ADHD Help

Hi E.,

My heart goes out to you. We had sort of similar situation with our son but we found the school environment was the issue not our son. Once we changed that he was/ is WONDERFUL!! Have you ever considered homeschooling as an option? LOTS of folks are doing it, its great! Another thought with ADHD is to change his diet before you jump to meds for him. Lots of the meds have serious side effects and no long term studies on their effect on kids. Check out www.drfuhrman.com for diet ideas.

Good luck!
S.

My daughter was diagnosed as ADHD when she was five. She was on Ritalin at seven, but by eleven she had unusually high pressure in her eyes. Pure chance we found out as they do not routinely check the pressure in Children's eyes. We had to take her off medication. All the time, on and off medication, I had stopped her having sugar, which did help enormously. even a small amount would trigger her hyperactivity. I could tell the moment she came home from school that she had had some. It would take three to four days for the effects to get out of her system. People would say 'A little bit won't hurt" but trust me a little bit can hurt and can completely wreck the child's behaviour. It was a very difficult regime, but we got through it and she got through school. She is now 32. There are far more sugar free things available now and there is also an organisation to support parents with ADHD children. I forget the name but you can google it. You will need all the help you can get. ADHD children are a trial and can have a very bad effect on their siblings who tend to get left out as the ADHD child grabs all the attention. Good luck and get help it will make life easier.

I don't have any experience with ADHD, so I'm not sure if my input will help much, but my son started putting on weight in first grade. They get into school and they hear "No running" all the time, and it seems to be snack, snack, snack with most of the snacks being candy and cookies and horrible junk food. I don't know how severe the problems are with your son, but if I were in your situation, I think I'd try looking at diet and exercise to see if it made any difference, and go for the medication as a last resort. It's hard to sit still through school, but maybe if he has other times of strenuous exercise, he'd be able to make it through the school day. My son loves his tae kwon do class - he goes 4 days a week after school. Soccer is good too, lots of running around, but a bit weather dependent. Gymboree has some good classes, too.

You are not alone!!! I am a mother of a almost 6yrs old boy with ADHD. I was prewarned when I found out his father was diagnosed as a child, and when he was in preschool the teacher said she saw a few signs she recognized as dealing with her own son. SO, when we started Kindergarden all the gloves where off, the teahcer was miserable and constantly separated him, singled him out, sent home rude notes, and finaly we had enough. I had him tethe class tested knowing it would be positive. I had to this point taken many measures to adjust at home. The problem came when it interfered with his education. The teacher wanted him removed from the class he had tested into, quite well I might add. I refused for her to hold him back. We talked to our doc and he recommended, a small dose of Adderall. The is a 4hr controled release form that helps him when he is at school. After the first day, the teacher was already writing less rude notes. We changed schools because of the mistreatment and found him blossoming. He has become so much more engaged and unvolved. I am so glad I moved him into an envirnment he could feel comfortable in enough to ask for help. Enough of my babble, since the meds he has become a much better envolved student becasue he can focus on 1 task at a time. He has become a better boy at home because he can follow thru the direction I give him. I think he all around a better boy because he can focus so much more and therefore learn and ask the questions he is thinking without running off onto something else. I am glad we made the leap but I am glad we waited because the transition was much easier with a boy who understands and another person thaqt can give me honest feedback on his action when I am not there.
T.

Hi E.! My son is ADD/ADHD. I also have another that is ADD. The older one is 11 and has been on meds for 4 years. The other is 9 and we just started him on meds. My husband and I were totally against medicating until we tried it. Their grades went from D's to A's and B's right away. We started them on Adderall which works well, but we had our oldest switched to VyVanse which is a long lasting pill which lasts in his system longer through the day. So when he is doing homework in the evening he can still concentrate. The Adderall seemed to wear off a little faster. The nice thing about both of these is that they don't stay in your system. They are out of your system before the next pill comes the next day. That is the main reason I recommend either one of them. We started with the smallest dose and had to go back every two weeks until we got the dosage right. The only side effect we had from the meds was loss of appetite which returned normal in a few weeks. So your son may lose a few pounds in the beginning, but I'm certain he will gain them back. Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you would like to chat.

B. Deck
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www.ubah.com/X2733

My 5 1/2 yr old son was diagnosed in january with ADHD and I had him put on meds in February. It was one of the best things I could have done. My son had problems with his attention and I was having trouble getting him to go to school in the morning, not getting work done, and getting very defient when he did not get his way. He is now on meds during school only and I have noticed a big change at home. He likes going to school now and I am not fighting with him like I was. Please read up on the subject, there are many signs and behaviors that these kids have that people do not recognize. If you continue to have problems with behaviors you can try a behavior chart also. I also got my son into soccer, although he still has tons of energy. You can message me if you have any questions or if you want somebody to talk to. I know what you are going through. J.

Hi E.,

I have 2 sons with ADHD, although with very different presentation. One is inattentive dominant while the other is hyper-impulsive dominant. This is a disorder which truly affects the whole family. You will need to have lots of patience, but there are ways to help. We've been through many medications/doses, but seem to have found ones that work for our sons. We struggled greatly with the decision to medicate. When we finally did, I nearly cried the 1st day my son came home from school. He had a note from the teacher about how well he did that day attached to a writing assignment-before meds, he could barely write 2 horribly sloppy sentences (2nd grade) and this paper was completely filled with a neatly written story. He is now in honors classes in middle school, although he still struggles to stay on task.

Feel free to send me a message if you want more specific advice about different meds, etc. Hang in there. It is a tough road, but celebrate his energy!

K.

E.
Please be careful as you read these replies. There are a lot of people out there with their own agendas on ADHD. Find a doc/psychiatrist/psychologist you trust. You are the parent and do what you think is best for your child. If it is diet then do it. If it is drugs, then do it. And don't let anyone make you feel bad about what you have decided. 60 to 70 percent of individuals with ADHD have addiction problems as well so you are right to want to address it. I grow weary of people telling other people not to take a certain approach on something. Every child is different. ADHD can often be comingled with other issues as well. Diet doesn't work for everyone. Do what YOU think is best. Good luck!

So my daughter is 13 now, diagnosed ADHD when she was 7 and I knew she was more hyper than most by the age of 3 so I've been dealing with this a long time! She did start medication and has been on all of them at some point or another. Some work well and then fizzle out so you try another one, some you just have to keep upping the dose. But I will say the medication helped a lot. One thing to watch for is that the medication can stunt their growth so I would take her off medicine from time to time usually around typical growth spurt ages. She is a normal 5'3" right now (I am 5'4"). Read the Explosive Child by Ross Greene, and check out Russell Barkley who is an expert on ADHD. I was all into doing charts and stickers when my daughter was younger and that worked well until she was about 10. Good luck!

Keep a food, activity & behavior journal for a couple weeks. Some children have adverse reactions to certain foods and food additives. See if there is a pattern. Good luck!

Dear E.,
Great nutrition makes a huge difference! Load him up on fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, raw nuts. Lay off processed foods as much as possible.
Blessings!
J. F.

Read this before you give him drugs. Try changing his diet first:
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/add-adhd-diet.php

Hi E.- Well, you have certainly taken the first step by seeing a child psychiatrist. If, by any chance, you want a second opinion from an expert on ADHD,please send me a note and I will put you in touch with him. Many practitioners just prescribe medication for hyperactive symptoms because there is no real "test" for ADHD, only a checklist of symptoms. Next, I suggest reading the work of Daniel Amen, who has written extensively on ADHD and has several books out. He also offers nutritional and more natural ways of helping to control hyperactivity. He also does brain imaging and has an office in Reston, but that can be very costly. Many children respond well to diet and supplements alone, while others may need medication. You may have read in the Washington Post last week about ADHD and the long-term effects. While we do not know what the long term effects of medication are for our children, we need to weigh that with helping them learn and thrive in their home, school and community. If medication helps your child to focus and learn, you have most of the battle won. Best of luck!

I have 2 kids w/ ADD. I have seen alot of changes with the treatmets and the approaches. I suggest you get onto the site called ADDitudemagazine.com . Check out this site, even subscribe to the magazine. It's been a wonderful resorce for my husband and myself. Lots of tips, medicle advise interesting articles, and gadgets to purchase that will help with managing time and schedules.
Good Luck!

I do not have a child w/ adhd but I have some experience w/ them. I just have a few tips Ive learned from myself and from friends w/ kids w/ adhd.
I do know that sometimes it takes time to get the right meds that will work for your specific child. And it also takes time to adjust the right dose. If one med doesnt work, try another. Be patient.
Also, some parents find their child seems depressed, tired or having no appetite on the drugs. Sometimes thats an adjustment issue, it could also be too strong of a dose as well. Some parents dont give the meds on the weekend, to give the kid a break.
Structure is good for them as well. But at the same time dont be so rigid as to not allow them to be who they are. I had a friend who had 2 students w/ adhd in her 4th grade class. She let them sit at the back of the room because they would disturb the class. This worked for them because they were able to stand or sit and be fidgety w/out being a disturbence. I thought this was a great idea.
I hope you find the right med for your son and see some improvement soon.