What is wrong with my 7yr. old? Someone please help!?

Question

2nd grade, in new school, can't stop talking, can't do work, falls off chairs, keeps getting in trouble, has to be the loudest kid, makes goofy noises, hyper, won't listen, dad not around, can't keep hands to himself, goes to principals office, they want to have a meeting, since kindergarten been to 3 psy. docs & starting new pediatrician. School calls me everyother day, been on Adderall, Straterra, Concerta & Ridalin, all made him hyper or mean, speeding out, fast heart beat - was in hospital. At my wits end! Don't want to medicate him. Exhausted! He can be very smart & very sweet. But gets mean, mad, can't get along w/ other kids in school. Doesn't hear me to get dressed, doesn't look out in parking lots. In overdrive & charged as teacher would say. What can we put him on to slow him down? Tired of doctors & therapists. Nothing working! School iced head today cuz he fell off chair. Been like this since kindergarten. Birth was ok, diagnosed w/ developmental delay at 1 yr.

Also, he is really smart but brings home incomplete work, falls down alot maybe cuz his big toes are crooked, sees a pediatrician 11/2. In June, dr. increased Strattera to 28 mg. a day, heart beating really fast, rushed him to the hospital, his old pediatrician put him on Clonidine for nite time to sleep & not on anything els.

Answer 1

He has all the classic symptoms of ADHD, as you know. My friend's children had these in addition to the emotional overreaction (being mean and getting mad, reacting as though it is the end of the world if they hear "no" or "later"), my friend tried everything but nothing worked, she even put them in a special school. When she was diagnose with bi-polar disorder, her psychiatrist told her to tell her kids' doc. They tried treating bi-polar and it worked. It was like her kids were stuck on manic. They went from being wretched and awful to be near to being really fun. I don't know your child, only you do, but it may be worth the discussion.
Best wishes

Answer 2

I feel sorry for your child, it seems the only attention he gets is when he is seeing a doctor, and all those drugs I don't believe in giving children all that.

That is what is wrong, he doesn't know what it is like to be drug free, he is a junkie and only 7. Don't you ever ask for a second opinion before filling or accepting the prescription, are you on any drugs.

Seek out a doctor that will help your child come off these so called behavior rectifying drugs. He may need to be hospitalized, due to the many treatments he has received, don't just take a doctor's word for it, he is seeing yet another pediatrician, how about a specialist, insist on it. Insist that he be tested for whatever they say is wrong with him, as far as I can tell all he needs is love and to understand that you will set guidelines realistic ones, that he has to follow. Children need to know where the borders are, in other words, how far they can go before displine is handed out.

First you say he is very smart then you say he was diagnosed with developmental delay at 1 year, for goodness sake take charge of this child and stop the medical world from using him as a guinea pig to test their stupid drugs, there are other ways of treating children.

So many children are being misdiagnosed these days, maybe all he wants is a little bit of attention, good or bad at least someone is talking to him, looking at him, you fell into a trap now help your son by saying no more drugs, lets try therapy, find out what he likes to do, at seven he should have interests such as hockey or wrestling or something. If you don't know the answer then you haven't spent enough time with him, real time not I'm taking care of you time, you know, talk to him about what matters to him.

Answer 3

First - when taking adderol, straterra, concerta, ridalin added with an antidipressent problems can get worse vecause they interact with the way it should work and can make depression worse. I take ridalin along with lexapro and it seems to work pretty well. He is most likeley suffering from depression linked with anxiety and of course A.D.H.D. The first is to identify the symptoms that is being experienced in order to properly get treated. It can take many trials of medications before the one that works is found. You are going to have to see a pshchiatrist to discuss this with them. (I am sure you have already done this) so you should go to a web site that you can take a quiz of ten questions which will then tell you what and if your child is depressed and which group level is he at, which will then suggest what medicines work best for that particlar prblem. Print it out and take it to the psychologist it will help all 3 of you.
It sounds like your child has depression and is in the second group which is manic and bipolar depression. The symptoms are:
pumped up self esteem
sleepin far less than normal
urgency to have to talk alot
racing thoughts / distractibility
increased activity that may be directed to accomplishing a goal or expressed as agitated
a pleasure seeking urge that might get funneled into sexual sprees
overspending
a variety of schemes, often disastrouse consequences.

Hope this helps - good luck

Answer 4

I guess therapy is the best solution. However, I must say that you shouldn't expect to get A's from him. Not now, or even ever. Some people are just not cut out to be good little kids. Maybe he needs a dose of reality or something, maybe you should enroll him in a boot camp or something like that. Boot camp can alter his behavior and possibly his way of thinking. Or you could try a military school or karate classes. He needs to learn self-discipline, if the medication doesn't do it, then he needs behavioral therapy. One of my boyfriends worked with problem children, some of their diagnoses were bleak, but he found ways to aid them in behaving better. Find out what works to calm him down, no matter how outrageous it seems.

He could also have been diagnosed with the wrong condition. I know something that will slow him down and that is a anti-psychotic. Maybe he should be on lithium or an anti-depressant too. Adderall and other stimulants have too many side effects, anti-depressants don't have as much and their are some that will treat similar symptoms as your sons. Get another psychiatrist and don't give up.

Good luck

Answer 5

Take a deep breath. This has got to be an unbelievable strain and I truly feel for both of you.

While I can't say I've had first hand experience with this kind of issue, I do have a six year old boy who can be a handful and your long list made me think of several possiblities.

If he's been going to doctors and diagnosed as something wrong with him for as long as he can remember, is it possible that he thinks he's supposed to be like this?

The meds have got to have a tremendous effect on such a young system. His body and mind could be quite confused.

With dad not around, is it possible he feels some kind of responsibility for that or is he acting in a way he's seen his dad act?

Have you sat him down and talked straight with him or have you simply been treating the syptoms? It's amazing how responsive little boys can be when you talk to them them like you would an adult.

Being a naturalist/herbalist type of person (my kids have been to traditional medical doctors less than fives times in their lives) I would suspect the meds first. Perhaps a naturopathic doctor could give you some good advice on more natural ways to treat his problems.

Also, while it may be difficult, I have a friend who's boy just could not get along in school. Her situation was very similar; no dad, meds, etc. She finally decided to home school him and he has shown a marked improvement. She's not rich, she figured out a way to make money online so she coud do it and I think she might have received some kind of assistance when she first started, too.

One last thing, when I get angry at my boy, he tends to get worse. Sometimes hugs and love (as hard as it can be sometimes, especially when he's driving me crazy) can be the best medicine.

I am sending positive healing energy and hope that things will work out for both of you as quickly and easily as possible.

Gwen

Answer 6

Wow! This sounds all way to familiar to me. I feel bad for you and am surprised you haven't been put on meds yet.
I have a nephew who now is 12 but this is exactly how he was since kindergarten. He to doesn't have a stable father figure in his life and his mom was so busy trying to work and keep the bills paid on time that she didn't spend to much time with him like he needed and when she did, she would be fine for 5 minutes until he started acting up and then she would FLY off the handle screaming at him instead of reasoning with him first. He eventually got used to the screaming and that didn't phase him anymore. He to was put on Stratera about 2 years ago (for ADHD) it made him get a headache and get sleepy for a while. The teachers would still call my sis-in-law about his uncontrollable behavior. My sister in law has started spending more one on one time with him over the past year and has tried reasoning with him and complimenting him on little things instead of screaming at him and it has made a huge difference. His self esteem has come up. She also sticks to her punishments now when she punishes him where before she would always give in so he was never learning his lesson. Good Luck to you. Stay strong! Maybe it wouldn't hurt to go on a mini vacation with him (although I'm sure you could use one for yourself) and do something the two of you will enjoy.
I personally don't like to hear when kids are put on medication there little brains are growing and I would think that there little bodies would become chemically dependent on the meds. I wish you the best of luck and pray,pray,pray.

Answer 7

Maybe he is stressed with moving to a new school too. Find him a male role model.... try the Big Bother/Big Sister Program. Also might try more disipline, set limits and rules. Make a chart saying what behavior is accepted and what is not acceptable.
Make sure he has a set bed time every nite even on weekends. Spend lots of time with him...he may want and need your attention.
Maybe try getting him into a sport such as soccer, to run off some ot that energy.

Answer 8

I find that this type of behavior has a lot to do with parenting. You seem to have no problem describing all of his "problems" and your answer seems to be "what should I put him on to slow him down?" That's not the answer. How's his home life? Do you work full time? Is he a latchkey kid? Was he cared for by a babysitter since the time he was born? How loving is your home? What are your discipline methods? It's very hard to answer your question without knowing what is on the other side of the coin.

Answer 9

Sounds like my son, who is ADHD and Bi-polar. Ask about Seroquel. It help with calming down, anger, and such. It is a fast acting drug that leaves the system relatively quickly as well. If your child is ADHD, it will take time. To find the right meds at the right dose is just as much of a guessing game for the doc as it is for you. But all the meds you listed shouldn't make an ADHD child more hyped out. So, maybe you should have your child tested by a psychologist. With my son, with his meds, we give him fish oil. And it helps alot.

Answer 10

well if his dad isn't around maybe he's acting out....are you sure you have control of this kid?? not to be mean but alot of out of control kids are that way because they need or want the extra attention that they are lacking from someone and parents don't always follow through with what they say and so the kid walks all over them and that may be what your son is doing..i don't know for sure because i don't know you or your son but that's what i've seen...so get some male influence in his life whether it be a friend or a grandfather..but NOT a boyfriend and don't let him walk all over you and he may be devolpmentally delayed still and so maybe he belongs in 1 st grade still until he can mature a little bit.