my son is 13 yrs old, he has always had behavoir problems.. in elementary school he took ritalin(it worked ok, but we still had problems anyway), now that he is in high school we have chose to stop the pill, since he didnt take it all summer.Now we have been having severe problems at school....my son "just wants his pill" i think that he uses it as a crutch....I know he can behave. I dont think its time to increase his dose, i think its time for him to start trying to control himself, as he cant be on pills for the rest of his life... what are your comments?
2006-10-10 13:36:53 · 19 answers · asked by daisychicca 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Adolescent
I'd go speak to my son's doctor alone first and see if he/she would be willing to put your son on a placebo (sugar pill) that your son THINKS is ritalin. See if his behavior changes when he simply believes he's on medication for it.
Then if this works for 2 or 3 months, I'd tell my son the truth.
2006-10-10 13:39:59 · answer #1 · answered by Jessica 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Just being 13 is a problem.
Be kind to him... Chemical reactions are all over the place.
I was 13 once... I'm a boy today... 45 years old and never grew up. I was never on any medications like this..
I can only tell you that you need to give him kindness.
Most likely he is going through a lot.
He is growing faster than his brain can adjust. Everything is growning, and fast ! For the medication... Seek a Dr.
I cannot tell you of things I don't know... Only that you need to support him, and love him or he will get mean. Two little things down there have a great deal of power, and its just starting.
Give him space ! Let him be himself a bit. Not sure if he is ...
WELL... You know... Doing himself ... Give him a wide area of private time.. He is no kid anymore.. He is a man in one respect, but with a childs brain.
He could get out of control... You are female. A very strange thing to him in this time. I seem to want to ask where DAD is ?
But I won't... He needs a freind... Give him his pill, and talk it
over a bit. No need to fight... He is changing... He is doing things that he is not sure about. He needs to know you will be ok with that, but he cannot ask you.. If you fight him, nature has provided him with plenty for you !!! Resist it , or he will give
you a peice of his mind !
Tension release is required...!!!! I hope he knows how... If not then be a good parent and visit JackinWorld.com because the time is ripe for both of you to read it. Most likely not at the same time though...
Hope this was helpfull.... If not please advise...
2006-10-10 16:50:30 · answer #2 · answered by Skin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not knowing your son, no one can give you expert advice. That said, I appreciate your cautious approach to the meds. Sometimes kids need them to stay on task and get the work done in school. If you have seen that he can do it without the meds, then find some kind of a productive thing he can be involved with that will help him develop that discipline. Team sports maybe, or martial arts, for example. You should also speak with his doc about possible adjustments in the meds. Maybe he can take a lower dose. Or perhaps something else that will help him, but not be as strong. At 13, he's still got a lot of growing and adjusting to do, and it's ok if he's not quite ready to handle it all by himself.
2006-10-10 22:51:12 · answer #3 · answered by Jonas_J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I also have a 13 yr old that has some behavior problems. In 1st grade, his teacher suggested I put him on Ritalin and I told her, no way. He needed to learn how to control his behavior without being pumped full of chemicals. His behavior has gotten much better as he is getting older.
In saying that, I applaud you for taking your son off the drugs. If he was off them all summer, he does not "NEED" them. I agree that he may be using it as a source of blame for misbehaving. I suggest to point out to him immediately when he does something inappropriate and offer suggestions on how he should handle problems and emotions. Explain to him what the side effects of the Ritalin are, and that at some point of his life, he is going to have to be aware and responsible for his actions without depending on a pill as a "quick fix". I'm sure he is going through a lot of emotions going through puberty, starting high school, etc. I think the best medication to give him is, communication, communication, communication.
2006-10-10 20:01:16 · answer #4 · answered by slvrngld 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son has ADD and we decided to not give him meds but we put him in Football.... you know this was the best meds we could of ever gave him. It has been 3 yrs now. He's doing great grades are way up behavior is a lot better then it was....thank goodness!
Try a 504 plan at your school this will help. When he has something else to think about he wont even be thinking about that PILL!!!! Well good luck.
2006-10-10 21:45:22 · answer #5 · answered by r64ruby@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my son is 12, & is on Concerta. He usually quits taking it in the summer. But it helps him concentrate & stay on task during school.
I'm sure Ritalin works the same way.
IT's not what you see on the outside, but what he has going on on the inside of his brain.
Talk to his doctor & see what they suggest. Even with the meds he will have to learn to cope with his ADD or ADHD. But it's very possible that when he grows up, he can find a job that let's him express himself rather than having to sit in a desk, listen to a boring teacher & be quite.
Let him take the meds, if the dr says it's okay, at least until he graduates
2006-10-10 16:06:19 · answer #6 · answered by tinybell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without the Ritalin - He is worse - so what else are you going to do to help him help himself - since he doesn't know how to control his behavior without it?? He will need to be taught how to adjust and behave in these circumstances before he goes off the medicine or it will not help either of you. Ask your Doctor for ideas - check out the Library for help - even check out natural supplements that might help at your local GNC. If he can not "Behave" off the med's - maybe you have to face it that he may not be able to come off of them until he can better cope another way.
2006-10-10 14:13:28 · answer #7 · answered by swim32 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Call the doctor! Ritalin in my book is always bad but, you need to do what ever it takes to get things under control. Unfortunately everyone has a right path to choose. Good Luck with that, really.
2006-10-10 13:41:05 · answer #8 · answered by Zookeeper 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am generally against medicating. But, if the child needs these things, then he should have them. It is true that you have a responsibility as a parent for your child's welfare, but are you really qualified to determine if your child doesn't need medication?
BTW, he could be medicated for the rest of his life. If he can be a productive person on his meds, then he should take them. I am sure your attitude that he can "just control himself" doesn't help the situation at all.
2006-10-10 13:47:30 · answer #9 · answered by Your Best Fiend 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe he should go back on the pill if its helping him, although he is an adult moreless and he can make his own desicions more less, high school is a very important thing in life, he needs to learn how to let change happen and try new things and let old things go (ie) his pills, hes a growing man he should learn how to focus on school and his furture.
2006-10-10 16:50:04 · answer #10 · answered by amy s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋