Medication

Donna - posted on 11/27/2008

I forgot in my earlier reply that as we have tried new thing in our son's therapy program we have told his teacher's that we are making a change, but not necessarily what it is. That helps us get unbiased feedback. We feel blessed that our son's teacher is also the parent of an ADHD child, and has been in our shoes. Also our son's doctor has told us that weight loss and appetite loss are two major side effects. He will be monitoring it very closely. We had to do preliminary blood work, and a EKG before starting the medication. Our doctor explained that the baseline EKG is now recommended before putting children on stimulant medications. Our son is almost 8 and the 2nd grade. Good Luck!

Donna - posted on 11/27/2008

The schools can not pressure you to use drugs!!! You do not have to tell them his therapy program. I tell them that " I am working with my son's doctor to find the best program for him, and that I will not be disclosing that information, so that we can have unbiased feedback from his teachers, etc. " We are in the process of trying a medication because diet modifications etc have not helped enough. My son's doctor knows that we have been hesitant about medications, and suggested at trial. He is using Vyvanse. He is tapering him into the lowest dose to minimize side effects, and he will need to be on the medication every day until we find his correct dose, and then can be off on the weekends, vacations, etc (if we choose to do so). He would have to be tapered back on if we take him off for an extended time period (i.e. summer break), but our peds does that to minimize side effects my understanding is that it is not mandatory. We have a wonderful relationship with our child's doctor, and have found that very reassuring! Hope this is helpful we are new to the meds concept too!

Jolie - posted on 11/23/2008

I have two boys with ADHD (ages 9 and 6) and I've tried school medicated and non-medicated. If your son is really having a hard time at school...he's getting in a lot of trouble....having a hard time with friends...not doing well with school work, etc. then medication is one of the only things that will alleviate those problems. I'm sure your son doesn't like feeling as if he's always in trouble and there is something "wrong" with him all the time. I found that meds. for my boys helped them to behave better and increased their self esteem because they weren't getting in trouble as often, or feeling "stupid" cause they just couldn't understand the class work, and their friends respond better to them when they aren't all wild and hyped up. I totally understand the pressure you are getting from the school. It seems selfish that they want things to be easier for themselves (given that they have a large classroom and other kids that need attention too) and that they probably get tired of dealing with it. But I found, personally, that medicating my boys has made life SO much more peaceful and that they feel better about themselves because they are now able to control themselves better and not be in trouble constantly for making impulsive choices. I will tell you honestly though, that all the different meds we've tried (Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera, Focalin) have side effects. Not EVERY kid is affected though, so you would just have to try it and see. The worst side effect for us is the weight loss and decreased appetite...but we supplement their diets with a medical-grade high calorie weight-gaining powder (we've only been using that for a few weeks so I haven't seen a drastic change yet) but the weight is slowly coming back on. The thing to remember about meds is that there is an adjustment period when they first start taking them...they may have bad side effects (moodiness, stomach ache, headache) but don't panic right away, you have to give it a good week to let the body adjust and THEN you can see how the dose is working for him. I know that making the decision to medicate or not is SO difficult...it was a tough one for us, but the benefits have far outweighed the negatives! If he is really having a hard time at school then I would start the meds right away. Just let the teachers know that he's starting and have them keep in contact with you daily to let you know how it's going (especially if he's having side effects at school). I hope this helps with your decision, I know it's a tough one. By the way, there is an excellent website at www.celebratecalm.com The founder has awesome advice for kids our age! He explains why our kids act the way they do, and what we can do specifically to get them to respond to our discipline. I get weekly newsletters from him (and have his CD's) and they have changed our family...seriously! I highly recommend that website.