8yr. old w/ ADHD. What would you do with your child? It's not getting any better.?

Question

Diagnosed in 1st grade, now in 2nd grade, new school. loosing my patients. Teachers are working w/ him & certified him for special ed. Throughout the years, was on Adderall, Concerta, Strattera. Now on Risperdal 0.25mg for behavior, ADHD & Impulsivity. In June, complained his heart hurt when on Strattera. Last wk says his heart hurt while on Risperdal. Following up w/ Cardiologist. A sweet kid but he can't controll himself in school, still touching others, can't focus, now banging head on cuboard in school when sitting in time out, disrupts his classes, mouthing off to me. I know its structure, disapline but I am loosing my patients. He is back in therapy, working on point system. I DON'T HAVE A LIFE! No Dad, moved out of town, doesn't call. I can't hold down a job cuz he keeps getting in trouble or I get calls, or he gets sick. What does a single mom do? He is walking over me. Yeah I spanked but my braclet scratched his side so he had to go tell everyone in school.

Answer 1

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 9 & we tried different medications only to have the same outcome "she became worse"
Pulling out her hair, digging holes to the bone in her legs and arms, and screaming. Here is what we didnt know before taking her to the neurologist ... along with ADHD, our daughter had OCD, Tourettes, and depression.
She is now on the proper medications and though life has been quite hard with her at times, it is better than it could have been without the correct diagnosis, the right medications and counseling.
I do know what you're going through, and have experienced everything you have meantioned with my own child. If you have any family or friends to help, take it, we all need a break and especially those special mothers like yourself. Keep your head up sweety and dont feel bad about venting.

Answer 2

See if you can get him back on Strattera. It shouldn't hurt his heart after he has taken it for awhile. He needs to start out at the lowest dose and work up slowly. It does have some weird side effects but they usually go away in about a month.

My sister takes it (she's an adult) and we order it from here:
http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/neurological/atomoxetine.html
If you don't have insurance, that is a good price. My sister doesn't have any problems with the generic.

If nothing else, try something like Prozac. It is cheap and should calm him down. Most antidepressants will stop the mind from racing. If your son could express himself, he would tell you that his mind is running fast and he's thinking of a million things at once.

Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder and ADHD are thought to have the same root cause, just one with tics. Is there anyone else in the family with either one of these disorders?

Answer 3

OMG! My heart truly goes out to you and your son. I have a special needs child too, but not ADHD.
I did look after a child with this diagnose. Wonderful kid when he was able to keep your attention. I was a camp counselor.
Anyway, I read up about this condition. Sometimes it is the most simpliest thing that can help a child with ADHD. I asked the parents to start monitoring his food. I helped them break it down to peanut butter. Exposure to peanuts caused him to become reactionary. Elimination of peanuts changed his behavior. The parents were very happy and the child was too.

If it gets to the point that your struggling so much emotionally, then take care of yourself. See a therapist- let it all pour out. If your falling apart, you wont be any good to yourself or your son.
This would be my last recommendation-call the childrens aid society. Last resort. I cant stand the agency. However, they can provide respite for you so that you can have a rest from the hard work involved in caring for a child like yours.

I wish you all the best. Keep your chin up, your a wonderful mother!

Answer 4

According to a majority of medical research in the United States, as well as other countries, ADHD is today generally regarded to be a non-curable for which, however, some effective treatments are available. A wide body of evidence has shown that stimulant medication is the most effective way to treat the disorder.[7][8] Methods of treatment usually involve some combination of medication, psychotherapy, and other techniques. Some patients are able to control their symptoms over time, without the use of medication. Within society, there is some skepticism if a diagnosis denotes a genuine impairment or disability. The symptoms of ADHD are not as profoundly different from normal behavior as is often seen with other mental disorders. Still, ADHD has been shown to be impairing in life functioning in several settings and many negative life outcomes are associated with ADHD.

ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in children and, over the past decade, has been increasingly diagnosed in adults. It is believed that around 60% of children diagnosed with ADHD retain the disorder as adults.[9]

Contents [hide]

Answer 5

Try getting him involved in some sports and spending more positive time with him. He may have ADHD but I'll bet there's more to it than that. I'm not a psychologist or a child specialist but maybe he could also use a special job to keep him occupied. Maybe he can help the teacher during class, for example, it can be his special job to collect the work and give it to the teacher. All the children I've known with ADHD were always very eager to receive praise.

Also, find yourself a support group, and don't be afraid to treat yourself to a break once in a while.

Answer 6

Does your child see a psychologist or a family doctor? ADHD can be sort of a blanket term, but may be there is more there that needs to be evaluated. I have seen the ADHD drugs work wonders on kids and some kids just don't respond well and need something else. I would recommend seeing a psychologist if you aren't already. Don't give up! Keep searching for answers. You can get through this.

M.

Answer 7

I can totally relate my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at age 7. And it was hell single mom trying to find answers school looking at you like it is there home life hospitals looking at you like you must be the reason. Well my daughter is now 9 and she may have trouble from time to time with compulsiveness and yes mouthy too but has made great improvements. Here is what might help first try to find a good counseling system for you and him. A mental health clinic where he can see a good doctor to have him tested to rule out something more than ADHD. Get involved with a case manager through mental health he/she will work with the child one on one and give you some tips on discipline measures and coping skills. What I found to work with my daughter is a chart of what I expect from her with a reward system to follow. And mostly lots of hugs and one on on time. I hope this helps and if you want to stay in touch from one single mom to another with a child with ADHD. Email me at [e-mail].

Answer 8

It seems like he has been on way too many medications, how long has he been on each one? How often is his doctor monitoring him and the effects of medication? How often are the behavior strategies being changed? It can take up to four months for a behavior plan and medications to take effect. The child has to know that there is going to be something consistent going on and that it won't change. It seems like he knows how to get under your skin and enjoys controlling you. Find a support group for parents of children with ADD/ADHD in your community. Request a meeting with his teachers and demand that a behavior plan be created and followed. Does he have an IEP?

Answer 9

Do you think for one minute your child wants to be like this? You both need to be in therapy so that you can cope before you snap and really hurt him. I take care of an 8 year old just like him. He cannot help what is happening to him. He did not ask to be born with something that he will have to deal with the rest of his life. Our little guy has the same problems with the medications making his heart hurt also. Do you realize how frightening this is to your son? My little guy asked me if he was going to die because of the pain he was having. Please get into counseling so that you can better deal with this. I feel for you, but I also feel for your innocent little son who has no control over what is happening to him ever second of his life. Our little one is in counseling with a child psychologist every other week. He cries after he has done something wrong and asks what is wrong with him, and why can't he stop doing things that get him in trouble. Hold him mom and talk to him. Reassure him that you love him. He needs lots of structure in helping him get things done, and as one person wrote, lots of exercise. He needs discipline yes, but also reward him and praise him when he does things well. He needs your approval and your moral support.

Answer 10

time is the long term fix.
behavior control therapy with a real therapist.
diet control (sugar, caffeine) is a must
cranial sacral therapy.
don't forget lots of running outside.
spanking will not fix it.
you need counseling too for parenting this difficult child.