ADHD: meds or not?

[mikala]

You might want to listen to some of the Additude podcasts around medications and supplements. I haven't had time to listen much recently but found them helpful. Our psychiatrist recommended an Omega-3 supplement like Nordic Naturals and we've seen some improvement on it so that would be worth a try now. A balanced diet with protein and fats has been helpful too.

The one benefit to trying ADHD meds is that the stimulent meds are in and out of the system pretty quickly so you can start to see results soon and they're easy to stop (our experience, but I'm not a medical provider.) You might find that there's a huge positive difference in your child on them, or you might find that they just plain don't work for you as happened to us. If you're going to try them before school starts or during virtual learning seem like reasonable times since you're watching your child closely and will notice things that they might not in the classroom.

[StantonHyde]

We medicated DS in first grade for anxiety. It helped a ton. DH refused to medicate for ADD at that time. Finally, by 4th grade, we just had to. The poor kid could not concentrate enough to complete one long division problem! It has made a huge difference. We don't have him take his meds on the weekends or in the summer. He eats more then. I have a friend whose daughter gained weight on her meds because she could actually concentrate enough to eat. She even did better on her eye exam because she could concentrate enough to look at the letters.

As for an ongoing issue, kids in middle school and high school often self-medicate with drugs in their search to calm their minds. And yes, if you have anxiety and ADD, you need to medicate both or the ADD meds make the anxiety worse. Yes, kids do need to learn coping skills-make lists, etc. I think there is a book--Late, Scattered, and Unprepared--that has good tips in it. But if you don't medicate and the kid can't concentrate it only gets worse as they get older. There is a big leap in 4th grade and kids need to be able to read to learn by that age so they have to concentrate.

Give it a try. See what he thinks/how he feels.

[AnnieW625]

We medicated DS in first grade for anxiety. It helped a ton. DH refused to medicate for ADD at that time. Finally, by 4th grade, we just had to. The poor kid could not concentrate enough to complete one long division problem! It has made a huge difference. We don't have him take his meds on the weekends or in the summer. He eats more then. .......

As for an ongoing issue, kids in middle school and high school often self-medicate with drugs in their search to calm their minds. And yes, if you have anxiety and ADD, you need to medicate both or the ADD meds make the anxiety worse. Yes, kids do need to learn coping skills-make lists, etc. I think there is a book--Late, Scattered, and Unprepared--that has good tips in it. But if you don't medicate and the kid can't concentrate it only gets worse as they get older. There is a big leap in 4th grade and kids need to be able to read to learn by that age so they have to concentrate.

Give it a try. See what he thinks/how he feels.

We started medication in 1st grade for Dd2 and like I said above it hasn’t been perfect yet and we have a lot to work on still, but yes Dd2 still has issues with long division, and writing essays.

A big yes to the whole thing about teens looking for drugs on their own, which is why we need to get this situation before that curiosity starts. I am going to have keep an eye on Dd2 because she is very trusting of others and has impulsive tendencies.


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[carolinacool]

We started DS (now 10 and going to fifth grade) on meds at the tail end of second grade. His teacher said he was having a really hard time concentrating and focusing and he was having some issues with some of his school work. By third grade, his focus had improved, but he was still having issues with his school work, so that let us know we needed to try some other strategies. His lack of focus was disguising other issues, so I'm glad we started him.

We've had to adjust the dosage a couple of times. Maybe a month or two before everything shut down in the spring, we added a booster dose in the afternoon. He usually goes to aftercare at the Y, and they said he was not listening and just kind of all over the place.

In general, he does not take it on weekends or in the summer unless he's going to camp. We also try to give it to him when he has basketball tournaments. Normally, there's a lot going on in the gym -- multiple games and tons of people. He can get distracted and not pay attention to his coach. It's really the only time I get to see him or medicine and I can tell when he's locked in and when he's not.

It does affect his appetite. He hardly ever eats school lunch. He's a little tall for his age and thin, but not underweight. I think that it really helps him. He's on a generic for Focolin XR 10 mg.

[lizzywednesday]

DS was diagnosed with ADHD last September but it wasn't really affecting his school work at that point so I decided against medication. Well, things got a little rough towards the middle of the year ... Have most of you with ADHD kids chosen to medicate? What advice do you have for me about the different meds available?
Also, he is small- short and skinny- and I really worry about the effects the meds could have on his appetite and his growth.

DD has been taking meds for ADHD-Combined since the spring of 1st grade. We started with Adderall XR which helped, but she would be an emotional mess at the end of the day and whenever we stepped up her dosage.

We've since switched to Concerta XR and she's on a much more even emotional keel. Concerta doesn't seem to have the same appetite-suppressant impacts that Adderall did, but YMMV.

We do not dose on weekends or during vacations unless we need her to focus, like for rec sports, camp programs, or her skating lessons. We provide her with high-nutrient, calorically-dense foods at breakfast and at dinner. She typically eats half a sandwich on whole wheat bread, some juice, and maybe a piece of fruit or snack-size baggie of Teddy Grahams for lunch on medicated days, and comes home in need of a snack as soon as her meds wear off, roughly 5-6pm.

She hasn't experienced any adverse growth impacts, but, again, YMMV.

Unmedicated, she is ...a real handful. Medicated, you never saw a child so in control of herself! (Although we do have to schedule a meetup with her doctor before school starts because she's had a growth spurt.)

[AnnieW625]

......He's on a generic for Focolin XR 10 mg.

That was the medicine DD2 had anxiety issues on. She was also on Adderall and not Ritalin.


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[StantonHyde]

And--have the child psychiatrist manage this NOT your pediatrician!!! We see lots of issues in mental health and my DH sees them in the ED when you have pediatricians managing these meds.

[KpbS]

We are some of the few who have serious, rare side effects from these medications. DC cannot tolerate any ADD medicines or SSRI meds.

[petesgirl]

We are some of the few who have serious, rare side effects from these medications. DC cannot tolerate any ADD medicines or SSRI meds.

So what have you found that helps him instead?

[JamiMac]

Have any of you found a stimulant medication with less side effects? My son currently takes Vyvanse 10mg. He was on Focalin XR before that. He HATES these medicines. He says they make his head hurt and his heart race. I feel so badly for him because the teacher feedback is they work for him. I don’t think they work to their potential though, because I think he gets distracted from the side effects. He’s 12 and was diagnosed about 5 years ago with ADD. It’s definitely just inattentive issues. He has a real problem getting started on tasks and staying focused. He doesn’t take meds at all on weekends or in the summer. I dread starting it up again because he hates the medicine so much, but I know he needs it.


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