Frustrated with his school.

Lucy - posted on 02/17/2009

my son has been on his medication for 2 months now, an i must say he is s much calmer nd he is finally getting smiley faces and excellent awards in school which he has never gained before, i would reccomend you keep him in school and give the medication a chance. when my son first started his medication i felt like giving up, i had the week from hell, he was so violent and batered me, his brother anyone who gt in his way and i put it down to his body adjusting to the medication i look back now and dont know how i coped but i got through it. but it was hard but i cant believe the change in him, dont get me wrong he still has his moments but they are easier to cope with due to life being much more calmer. good luck and sick with it, life does get easier .

Donna - posted on 02/17/2009

Robyn,

Its me again - Just wanted to say that once you get on the right track things do get better. It is so very overwhelming at first. There are so many things to address: school issues, home issues, behavior, happiness, the future. The most important thing is to get yourself educated. Read some books (on ADHD, on behavior modification, on defiant children, on any topic that may apply to your child) and then read some more. Find an advocate (not employed by the school district) to help you with the school if they are not co-operative (which unfortunately, is the norm from what I've heard) Develop a plan of action with the school, and your doctor, and at home. Once the plan is in place and some wrinkles are worked out, don't forget about yourself - this is very draining - take care of yourself too! Things do get better! !

Donna - posted on 02/17/2009

Hi Robyn,

Glad to hear you have your boy back!! Not sure I like your doctor tho -- sounds like he lied to you -- and blood pressure medication ? I never heard of that one! On the other hand, I'm none too happy with my doc either (I kinda hate them all) but he keeps on telling me that ritalin is one of the safest meds on the market since it has been on the market for 30 years at least -- and it is dosable -- doses start at 2mg. Don't get me wrong, I am not a ritalin advocate; just passing along what I heard (hopefully also not a lie!!!.)

Tina - posted on 02/17/2009

You need to ask his teacher for a team meeting and establish an IEP - indiviual education plan.  This makes the school legally bound to give your child any type of service he needs including extra grade opportunities, special testing settings, extra credit, help with behavior issues - almost anything you can think of that might help.  It does take some time to let their little bodies get adjusted to the meds.  You can also expect loss of appetite, poor sleeping habits, and behavior changes.  Give it awhile and he will level out.

Meredith - posted on 02/16/2009

At the reques to of my mother, I have started reading Against Medical Advice by James Patterson. It is a fiction book but hits a little close to home. It is about a child that is initially diagnosed as ADHD and the medical professionals kept changing the medication which caused more problems...READ IT. I had to stop.

Robyn - posted on 02/15/2009

Thanks everyone.  I've sitting here on the computer for hours now, racking my brain, trying to come up with the best course of action.  I took him off the concerta and the doctor actually put him on some blood pressure medication - to slow him down - clonedine, I think.  Not as many side effects as concerta that's for sure.  But, still BP medication?  

Donna - the doc actually told me that concerta was the lowest dose of stimulant out there.  Yep, he was started out at 18mg.

So, he's off the stimulants and he's back to my happy, crazy Jourdan.  I like him better this way!  I think that I might take him off of dairy, gonna talk with his doc about it on Thursday.  But, I heard somewhere that there's a link between milk allergies and ADHD.  He ha exzema anyway, so it will at least be good for something.

I just can't stand to see him go through this rollercoaster anymore.  And, I'm just getting started.  I honestly don't know how all you mom's got through it.  I've cried all week, yelled at the teacher and the principal.  But, they don't seem to be even trying to meet me half way.  They just toss Jourdan to the next person, when they don't have any patience for them.  I'm even starting to come in during the morning, so that he gets his work done.  And, he does, when I'm there.  I don't help him at all, I just prompt him, remind him what's next.  It doesn't take a lot of patience to remind a child that they're writing something does it?

Donna - posted on 02/15/2009

Hi Robyn,

I would take him off concerta and try something else. Is concerta the long-acting form of ritalin? that starts at 18 mg? If so, that is a high dose to start a 5 yr old on. Don't wait! Go see your doctor and INSIST this is not for your child!!! These medications are supposed to have an immediate effect-- there is no buildup in the body that they need a few weeks to see an effect (as in antidepressants ) My son started on 5 mg ritalin at 9 yrs old, the doctor tried concerta (because 1 dose is convenient) but it had a completely different effect, so we went back to ritalin. Get it right with your doctor - or change doctors if he won't listen to you!

Meredith - posted on 02/15/2009

I am a parent of a 8 year old diagnosed with ADHD/ OCD and he has been on Vyvanse and now he is on Focalin.  And here is the kicker, I AM the Principal of the school. I understand the frustration as a parent and as and educator. It is difficult for others to understand what is like to live with a child with ADHD however, often times we (as educators) see the term ADHD thrown around so much. Often times, there are children that are "ADHD" and on medication and parents use this as an excuse for "bad choices" that their child makes. This makes it tough for  parents that have a true ADHD child.

Molly - posted on 02/14/2009

I have a 12 year old that is currently on Focalin. She has been on ritalin, strattera and concerta. Unfortunatly these meds are not a one size fits all medication. The first medication you try him on may not be the best for his chemical make up. If he is just recently starting to take the medication your doctor should probably have him on 3 week check ups to see how he is adjusting. It may take a couple tries on different medications. My best advice to you is to get the teacher involved. They will be benefiting as well as your child with the use of the correct medication. Have a sit down meeting with the teacher and explain what is going on. If they are a good teacher they will be supportive of you, your child and your attempts at making your child's school experience as easy and productive as possible. What we did is have a notebook that we communicated back and forth with the teacher in. This is very helpful since your child spends more time with his teacher during the daytime than with you. It will help your doctor figure out the effectiveness of the drug and whether or not he needs an immediate release, extended release or a combination of meds. Be patient. What you're going through right now is the worst!!! It does all level out and the joy you'll have when your son comes home and hands you the notebook that says he had a great day and the smile on his face will be so worth it!!!



Molly

Michele - posted on 02/14/2009

i know  exactly how you feel robyn.i had my son on concerta it was the worst thng i could have done.he did not do well on this he was a diffrent child.my son has TS OCD AND ADHD.i will not medicate again instead i got after the school starting with the principle.i told him my son has TS OCD AND ADHD and would he like me to educate him what it is like for my son.also i told him some things i wanted done .first i wanted to start a book that the teacher wrote in everyday about his day so i could go over it with my son every night.this has really worked well with my son .we go over it about what he could have done better and about his behavier.also i wanted a IEP set up for him what we now have in place .also he works on a diffrent level then the other grd ones they work on only a couple things at a time instead of 20 things at once.he also gets some one on one time not enough i think but he also works with the leaning support teacher.i can see why so many people homeschool ther children these days i have thought about it because the school's really don't have the patience for these kids .don't stop fighting for your son.good luck to you and your family take care!

Michelle - posted on 02/14/2009

Usually Concerta will work within days, if not hours. I have had both of my kids on this med. Sometimes it helped in some areas and others it made it worse.



You asked a similar question, and I posted on it. I hope it helps!

Let me know if you want to talk some time.

Michelle

Loreita - posted on 02/11/2009

Hi Robyn,



I know exactly where you are coming from. Teachers and Principals sometimes just don't care. I would set an appt with them to have him put on an IEP. This is where they need to make special arrangments for him. Where they give him breaks and give him more time on school work. They also will lower the amount of homework he has and the amount of spelling words. It is very possible that your son is having a reaction to the meds. My daughter was on meds for 3 years. Not concerta, but ritalin and then later switched to adderall XR. After 3 years I finally found another way to help her. We found out that there were all kinds of household products that could cause major health problems. So I started endorsing a health and wellness company that manufacures over 400 safer less expensive and more effective products that everyone uses on a daily basis. Things like shampoo conditioner, body washes, hand soaps, all cleaners and all laundry products have ingredients in them that are neuro toxins. Things like formaldyhyde in the items. So we went though and removed all this stuff from other companies and replaced them. Then we took her off her meds and had her start taking vitamins from them as well. With in a week we saw dramatic changes to her presonality. If I did not see it myself I would not have believed it. She was beginning to laugh and smile. She started to enjoy playing pranks on us like putting ice in my shirt. She started making up her on jokes. These are things that she was not doing before when she was on meds. It was so hard to see her in a basically depressed state. Like a zombie. I believe that ADD and ADHD are so wide spread because of these toxins that all of us have been lead to believe are safe for us. It makes me so mad that I was poisoning my family and had no idea. I thought if it was sold on store shelves then it was safe to have in my home. But if you think about how strong the cleaner aisle smell is you realize that these products just sitting under the sink are outgasing. And this happening with 10 or 20 products is horrible for our bodies. Once I became aware of this I made it my mission to help people like you and your son. I also make sure of the cleaning schedule at school, hat it is after school. And I have her using our hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes instead of those horrible clorox wipes that states you should wear gloves when using. Pretty sure they don't have them wear gloves at school. Ok so this has again turned into a novel. Sorry so lenghty. Feel free to email me privately at loreitah@msn.com. i would be more then happy to get you some info.



Look forward to hearing from you,



Loreita