Does anyone out there have experiance with this diagnosis and the medication to treat it? Positive? Negative? Any other ideas besides medicine?
2007-02-27 01:12:39 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
Hi
Im 14 and have ADHD i take addarallXR (extended release) and I find without it I have horrible days help you child and give her medicine perscribed for her for her ADHD. I tried not taking my meds last year in 7th grade and It has affected my life as I have been put in regular classes in 8th grade when my teachers say I should be in all honors classes. Help you child's future!!!
2007-02-27 11:59:20 · answer #1 · answered by J.A.G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi
My son is 9 and has been taking adderall for a little over a year.
We've had great success with it. We tried a few others that weren't to bad. We tried Ritalin first and it was a really bad experience. It made him worse for some reason,which we could never figure out. I think medication is great as long as it doesn't make the kid a zombie.
2007-02-28 12:05:36 · answer #2 · answered by bloomoonjada 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difficulty with the ADHD diagnosis is that it's applied to a HUGE range of kids with a HUGE range of problems.
Some kids are just restless and energetic. Their behavior will improve dramatically with a regular schedule, sufficient sleep, healthy food, and LOTS of exercise. (Limit video games and TV, which will make them crankier.)
Some kids are bored in school; they can focus just fine in stuff that interests them. It's worth talking to the teacher about providing them with more hands-on activities and choices -- and depending on the age of the child, you may be able to teach him or her some coping strategies, like creative notetaking.
Some kids have trouble reading social cues and knowing how to act appropriately. Ask the teacher to give your child more specific instructions and reminders -- not just "behave yourself" but "raise your hand and wait quietly, and then tell me the answer when I call on you." And practice at home as well, including what to do in sticky situations.
Finally, some kids really have serious, intractable, internal difficulty concentrating. They can't concentrate either at home or at school, even on stuff they enjoy; they have trouble playing with other kids, having dinner with family, cleaning their room. Those kids often benefit from medication, if only because it gives them enough "head space" to use some of these other strategies.
2007-02-27 13:32:37 · answer #3 · answered by llemma 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, Ritalin is speed. Housewives used to get it from the doctors in the 50's to lose a couple of pounds. It is not a perfect cure to be forced on a youth. If the kid hates it, do not force the issue. I had a friend that turn into a pothead and horse addict because his folks fed his that speed for years. After years of a speed bended he craved the mellow out drugs. Therefore, I challenge anyone to tell me that Ritalin is the designed cure for anything. It treats a symtom. The symtom is not a result of a lack of Ritalin in the kids diet. Structure is harder to give a kid then a pill but it is more effective.
2007-02-28 23:32:22 · answer #4 · answered by jason m 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I can't say how it is for children, but I was diagnosed with it 2 years ago at 28. Ritalin has helped me tremendously. I wasn't acting out in class, lol, But was just very hyper, always cleaning, shopping, working out and not sleeping. It also was coming to a point where I was drinking a bit to much to try to calm my brain down. not good. Once my husband andI got it figured out and treated, I feel like I got my life back. And it became okay to sit down for a few seconds.
Please don't hesitate to do what you can for your kid, he's probably hoping that you help him understand what the problem is. And there are many newer drugs out there then Ritalin that he may respond better to.
Good luck!
2007-02-27 09:20:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Kids have energy that needs to be focused. If teachers are not trained how to or parents have not taught their children that school is for learning not playing, then the classroom may turn hectic. Give any child Ritalin and it will calm them down, that is what it is made to do.
Teaching your child to be more focused will help them much more in the long run than teaching them that taking drugs will solve problems.
2007-02-28 20:16:40 · answer #6 · answered by una_jet 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have 2 sons who were both on meds throughout school. nothing else worked. we tried everything. it was a last resort. there are many things you can try before the meds. behavior modification, positive reinforcement, immediate gratification and star charts are just a few. find a good counselor who works with kids with adhd. a pediatrician can only prescribe the meds. they need someone to help find strategies that work for them and you. there are some kids that truly need meds but i would always try something else first. dealing with meds on a day to day basis can be tough too.you know your child best. don't let someone else try to tell you this is what needs to be done. do it only if you feel it is the only way for your child to succeed.
meds did work for our boys but it was our choice, not that of a teacher or someone else. either way you choose, it takes patience and strength and perseverance to get through it. do what you think is best for your child. best of luck to you.
2007-02-27 09:59:22 · answer #7 · answered by racer 51 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My son doesnt suffer from ADHD but My sister son does. He was on meds then his doc stopped it because he improved so much. and 2 months later my sister was ready to pull her hair out. He is back on his med. (which is actually a very low dose) and he is great again... normal boy things tho... mouth, attitude...but he doesnt act out anymore, he can listen for longer periods of time ( he doesnt get antsy and start trouble) he can concentrate much better and after only a fe weeks back on the meds his teachers and daycare workers have voiced that he is doing much better. I dont think it should given to everyone and it shoud be started at the lowest level but it is very helpful in most situations...
Good luck in your decision...
2007-02-27 14:09:46 · answer #8 · answered by the1mom1997 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My niece and nephew have ADHD and they take medicine for it and talk with a counselor to help!! It has helped them!!! They are doing better in school!!! Just be careful which medicine they get put on because some of them will make them lose their appetite and some will make them inactive!!! It just depends on the dosage and the child.
2007-02-27 09:18:06 · answer #9 · answered by housewives5 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Have a look at this website www.fedup.com.au it's all about how diet effects children's behaviour. Good luck. Please don't drug your child.
extract from internet below
Child drugs linked to heart attack
Clara Pirani / The Australian | March 28 2006
CHILDREN as young as five have suffered strokes, heart attacks, hallucinations and convulsions after taking drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Documents obtained by The Australian reveal that almost 400 serious adverse reactions have been reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, some involving children as young as three.
Cases include the sudden death of a seven-year-old, and a five-year-old who suffered a stroke after taking Ritalin. Children also experienced heart palpitations and shortness of breath after taking Dexamphetamine.
Others taking Ritalin or Dexamphetamine - the two most commonly used ADHD drugs - experienced hair loss, muscle spasms, severe abdominal pain, tremors, insomnia, severe weight loss, depression and paranoia.
Almost 60 of the adverse-reaction reports dating back to 1980, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, involved children under the age of 10.
The TGA has asked pharmaceutical companies to provide updated information about any cardiovascular side effects involving ADHD medication. "The TGA is currently reviewing this new information," a TGA spokeswoman said.
Prescriptions for Ritalin increased tenfold after the drug was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in August last year, reducing the cost from $49 to $29.50, or $4.70 for concession card holders.
More than 5800 prescriptions were written for Ritalin in January this year, compared with 523 in August last year. Prescriptions for Dexamphetamine jumped from 96,000 a year to 232,000 in the 10 years to 2004-05.
The US Food and Drug Administration is reviewing 90 studies to determine whether ADHD drugs were linked to the deaths of 25 people, including 19 children, between 1999 and 2003.
The drugs were also associated with 54 cases of cardiovascular episodes, including heart attacks, strokes and serious heartbeat disturbances.
Last week, a panel of pediatric experts advising the FDA recommended new information about psychiatric and heart risks be added to the labels of ADHD drugs.
They declined to recommend the "black box" warning - the strongest for prescription drugs - which a different advisory panel endorsed last month.
The FDA will consider both panels' recommendations before making a final labelling decision.
While officials said there was no conclusive evidence that the medications caused psychiatric episodes or heart problems, they noted a "complete absence" of similar reports in children treated with placebos during trials of ADHD drugs.
A spokeswoman for Novartis Australia, which makes Ritalin, said warnings regarding adverse reactions were constantly reviewed. "We welcome the opportunity to work with the TGA to ensure the labelling is as accurate as possible," she said.
Melbourne psychologist Joe Tucci said some ADHD drugs had the potential to cause long-term side effects.
"There is certainly a small group of children who would benefit from ADHD drugs, but it's far fewer than the number of children who are currently being prescribed medication," he said.
Others warned that the number of adverse reactions may be much higher because the TGA excludes reports where the cause of side effects is "unclear". Shelley Wilkins, executive director of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, which lobbies against the use of psychiatric medication on children, said many side effects were not reported.
"There is no mandatory reporting in Australia for adverse side-effects for psychiatric drugs," she said. "This needs to be rectified immediately so we can see the true extent of the damage being done."
Fremantle psychiatrist Lois Achimovich said doctors were prescribing medication too often, particularly in very young children.
"Any child behaviour that looks abnormal is being diagnosed as ADHD and drugs are prescribed. They should not be used in children that young."
2007-02-28 21:34:50 · answer #10 · answered by deedee 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋