when did you put your DC on meds?

[hillview]

Just trying to think about when you decide about putting your child on medications. We have a meeting coming up this week with DS2's teachers and I am concerned that it might come up as a topic. DS2 is 5 and has some signs of sensory issues and ADHD.

How old was DC when you started medications?
How did you decide that your DC needed medications (what was going on with DC)?
What medications did you start with?
Are you happy with your decision?
Are you still using medications?
Thanks!

[egoldber]

We started older DD on meds when we felt that other external helps and supports were not enough and I felt her self esteem was beginning to suffer. For her, that was in 4th grade at age 9, almost 10.

She is still on meds. She takes an SSRI for anxiety. It has been life changing for her although we hope to be able to get her off at some point. But today is not that day.

ETA: ADHD is very difficult to diagnose in young children like 5. There are many other things that can look like ADHD, including simple immaturity. Has he been evaluated by a specialist? I would not let a ped diagnose ADHD.

[Pepper]

DS1 was 5.5 when we started meds for ADHD. he'd been on an IEP for preschool for 2+ years, and during IEP meetings the school staff (including the director) encouraged me to consider meds. I remember drawing a bell curve in the air and saying, so what your telling me is that DS is out here - stabbing to a point far to the right - and they all said YES. So it was clear to me that they thought DS was unusually hyper and impulsive.

DS was unable to function in the preschool classroom. They did a behavioral assessment and had a plan, but he wasn't able to make much progress on his behavior - though it turns out he was somehow learning during all of the chaos, when he got to kindergarten he knew all his letters, the sounds they made, etc. and learned to read last year. He also was and remains very challenging at home. Impulsivity is still sky-high, I really cannot leave hime alone for a minute when his brother is around, and only for a brief time if he is engaged in a preferred activity (like a video game).

first med we tried was ritalin because of DS's young age. I think that's what they start everyone on, you might have to argue hard to get them to try something else because little has been approved for children under 6. In our case, it waould have been better to go with something else since ritalin aggravated DS's mood disorder (which wwas undiagnosed at the time, something i still can't understand since he had so much trouble at home).

We are on our third med for ADHD. Intuniv worked for a while, now we are trying Strattera. DS has also been taking lamictal for mood regulation for almost a year. It;s hard trying to figure out whether the impulsivity is driving the mood dysregulation, or vice versa. I think the impulsivity is the main thing, now.

I am happy with the decision to medicate, and also with our current psychiatrist (I think I;ve said on the board before that we had to change, the first one was NOT engaged with my child at all). I think poor DS1's brain just didn;t get wired properly, and I'm hoping that the meds, in combination with counseling and other therapies, will help to re-wire his circuits just a little bit so that it's not so hard for him in later years. Our psych did say that until they reach 10-11 years old, you won't know if they're going to need ongoing meds or not.

HTH

[Gena]

DS's issues are a little different, but medication is a topic that comes up often as a treatment option.

We did but DS on medication when right around the time he turned 5. He was on a very low dose of Risperdal (an atypical antipsychotic) for what the medical literature describes simply as "irritability due to autism". "Irritability" in this context means severe mood swings, extreme aggression, and violence. His episodes weren't constant but they were getting more frequent and we never knew when they would strike. It got to the point where other children were afraid to be around him and we were afraid to take him places because we never knew if he would hurt someone, particularly if he would hurt another child. And there was the time he gave me a concussion.

Putting DS on that medication was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. (And I say "I ever made" because DH was totally against it.) But we saw amazing improvement within a week. The medication took the edge off his frustration and his anger so that we could teach him alternate ways of handling his emotions. DS was on that medication for about a year before we weaned him off of it.

Currently, the only medications DS is on are for asthma and allergies. But he takes a ton of supplements to help with his mood, behavior, language/social skills, etc. The supplements help, but do not eliminate his symptoms.

DS has been having increased inattention and anxiety lately. The developmental ped has suggested that we *might* consider medication (Tenex) for these issues, but she doesn't push it. At this point, DH and I do not think the medication is necessary. DS's child psychologist would rather we work on behavior techniques and environmental (sensory) factors. DS is getting a full neurological workup in the coming weeks, so we will see if that turns up anything that changes anything in recommendations for/against medication.


JWe have a meeting coming up this week with DS2's teachers and I am concerned that it might come up as a topic.

The question of "have you considered medication?" sometimes comes up during school meetings. Sometimes as a curiosity and other times as a thinly veiled push towards meds. Our answer is always, "Yes, we have talked about it with DS's doctors and psychologist. We don't feel it's necessary at this time." This answer is short, honest, and makes it clear that mediation is a decision for us and DS's medical providers - not the school staff.

[hillview]

Thanks everyone. It did not come up in the school meeting (thankfully). It is so hard for me to get a good sense of where DS2 is relative to other kids. He doesn't have an official diagnosis. A pedi psych last year said that he has ADHD symptoms -- mainly hyperactivity and is super bright but that he was way too young to dx. An OT who did an eval said he is sensory seeking. Academically he is doing well in school. In addition he is also
- pushing other children -- wants that place in line, wants to stand next to another child etc or sometimes just is being himself.
- yelling at a specific teacher who he doesn't like (and who in fairness may not like him I think and who I am not super fond of but I am TRYING very hard) also will yell at NEW teachers (substitutes or floaters he doesn't know).
- needs to move a LOT (they have a teacher coming in every day for 15-30 mins to take DS2 either alone or with another child to go exercise (in addition to gym and recess)

He is in a Montessori school and it seems to be working well for him, that said I worry about what will happen when he moves up a grade level and is with older kids.

Thoughts welcome :)
Thanks -- this ended up being longer than expected.