To Medicate, or Not to medicate - That is the question!

Terry - posted on 01/11/2010

We chose not to medicate after 5 years of constant med changes..fustrating! We chose to help our son our own way without the drugs putting out of his mind basically.My son was taken off meds in 6th grade and 8 years later stil no meds.Best choice I ever made ...Good luck to your famliy

Rhonda - posted on 01/10/2010

Please remember that ADHD is a chemical brain disorder, and that meds are made to help this, but there are many types of meds out there to use and you have to choose which, if any are right for your child....I chose Dexedrine and Risperidal for son's ADHD /ODD...has changed behavior dramatically,not perfect, but very noticeable!!! Good Luck

Nicole` - posted on 01/09/2010

My husband fought me and fought me about putting my daughter with ADHD on the medicine. He told me his daughter wasn't going to be drugged and turned into a zombie........well I told him I was doing it and I actually had her on it for about a week and he mentioned about how she had just completely changed. I told him that she was on the pills and of course he was mad at me for doing it without his approval but I told him that I'm the mom and I deal with her more than he does so I made the decision on my own. She needed something to calm her down in school and at gymnastics and this helped considerably! I would definitely try medication! I'm so happy that I was one of the lucky ones who tried Concerta the 1st time and it worked great with her. Concerta doesn't have a generic formula and it costs over $100 for the first 3 months of the year until my deductable has been met, so I would have been so upset if I would have spent over $100 on medicine that didn't work. My daughter HAS to have her medicine every single day. If not, she is off the walls. But, my son has ADD and he only takes his on school days. If my daughter doesn't take her pill because she forgets, she says her stomach feels weird at about 1pm. It's so strange. Good luck!

Brandi - posted on 01/03/2010

My son is now 6 and he was diagnosed with ADHD & Insomnia @ age 3. I knew something wasn't right after he was kicked out of his 3rd daycare but I was also scared of all the bad stories I had heard about ADHD meds. The 1st thing I told the therapist was "I didn't want him to walk around like a ZOMBIE all day but he was getting reading to start pre-k & he is my baby & I wanted to help "fix him" anyway I could. Now over the last 3 almost 4 yrs. he has made the biggest life change I could have ever imagined. Now he will remind me that I haven't gave him medicine dose!! He will tell people that his meds help him think & be smart. I just sit and watch him somedays or listen to him playing and I wander how he can come up with some off his playing idea (I get amazed)!!!! He is super smart, straight A's this whole year so far (1st grade)! He loves to study and always wanting to learn more. In the begining alot of my family & friends were against me putting him on meds but now after they see he is a different child, they are just as thankful & I am that I put him on the meds when I did!! The family & friends were not around all the time, like myself, his sister, and the teacher. This should be your decision because you know is best for your kid. Good luck!!

Rebecca - posted on 01/02/2010

My 5 year old is medicated by personal choice. I would like to have him off medication in 2 years with counseling and a routine. I don't know if that's gonna happen though because I am moving and he is not moving with me. Good luck

Katie - posted on 01/02/2010

I was also unsure about medicating my son. I started him on meds in Kindergarten and could see the difference immediately. He is now 9 and being tested for the talented and gifted program at school. He also prefers to take his medication because it allows him to stay focused! I think it is all about finding the right medication and the right dosage for your child.

Cheri - posted on 12/12/2009

This is a very personal decision for every mom. I have two boys with ADHD. I've tried the natural way for both my boys and in their cases never worked. For children that truly have ADHD there is medication out there for every individual that will turn their life 180 degrees in the other direction.



My oldest son had tried Concerta which didn't work on him, tried Strattera which did work on him, but he started losing his hair on it so we stopped, then we started Adderall XR 20 mg and he has been on that for quite a few years. He was one of the bouncing off the walls hyper child from the time he was born. By the time he started his early school years it was a really rough few years before I went in to get him on something. He is now an honors student in junior high school.



My second son is now in the 4th grade. I was in denial he had ADHD all his school years or hoping it wasn't so. Two years ago he was tested thoroughly by a specialist and I was recommended a med to try on him. Well I refused to try this med until this very week. A couple years back I tried all the same things his brother tried, but no positive results so quit cold turkey and went the natural way for two years. He is now in the 4th grade and his ADHD could not possibly get any worse than where he is at. He is a very good boy behavior-wise in school. He cannot stay on task for anything, never turns in any of his assignments where they go or end up God only knows, always staring out the window, cannot comprehend even a sentence after just reading it, simple math is like greek to him, his self esteem could not get any lower. I know it is not his fault. I was at the point of crying for him, because it is just not fair. Well I went in and asked for what he was recommended two years back. Which for him was Ritalin LA 20 mg which takes effect immediately and lasts throughout the school day. Oh my God. In just a few days I've noticed my son happier about doing his school work and him telling me he finally gets math. I almost wanted to cry again, because if I would have done this 2 years ago he wouldn't be so behind in the classroom. ADHD is really hard. A mom never knows which choice to make or road to try. Lots of love and plenty of patience above all else.

SHAUNA - posted on 12/12/2009

My son was diagnosed with ADHD just before Thanksgiving. He's 6 yrs old. No one wants their children to be on medication but for us, we needed to take that route. My

son's hyperactivity was starting to interfere with his performance in class. Thankfully, the first medication and dose tried has worked wonderfully. We only use the medication on schools days. His teacher saw the change immediately. Hopefully as he gets older and becomes involved in organized sports we can begin to wean him from the meds. Good luck.

Lisa - posted on 12/11/2009

my daughter is nine and we have noticed she had problems since preschool but has been taking adderall xr 15mg for a year and it works great. She now pays attention and sits still at school. she went from f's to a, b, and a couple c's. my husband was against the meds at first but now that she is on them he thinks it was a good thing.

Shannon - posted on 12/11/2009

You need to decide whats best for your child.Do your own research on the long term effects of the medication he will be on,talk to your family Dr. There are other routes you can take, again you have to do your own research to find what you are comfortable with.
My son was not diagnosed/labeled with any condition, but has a Speech delay as a result of his speech delay he does have some cognitive delays, resulting in behavioral issues.(characteristic like symptoms of ADD/ADHD).. fortunately the pediatrician my son see does not believe in immediate quick fixes and did not recommend medication. If his pediatrician suggested medication, I for one would not have chosen that route...what I did decide to do to help my son is take him to see a Natrapath Dr. who will review his diet, blood levels for toxins ( from certain food), vitamins intake/deficiencies, this will also done in consultation with our family Dr. for additional follow measures that may need to be explored ( side by side). I felt much better with this approach than the long term effects medication had on my son. To many people opt to medicate for the "Quick Fix", but if you have the time, patience, dedication other things can be beneficial, other option you could consider is Cranial Therapy, deep pressure therapy, Brain Gym, all can be research on the computer for its benefits...you may also want to supplement with some Vitamins, anyways hope this was of some help.

Nancy - posted on 12/11/2009

My daughter was diagnosed at the age of 4,with ADHD she is going to be 8 next month. My husband and I did not want to medicate her, we try fish oil, protein diet, reward charts, you name it we did it and it all worked until this year, she now is in 2 grade and school work has gotten harder and she was having a hard time focusing in class which made it hard for her to learn anything. Homework was a nightmare, finally we went back to the doctor and we started her on medication, she was on FocalinXR5mg we say her able to focus better but it didnt last the whole day, so we changed the med. and she was on Vyvanse 20 mg and this made her irritable and loss her appetite. Changed the medication again now she is on FocalinXR 10 mg and OH MY GOD!!!!! finally I have my little girl , she is now able to focus in school, have long play dates, do homewaork by herself, it amazing the diffrence. I'm so happy for her. So Shelly for us medication was the best for her. I wish you luck and please keep intouch. Nancy

Delores - posted on 12/09/2009

I think almost all dads go into denial and don't want to do the medication thing but what they don't realize is that you only have two choices; don't medicate and have to deal with the highs and lows mostly highs and go crazy and medicate and try to find a solution to how you're going to get through the day. It's not always bad but you don't want to wait til it's too late and your child does something that may could of been prevented. Trust me when I tell you I had a hard time accepting the fact that my child had to take meds but it's the best decision I've made for her because I know in the long run its going to help but it takes more than just the meds. sometime it may even seem like its not working. but you have to at least try. See if your husband will at least try it out to see what will work and than go from there because if your child has this illness it's only going to get worse before it get better.

Beth - posted on 12/08/2009

I do not medicate my child. I joined this group because there was no option for just the attention deficiet...my daughter does not have the hyper activity however being that I have been adhd my whole life can understand. My daughter had 10 out of 10 symptoms of ADD and the Dr. highly recomended the meds. I decided against medicating for many reasons. The dr. was surprised being that most kids come in there with barely any symptoms begging for the meds. I did struggle in school myself and stayed in alot of trouble especially for a female. I was never medicated myself cause they just did not do that then. I beleive I am a better person now because of it. I can help my daughter cope more with it. I had not even planned to get her tested until her 4th grade teacher was making a big deal about it and was trying to hold her back. Anyway we did other things. Without the hyper part I think it may have made it easier. It looks like i am going to find out soon with my son. I also have no plans to medicate him either. Only because as they get older their bodies change and their minds by medicating them I feel it is keeping them from becoming who they are meant to be. They have to learn to adapt to who they are. By medicating them the meds are adapting for them, when the meds stop they have no idea who they should be. My daughter went from failing grades in 4th to doing great in 5th to now in middle having to learn to adapt again. She has to write everything...i mean everything down...she has to have extra folders that the teachers do not require and then i have to remind her to use them. There are days she spends from the time she gets out of school until bed time doing homework...but that is her choice she has the choice to tell herself i am going to get this done in an hour...or the choice to sit and think about it for 3 before she actually gets motivated...i do provide rewards and i do provide punishment. I have done physical training for her brain...which includes playing video games...she could not even focus long enough to finish a game...and i would make her sit for 30mins...i had her folding and putting away her own clothes at 7yrs old...and i used to let the socks pile up and she would have to sort them for 30mins...an average class assignment is 30mins and anything done in repetition causes a habit...so doing things not fun for her for 30mins at a time would help her in class to focus...she also plays sports and this to has helped it gives her an escape from everyones expectations and be herself in something she is good at...(which i understand that may not be appropriate for everyone...but everyone should have an out...an ability to be who they are while doing it) I also support her for who she is and tell her i understand...(i guess the most important thing about doing that is that i actually do understand and i know what i would have liked to have done different) AND I ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE CONSEQUENCES I HAVE GIVEN HER EVEN IF IT BREAKS MY HEART!!!! i think follow through and consistancy would rank #1 in supporting her....the kids not only need that but they actually appreciate it....and the ones with disabilities need to be shown that their expectations are no different and never allow her to use it as a crutch...Because she was made who she was for a reason and God never gives you more than you can handle...

Stacey - posted on 12/08/2009

my son could NOT read in 1st grd, I new he had a prob in kindergarden, he is 14 now in 8 grd, makes all A's has scored perfect & only missed 1-2 ?'s on FCAT. He is not taking anything this yr, he has learned HOW to study, & what it takes to keep himself on track. He was off his meds on weekends, summer, & holidays. He also has a photographic memory, whch was why the teacher in KG wasn't worried, she thought he could read. It would take him 2 hrs to copy 2 sentances, so i new there was a prob. I felt that i hag to give him every chance to learn to do it on his own cause i could NOT be @ school to try to keep him on track. I also have @ girls 1 older & 1 younger, the younger 1 is on meds now for2.5 yrs, only started her when she was having trouble in school. I can deal w/ all the other stuff w/ her. hope this helps you, just remember that you need to give your child the best chance for a good education that you can. also the 1 few meds might not be right you have to kinda play w/ it from dose to changeing meds.

Christy - posted on 12/08/2009

my oldest was diagnosed Adhd at 3 and has been medicated ever since. And my youngest was diagnosed at 4 with ADHD, ODD, CD, and possible bipolar and is on a fistfull of medications. That being said I do not medicate on weekends, school holidays, or summer break. It is a personal preference for each family. My oldest son's father also felt that he shouldn't be on meds until a couple of weekends without them and then he realized the severity of the problem. However i still do not send meds. I feel that their systems need a break from all the pills that the doctors think they need.

Tammy - posted on 12/06/2009

My son was finally diagnose with adhd about a month ago we knew he had it for years but were finally getting to the point where we had to medicate so far soo good!! he is able to sit in class with his classmates now instead of going to the resoure room which is great and is now more melow it has done wonders!!!

Shelly - posted on 12/06/2009

He doesn't get into trouble at all. In fact he is the "personality guy" at school, but he has the focue of a ferret! His dad is totally against it and I am afraid that will make this hard.

Mira - posted on 12/06/2009

I think I asked the exact same question a year ago when my son was diagnosed with ADHD. It is entirely up to you. You can try behavior modification charts and fairly strict routines. They help, as they help all kids with or without ADHD. We also began the Feingold Diet. It is an elimination diet to begin with - you take away all foods that are possible triggers, and bring them back slowly one at a time. It also means no food additives (colors or preservatives, etc.) It really helps. And now when my son eats something not on his list, boy is it noticeable. But, that said, we found that all of these combined are the best for our son. He was 5 when we started him on meds and he was able to tell us then (and continues now) that he prefers being on the meds. He says he feels like a better boy. In his five year old head he understood that he wasn't getting into trouble and people (teachers, parents, grandparents) weren't reprimanding him as much. And, he was/is better able to do things from homework to playing games with friends. All of these things combined have really helped. Remember, it may take a while to find the right med and right dosage and as the kids grow, that dosage has to change - stick with it - and don't ever accept negative side effects, talk to your dr. about changing dosage or med if that happens. Good luck. It is your decision and there is no wrong decision.

Tina - posted on 12/05/2009

Depends on the severity of the ADHD..my son began medication at age 5...the pediatrician wanted him to start at age 3...now at age 10, he will tell you that he prefers to take his medicine...helps him to feel calm and in control and he doesn't get in trouble. I personally wish i had began the meds at age 3 like the dr. wanted...it is a personal choice, but remember there is no shame in needing it...do whatever makes his life easier and in turn that will make yours easier.

Vickie - posted on 12/05/2009

i chose to medicate during the week while in school. his father and i are not together and dad thinks he doesnt need it. but without the medication my son has problems in class with sitting in desk and concentrating. my son has mild dyslexia. hes 8 now. he is growing out of that now. medication is a personal choice. councelors have told me that having a set routine at home and in school helps. idk. good luck