ADHD Medications for an 8 Yr Old?

I have ADHD and have came to peace with taking medication to treat my ADHD and give me a chance at my successes I knew could not be possible without some type of help.. It took along time to accept the fact that I had a problem that would be with me for the rest of my life and deciding whether or not I wanted to have to depend on a pill to help me for the rest of my life.. But at age 14 I began taking medication, when I things became unmanageable for me both in home and school environments. My grades were slipping more than ever before ( transitioning from middle to high school) there was more classes and homework and the work was more complex.. The transition from elementary school was quite the same but I still managed to get by because there was not as many expectations at that time than there had been at the middle to high transition.. So I decided it was the right time at age 14, and began taking Straterra for my ADHD.. But it gave me really bad headaches and my doctor thought it might be better to try something different.. I then began taking Concerta and that had caused really bad side effects and caused me to have bad mood swings and turned me into a very angry person more often than not. SOOO my doctor put me in the medication that I still am taking to this very day.. and it is called Adderall IR. It has certainly worked wonders for me and has allowed me to be successful and has given me hope again.. My little brother started taking Adderall when he was 4.. and had recently made the switch to a medcine called Vyvanse which is similar to Adderall but has less side effects, due to the way the body absorbs it i guess?? but my little brother is 9 now and my stepmom said that she is glad to have switched and that he is doing much better with that now..Good Luck hang in there... Trying out medication doesnt mean that your son has to chose the life long commitment of medicating vs not medicating. But making the choice for him now is in your hands and can definitely open window for opportunity and allow more stability for him, for you, his peers, and for everyday life

My husband is an adult with ADHD, you do realize they never grow out of it,? As a matter of fact as my husband has become older, it has gotten worse. His parents "would not let him take meds" so he still thinks it is some sort of crutch.

No there is no cure and yes, coping skills are great, but they HAVE ADHD! So coping skills are great, but they still need help remembering the coping skills.

There can be depression from having to work so hard just to work through a normal day, Give them a project, homework, and chores and you have just made them have to work even harder.

It is a shame because even though my husband is pretty successful, I always wonder how much more he could accomplish with meds.

He can look at almost anything and tell you how it works. But in school he received poor grades in upper level math because he could show the answer but not the work (it was to boring and took too long). He would take forever to do homework and his parents had to sit next to him to keep him on task. And then he would "forget to turn it in". He went to college and loved it, but never completed because he would not go to class, because the schedule was hard to follow.

He cannot finish a project on his own. It is almost physically painful for him. He forces himself at work because he is being paid, but at home, we have projects all over the place. He has NO sense of time and never will. This makes him nervous all of the time because he is so worried he is going to miss important deadlines etc.

To this day, he cannot remember that trash day is on Friday. It has been his trash day since he was a child and he is now 50. It is just not there, because he has so much more to remember.

He stresses about so many things because he has so many things running through his mind at any moment. Yes, he has high blood pressure because he is always so freaked out.

So, your decision needs to be, what will help your son most? Your repetition and reminders everyday, watches, cell phone, pagers and computers,Post it notes, what if you are not with him all of the time to help him remember from moment to moment to stay on task?

Make me a promise. If he does not get to at least try the meds, that you will not become frustrated, because he cannot change.

It depends on so much and it varies for everyone.
There was one boy in my son's taekwondo class who's family was determined to do no medication.
That kid was so out of control.
He was stabbing other kids with toys, acting out in every class.
He couldn't change in the locker room without drama.
Eventually he quit taekwondo and the other kids do not miss him or his problems.
As far as I know, he's still medication free but I have to wonder what kind of favor his parents are doing for him because what ever they are doing to help him (if anything) - it's not enough.
Medication for many conditions is not a cure - it's a management tool.

I have two friends who started their kids (a boy and a girl) on ADHD meds at age 8. The difference has been very noticeable. The families both tried, and continue to do, everything else to help their children including diet, regular strenuous exercise, behavior modification, but the meds have made these kids capable of being successful in school. They were failing both academically and socially before medication.

If your son is suceeding in school both academically and socially, then I would question whether the meds will be more help to him, or to his teacher...?

You say that he needs to be on the move, how much exercise and physical activity does he get each day? Some (most) kids don't get nearly enough and some (of us) need much extra. Can you add more rigorous and regular exercise to his days?

If you do decide to use medication, some ADHD meds have a short term effect, just long enough for a school day. Then you can alter the diet and eating schedule - breakfast first, then meds, then a light lunch (cuz they're not hungry), then a small meal after school then another full dinner. More protein and less sugar seems to work better.

No mental health drugs CURE the underlying condition - depression drugs don't cure depression, but they can help a depressed person function, bipolar drugs don't cure bipolar disorder, but they make living a relatively normal life possible for some.

I'm in no way a specialist and neither is his teacher but I'd say he sounds like a normal 8yr old boy to me!! Maybe he is bored in his class so he doesn't behave like the teacher wants him to or she just likes a classroom full of kids that sit and stare at her all day!!! What ever the case maybe, get him tested if you think it will help and you can then either tell the teacher to stick it and help your son in class or he is ADHD and you'll work together as a family to make the right choice for him.

Good luck!
S.

First of all, get a diagnosis. Teachers aren't psychiatrists and aren't qualified. His really shouldn't have even been mentioning ADHD.

If it is ADHD, talk about treatment with the specialist, not the general public. Don't get your information online, esp. about medication. Join CHADD, watch ADD and Loving It on PBS (great overview of the condition and treatment) and subscribe to ADDitude magazine.

Our son is on medication and it's AMAZING. It connects the dots in his brain the way nothing else could, including behavioral therapy (which now works, now that he can control his body ... without medication, forget it). We're not seeing side effects. Do not fear medication one bit. I know we all do at first, but it can be so incredibly positive and beneficial.

Your child still will need to learn proper behavior, yes. But if they can't control their bodies, there's only so much words and parenting can do. You have to give them the basic tools to succeed. The combination of medication and therapy can really help tremendously with ADHD. It has the best track record of any treatment. Don't waste time on supplements, diet, detoxing ... none of these have been shown scientifically to treat ADHD, other than Omega 3s and those are generally used in combo with medication.

Best of luck as you start the process!

Ok, they are a tool to use for when you are struggleing in my opinion (my son is 4 w/ ADHD) and working on other therepies to help ease some of the stress. We tried meds for about 6 weeks I saw a change at first after we upped the dosage but he went down a whole size in clothing and we were not getting enough help from the meds for it to be worth it to us. For now he is not medicated, I am not impressed with the side effects like yourself and we do not medicate. Does your son have assistance from the special education department? He can get services a few times a week from an OT or other therepists to help him learn how to manage and "work around" the issues. You did not say WHY the teacher thinks he will benefit just that she does so what are the daily issues she is having in the classroom and are they fixable by being creative? If the school has not evaluated him themselves then they should you and the teacher could get extra help and support from the special education department it is helpful!

HI--
Before motherhood I worked with kids who had emotional and behavioral challenges for a living. The drugs have awful side effects and I for one am not a proponent for them unless the child is a danger to themselves or those around them (which was the case with some of the kids I worked with). There are lots and lots of natural remedies to help children focus. It's good you took him of of dyes and do the fish oil supplement. Food allergies and sensitivities can cause the type of behavior he is displaying, as can chemical allergies (like to msg and preservatives in food, as well as cleaning products--things like that). I can recommend a wonderful doc in the Denver area who I know could help you from that perspective. Heck, I could help if you are interested in a more natural solution (my kids are sensitive to everything which is one of the reasons I home school---we have food, environmental, and chemical sensitivities, as well as being emotionally sensitive). Also, google Crystal children and read a description and see if that fits your son. If so, I can help. I'm just up in Castle Rock, so I'm happy to talk over the phone if what I say is resonating with you.
Good luck!
J.

I would say yes to meds if he cannot succeed academically without them If he is doing well in school and socially what is concerning you to the point of giving him meds? I agree with using charts he has to put a check to remind him how to get ready for school ,and get ready for bed, (have homework in backpack, backpack and shoes at door, put on pjs brush teeth etc) If his behavior in school is a big problem what have they tried? behavior charts to reward small blocks of time ? sending him on errands? having him look at the days' schedule in the morning and deciding When (not if) he will need to take a break-brisk walk to the counselor's office and back? or ? jumping jacks in the hallway? If the work is easy for him what is the reward for getting it done quickly? (not more work) He should be able to chose something he likes, looking out the window, doing a puzzle, reading his own book, etc IF he pushes himself to finish his work quickly.

Here's a link to the newest one I've seen:

http://www.intuniv.com/adhd-medication/default.aspx?utm_s...

I would strongly advise against medication and seek out other options. I would also be frustrated with a teachers who continues to push the issue after you have stated your opinion against it.

My step son was on Adderal for a few years and he was a zombie. He was skinny as a rail and had absolutely no interest in food. We took him off of all the medication when he was visiting us and he was alive again. He gained 10lbs in two weeks because he got his appetite back and we never had an issue with him as long as we kept him busy. I have had other experiences with medicated children when I substitute taught and you are right it just masked the issues. I am sure that there are many children that might truly benefit from Adhd medicine, but I have not seen one yet.

You might look into a different type of school. Private, home study or maybe even online programs might be more suited to his learning style.

These drugs affect a person at the biological level. You are messing with HORMONES. Hormones (and the nerves) are the two routes that our bodies use to communicate.

The reason these drugs cause so many side effects is that they are messing with the hormones- the major communicators in the body. They don't just change a persons 'focus', but affect blood sugar, electrolyte balance (electrolytes are life and death), heart function, kidney function, lung function, appetite, sleep, mood, sexual libido, fertility, thyroid function, growth, hydration, muscle control, and SO MUCH MORE.

I have been researching hormones for years. My DD (14) now has Addisons disease (low hormones) because her adrenal gland was unknowingly damaged when she was 3- by a doctor who allowed an infection to persist until she went it shock. At 5 or 6, she tended to "daydream'- sit on the beanbag and stare out the window for 20 minutes. At the time, i thought she was being very introspective! But now I realize she was actually having low blood sugar issues called hypoglycemia, where the brain is actually starving of sugar and going into a mini stroke- if you will. It wasnt until she hit puberty that her disease fully manefested (her heart, blood pressure, mood, sleep, etc are now affected). If she had been in school i am sure the teachers would have had something to say- thank God we have always homeschooled.

Your son does NOT sound like a ADHD child to me,,,what ever that is. I don't agree with the common diagnosis of ADHD anyway. They have taken normal character traits and have convinced people that it is 'abnormal'. Or have taken medical conditions and have mislabeled them as a phsycological issue. What a bunch of hogwash. Aspergers patients have been proven to have malfunction of Adrenal Hormones. The phsyco drugs allow the problem to persist while the child gets sicker. The sicker they get the higher the dose of phsyco drugs administered by the docotrs. Many times they will pile on two or three different drugs at once. High doses of those drugs will eventually poison the body and damage the nervous system to a point it can never be repaired. It is called serotonin syndrome. Look it up.

Gail

Your son sounds like a normal BOY. In my opinion, it is his teacher that has a problem. Too many teachers want parents to medicate their boys so that they will be more like the girls in the classroom, and the teacher will have a room full of more passive kids who will listen and pay attention and do their (sometimes boring) schoolwork all day long. Your son is smart, sociable and like a typical 8-year-old, is not always very organized. DO NOT MEDICATE HIM. HE IS NORMAL. I also recommend reading the book "Why Gender Matters" by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD. The subtitle of this book is "What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences." You might recommend that his teacher read it as well. Hang in there! Listen to your inner mother voice. You know what is best for your child.

Hi! I've read through all the responses you got, and decided maybe I should add my "two cents" after all. My daughter's third grade teacher tried to talk me into medicating her because she was "having trouble focusing in class." Well, it turned out that my daughter WAS having trouble, and her classroom environment was the issue. It was a poorly managed, overcrowded classroom where my child was consistently the target of organized bullying by a group of boys. She had gone to her teacher for help and not gotten any, and was punished when she attempted to defend herself. Of course she lacked focus - she was being physically and mentally tormented at school. My bright, energetic, unmedicated daughter is thriving in an online learning environment this year.

Your child is already shining academically and doing well socially. If he is bored with the work, then of course you're going to have trouble getting him to focus on it. Perhaps HE is not the problem. Have you had a chance to observe in his classroom to see what is really going on in there?

His teacher has no authority to suggest medication or to diagnose. You do not need to give your power away to her. You can simply thank her for her concern and clearly tell her that you will consult with those that do have the training to make those recommendations.

I am constantly amazed at how we decide that the problem is with the child (or even the adult) rather than with the environment we are trying to fit them into. We have so much evidence that our current educational structure does not serve the majority of our children, and yet, when the children aren't succeeding we automatically look to the child to resolve the problem rather than the environment.

Your child sounds like a normal, gifted, intelligent, creative, imaginative child. Even Albert Einstein acknowledged that, "imagination is more important than knowledge" and yet we label our children as "abnormal" when they don't fit into the box of "sit still in a chair for hours a day and spit back facts over and over again."

What information contributes to you even considering meds? What is happening for you that indicates that he would need medication? Europeans rarely use medication for their children and use many methods that are extremely effective. Why does your son's behavior require a cure? I loved what Riley J said: "we have to take meds to allow us to live the way other people do." There is nothing wrong with your child's behavior other than how other people (with their own fears and agendas) think he "should" be behaving.

When my daughter took a psychology class a couple of years ago we had a long discussion about how society labels "abnormal or deviant" behavior. It is always defined by a few "they" that decide what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. Maybe the time has come to shift the tide and seeing our bright, intelligent, amazing children for who they are and stop defining them by people that are fearful of change and anything that deviates from their comfort zone.

It has become more than clear that our education system is antiquated. Please, see your son for the amazing being that he is. You stated: " I don't want my child to struggle in school." He is going to struggle. Not because there is something wrong with him. Because there is something fundamentally wrong with the system.

I have given my children tools to work with a system that doesn't serve them. I have supported them in finding there own ways of coping. They have all struggled with the system. They just hated every boring, mindless, minute of most of their classes. However, they have all had good grades, high ACT scores, good behavior in school, etc. I have two children that could have been diagnosed ADHD, and one with high functioning Asperger's. I chose never to have them evaluated and labeled. I chose to know that those diagnosis are based on societies issues with certain behaviors and not with a "mental disorder" that any of my children have. (And I am qualified to diagnose mental disorders. I have a MA in psychology. I also choose not to practice psychotherapy and have shifted to coaching instead. I believe in a different basic model of human functioning than the medical model that assumes everyone is "ill".)

Listen to your son. Do your own research. Give your son the space to solve his own struggles (after all, he is highly intelligent and creative). Give yourself the support you need to support your son. Find your own creativity in dealing with a system that is broken. And no matter what, be gentle with yourself and nourish a sense of humor. "Don't sweat the small stuff and it is all small stuff"

I would look into a holistic doctor first before putting him on any meds. Also acupuncture might be another thing to try. I have heard, no confirmation, that some kids on ADHD meds after years start to show signs of parkinson's. There are lots of things to consider, if he is moving all the time maybe he needs to run it out. Have him run for 20 mins before dinner and see if that helps him to stay in his seat at dinner time. Also is he capable of sitting still and watching tv, or playing video games? If that's the case why do you think he has ADHD? Maybe his schoolwork isn't challenging enough for him and needs something more challenging. If he is always antsy in class have the teacher give him some chores to do in class. Clean up, or erase the boards. If he forgets things some kids are not multi-taskers, have him do one thing at a time and then give him the next thing to do. Make lists for him, and have him check things off once he has accomplished them. It might take more work on your part but this child might just need a hobby to help him get his frustration, or whatever out. Running might help.

Neurofeedback!!!!! Works as well or better than medication, is permanent, and has no negative side effects. What's going to happen when your child becomes a teenager and the meds stop working? Everyone that I have ever met who has done neurofeedback has had positive results. It works best for ADHD types (as opposed to more severe autism, etc...) My son had wonderful results! He can focus on tasks better, is MUCH more aware of what going on around him (how others feel, what they are doing and why,) the constant tantrums disappeared (now when he is upset it's short-lived.)
He has also been in Occupational therapy and Speech therapy (among others) since he was 3. He's ready to "graduate" from those (he's 7 now.)

Long story longer... :) I would look at all the non-medication paths first, including holistic approaches as another poster stated. Then if all else fails, medication might be the best choice for you.

The #1 thing I would do if I were you is get him evaluated by a PROFESSIONAL Neuropsychologist or another specialist--two or three if you have to. (Putting all three of your kids on medication because it's easier does not make a person an expert!! And no teacher should be giving that kind of advise!!!!) I'm glad you're doing your own research instead of taking one person's word for it. Keep it up!