 6th grade was the pits. But there is hope. She is learning to make friends, has a couple of friends in her dance group, one that was in the gifted program with her last year, and just bonded with some girls in her scuba certification class. I almost feel like we spend the summer building her up, and then she gets progressively torn down through the school year.

I do wonder what happened to my kid sometimes. I had a brother with ADHD, and I guess I was a "dreamer", but how did she wind up so out of it? I wonder about immunizations, chemicals in the environment. We just have to do the best we can for our kids, and if they need medication, so be it. It made a huge difference for my daughter, and still does. Diana

 

[ripleysmom]

"Ripleysmom, the reason I'm am replying to your post is not to say I think you are doing anything wrong. I am replying to let any parent out there that may have questions know there are other options."

Yes there are and I listed some of them. I believe that I advised you to take whatever course of action that you felt you needed to. I just did not want you to close your mind.


"I grew up having ADHD and dyslexia and now live with ( not suffer from) adult ADHD. When I was a child they didn't know about these things yet. I had to get threw on my own and I did. So I do know it can be done without medication. I also know it is a struggle. In doing the research I feel this is the best option for my son."

I also have ADHD and also grew up without medication. I also grew up without friends and was a social outcast.



"I do believe it very misleading for you to compair insulin to ritalin. Firstly diabetes is a life threating dieseas ADHD is not. You need insulin to save your life with diabetes"

Why was it misleading? I included a statement to the effect that it didn't have the same consequences.


"you don't need ritalin to save your life with ADHD. Ritalin is a mind altering drug and is in many ways similar to cocaine.
IMHO the risks of the medications most commonly used to treat ADHD FAR out way the any pros it may have."

Did you know that children with untreated ADHD are at greater risk for drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and not being able to hold down a job or in some cases complete school? Those are facts based on a 15 year study completed by Dr. Russell Barkley, one of the leading ADHD researchers in the country.


"So I have chosen alternative ways to help not "treat" my son."

That is, of course, your choice.


"It is because I want the best for my son I am trying to look at other alternatives to help my son."

Absolutely and I endorsed that you should do that.


"I don't mind if that means a tougher time to me, if it proves to be the best choice for him"

Who cares about what is tough for you. You are a parent and it is your job to deal with tough. What about what is tough for your son though?

If he has no social or academic issues then that is great and I say do what you are currently doing. However, if he does then please cast your mind back to when you were a child and think about whether you really enjoyed your childhood.

 

[ripleysmom]

"1) There is a huge difference between insulin and the the drugs usually prescribed for ADHD."

I believe that I indicated that there was a difference.


"2)I couldn't disagree more with you on this one ( and I think you're getting close to insulting a few people with your view) To not treat a child with drugs for ADHD can be an enourmous strain on a parent and make for very difficult times."

Who cares about the parent!! You think I am proposing it to make it easy on the parent? I've been there and know exactly how a child feels who is socially outcast from their peers because they are different.

I am thinking about the child. Period....end of story.


"IMHO the EASY way out is to drug them to the eyeballs so they are passive and maliable. To try and work with the child to overcome their problems takes a great deal more patience, care and love."

Um...hello.....have you ever seen a child who truly has ADHD on medication? They are anything but passive and malleable. Did you even read this part of my post?

"Make no mistake medication will not magically make everything better, what it will do though is enable your child to focus on how to behave better so that behavior modification therapy can be effective. Your child still has behavior that he/she needs to unlearn."

For a child with ADHD the pills help but they are not a magical answer that you seem to think. Children with ADHD still need a lot of work while taking medication, the difference is that they now have the control and can respond to it.


"Far from being ALWAYS in the interest of the parent, to try to find another less intrusive and less severe answer to the problem doesn't indicate a parent that is only thinking of themself ( as you seem to believe). IMHO to tell someone who's asking for information on alternate possibilities other than hard core drugs that they are thinking only of themselves is likely to offend."

Where did I say that they should not look at alternate possibilities? It is when a parent refuses to consider medication after trying everything that I have a problem.


Just an FYI, I also tried alternate therapies with both of my children so please do not assume that a parent who chooses to make a pharmocological choice for their child is looking for the easy way out.

 

[momof2OH]

Ripleysmom...I agree with you! We tried everything you could think of for both of mine and the meds or I should say the right combo of meds was what did the trick. With this I mean, it was what was needed to get them to be able to stay focused and under control long enough to have the behavioral issues addressed. Just because they are on meds does not "magically" make all the problems go away. We still have our days, but they are nearly not as bad or last as long.
A lot of people (i'm not specificly saying anyone person) who say things about medication for these children are not fully educated in what ADHD/ADD is really about or probobly don't have to live with a person who is. It is VERY hard!! My DS as been through more in his short 12 years than most people go through in a life time. This just shouldn't be. Not one of these children ever asked to be ADHD/ADD. People should really think how it affects them and what it must be like to be them.

Sorry for going on and on. This is just a very touchy subject for me!

 

[fklhou]

Both of my DD and my DW have ADHD. My middle child tested off the chart on the TOVA exam. Adderall XR works well for her but we have a second medication that is fairly new called focalin. Focalin is one of the sides of the ritalin molecule and has all of the benefical effects of Ritalin with none of the bad effects.

Medication is not magic and has to combined with a lot of support. We research the heck out of this issue before deciding to use medication but got comfortable with this choice in combination with support.

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

IMHO the EASY way out is to drug them to the eyeballs so they are passive and maliable. To try and work with the child to overcome their problems takes a great deal more patience, care and love."

Um...hello.....have you ever seen a child who truly has ADHD on medication? They are anything but passive and malleable.

Bingo! I remember when my son's Kindergarten teacher said, "But you can take a pill for ADHD. Why don't you give him some medication?" What she didn't realize or was too stubborn to try to understand was that it takes the entire team of adults to learn the behavior modification. She wasn't willing to do anything to change herself to change his behavior and so she had the worst interaction with him of any adult I've ever met.

Granted my son takes heavy duty meds and can't take the regular ones for ADHD because he is multiply disabled. Sadly about every 18 months we find out that they missed a diagnosis not that they've mis-diagnosed. So he gets a new one but they don't take the old away. But his ADHD is very severe and actually masks several other problems. I think it is wonderful when diet and behavior mod programs work. But anyone who thinks that meds are some "magic" pill that don't require a lot of work on the part of the caregivers in the child's life are living in Fantasyland and I'm not talking about the one in Florida or California!

 

[LIDisneyFan]

Tiiiigergirl:

What she didn't realize or was too stubborn to try to understand was that it takes the entire team of adults to learn the behavior modification. She wasn't willing to do anything to change herself to change his behavior and so she had the worst interaction with him of any adult I've ever met.

You couldn't be more right. We have been fortunate to be able to include the teacher,principal,school psych, reading teacher, etc. in our Behavior Modification program. We have included ourselves. And our DD. Obviously, DS plays a great role in this himself. All this in conjunction with the meds. You need to be willing to work within the system, around the system, and through the system. You need to manage the meds, manage the docs, and manage the school. It's all hard work. Well worrth it, but all hard work.

Rispleymom:
Thank you for saying things I could never articulate as well as you did.

BTW, we just got DS's TerraNova scores back. In one year, he has progresed to where is overall average is in the midpoint of the above-average range - his lowest score was in the top of average. This from a child that was being evaluated for special ed assistance a year ago. Not that standardized tests are the be all and end all(far from it - that's a different post!!), but this could never have happened without a tremendous amount of work from many people and without his meds.

Not to mention a pretty incredible 8 YO boy.

 

[Mikelly1221]

..what exactly is the TOVA exam? We're starting the road of ADHD in my 4 year old, and I've done a lot of research but I'm not sure what this is. Thanks!

 

[welovemickey]

Hi, I've been reading this thread and thought I would respond.

My oldest DS was a handful in early elementary. We had him evaluated and spoke with his Pediatrician on numerous occasions about his lack of focus and social immaturity. We fought against medication for a very long time (tried diet change, behavior modification, etc). While everything we tried worked short term, it was not a long term solution for us. Finally in 5th grade we tried him on medication ( a low dose of metadate). We did see an improvement in focusing. However, in 7th grade we stopped giving him his medication. There was no difference. His school work continues to be in the honor roll range, and he gets along with his peers beautifully.

I truly believe that children do have conditions that warrant medication, but I also believe that they can and do outgrow those conditions. There's nothing wrong with putting a child on meds (IMHO). The question I always asked myself was, "Is it fair to him to have such low self esteem?"No child deserves to feel the way an ADD/ADHD child feels inside. They must know that they're not like everyone else.

Maybe this didn't help, but I just wanted to tell my story.