ADHD Medication for My 7 Year Old

Hi,

I have a 13yr old that takes medication for ADHD and has since he was 5. I have had alot of experience with teachers and the schools. It is tough in the beginning because you do have to try different medications, adjust dosage,and see what works best. Also, I don't know if your daughter has a behavior plan at school..but she should. She qualifies. My son gets to have a stress ball to squeeze if he needs to move his hands around (instead of tapping a pencil and disrupting the class) and the is also allowed to stand at his desk if he needs to move, I have alot I can tell you about if your interested PM me and I will send you my number and you can call me tomorrow:)

My son (16) has Asperger's and has been taking meds since age 11. We tried a variety but not the one you mention.

It took along time to find the correct combiniation of meds. He takes Adderall XR, Zoloft and at night Mirtrazipine (it helps him sleep and does something like the Zoloft too).

Anyway, it all works for him. He has Clonidine to take if he has a bad day and can't calm himself down, but he has never had behavior issues (outbursts) at school. Only once he got home. And he only takes the Clonidine if he really needs it.

My son was diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago and has been on several medications that seemed to work but really never fixed the problem until.....I read an article about a link between large tonsils and adnoids with ADHD. I took him to a ENT Dr. and had him evaluated last September. I was told that he did have abnormally large tonsils and that he would be a good candidate for a tonsilectomy based on the link with the ADHD. After the surgery, he is absolutely normal! He hasn't had the meds since Sept. 12 and is totally fine. The problem was that he couldn't sleep good at night because he wasn't breathing properly during sleep. The bottom line was, he was cronically fatigued and thus the horrible behavior. He only gets his "ADHD" symptoms now when he doesn't get enough sleep the night before. It was truly a miracle for us. Not all children respond but of 2 studies that I know of, 50% of the kids are symptom free on one and 60% on the other. It worked for us, can't say it will for you but if you are not getting results with meds like you think you should, it would be well worth a visit to the Dr. Good luck!

Well, I started out skeptical but have become a believer. Six months on medication and my five year old's behavior is day and night to what it was. When we started in July, she could barely write the first letter of her name. Two months later she could write her 8 letter name. I am now deeply thankful that we got her started when we did. Her self-esteem was starting to take a major dive at being in trouble constantly. I was picking her up from school more than she was getting to stay back then. This year, I think I have picked her up only once.
C. S.

M., my son was diagnosed with ADHD at 5 years old. As his parents, we could see the behavior issues, we experienced them in his PreK4 class and again in Kindergarten. We did not start medication until mid-way through Kindergarten. What drove us to finally start on medication was that his teacher was providing him 'outs' so that she could manage his behavior. We realized he could not happen in the older grades so we decided on trying the medication. OMG, what a difference! By the end of the year he had caught up in school, could write and read and perform simple math equations! He is on Metadate CD, the only side affect we see is the lack of appetite during the day. However when he is sleep deprived, the medication doesn't help. Sleep is very important. We put him to bed at 7:30 every night and he is up by 6:30 every morning. Hope this helps!

Have you looked into the possiblilty of your child having Sensory Integration (SI) issues?
They often mimic ADHD and Aspergers. My son was "uninvited" back to one school and I was told to medicate him but after a neuropsych exam at Our Childrens House at Baylor it was suggested I look into SI therapy.
After a year of physical/occupational therapy, he is a different kid and the issues are resolved.

There is a great new book "Look At Me" out on Apserbergers by Augusten Burroughs ( Running With Scissors) brother.
If you want input on Sensory Integration let me know.
K