ADHD medication?

Question

My son's doctor just prescribed him Ritalin. It's a low dose, but I am unsure to give it to him for school. They say he is ADD, but I just have such a hard time believing in it. He cannot focus on his schoolwork and has explosive tantrums in class if he gets punished for something he did wrong. A lot of the kids pick on him though. I sometimes wonder if it is just rebellion from being picked on. He hates school already and he's only in 3rd grade. They want me to start him on meds, but I am hesitant to do so. What is your opinion?

Answer 1

You just described my 8 yr old pre- Ritalin. I spent more time at school trying to talk him out of melt downs then I did at home for a solid year of schooling. Try the Ritalin, please. It won't dope him up, or make him into a zombie. It flips a chemical switch in his brain that allows to settle down and concentrate. Starting at the low dose is the right thing to do. Make sure his teachers watch him for signs of improvement, or no signs, and communicate with them, often. That's the only way to figure out whats best for him. My son takes 10mg twice a day, once in the morning at home and then in the nurses station at lunch. His grades are much improved, he has friends, and is no longer an "outsider" in his own classroom. Please........... try the meds. We tried everything before going to meds, diet, removal of sugar and everything else you've ever heard of, nothing worked but the meds. Please don't feel like you've failed as a parent because the Dr wants to put him on meds, I thought I was the worst parent in the world for doing it, until I saw the changes in him, and as a result, in our family. Please, please, please......... don't deny him the opportunity........... Good Luck. MY addy is in my profile, please feel free to contact me if you have questions, or need a sounding board.........

Answer 2

My son (12) has been on Medadate for almost 2 years, it is a med for ADHD. It is a time release med that he takes before he goes to school and it lasts for 6 hours. His teachers have all but come out and say that he needs medacation since 1st grade. Our pediatrician is very against it, and so were we. We have performed several tests (connors Scale) and they have always shown that he had ADHD. I was constantly in denial. I think there is such an automatic "HE NEEDS MEDS" answer from teachers and i always said not my kid, he will outgrow it maybe hes just bored or maybe he is a little immature. But, in 5th grade the teacher informed us that he could possibly fail 5th grade, or be recommended for "special classes" in 6th grade. I broke down and tried the medication. It has helped him tremendously. He went from almost failing to being on the honor roll in 6th and 7th grade. He only takes this medication when he goes to school, not on weekends, school breaks or summer. The doc says if we can handle the constant movement, tapping, clicking etc on the weekends that we did not have to give him the meds and we don't. We deal with it. I do not know that much about ADD. My son is ADHD and is always clicking his mechanical pencil, tapping his fingers or hands bouncing his leg, etc. It started with drawing. When the teachers would be doing a lesson he would be drawing on his worksheet. He has to be doing something all the time. It is not hyper in the sense that most people would think like jumping all over and running around. He is old enough now and can tell that it helps him. I still believe that everyone is quick to diagnose ADD or ADHD. But i do believe that there are kids out there who need it and have seen kids that are way over medicated to the point that they are zombie like. Additionally, my son hated third grade, but it was the teacher

Answer 3

I too was give Ritalin as a child and it changed me and I became angry and violent, but that was 40 years ago.

Now there are new discoveries and things we can do. A company called 4Life Research has a product called Transfer Factor Recall that is all natural. It is targeted to go to the brain through the immune system. What a wonderful product it is. No side effects at all. It has a beneficial effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain. I've heard a distributor talk about a customer of hers that used this on a child that was ADD and it had a profound affect in the child's life bringing him back to manageable levels at school, and at home. I guess if you wanted to take a chance you could order it and give it a chance. There is a web site with info you can read, which I'll give you and the web site I order from too.

Answer 4

I don't have an opinion on your son as I don't know him and am not qualified to diagnose him but I do have a daughter who was diagnosed ADHD at 5 and then ADD at 18 (apparently she had lost the hyperactivity component by then). I resisted the idea of medication until she was 8. She began on Ritalin but it was quickly obvious that it was not the med for her as it turned her from a loving , quiet child to a raging monster.. so after three days she was moved onto Dexamphetamine. This med worked so incredibly well for her and still does.
She was not a violent, insolent, angry, or antisocial child, she was a really sweet kid who just had no clue how to read other kids' body or facial languages, nor could she follow playground rules or concentrate for any great length of time, so sadly she was left out and lonely. She was different to them because she was a very deep thinker and highly articulate and that is not what another kindergartener is looking for in a playmate. She proved herself to be highly gifted at learning but would let herself down by never completing work in the class or assignments at home. Some teachers tagged her as stupid in high school and sent her down to remedial english and maths classes. She was happy in those as there was no pressure to perform. However when the statewide testing results came in and she had scored in the top 5% of the state it shook up a lot of teachers for sure..lol.
Whether to medicate or not to medicate is something you should nut out with his pediatrician. I would urge you to find a copy of a Dr Frank Lawless book called The ADD Solution. I think this man is very clever at picking between bad behaviour and a real disorder.
Personally, the meds haven't suddenly turned my daughter into a wonderful student..actually she dropped out of school in year 11 and has been working in the fast food industry ever since. What I notice though is that when she is on her meds she can organise herself, remember things that need doing, and become a lot more focussed. Off her meds she fails dismally, forgets important things, cannot focus, and then spirals into depression.
Her relationships with her peers suddenly got a whole lot better around 17..because her peers are growing up and coming closer to her level of maturity..she has always been prized by adults..they could always have terrific conversations with her even when she was 4.
These kids thrive on a very rigid structured routine where they know exactly where things are always kept and at what time something occurs each day. They need ten minute warnings if suddenly you need to go out because what they don't deal well with is sudden change.
I really think you should research all avenues before committing to meds..I did try everything from diet , acupuncture, relaxation therapy, behavioural therapies (although she never really had any behavioural problems)..until by age 8 I realised that meds were the last option. For her they were an answer but it still does rely on her pushing herself and learning strategies to help be organised.
Good luck hon..I hope you find what works for your son.

Answer 5

I know how you feel. My son son has ADHD. It "runs" in my family. My father, brother, and two nephews also have it. The two nephews had bad experiences on Ritalin, I would suggest talking to your doctor about trying a new medication. (I hate when the first medication they suggest is Ritalin) Ask about Focalin (really helps with focus) which my son started out with. Had real good results with it and fewer side effects! He is now using a new mediction that is a patch called Daytrana. Also is having real good results with it plus it lasts longer. You should absolutely talk to your child pediatrician about your options.

If you have questions about your child actually having ADHD get a second opinion and do not EVER let the school tell you that you child has it. They are not doctors and have no legal right to force you to give your child medications. It's not fair that your child gets picked on but that is what happens when they "label" the child with ADHD. I never told the school that my son has ADHD and they don't know the difference. I never told them because I saw what happened to my nephews when they where "labeled". Both my nephews are behind in school because they assumed that they had learning disabilities and are bad children because of their ADHD, which is not always true. My son is well behaved in school and gets good grades so I know that assumption is false.

I wish the best of luck to you. If you need someone to talk to that understands what it's like to have a child with ADHD email me anytime. my yahoo email is the same as my screen name.

Answer 6

well this should get int resting for you to see a father responding so ill try and make this to the point my son at age 3 was said to have adhd and add along with tremors, he has been to countless doctors and counselors and shrinks and we even went through the medication shuffle , let me be the first to say stay clear of Ritalin it is extremely dangerous for children , trust me i have done the research and the reason we took my son off it was it can at a high risk cause heart problems , my son has enough going on and that shouldn't be one of them, not to mention he walked around like a zombie , all children are different and react different to medications , my son is now five and in kindergarten , he still has tremors but deals with it alot better now to the point where he controles them, yes he does take meds and have been on the same ones for two years now and they work for him ,he takes clonidine,trileptal and adderall , look , i had a very bad fight in my head over the fact of giving my son meds or trying home school or more doctors and ya i figured hell even maybe nassa , the point is you can listen to these deranged people out there that scream dont drug your child ,i dont look at it as druging my child i look at it as giveing him a chance to live life the best he can any way he can , do the reserch ask questions then you can deside what is right and witch is the best way to go , i wish you the best , but dont forget only a parent who see,s this and lives with a child with add or adhd really knows what it is like for there child anyone other is just guessing

Answer 7

Well, if the doctor did a comprehensive evaluation and your son truly has ADHD, then research indicates that there's a high probability that he will benefit from a combination of medication and behavioral interventions. So, if there is data to indicate that he does have ADHD, then I would suggest that he receive treatment as soon as possible. If not through medication, then at least through counseling/behavioral therapy. If you don't believe he has ADHD, then you might want to seek another professional opinion because it sounds like he is having a very tough time in school. Or perhaps talk with his doctor further to try and understand why the he/she believes your son has ADHD. Good luck!

Answer 8

First of all, ensure you had a proper diagnosis. This should not only be based upon his behaviour. For a proper and true diagnosis, he would need to see specialists - to have a brain scan, chemical analysis, etc. by a neurologist, etc. That is the only way to get a definitive diagnosis. From there, you do research. There is a boook out there by a Dr. Lawless (unsure of spelling) on the newest information on ADD/ADHD. I totally disagree with putting kids on speed just to make everyone comfortable. Oftentimes it is simply a discipline problem (no offence), but you can get lots of help.

Answer 9

You know, there's an argument here for an against. I've been off and on various meds my whole life. And it sucks to cope without them, but that's something that i only now realize. My mother had me off and on meds my entire childhood.

Its really responsible that your asking this question. I think if your hesitant, take him to a behavioral psychologist. or even a councilor. I think alot of times boys especially, just act like boys, and we don't discipline them the way they should be, and in school we don't challenge them the way we should (this goes for alot of girls too.) Increase his exercise, spend more time with him and limit his tv. And take him to a councilor, they can usually figure out whats really going on without putting him on mind numbing tranquilizing medication.

When you exaust those options and nothing else seems to work, then medication may be the best thing, but I find often times medication is a doctors way and the schools of giving up on a child too soon. Thats not to say riddlin doesn't really help alot of kids, it does. Simply that it should be a last resort not a first option.

Answer 10

Meds. will just suppress his symptoms. His energies need to be redirected in a different direction. Ask him what he thinks is the best solution for his siutation. He is a human being respect his decision. He will learn everything he needs to know when he gets ready.
Home Schooling would be better.
Let him educate himself via the computer.
The children today are not interested in the old propaganda.
School is just a Brain washing facility..