Thank you to everyone who answered. For those of you that give your child an ADHD med, do you do it before or after they eat in the morning?
Metadate, made my daughter a zombie
Really? How many mg of the medicine did they prescribe?
I took my son to the pediatrician and was told he was ADHD.
He wanted to put him on Ritalin right away. He told me the side effects were sleeplessness and loss of appetite.
My son is very active but he sleeps at night. I really want to see someone else and not just take this ped. advice. I really don't have faith in him at this point. I've only seen him once.
Good luck to you on your journey. I was going to go the natural route (diet and supplements. Omega 3 etc.
I would ask your pediatrician for a referral to a neurologist. That's what we did. I agree with the other poster, a Pediatrician can't diagnose ADHD, they can refer to to a specialist.
I will continue the "diet" for the whole family. I've tried to cut down sugars and buy things with natural sugar or no-added sugar in them. More expensive but natural sugar breaks down slowly in your body where as artificial sweetners break down quickly and make your crash. The natural foods are more $$ but worth it. It's great how places like BJ's have healthier selections now so I can buy things like Annie's products and Juicy Juice in bulk for a lower price. The Vitamin Shop has a great selection of children's supplements. I use the Yummy Bears Omega 3-6-9 and they don't use artificial sweetners, colors or preservatives in them. Good luck!
No experience with Metadate. But my DS12 has been on Concerta for many years. We too thought we could go w/o the meds and felt so bad when we had to resort to them. Over the years we have had to adjust the med dose every so often and he has had issues with eating and sleeping. The doctor was great and kept a close eye on him with med checks every 6 months which included a height and weight evaluation, blood tests and heart/BP checks. They were worried the meds would stunt his growth. But last summer he started a growth spurt and is now at the 50%ile for height and weight (He used to be down near 10th). No worries about stunting his growth.
My DS takes 3mg melatonin and that seems to help with the sleep issues. He is also eating better.
The meds have worked wonders for my son. He can now concentrate in school, sit still long enough to eat, and is able to contribute to a classroom discussion. Once we got the right dose, he was never "spaced out". It works so well, we can pinpoint the exact min. the meds take effect in the morning. He is like a whole different person when the meds are working. He's even told us that when the meds wear off or he doesn't take them, "his brain feels funny".
Hang in there. Finding the right meds are such a trial and error process. We tried 4 differnt types of stimulants before we got it right. But once you do find the right ones, you'll know right away.
One of DS's issues is he can't sit still for class or dinner, but can sit for HOURS while playing Legos! I have to constantly tell him to sit back down. Did you start at a high dose and come down or vice versa?
Find someone who does neurofeedback. I know people who's children have had great luck with it. Not cheap and rarely covered by insurance but good stuff.
Never heard of it. What is it?
Metadate CD is basically extended release Ritalin. The most common side effect is loss of appetite and sleep.
Don't let anyone make you feel like a bad parent for considering medication. If you child had diabetes you would have them take meds right?
It takes time, patience and a close eye to find the right med.
I definitely won't let anyone make me feel bad. I know I tried an alternative route but it didn't work for us. Hopefully the melatonin helps with sleep. We gave him one last night and he slept without getting up once so fingers crossed.
IMO a pediatrician should not be diagnosing ADHD - he/she should be sending your child to specialists that can properly diagnose as there are many issues that can present as ADHD.
Once properly diagnosed then it is time to consider treatment options. Good luck on your journey
Good luck!
My 8yo takes Metadate. He started at 20mg and is now up to 40mg a day.
He was born addicted to meth (we adopted him). Before he takes his meds in the morning, he acts as if he is ON drugs. He is sooo out of control that it's sad to watch.
Metadate helps him tremendously. Of course, each med works different for each kid. It may take a few trials of meds before you find the right one.
Good luck!
Bless you for adopting a child with a known issue like that! It must be a battle but one worth fighting!
My son takes 20 mg of Metadate CD and it works well for him.
We started with Ritalin LA which is basically the same thing as Metadate CD. The Ritalin LA releases 30 percent of its dose right away and then 70% a few hours later. That worked well but it was at a drug tier that was the highest on our co-pay. The doctor had us try Metadate CD which released 50% right away and 50% later and we still got good results (for cheaper) so we stuck with that. *Note* I might have the release rates reversed on these two drugs--I no longer can remember!
Anyway, both of these drugs produced the least side effects. We had used Concerta (disaster) and Adderall (another disaster). We've been happy with this one for MANY years.
No stomachaches, headaches, etc.? Have you noticed any "rebound" effect? The Metadate is the 30/70 medicine. That's what the Nurse Practioner at the neurologist's office kept saying over and over.
My child has not used Meditate but has been on different ADD meds for many years. The medication makes a world of difference. I'm not sure why medication for this have received such a bad rap. Good luck. If this one does not work, there are others to try. It can take a while
What side effects have you dealt with if any?
support and 1 suggestion...Listen to your child. Not sure what age your child is but even very young children (4-5) can tell you if a medication makes them feel "off". Tried something (think it was ritalin) for my 14 yo son when he was just 6 yo & in 1st grade. He hated the way the meds made him feel. 
she couldn't function without them
