Godson just diagnosed ADHD - Would love to hear from parents

[polkadotrocks]

GREETINGS-
I'm hoping some parents might be able to help me out. My godson (6) has been diagnosed ADHD. (I was also diagnosed at the age of 2) so I can understand what my best friend is going through. He is not on any prescriptive medication. The doctor wants to see how he does going to a new school that specializes in ADD,ADHD and learning disabilities.

The family traveled to Wisconsin a few weeks ago, and the parents were really able to see my godson display his hyperactivity when traveling. The family is now going on vacation next week (8 hour flight) and she has asked my godsons pediatrician if there is anything she could give him mainly for the flight to calm him down a little. The doctor recommended Dramamine to help calm him. The doctor first recommended Benadryl but it only made him worse. So now she is going to try the Dramamine.

She would love to hear some opinions from parents who have tried this and other over the counter treatments.

1. Mainly her questions are how did your child react to the Dramamine?

2. Have you tried caffeine?

3. 1mg Melatonin?

4. doTERRA - Essential Oils

Thank You so much for any opinions and advice you have.

Julie

 

[mistysue]

I have given my daughter melatonin but only when she is having trouble sleeping. While it is easy to come by, not regulated and regarded as harmless it's not something to be played around with as it can mess with sleep schedules. The last thing they need is a kid whose body they tell to sleep at the wrong time, so now he's up until 3am when they are trying to sleep.

I'm not surprised benadryl didn't work, I find it strange doctors would even suggest that as an ADHD contol. ADHD is controlled by adding a stimulant so the individual can focus. Trying to drug the person to sleep should be a completely separate issue. (unless they specifically asked how to drug him to sleep)

We do give DD caffeine. It works exactly as we would want it to. What you don't want to do is go down the path of "chocolate has caffeine..." - we give her a cup of about 1/3-1/2 coffee with steamed milk and a little of a flavor syrup so it tastes good. She has done well with hot chocolate made with a low sugar dark chocolate and milk. You could also go for a flavored tea. During the school year she takes adderall and we occasionally supplement it with coffee if she needs a boost or is having a rough time with homework. It makes her a more laid back and relaxed person to talk to.

More than things to give him to make it go away, it is going to be most to their benefit to get used to finding what can keep his attention and accommodate that. Even if they get that boy to sleep for half of the flight, they are going to be pulling their hair out by the time they land if they aren't simply prepared to keep him budy. Since DD was 3 I've carried around a gameboy which morphed into games on my phone and now a tablet. If she needs to have something to do it is right there and ready. They need to figure out how to entertain their child. Does he want to draw? Read a certain comic? watch a video? It might not be their ideal of how their kid would spend their time, but sometimes you have to realize your ideal interests for your child aren't always their interests. Then have more items than they expect to need. 8 hour flight? Pack 16 hours of entertainment. Bring a mini TV, computer, new lego set, etc. If you saw my purse you would think I was a hoarder most days.

 

[nemajovc]

There are lots of kids who react to benedryl with excitement rather than sedation- not unusual- and Dramamine could be similar.
Many people use melatonin for sleep disorders even at a young age (it can have some side effects)
Coq10 and magnesium are good for brain function btw
Trying to get into a good sleep pattern, wearing out as possible by walking ( with supervision ) thru airport before flight and digital distraction(lots of batteries) may help

 

[Pattil1960]

With my son, I looked at the side effects and expected the opposite. When he had his wisdom teeth pulled, the pain pills that the doctor said, " Will knock him out for hours" only wired him all night. Sudfed (Spelling) would knock him out, I don't know how it would work for you. My son's teacher asked parents to supply an envelope of four or five dollar bills and permission for your child to go buy a soda if they were having a "bad day". I agree with the packing activities of activities to keep him busy. My friend flew the red eye so her son would sleep during the flight.

 

[polkadotrocks]

I have given my daughter melatonin but only when she is having trouble sleeping. While it is easy to come by, not regulated and regarded as harmless it's not something to be played around with as it can mess with sleep schedules. The last thing they need is a kid whose body they tell to sleep at the wrong time, so now he's up until 3am when they are trying to sleep.

I'm not surprised benadryl didn't work, I find it strange doctors would even suggest that as an ADHD contol. ADHD is controlled by adding a stimulant so the individual can focus. Trying to drug the person to sleep should be a completely separate issue. (unless they specifically asked how to drug him to sleep)

We do give DD caffeine. It works exactly as we would want it to. What you don't want to do is go down the path of "chocolate has caffeine..." - we give her a cup of about 1/3-1/2 coffee with steamed milk and a little of a flavor syrup so it tastes good. She has done well with hot chocolate made with a low sugar dark chocolate and milk. You could also go for a flavored tea. During the school year she takes adderall and we occasionally supplement it with coffee if she needs a boost or is having a rough time with homework. It makes her a more laid back and relaxed person to talk to.

More than things to give him to make it go away, it is going to be most to their benefit to get used to finding what can keep his attention and accommodate that. Even if they get that boy to sleep for half of the flight, they are going to be pulling their hair out by the time they land if they aren't simply prepared to keep him budy. Since DD was 3 I've carried around a gameboy which morphed into games on my phone and now a tablet. If she needs to have something to do it is right there and ready. They need to figure out how to entertain their child. Does he want to draw? Read a certain comic? watch a video? It might not be their ideal of how their kid would spend their time, but sometimes you have to realize your ideal interests for your child aren't always their interests. Then have more items than they expect to need. 8 hour flight? Pack 16 hours of entertainment. Bring a mini TV, computer, new lego set, etc. If you saw my purse you would think I was a hoarder most days.

Things have really changed over the last 40 years. I was diagnosed ADHD at the age of 2. My Mom used to have "stations" around the house to keep me busy. I was also on ritalin from 2 through elementary school and then took it for a short while in college.

I visited my godson in April and I could tell at the very least he was ADD. He was extremely fixated on Skylanders and the games on the IPAD. Since his diagnosis, his parents have him in summer school at a new school for ADD/ADHD and learning disabilities. He is now talking about his days at school. And at the suggestion of the school he is only allowed to play his video games for 1 hour on Friday ONLY. And they are healthier games. Now he wants to draw, play with his trucks, play outside etc. I sent him some activity books for the flight to keep him busy, but I know my best friend is still worried about the plane ride and making sure that what she does give him, helps and does not make it worse.

Regarding the melatonin, I took it for only a week. I had night terrors and yes it threw my sleep pattern completely off. Thank You so much for your input. I know it will help.

Julie

 

[polkadotrocks]

There are lots of kids who react to benedryl with excitement rather than sedation- not unusual- and Dramamine could be similar.
Many people use melatonin for sleep disorders even at a young age (it can have some side effects)
Coq10 and magnesium are good for brain function btw
Trying to get into a good sleep pattern, wearing out as possible by walking ( with supervision ) thru airport before flight and digital distraction(lots of batteries) may help

I have not heard of the Coq10, but I have started taking magnesium about a month ago, and it has helped. Thanks for responding

 

[polkadotrocks]

With my son, I looked at the side effects and expected the opposite. When he had his wisdom teeth pulled, the pain pills that the doctor said, " Will knock him out for hours" only wired him all night. Sudfed (Spelling) would knock him out, I don't know how it would work for you. My son's teacher asked parents to supply an envelope of four or five dollar bills and permission for your child to go buy a soda if they were having a "bad day". I agree with the packing activities of activities to keep him busy. My friend flew the red eye so her son would sleep during the flight.

Sudafed just might be a good idea. My doctor recommended it actually for my husband and I for when we travel. We used to get sick everytime we got home from vacation. But with the Sudafed, we rarely get sick after flying. I think my godson has taken the children's version before.

Since my godson is just diagnosed I think it is going to be a trial and error of sorts until she see's how he reacts right? My girlfriend remembers me being on Ritilan when I was young and the hard time I had with school. Neither of us want to see her son go through that. Thank you so much.

 

[bookwormde]

It is important to understand which type of ADHD your GS has been diagnosed with, and if the clinical evaluation was comprehensive, to help figure out how to best provide supports.

I am guessing this is a private school that you are talking about since moving a child out of the general education environment for ADHD would in almost every case be a non starter, as far as compliance.

I would start with some of the dietary modifications, since they typically help both types and other diagnosis that may come down the road.

 

[mistysue]

I visited my godson in April and I could tell at the very least he was ADD. He was extremely fixated on Skylanders and the games on the IPAD. Since his diagnosis, his parents have him in summer school at a new school for ADD/ADHD and learning disabilities. He is now talking about his days at school. And at the suggestion of the school he is only allowed to play his video games for 1 hour on Friday ONLY. And they are healthier games. Now he wants to draw, play with his trucks, play outside etc. I sent him some activity books for the flight to keep him busy, but I know my best friend is still worried about the plane ride and making sure that what she does give him, helps and does not make it worse.

That's interesting, I know a lot of families have found that ADHD can be made worse from technology. I always forget that until somebody mentions it though. One thing my daughter has always been great about is self regulating in that respect. She uses the game or show for as long as she needed something then comes away more relaxed and will do more hands on type things. Our default is also for games that involve puzzles or critical thinking, so I've never given much thought to healthy vs. unhealthy games because it's the same stuff you would get in a puzzle book. If he is the "technology makes it worse" type then I would avoid an overload of that, though it still might be a good time for him to catch his movie of the week.

They may still want to have a large portion of a carry-on bag just for things he does want to do. Sometimes you can find some nice little gadgets at the dollar store so he can have a few new puzzles, mazes, those little skateboards, a car, coloring books or whatever he would think was cool.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

While this isn't something that would help in the short term, there have been studies that show Omega 3 supplements help ADHD. But it can take months for it to take full effect. It's something to suggest as part of a longer term management strategy.

For the trip, I agree with the suggestion of a bag of activities. Things like silly putty (to keep his hands busy). Maybe a Rubik's cube. I Spy books. Word search books.

 

[bopper]

If you go with dramamine (helps with airsickness and often makes you sleepy), try it before you get on the plane to know how it affects the child.

 

[MareSINY]

My oldest niece was diagnosed with ADHD this year. She also has an anxiety disorder we have been dealing with since she was little. She's 13 now and takes melatonin at night to help her wind down and fall asleep.

My 10 year old niece with no disorders takes Dramamine because she gets car sick. I can say from experience it knocks her on her butt and she will sleep for a few hours, but no where near 8.

 

[lorijohnhill]

My daughter (age 7) has ADHD and an anxiety disorder. She is on Zoloft every day and takes Ritalin when she is in school or has something she really needs to focus on. She also takes Melatonin every night, otherwise she does not sleep at all. We thought long and hard before we put her on meds, but her life has gotten so much better with the meds. It's a night/day difference in her moods, behavior, and overall emotional well being. She missed a dose once, recently, and oh boy! We learned to be sure she has them NO MATTER WHAT!

This leads me to a question, though... how does Disneyland handle meds? Do they each need to be in the original prescription bottle or can we take them in a medicine sorter. She's on about 7 pills a day, so that's a lot of bottles to carry around.

 

[aaarcher86]

My daughter (age 7) has ADHD and an anxiety disorder. She is on Zoloft every day and takes Ritalin when she is in school or has something she really needs to focus on. She also takes Melatonin every night, otherwise she does not sleep at all. We thought long and hard before we put her on meds, but her life has gotten so much better with the meds. It's a night/day difference in her moods, behavior, and overall emotional well being. She missed a dose once, recently, and oh boy! We learned to be sure she has them NO MATTER WHAT! This leads me to a question, though... how does Disneyland handle meds? Do they each need to be in the original prescription bottle or can we take them in a medicine sorter. She's on about 7 pills a day, so that's a lot of bottles to carry around.

They don't monitor your medication. You can take them in whatever you need.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Thank you!