Adhd - Pearl, MS

My 12 year old stepdaughter has ADHD and will not take a pill. She has some kind of phobia about it. She is now on the Daytrana patch. IT IS WONDERFUL! We put it on her hip in the mornings, and she's off to school! No more 30 to 60 minute hassles over trying to get her to take a pill!

My Son is also 5 years old and he was diagnosed with ADHD about 2 months ago. He is on Concerta 18mgs a day and so far it seems to work really well for him. No side effects at all. At first I was a little aprehensive about putting him on meds at such a young age. But after all of the research, and having ADD myself, I just went with it. If worse comes to worse you can always take him off of the meds & try something else. Concerta works so well for him. His school performance has sky rocketed (no more sad faces on him daily chart) and there is no more fighting with his little brother who is 3. My best advice for you is to go with Concerta.

Who diagnosed your son? Was id an family Dr, psychiatrist, a psychologist? Please get a second opinion, from a mental health professional if your son was not originally diagnosed by a mental health professional. 5 is very young to be diagnosed with ADHD and medications can be very harmful to children when taken long term.

I don't want to preach, but I see it all too often as a pediatric psychologist (in training). Kids are being over medicated and over diagnosed with illness when they have a behavior problem that can be fixed without meds.

I have seen many a child benefit from therapy and behavior modification with no medication involved. I don't know your entire history, so this is just my opinion in general. Medication should always be a last resort, not a first line treatment.

Good luck, I wish the best for you and you son.

My 8 yr. old son takes concerta and it does really well for him.He too has ADHD.~A.~

Well i'm sure you know that every child will react differently to medications, my son has been on aderall, concerta, and now focalin. The aderall made him to where he didn't want to do anything not even eat and the longer he stayed on it the meaner he got!! The concerta worked well but then he got to the highest dose and we changed him to the focalin which he has been on now for a year. Of course the more he grows the higher the dose is but it actually works really good, he is doing much better in school not a's but he's not failing so i'm happy =) i'd just keep an open mind and don't be scared to switch meds if they are not working!!

At first they started my dd on concerta small dosage and increase as she got older. She is now 8 1/2 years and just recently has been put on adderall. She isn't zoning out and seems to help her with your attention span at school if she begins to start zoning i will immediately bring it to her doctors attention. That is one thing i don't like about some meds that spose to help our children.
Good luck with your child. A child with adhd does get trying at times but now that you know why they do the things they do you can adress their behavior according to adhd.
Jan

Life Force Intrernational has a product called Sunset. It is an all-natural herbal formula designed to calm you and your nerves. It is really good stuff. We use it a lot. We have 10 children, and sometimes we all take it before going on long trips in the van together. There are no side effects at all, you can give it to an upset baby. I have heard that ADHD is caused from a lack of certain minerals. Life Force also has a product called Body Balance. It also is all-natural. It has virtually every vitamin, mineral, and amino acid known to man in it. Our family has been taking this for about 4 years, now. We love it. You can check out their site at www.lifeforce.net. If you place an order, it is cheaper to make an autoship, the cancel it later. Also, if you would like to, tell them our ID# 20457830. You don't have to do this, but, for sharing the products with others, the company gives us discounts on the products we order. It would be worth trying these, to keep you son off the drugs they will be putting him on. Have you studied out the serious side effects of ritalin, etc.? They really sound horrible. If you have any more questions, my email is ____@____.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you. - L.

My son is 16 yrs old and since the 5th grade he has been diagnosed border line ADD. We have taken ritalin (reluctantly) the 1st year.....won't do that again. But we have been on concerta and adderall ( the time released once a day pill). He always had stomach upsets and never wanted to eat with the concerta and ritalin..........but we found the adderall did not bother his stomach and he also eats a lot better. He eats a good breakfast, small lunch and good dinner. It is hard to go to sleep sometimes but it is better than not feeling good...........Have a great day!

I would get a second opinion before any medication to be sure he has been correctly diagnosed. 5 is very young to have that diagnosis. All 5 year old boys act like they have ADHD!

In my experience (I work in the mental health field) Vyvanse is a good one as is Adderral....I would def. stay away from Stratera, Retilin, and Daytrana Patches.... Although, to be honest, unless your son is severe and uncontrolable (causing significant issues in school) most doctors would recommend that you hold off on meds until he's at least 6 or 7.
Well, I wish you all the best and I'm sure your child's doctor will prescribe what is best for your son....if you feel that the side effects are bothersome or do not like what they do to your child than feel free to speak to a child psychiatrist....thier knowledge of these meds is much more fine tuned (due to it being thier specialty) and therefore they can usually tell you more specifics than his pediatrician. good luck!!

A.:
My son was diagnosed with ADHD 8 years ago and we have tried many different medications. We have had some success with Strattera during the summer if he needed medication and with Adderall XR during the week during the school year. The only side effect we noticed with that one after about a week of adjusting to the medication was that he didn't really eat much of his lunch at school, but he tended to make up for it in the evening with dinner.

My sisters little boy takes Ritlin (spelling) she said that it worked better for him that the other medicine that starts with an A.... not sure what it was. But she said Ritlin did wonders.

Hi A.,
I know this is a hard time when dealing with a new prescription. My son was diagnoised at age 5 as well. After trying a few things, we have successfully been on Concerta 36 mgs for about 3 years now. We have not had to up the dosage as he grew or because his body got use to it. The only side effect we noticed was his apetite decreased and he stayed pretty slender for a few years. We supplemented with ensure to make sure he was getting his vitamins and calories. He is now almost 10 and is doing great as a 4th grader and has begun to put on a little weight, but at his last check up the doasge stayed the same. Good Luck!
A.

A.,
My son's is also 5 and his Dr. just started him on Zoloft 25 MG. He does well if we give it to him in the morning. At night if we give it before bed he wakes up at 4 AM. To let you know I went to the Dr. because my little boy is very obsessive compulsive. She told me that there are several and she wanted 2 or 3 days to think and research with would be best for him. And sure enough she called back in 2 days and told us she thought this would be the best to watch him for a few days and let her know how he is doing with it. It's been great!!!! You are more than welcome to e-mail me if you have any questions ____@____.com Subject:Zoloft. Hope this helps you. K.

Sorry to hear that your son was diagnosed with ADHD. Whoever diagnosed him, whether it be his pediatrician or a counselor, please get a second opinion. I was told that my daughter had ADHD at the age of 4. We went to her peditrician and his opinion is that no child should be diagnosed with ADHD until about the age of 7. They only have an attention span of about 15 minutes. She was diagnosed by a school counselor at her day-school.
I am so glad I went for a second opinion and I would have gone for a third, before I put her on any medications.

Best of luck to your and your son.

I am a 37 year old mom and I have an 11 year old boy, who has been on Concerta (54mg), for the last 3 years. It has done wonders for my son. He has not had ANY side effects at all. I, amongst others, can definitley tell when he does not take the medicine. He is very hyper without the meds. I have to say that this medicine has done wonders for my son.... and for ME!! He does great in school and has very little problems focusing. I suggest you try this.....I call it the miracle pill!! Good luck!

My son is on Concerta 18 mg and it works very well for him. Good luck

Hi my nane is M.. My 16 year old son and i are adhd. I think the most important thing about the prescription. Is to find a doctor who beleives in the lowest posible dose. My son was on adderall. 25 mg. While my cousins son was on 80 MG. AT the same age. I always felt like there son was not ever going to learn how to function without his meds. He was always zoned out. My son was still himself and I have always enjoyed him even when he would get out of control. My doctor had him off his meds on weekends unless we were going to be in a stiuation that would hyperstimulate him (like a party of something) but he always took alot less then the other children we knew with adhd. Michel now at 16 asked not to take the medication anymore and he is still maintaning his grades and he has gotten a job. Without medicine. The lower dose allowed him to learn to cope and work with his diagnoses. He has also matured more then my cousins son and the two boys were always so much alike. I feel my cousins son is still over medicated and he will never learn coping mecanism to be free of the medicine. I know I have found coping skills that allow me to stay free of the medicines... I do however beleive they make it much easier for adhd or add kid to get through there school day. My son say that same thing. He, however, has no desire to be back on medication. He described it as everything being blue...not bright not dull just blue (that was the color he used to describe his emotions).

He says now he gets to see all of the colors around and he likes it better. Remember these are potent stimulants. It will help calm your son but he needs to know how to control himself as well.

Good luck
M.

A.,

My son takes Adderall XL. Adderall works well for him but I would keep a watchful eye over your child. All children respond differently on differnt medications and different amounts. I would advise you to work closely with your child's teacher and doctor to get the right dosage. You want the right amount for your child to consentrate and stay focused but not too much that they become zombies.

My son's appetite was decreased so we have to keep on him to continue to eat but we don't have problems with him falling alseep. My husband and I were not big on medications but it took time to try each dose and try to get the right amount.

Having a child with ADHD can be truly trying times but in the long run you don't have to be constantly on them because they are able to control themselves better.

S.

This is one of those things that you may have to "play with" medications/dosages to get the right fit for your son. Our daughter was on Straterra and it was AWFUL for her, although we had heard others rave about it. She is now on Concerta and doing very well with it.

Hi A.. I have ADHD and have taken meds for it since I was about 14. I have tried everything from riddelin, to concerta, to adderall. Concerta worked great for me until I became an adult. Then, it just did not seem to do the trick. Now I am on adderall, have been for about 4 years, and it is working great. Whatever med you decide to use, always follow the doctors advice. I did not like riddelin it zoned me out. For 3 months I did not sleep, eat, or act socially to anyone. I was so sick of it that I just quit taking it. That was a horrible experience for me. I was only 15. I would up having migraines, nausea, and horrible bought of depression. So, my advice is that if it does not work for your son, instead of stopping him completely, immediately tell your doctor the problems and either have him changes the med or the amt. I wish you the best of luck.
A.