mom's of adhd and bi-polar children?

Question

I am the mother of a adhd and bi-polar diagnosed child. We are in the midst of a medicine change and I am so frustrated with this process. What types of medication for children are you satisfied with having your child take and how many changes did you go through before you found the answer for your child?

Answer 1

There is no perfect medicine my dear it is basically trial and error. Keep up with what works and what doesnt and keep the doctor informed.

Answer 2

Hello! My daughter was diagnosed with adhd almost 4 years ago. We started her off on Concerta. That made her pale and "zombie-like" so we switched her meds. However, in hind-sight I think we had her dosage too high, so she might have been okay on a smaller dose. Anyway, she then went on Strattera. That made her violent so we took her off that within a couple of weeks. I have to tell you though that I have known other kids on Strattera who do fine on it. That medicaton was just a bad fit for my kid. We switched doctors at this point also, from a pediatrician to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist put her on Adderal 10 mg of the extended release so she won't have to take any at school. It has worked out very well for her. She's been on this medication for about 2 1/2 years. We only give it to her on school days and days she has to concentrate on something since she's 10 years old and the size of an average 8 1/2 year old. We're trying to get her to gain weight, which is hard for kids to do when they are on these stimulant meds. Overall, we are all happy with the result. Good luck!

Answer 3

This does not totally answer your question but I read a book about adhd and the best prescription for that is to keep them away from anything with electrostatic energy. That would mean to keep them away from a computer screen, a television, the microwave, etc. You also need to refrain from eating dairy. A lot of children are misdiagnosed with adhd because the real problem is that they have an allergy to something they are unaware of. It's most commonly related to dairy because the cows eat so many pesticides. It's possible that it's in dairy (this includes cow meats) or such things like preservatives. Just a tip-check the labels foods like Chefboyaredee (I can't spell that LOL) are preservative free. Medications are often great, but try what natural choices are out there.

Answer 4

We were very fortunate that our boys with ADHD responded well to Ritalin right away. The only thing we had to do was adjust the dosage. My husband also has ADHD and he was prescribed Concerta at first and really had problems with it ~ lots of moodiness, not fun for anyone! He switched to Adderall and has been much better. I don't have any experience with bi-polar issues in combination with ADHD, but I imagine it doesn't make anything easier! It's a frustrating process, but remember that it is temporary and with time and patience you will find the right balance for you and your child. Good luck, hang in there, and feel free to email me anytime you want to vent!

Answer 5

At first my son was on Concerta. That was pretty good for a little while. Then we had to change it to Adderall XR. We started with a low dosage and i just recently had the dosage changed. It is frustrating, but I was going through this emotion thing of not wanting to put him on the meds. It tore me up, but our home life is so much better. Every now and then his teacher will send a note home, but he made As and Bs on his report card. I wish children never have to suffer this kind of thing. The thing that bothers me is there are not enough teachers who can deal with our children. I am in education and I can deal with children who are ADHD or have special needs. Just be sure to tell your son's teacher about his diagnosis and make a request to the principal to find a teacher who can deal with your child. That made a world of difference for me because a lot of teachers like to get rid of the students rather than deal with them.

Answer 6

My boy was diagnosed with severe ADD in the 2nd grade. He's now 15 and is off all meds. We tried Ritalin, but it made him depressed, took him off. Changed to a psychiatrist (I would recommend a psychiatrist instead of a pediatrition for sure) for the depression and he put him on Strattera. That worked wonders for about 2 years. However, then we decided to just try taking him off at 15 and he's off meds and doing fine. We did a lot of our "own thing" despite what the doctors said, just because we're the parents and sometimes you just know when things are right or aren't. Just a quick story to let you know that it'll be hard and frustrating, but it'll work out. My boy went from failing to Bs and Cs this year and no depression. I just wish I could communicate how proud I am of him as he's very low on self-confidence because of all he's struggled with. Just always be positive and supportive with your children. I know it's hard, but the good times will be very rewarding.. more than parents with "normal" children will ever know. Good luck to you!

Answer 7

I am not a mother, but have been diagnosed by different doctors as having both and neither. They put me on about twelve different medications at different times and several combonations of each. All of them seemed to make me worse, so I stopped taking them altogether. I still have problems with hyperactivity and depression at times, but not as much as when I was on the medication. Plus now I am a lot more clearheaded, whereas I was always "off" on the pills. You should be very careful these days about listening to doctors as many of them are quick to diagnose, and often misdiagnose contitions. A lot of them recieve things from the pharmacutical companies to sell their products. (You can look this up if you like.) I would get several other opinions from different doctors. Your child may or may not actually require medication.

Hope this is helpful to you.

Answer 8

It depends on the age of the child, my psychiatrist informed me that there is no drug on the market recommended for children under the age of 6. My son is 4 and is probably adhd but has never been diagnosed. I think he just has a lot of energy, because academically he's above target for his age. I'm currently trying a new technique with him b/c his biggest problem is his behavior. You might want to visit the website yourself for more information www.beckybailey.com Another recommendation would be to find something that your child enjoys doing and let them do it. If they are too smart for their own good, like my son, then give them something that will challenge them, but is fun. This has worked wonders with my son.

Answer 9

Med changes can be frusterting. My daughter is ADD and I think it took us 3 different meds before I found one that was suitable (Stratteria) My son who has ADHD Is doing fairly well on his second med. (Concerta) though he still has some underlying issues we are working on. I am not a child but I am bipolar as is my husband and I can't even begin to guess how many meds we have been through in our liftime. Speaking for myself I know it's been at least 8 or more. I am doing well on Depakote and celexia. My husband takes depakote too.

Answer 10

My son and daughter had to be hospitalized after their impulsiveness became dangerous, and while an impatient they were given several things that I can't remember. My son (the most severe) is now 11 and has changed meds over the years as they stopped working, and I think we are about to revisit this again. He was 4 when he began taking psycotropic drugs, and you can sure tell if he misses a day.

Answer 11

I have a 14 yr old that was diagnosed with ADD and ODD (optional defiant disorder) when he was 6 yrs old. They prescribed aderall and Zoloft. It worked wonders his behaviors improved and he went from F's to a b average student.
I also have a 8yr old daughter that was diagnosed with severe ADHD at age 6 she is on Concetta and she went from below average in her school to above average for her age. I work closely with her therapist and Doctor. I hope this helps you. i know that if your not happy with way medication switches are going I would get a second opinion.