Addhd

ADHD can be very overdiagnosed specificially by schools... you can always try other things like karate and other self disapline things, and if its been misdiagnosed you'll know. otherwise you're supposed to keep taking the meds.

He will have ADHD for the rest of his life, but whether he needs meds forever will depend upon him and his needs and choices. My husband has ADHD and chooses to stay on medication. My brother has it and does not take his meds anymore. I have heard wonderful things about Neurofeedback and kids and adults coming off their meds. It retrains the brain to be able to focus for longer periods of time. We would do it for both my husband and son, but it costs around $1000 - $1400 dollars and our insurance won't help pay for it. Good luck!

I don't know if it is so much as outgrowing it, but learning how to deal with and not using meds. I have ADD and I was on ritilin until 8th grade and then put on straterra. I stayed on Strattera until after grad school because I felt I needed the extra boost. But as I got older I was able to take less of it. I don't know if it was me out growing it, or me maturing as an adult and realizing when I was starting to get distracted and how to bring myself back to the present.

I am 27 now, and I stopped using it when I was 24. Now granted I probably could have stopped taking it sooner, but I wanted to get through grad school and my licensure tests and all of that first.

Do I still feel myself slipping? Yes, I do. BUT I'm able to recognize when that happens, whereas before when I was his age, I don't think I could have.

Does that make sense?

does he have ADD or ADHD? My son has ADD ( non hyper)he was put on meds ( adderall) in 4th grade, did wonders for him. But i could never get a dr to really explain/talk to him/us about it. If you live in a larger area, check and see if there are any clinics/groups that deal with ADHD. I have not had much luck. But to your question, i am not sure. My son still has it ( a senior in HS now), but he stopped taking his meds in 8th grade, due to a long hospital stay( non med/add issue), and the meds caused him to lose weight, and being on the football team, he couldn't afford the weight loss. I think he would still benefit greatly if he were to go back on the meds, but at the same time, i would say he has more adjusted to it, and knows he has to try and remain focused. Here is how our family dr described ADhd...imagins this..the average person has 7 white horses in their head, all reined and headed in the same direction ( controlled), someone with ADD/ADHD has 7 horses of different colors all running amuck in thier head. So no matter how hard they try to focus on one issue, the other horses are running all over distracting them. The meds calm the horses. Good Luck and i feel for you and your son. Its not easy. God bless

I was diagnosed in my mid 40's. You do not outgrow this. Think of it as wearing glasses - you do not outgrow your need for those. He will develop coping skills as he gets older, and learn strategies to make life smoother. He may change meds, I don't know about the adolescent phase. Wish I had known this at that age, but I was the quiet, dreamy, bookish one so no one caught it. ADHD is SO VERY individualized - almost like fingerprints. Each person is unique. I like to sew so I think of this like fabric. The "plaid" of my ADD is different from the "plaid" of your son's ADHD, and both are different in different contexts - I can read for hours (hyperfocus), where others NEVER finish a book! Just cherish him AS HE IS, which you are doing. Congrats for finding a medication which will help him be HIS OWN best person! Good luck!

Most people will say no, he won't grow out of his adhd, but he can definitely learn to cope with it, depending on the severity. Maybe look into the books Driven to Distraction, and Delivered from Distraction. Both are written by Dr. Hallowell, a physician that has adhd himself. It gives a different perspective on adhd, less a disablity and more a different style of learning and thinking. He also has a website dealing with adhd, but I haven't looked much at the site. Just google Hallowell.

Another thing you may try is getting your son on a good Omega 3, 6, 9 supplement. There are studies showing that the omegas, particular 3, is very good for adhd. Lots of outdoor time is also helpful. One study showed that being outside in a natural green environment for an hour a day allowed some children to be focused enough to drop their afternoon dose of medication. There is a lot of things your son can do to learn how to focus his brain. There are also some careers that persons with adhd naturally do better at, and since he is older, he will definitely want to start looking at what he is suited for, and not try to fit himself into a job that does not suit his thinking style.

ADDHD is a biological problem. As you well know it's not caused by food intake or anyhting like that. It's much like Diabetes, food content, like red dye #40, can irritate it but not cause it. His brain is firing off so fast that he can't focus on one thing too long. His thought's just bouces around from topic to topic with no ability to stop it.

Most kids I know grew out of their meds during their early teen years. I don't think any of them continues them after 14 years old. If your child is still on meds and they are working okay then talk to your doctor about the benefit of trying to wean him off and see how he does. I agree that meds are a miracle when the side effects are minimal and the drug does what it's supposed to do.

If the Pediatrition is willing I say see what happens but do it very slowly. Make sure to stay in contact with his teachers so they can inform you if they see any side effects and can monitor how he's doing.

Hi M. - It is not that people "grow out" but can learn how to cope and use it to their advantage. When did your son receive the diagnosis? Is he on an IEP or 504 with his school? Under that they can help kids look down the road (through the transition part of the IEP) to what they want to do with life after school. They can even work on goals to help the student attain that. Goals can include money management, organization skills, resume skills, college or tech school research and the list can go on and on. Many kids with ADHD as well as other disability categories go on to very successful lives, they just have to figure out where and how they fit in and what skills they can bring to the table.

I am sure that you are asking because he is a teenager and you want him to get up and do things better now. The hard part is you are dealing with ADHD in addition to being a TEENAGER! The good thing is they will grow up, we just have to help them get there. One day at a time and with the support and love that you show as well as having the IEP/504 support with his education will help him be a success. God Bless

PS - One thing that I have heard from some of my friends who have kids with ADHD is to monitor their diet. Try to limit their sugar & prepackaged foods (cut out soda and coffee - do it slowly) and aim for bigger breakfasts, good lunch but smaller dinners. This has to do with how/time of day our bodies process our meals. There is research out there that many kids with food intolerance (not allergy) to things like (dairy, wheat, food coloring, etc) can really effect & make symptoms worse. It might be an idea to look into this as well and make your son part of the process of why and how it is done, with having his input you will be more likely to succeed with any diet adjustment. Take Care

That will be up to him of course, but the current thinking is that he will not out grow it. However, there are coaches to help ADD people learn how to be organized and focused, so he may be able to avoid meds once he has matured a bit. If you haven't looked into to coaching, and your son is willing, you might want to do that now in an attempt to give him those tools before he is out on his own.

My youngest son leans towards ADD but is not on meds. We sent him to a private high school for kids that have learning differences or ADD. The small classrooms and extra attention from teachers made it possible. I'm not advocating your son NOT to meds. My son may choose to take them at some point. Sometimes it is appropriate, but depending on the person their are alternatives. My sister takes ADD meds only on certain days for example.

There are small colleges and colleges with mentoring programs that might be a better fit for your son, if your plan is to send him to college. Might make success easier for him.

One last thing. Nutrition! I have a Shaklee business and sell vitamins/minerals and nutrition products. I believe they can make a huge difference. The problem is ......is a teenage boy willing!? My son is in college now. He is doing okay, but he takes his vitamins and nutrition shakes sporadically. He did better at home when dear old mom was willing to just hand them to him. I know my son would do even better if he would listen to his Mama and do this stuff on his! His cholesterol would be better too if he weren't gaining that Freshman 15!

Anyway, M., I hope I didn't give you a bunch of info you didn't want. I just wanted you to know that although the thought is you don't really grow out of ADHD, you can sort of master it. ADHD people often are very successful because they are creatively minded and energetic as adults. My feeling is our task is to keep them on track now and encourage them in whatever it is that interests them. Don't expect them to do things like everyone else!

M.,

I hope this article sheds some light on this! Please know if you have any questions, I am here to help. I encourage you to visit the other articles in our Library as well as watch the videos throughout our website.

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I know quite a few people diagnosed with ADHD. It is often over-diagnosed. Many children have other issues (sensory issues, anxiety, giftedness, etc) that can seem like ADHD but it's not. ADHD is best diagnosed by a specialist trained to do so - most school personnel and pediatricians don't have the specific training. It's a medical thing - their brains are under-stimulated, so they do 'extra' to stimulate (fidgeting, acting out - it gets a reaction, humming, etc).

That said, it is not outgrown but most people stop taking meds once they learn to manage their ADHD. And most people with ADHD do not truly need medicine at all. Most people I know with ADHD (both kids and adults) are not on medicine for it. Most are helped by simple diet changes (add 1 caffeine beverage a day - it's a stimulate which is also what the medicine is, cut down on dairy and wheat, no excess sugar, etc), healthy sleep habits (symptoms are made much worse if less than 10-12 hours of sleep a night) and basic behavior modification (consistent reward system).

However, not everyone can do it without meds. My son was diagnosed last spring and started ADHD meds about a month ago. The difference is night and day. Now that his brain is "calmed down" (his words), he can focus on learning. He has never really learned how to be organized at school and was always forgetting to bring some things home. Now that his brain has settled down some, he can learn (with help from 504 in-class accomodation letting him have an aide at end of day) how to go through the homework list and figure out which items to bring home. Discipline is much more effective now because his brain is calm enough to learn from it. As he learns to manage his behavior and becomes more organized (learning how to make lists, etc) we'll continually re-evaluate if he needs meds or not and stop them when no longer needed. Most people achieve this around 18-20 years old (that's what our pediatric psychologist says anyways - she specializes in ADHD and spectrum kids).

Most experts recommend teens stay on the medication while they are 15-17 years old and learning to drive. Crash stats will back up their decision - ADHD kids on medicine are MUCH safer drivers with a much lower accident rate than ADHD kids off medicine.

Hi M.. I have several very close friends who have stopped medicine and are finding success with diet and supplementation. One family started with the Mom and then their 9 yr old son. They have found that the rebound that used to happen at night (when the meds wore off and they felt edgy) doesn't happen any more. Another key is the balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract. They are using omegas, lethicin, probiotics and Shaklee's stress relief complex which several people have told me is like nature's ritalin. They are working with their son on ways he can learn to redirect and stay focused (using an exercise ball instead of a chair during homework has been working so well they are considering it at school as well). The Mom is a teacher of severe and profound students and she has a lot of experience. Another friend has a 16 yr old that has been med free as well, using the same ways to support the body. I am a consultant and help families with these issues. If you would like to connect with either family or would like other resources, please send me a message and I would be happy to help you. Good luck!

I am 51, and I am ADHD, I had a coach in school and in college. I used meds up until I was 45. I really got tired of them not working with some of my other meds, so I stopped and now I just use what my coach taught me.

I am a firm believer that anything that affects the brain
ie poor concentration, foggy thinking, etc. etc can be greatly improved with nutritin and supplements. You have to put some time in looking up information but it is well worth it. A book entitled the Ultimate Mind Solution has some interesting advice. There are many others that would be helpful as well as Web sites. You might try Mercola.com. I would say definately inform yourself.

get in touch w/ me to hear about how my younger brother not only got off of his meds for ADHD as a teen (about your son's age), but how he actually began having good comments from teachers that he was focusing better in school, and improved grades!
There's a place for medication, but NOT in our children's bodies when there's another way!