my oldest daughter will be 8 next month, we recently discovered she has ADHD, but more w/ the inattenitve side of things-she is very smart, knows some things way above her age level so I never really thought she was having a problem paying attention. We recently started her on Adderal Xr (10 mg) now she is paying more attention in school, but the slightest thing will set her off into a huge temper tantrum or break her down crying, she is withdrawling even more from her classmates-she always got along w/ everyone, but never really played w/ the same kids everyday--now she plays with no one. I want my child to do well in school, but I don't want to change who she is, she is a very quirky, sassy little girl, but that is what everyone loves about her so much!! So my questions would be, I know there are LOTS of different medications available, does anyone have an opinion or experience with how certain medicines have worked for them or family members, also everything I read suggest therapy, she is in a social skills class in school (to help her not always have to win etc) how do I go about finding the therapy that she will need, the school has been a great help, and her teacher is wonderful, but is that something she would get in school, or do I need to take her to another dr. or pyshologist, and how do I go about finding one?? We have pretty good insurance, but is that something that is covered by insurance?? I would really appraciate any and all help I can get with this. Thank you--also she has only been on this for about 3 weeks.
My 15 year old son is ADHD and my 13 year old son is ADD. I've tried basically every medication they have out there for this disorder. It upset me very much to see my child change. I did not like the fact that they would withdraw, etc., so I understand where you are coming from. Finally, my youngest was put on Focalin. I did not see any change in him whatsoever. Talk to your doc about it. Good luck.
My 10 year old son was just put on Concerta - 18mg for his ADHD almost 3 weeks ago and seems to be doing really well. He is still the same exact kid he was before, but just able to keep on track actually getting things done in one sitting instead of 3 or 4. As for the therapy, my son is not in it at this time and I don't believe it's necessary because he is already feeling better about himself. Before he used to say that he was stupid and hated himself because he would get so frustrated because he could not sit still like everyone else in his class and just get things done. Things are finally looking up for him and I am very grateful for Concerta.
HI T., I see that you work in a hospital, and please don't take this offensiably but they diag. way too easily for adhd. I had a LAZY teacher that tried to tell me my son had it and the next 2 years teachers said the women was out of her mind. You need to find an natural alternative to medication. her body is obviously lacking a natural substance. You don't want your child to be controlled by something and be someone that she is not. TREATING the problem is key NOT covering the symptoms with meds. that is what is wrong with our kids today too many of them are medicated and NOT treated. call 1-800-HERB-DOC for a free catalog or go to www.herbdoc.com and read the testimonies. There fantastic. These are naturl herba and liquid so you can put them right in her drink. I can' t tell you haw these have kept my family health and away from drugs for so many years. Please e-mail me with any more Q. Good Luck. L.
Hello I have 2 sons that have ADHD They were diagonsed about 2 yrs again they both are on adderall My sons go to therapy and it helps out a big deal. They go to the one in Standish and they also went to List Psychological in Bay City. Insurance does pay for it You may have to pay a copay depending on what kind of insurance that you do have. I hope this helps D.
Hi,
With your daughter having visable changes in her attitude I highly recommend the best.....Here is a wonderful doctor who can answer all your questions and even if this is a drive IT IS WORTH IT--YOUR CHILD IS WORTH THIS TRIP!
Grand Rapids, Born Clinic see Dr. Auburn she is wonderful! I know they take all kinds of insurance and tell her P. G from Marshall sent you. Here is the number ###-###-#### and here is the address; 52nd Street S.E.Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512
Trust me you will not be sorry and your daughter will be so much better off--this is one of the best things you can do for your daughter....listen to your heart!
I know a lot about ADHD....and DR. Auburn knows so much more!
Let me know how it goes,
P.
Hi T.,
well i am a 31 year old mom who has adult add, i have taken all sorts of meds, im not sure how long she has been on adderal xr, but i can tell you that you do build a tolerance and after a while (at least with me) do adjust, everytime i start a new med, things seem a little intense until i get used to the med and become a little more tolerant of it. There may be another med she might need to take along with it???? I would assume that having this drug it would be prescribed by a psychatrist rather than a family doctor, family doctors just ARE NOT specialized in this, especially in adolecence.. I am not sure where you are from, but I have a wonderful doctor in coldwater. Her name is Suzette Lugo Medina, although i am an adult, she actually specializes in adolecence. The best thing about Dr. Lugo, is that she does it all, she prescribes the meds like most psychatrists, but she also does the therapy too, each appt is usually one hour. most psychatrists now days just give you the meds and send you to a therapist for counceling. i think this is a bonus with her, because she knows first hand what is going on with each patient rather than the word of the therapist.. her office is on the corner of us 12 and sprague st. right accross from the coldwater hospital in a big brick house. it might be worth it to you. she does not take medicaid if you have that?? but takes many other insurances and if not usually charges 60.00 per hour, at least for me.....goodluck.... ultimatly it probably comes to your choice on which way is more benificial to your daughter, on or off the meds. hope this helps you? B.
T.~
I don't know how to help you but i can say that i am going thru the same thing. My Daughter will be 8 in june. She is very intelligent but she can't concentrate at school until the teachers' assistant comes in and sit with her. I haven't tried meds yet and i really didn't want to go down that route. Do you think the meds are helping or hurting her more?? Maybe we can help our girls out together? well i will keep trying and if i find out anything i will let you know.
L.
I don't have a child with ADHD, but I was a child with ADHD and am now an adult with it. Unfortunately I didn't know about it until I was 29. I was very much like your daughter, mostly inattentive and smart, so I didn't cause a lot of problems and managed to do pretty well in school, though not as well as I could have and no one knew how I struggled inside. I learned that I had ADD in my last month of graduate school- I was doing a paper on ADD and recognized it in myself. I tried meds for a while, but after doing some research decided against them.
There is a growing belief that ADHD is not really a disorder at all, it is just a different way of thinking. People with ADHD are non-linear thinkers and unfortunately school is set up for linear thinkers. As you've realized with your daughter, people with ADHD struggle in some areas, but also excel in others. There has also been research that shows that linear thinkers asked to complete non-linear tasks exhibit the same symptoms as non-linear thinkers trying to complete linear tasks. In addition, most of us with ADHD have no problem focusing when something is interesting to us or is taught to us in a creative or more interactive way.
For me, just the knowledge of why certain things are harder helped me immensely- I wish I had known at a young age. And understanding my strengths and weaknesses has helped me to develop strategies to cope in linear situations. Even without that knowledge, I was able to graduate high school and go on to complete a bachelor's degree and a masters degree.
I'm a therapist now and have had several clients with ADHD. Some took meds and others did not, but all were helped by learning to work with their ADHD/ non-linear brain styles, instead of against it.
I'm telling you all this so that you get another perspective, not because I'm trying to tell you what to do. Only you can decide that. Unfortunately, many parents are only given the med option and there are others available. What I'm getting at is, it is not necessary to medicate your daughter just because she has ADHD. You can use the knowledge of her strengths and weaknesses to help her learn to cope with situations. I would still recommend therapy to help with this and a lot of reading on your end.
Here are some online resources that might help:
http://www.addresources.org/ - great all around resource
http://www.chadd.org - Support group
http://www.ncgiadd.org/ - The National Center for Gender Issues and ADHD (focuses on ADHD in girls and women)
http://www.addconsults.com/ - great resource- has professional directory
http://www.addvance.com/
Good luck!
H.
