Taking child off meds?

Amy - posted on 10/15/2012

Yes.



I think about it daily! My poor ds has been on meds for over a year and a half and I feel like I don't even know him anymore. He used to be hyper, yes, and unfocused...but he was SWEET, and CARING and HAPPY. Well, not now. He will be 8yrs old next month and he started on Focalin, and Intuniv when he was 6. Then we switched to Concerta and Intuniv. Now he is just on Intuniv.

Anyway, the meds were PUSHED on us by his school!! They said they couldn't handle him. I am so angry I let them do that to me. I should have stood my ground and said NO - he is just 6yrs old, and he will grow out of this hyperactivity and impulsiveness, but I caved. Maybe that makes me a bad Mom, I sure feel like one!



Now we are weaning him off his Intuniv. He was on 3mg (waaaaay too much for him). He got very angry, irritable, had temper tantrums, nightmares, night sweats, didn't sleep well at all, very argumentative, lied, stole things, lost a TON of weight, and was obsessed with gore and violence. The side effects were horrible! Today is day six on the 2mg dose and he is doing a little better. Tomorrow will be his last day on 2mg, then Wed we will go down to the 1mg dose. Each time I decrease him, he has about 4-5 days of being SUPER hyper and irritable, then levels out to his "normal" hyperactivity level, which is not as bad as the withdrawal phase. I just hope he tolerates the 1mg dose and we can come OFF these meds. I hate them! The side effects are just not worth the tiny bit of benefit we saw!!



Also - to Gwen...I hardly think comparing Ritalin to insulin or anti-seizure medicine is accurate! You don't DIE from lack of ritalin! With diabetes, you have a lack of insulin in the body and can die without it. Nobody's body has a lack of ritalin! Same with seizures, it is life threatening to have seizures, especially while driving. You and your child might be "happier" on Ritalin, but I certainly don't believe he NEEDS it, I just think you tell yourself that to make you feel better about giving it to him. I understand, I've been there!!



Amy

Gwen - posted on 07/29/2009

btw - forgot to say - it is totally up to you what you chose - do not let anyone else influence you because you know your child best - better then the doctors, better then friends.

Gwen - posted on 07/29/2009

I had a therapist once tell me that if the meds make a child worse then there was something else going on and not ADHD. I've heard people say the meds make their child a different person. This makes me wonder how and if the problem was what the docs told you. I only say this because my little guy has been on ritalin for the last year. He is still the same attitude, imaginative, amazing child - but now his caring and loving/focused side shine, and the other side only come out when the meds wear off. Even his teachers were amazed at his self-control this year and he passed without needing a TA! I also take concerta (just started again this week) - I am the same person, only happier since I can more focus at work.

I think we need to advocate for our children and find out exactly why someone believes a child is ADHD or ADD before putting them on anything. Other illnesses can mimic ADHD, but the meds for ADHD will not help them - dilexia, depression, bi-polar disorder are only a few I'e heard of. But number one - if your child is truly ADHD why deprive said child of the ability to focus and feel more confident in themselves? If you child was diabetic you would give them insulin without question, if a child was epileptic you would give them the anti-seizure medication - why is this so different?

Just my two cents.

Kara - posted on 07/28/2009

my son turned 7 on july 11. he told me that morning that he knew he didnt need his meds and just let me know there was no way i was going to get him to take them any more. so far he is back to the little boy i got complamented on in public for his behavior. he is so much better. we just upped his therapy to 2xs a week. his therapist is really impressed by the change.


if you do decide to stop the meds talk it over with your child. go for it while its summer. you can always start them back up. how do you know if you never try? keep us updated

Kara - posted on 07/17/2009

My oldest was diagnosis in 3rd grade, he is now 22. He stopped taking his meds when he turned 18 and has had a lot of set backs. He did not continue to college, he has been in 2 motorcycle accidents, and is still quite impulsive. The anger issues have gotten better, but I wish he would consider going back on his meds. My youngest is now 16, and we have worked closely with his Dr. with meds and dosages. We let him stop his meds when he started Jr High, but noticed that he was struggling with his grades. His Freshman year we let him stay off the meds for the 1st quarter, but still were concerned and noticed that his self esteem was really low. We took him back to his PCP and started him on Vyvance. He now gets straight "A's", self esteem is wonderful, he is ahead of his class. The nice thing about Vyvance is that the side effects are much milder, he is able to stop and start the med without problems, so he doesn't have to take over Holiday's, weekends, and the Summer. Talk with your Dr. and be honest about your concerns, not all ADD/ADHD kids shouldn't stop their meds, if you decide to, then keep a journal and have your child re-evaluated from time to time. There are so many different meds out there now, it's not just Ritalin...maybe try something different or even try a different dosage......Good luck

Krys - posted on 07/17/2009

Hmm I understand your terror of taking your child off your meds. I was terrified a year and half ago when the psychiatrist wanted to take my bipolar son off his Lithium as he was becoming toxic. He's 15 dx'd with Aspergers/Bipolar/ADD. He has been on meds since Grade 1, first of all to try to deal with his ADD in school and then his mood disorder as he got older.
Anyway as I said it was a terrifying prospect taking him off his meds but so far we have been fortunate and he has been controllable.
We do use a lot of the behavioral tools that we have learned over the years and it has helped in that he is older so more mature. I am not sure we could have taken him off meds earlier.

Krys

Toni - posted on 07/16/2009

I have taken my child off of their meds twice, hoping that in some way he might have out grown his ADHD. Both times we had to eventually put him back on his meds. So, all I can say is talk to his doctor and give it a try. Good luck and God bless.

Kelly - posted on 07/16/2009

My daughter has ADD. We would take her off the meds every summer, and put her back on during school, until she came to us after one summer ws over and said "mommy please don't put me back on those meds, they make me feel yucky", so we took her off all together, and we made sure she was in all the right programs at school, and it also helps to make sure their teacher is compassionate with a child with ADD or ADHD, and that they understand the condition, and are willing to do everything in their power to make sure that your child succeeds, and if not, it is your right to request another teacher.

Nazari - posted on 07/16/2009

WELL I HAVE A 7 YEAR OLD, MEDICATION WASN'T THE ANSWER HE GOT WORSE. HE GOT BETTER WITH A LOT OF SPEECH THERAPY AND BEHAVIOR THERAPY, HE IS DOING GREAT HE IS GOING NOW TO 3RD GRADE I'M VERY PROUD OF HIM, IT'S BEEN A LOT OF YEARS OF SEEN ANY KIND OF DIFFERENTS DRS.

Donita - posted on 07/15/2009

It's ultimatly your choice. Some kids can grow out of or control their symptoms and other can not. Just remember to stay strong because either way it will be hard. Sometimes the meds can cause or make the problem worse. i've seen it work both ways with different close family members. So if I was no help. Your not a bad mom if you do or if you don't medicate you child.

Loreita - posted on 07/15/2009

I had done the same, but I actually would forget to give her her meds. Wow did the teacher and I pay for those times. My daughter was put on meds when she was 5. She could not pay attention in class and had a very hard time learning. Things were better at school. Every once in a while we would have to up the dose of her meds and when that stopped working they would change it to something else. We struggled with putting her on meds because of so much controversy on the subject. We just decided to follow the DRs opinion. She was 43 lbs for 3 years and the DR was not worried. I started to look for a way to earn income from home and came across a company that informed me of how toxic our household products were. Everything from shampoo, conditioners, cleaners, laundry products, even anti-itch stuff. I had never been taught that though they may not be swallowing this stuff that their bodies absorb it. That even though they are capped they are still outgassing. So I immediately removed everything from my home and replaced it with the stuff from this company. Stuff that does not need a safety cap. I also took her off her meds and started having her take vitamins from this company. This was right before school started that year and I was very nervous. To my delight she started getting notes home from the teacher stating how well she was doing and not sure why we had her on an IEP. The last 3 years have been awesome. She is getting good grades, she is participating in class, volunteering to help and making friends. I am so thankful that I came across someone who would help me find a way to help her. I hope this info helps and if anyone has additional questions I would love to answer them. Just email me at loreitah@msn.com.

Loreita - posted on 07/15/2009

I had done the same, but I actually would forget to give her her meds. Wow did the teacher and I pay for those times. My daughter was put on meds when she was 5. She could not pay attention in class and had a very hard time learning. Things were better at school. Every once in a while we would have to up the dose of her meds and when that stopped working they would change it to something else. We struggled with putting her on meds because of so much controversy on the subject. We just decided to follow the DRs opinion. She was 43 lbs for 3 years and the DR was not worried. I started to look for a way to earn income from home and came across a company that informed me of how toxic our household products were. Everything from shampoo, conditioners, cleaners, laundry products, even anti-itch stuff. I had never been taught that though they may not be swallowing this stuff that their bodies absorb it. That even though they are capped they are still outgassing. So I immediately removed everything from my home and replaced it with the stuff from this company. Stuff that does not need a safety cap. I also took her off her meds and started having her take vitamins from this company. This was right before school started that year and I was very nervous. To my delight she started getting notes home from the teacher stating how well she was doing and not sure why we had her on an IEP. The last 3 years have been awesome. She is getting good grades, she is participating in class, volunteering to help and making friends. I am so thankful that I came across someone who would help me find a way to help her. I hope this info helps and if anyone has additional questions I would love to answer them. Just email me at loreitah@msn.com.

Michele - posted on 07/14/2009

i actually tested my son, by conveniently forgetting his meds....lets just say....I WON'T DO THAT AGAIN!!!! i noticed a total difference in his behavior all day, but especially towards the evening, his frustration levels were through the roof, i really see where the meds actually help him, maybe skip a dose and see if you notice a difference

Kenna - posted on 07/14/2009

I have a similar story to Pamela's. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5, when the school district told me she was the "worst case they had ever seen". Then at age 9, after her Dad and I divorced, the doctor prescribed an antidepressant to her. She started having extreme mood swings, either super smiley or in a rage all the time. Consequently she was diagnosed as bipolar. Once given another prescription for that, now 3 different meds daily, she did seem more balanced. However, she only gained 3 pounds over the next 3 years. I reverted back to our family physician, away from all the psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. Our family doc called in a consult for evaluation, and together we all made the decision to take her off all meds for six months, then we would revisit the decision. She is now 15, and she drives me absolutely crazy - but only in the same ways as any other 15 year old girl! I found her to be more vivacious without the meds, more herself. And she filled out to normal size almost instantly too! She also gained more confidence without feeling something was wrong with her. I have never second guessed the decision to remove all meds.
I hope this helps, as every child is different.

Pamela - posted on 07/14/2009

I have a success story to tell you. My son now 13 was diagnosed at age 5 with ADHD. At age 8, he was diagnosed again with ADHD as well as bi-polar disorder. From age 5 or 6 he was on ritalin and many other medicines. We went year sgoing to different doctors and therapists. When he was 10, I had really had enough! His behavior was still terrible and he started having violent outburst. We went from school to school because he continued to get thrown out. At that time he was taking an adult dose of seraquil and the highest dose of ritalin. (Keep in mind throughout the years, we have tried like 12 different pills!) That summer I took him off of all meds. Against the doctors direction and against many family members oppinions. It was a difficult summer but when he returned to school, we (meaning his teachers and close family) saw a dramatic difference. It has now been 3 years-no meds-no doctors and life could not be better. I do strongly believe that the medicines make them a different person. I also believe that over the years, children do grow out of most of the ADHD actions. I hope this helps.

Sally - posted on 07/14/2009

I take my child off meds every summer and have done so for 6 years. My doctor knows and is fine with it. My child is now 13 and can tell me if he thinks he needs one in the summer.