Parents: If your child has ADHD, do you give them medication or not?

Question

I am doing a study for my school, and I am having a debate if medicine or alternative medicine is the way to go. By medicine, I mean Ritalin, or a drug along the lines of it, and by alternative treatment, I mean therapy or whatever else you have tried. Please tell me your reasons and the results of your descisions. Thank you!

Answer 1

Making the decision to medicate your child should be an independent one. You should get a good evaluation and research the pros and cons of medicine. However, pills do not replace skills. Medication does not improve social skills, self esteem, peer interaction, problem solving, academics, etc., which many children with ADHD also struggle with. Whether one decides to medicate or not behavioral therapy is also needed.

Answer 2

you need an integrative approach meds dont cure it but when they work they help immensely.. I did give kids these when prescribed and needed and found them to be a life saver to them If one doesn't get help and left to their own devices there is an increased chance of drug and alcohol addiction as the person tries to self medicate.Death is definitely as side effect of that route. Also impulse control is a big issue- untreated ADHD canlead to some really dangerous risk taking like jumping off a bridge to a river on a dare from other kids, etc leading to death. ADHD kids are famous for that tye of behaviour. It is a huge question but medication should not be ruled out.
Ritalin is an old time drug an, like many of the other stimulants, has been proven safe.(nothing is 100% including NOT treating) if prescribed with caution. It has been used many more years than the anti depressants like strattera so learn and weigh the benefits or negatives of each option, speak to your doctor about how often side effets occur, how severe, can the dose or timingof doses be changed to avoid problems Read up on how statistics show the effectiveness of straterra vs stimulants. Dont read the advertising package, but real science like from JAMA or NAMI or other sources known to be reliable.
You dont just start taking it -duh-you need and evaluation and a doctor will rule out any other problems
that could make it dangerous before going forward

Although there can certainly be cases of misdiagnosed ADHD and medications given that are in some cases not called for , there is a larger problem of not being diagnosed and not getting medication or adequate medication due to panic and fear mongering of those well-meaning but poorly informed people who are against any treatment of brain disorders that uses prescribed drugs.Parents and adults should be given the accurate data and be allowed to make the decision without undo fear.
Teachers in particular seem terrified of uttering the ADD or ADHD word due to fear of being accused of "forcing children to take medicines"(remind me how a teacher has authority to prescribe drugs or to get a court order to force that??) So even though they should be able to recognize symptoms and report those to the parent, even telling the parent there might be a reason to get a doctrs check up for ANY disorders, is touchy business.
That is assuming the teacher has had training and has a working knowledge of ADHD/ADD. Many have only a small clue, and often say if the child would just "apply himself" or "stay on task" or realize what is at stake -a thousand other moralizations that do not address the brain disorder. Children do not want to fail initially. It is apinful to be left behind and labeled as dumb or what have you. They need tools and encouragement to succeed not disparaging comments. PArents have the responsibility as well to educate themselves and provide the consistency and discipline when required. most diseases have a behaviour/lifestyle component, so no , medications only do not work by themsleves.

Answer 3

I have two children, one 15 yr old with ADD and a 12 y/o daughter with ADHD, both are on and benefit from medication. I was a neuropsych student in grad school. I had severe reservations about medications and in particular the stimulant class. That said I investigated and found non-stimulant medication studies that were being done at a local university.

Strattera (atomoxetine HCL) is a non-stimulant and works well with my son's ADD symptoms but did not work with my daughter.. We spent much more time getting my daughter stabilized academically. Her concentration and activity made 5&6 grades difficult. We have gotten her on Focalin and it has turned her around, she has friends, and is on the honor roll. So based on observation it has made an impact for my children.

I was a parent that said my kids would NEVER be on a stimulant. Until you have children. My advise is never say never. Each case is unique. My children benefit from the medication in fact in my view it would be cruel to not try and do anything to help them achieve academically. We've tried behavioral and psychological strategies as well. The problem is in retaining the information from these session.

Medication works well in our case. I would not cheat my children out of the ability to achieve. without medication those both would have foundered and done mediocre of been failing academically. They still struggle but at least now it is manageable for them.

Answer 4

My 15 year old cuz was diagnosed at 7 with ADHD and his parents was given the choice of medication or diet control they tried the common medicine Ritalin but we found this made him like a zombie and it seemed cruel that his friends was out having a good time and he was to doped up to join in so they got a diet sheet of there G.P and it has worked for them as he is like a normal teenager now (still like a zombie but now we know it is hormones not medication causing it)

Answer 5

You know, ADHD/ADD is not a new condition. There have been distracted and hyper kids forever. Just because there is a new name and drugs doesn't mean that kids should take it. And doctors are WAY too quick to give the drugs.

Use to be you'd put your hyper kids in sports. Burn all that excessive energy. Distracted--find something that the child loves to do (as long as it's not destructive, of course) and let them learn to focus by doing that.

Answer 6

My son has ADHD and we use both. He goes to weekly therapy with a psychologist and he takes Concerta. He tried Adderall XR, but it did not work at all for him. He lost weight on it, did not eat well, and had stomach aches all the time. Without his medication he can not concentrate at all on anything, and is constantly moving. The therapist is helping him find ways to control his symptoms, but he needs the meds.

Answer 7

I am a counselor and work with lots of ADD/ADHD children. Many people believe that the ADHD label is slapped on a kid who has too much energy. It is not about energy--it is about kids who have the vacant stare, that cannot concentrate, who cannot transfer short-term learning from the frontal lobe to long-term memory in the brain.

The kids I work with cannot concentrate in school (I worked with one 2nd grader who complained to his Mom: Why do you send me to school when I can't remember anything?--once he started meds, he LOVED school and was amazed at how much he was learning).

Untreated ADD/ADHD leaves kids at risk for impulse control. Studies are now showing that kids who are medicated consistently, their brains develop the same as kids who don't have ADD/ADHD. Kids who aren't medicated, their brains develop less normally as adults.

Do I think every kid needs to medicated? No! But if your child cannot learn or maintain their behavior in school, medication needs to be evaluated.

Answer 8

We decided to put our 6-year-old son, who has ADHD, on Straterra, which is in the non-stimulant class of drugs (Ritalin, Adderall, etc. are in the stimulant class). He currently takes 18mg/daily. Straterra is right now (as far as I know) the only medication that has FDA approval for treating ADD/ADHD. This doesn't mean it doesn't have any side effects--any medication does--but those side effects are typically mild compared to those meds in the stimulants category.

We chose the medication route for our son simply because there seemed to be no food allergies or other "natural" explanations, we had corrected vision issues and had a full physical done, and he had had the symptoms of having ADHD since birth (very short attention span, hyperactive, always needing constant stimulation, etc.). We have two children, and so observing our daughter and other children his age we knew he was different in this way. Last year, he struggled in school and they recommended he be retained in kindergarten due to maturity and behavior issues. We started him on Straterra within the current school year (2006-2007), and since being on it he has been better able to focus, handles discipline better, handles frustration better and has started reading this year, which was a mental stumbling block for him last year. He has now either met or surpassed the requirements for kindergarten, and will be passed on to 1st grade next year. Personality-wise, he is still the same loving, creative, smart, funny, full of energy little boy that we have come to know and love. But alot of his frustration at feeling like he was a "bad" kid and not being able to keep up with his classmates is gone.

I really look now at treating ADHD as a personal, family choice that is very much dependent on the situation. For our particular family, non-stimulant medication proved to be the best decision for our son. It does require constant supervision, and things aren't easy all of the time, but to see our son feeling sucessful and maturing in life is truly a blessing!! Good luck to you on your assignment and hope this answered your questions!

Additional Comments: I forgot to add that my son's biological father had been diagnosed at an early age as having ADHD, which factored into our decision-making process as far as him being ADHD and needing medication. Having at least one parent with that genetic factor, or a pre-disposition within the family somewhere, is very common [among ADD/ADHD kids], but of course it's not the rule, either.

Answer 9

I have ADD adult.
I wish if somebody discovered this problem to me when i was kid. because now im living in hell because of my bad memories that im suffering from.
if i had a child with ADD/ADHD i would suggest giving him a nonstimulant med like straterra for six month, in this period the child will have a good experience and he will learn from it.
After that i would give him a simple medication like "tetracycle" meds (its old type of medicine and doesnt have side effects that worry about and its a good replacement for ADHD meds and SNRI meds) to complete his life with happiness and self trustment.

Dont ever never let your son suffer from ADHD/ADD without meds because these people are easily depressed or they may have OCD, post traumatic disorder or bipolar in the future.

im online you can ask me about details if you want
[e-mail]

Answer 10

My middle child has ADHD and I refuse to use medication. Google the side effects of ritalin. As a parent , "death" is not something I'm willing to take chances on.