Adhd

[hanginginthere]

Dd was just diagnosed with ADHD. She is impulsive, lacks ability to focus, has highly sensitive reactions to situations, is easily frustrated, and can get very angry and defiant- almost aggressive with me when frustrated although this behavior is seemingly reserved for me alone.
The child psychiatrist is recommending we start her on concerta. I am curious if anyone has any experience with ADHD medications in children? I am not big on medicating but do want to even her playing field to give her the best opportunity to be her best. Thanks!

[peggyfromwastate]

Isn't she very young? Going into K? I started my adhd son on meds when he was 9-- he was diagnosed with Tourette's plus adhd so he got meds for all that at the same time. Concerta did not work for him. At all. Finding an adhd med that works is a bit of a challenge. He takes intuniv for control of the tics, but it also helps with adhd. He also takes strattera for adhd, which is somewhat helpful.

How severe do you feel her symptoms are?

My dd13 had adhd symptoms since an early age but pretty much manages fine without meds. She's 13 and doesn't really want to try meds, but if she starts to have issues eventually that impact her ability to concentrate in school, we will revisit the idea.

[Michele]

We started my son on Concerta a few months ago and then switched to Vyvanse. So far I guess it helps. My mom sees a huge difference. I sometimes think he's out of it/totally subdued. His teacher did not notice improvement witness Concerta but then left to have a baby and the new teacher doesn't have any comparison. He says he still has trouble being still. He's out of meds and I had no idea how difficult it was to get the prescription filled (ALL of my local pharmacies are out and no one else will tell me over the phone if they have it or not and I'm sick of driving to be told they don't have it). So I guess we will see a comparison today and tomorrow. I don't give it to him on the weekends.

There are a few threads already about adhd that should pop up in a search.

[Phoebe]

My two older kids started ADHD meds in 2nd grade. One is in 5th and the other one is in 7th. There is a marked difference when they are on the meds vs. off of them. My 11 year acts exactly like you described your daughter. A lot of her meltdowns are due to anxiety and having a brain overload. She did well on Focalin and now she is on Concerta.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pollyanna]

I would give the meds a try. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking meds for ADHD. Could you imagine if someone said that you can't take meds for migraines? Told you to just control the pain, act better, other people manage just fine without meds, try harder and you'll feel better? Why trap your child if a med would help her be more "her", ya know?

The worst thing may be that the meds don't work, but more likely you will find that they provide her with the relief she needs.

[hanginginthere]

Isn't she very young? Going into K? I started my adhd son on meds when he was 9-- he was diagnosed with Tourette's plus adhd so he got meds for all that at the same time. Concerta did not work for him. At all. Finding an adhd med that works is a bit of a challenge. He takes intuniv for control of the tics, but it also helps with adhd. He also takes strattera for adhd, which is somewhat helpful.

How severe do you feel her symptoms are?

My dd13 had adhd symptoms since an early age but pretty much manages fine without meds. She's 13 and doesn't really want to try meds, but if she starts to have issues eventually that impact her ability to concentrate in school, we will revisit the idea.

They are off the chart severe which is why we even considered it. Poor kid has reactions and lack of focus where she can't even sit at a restaurant for a half hour lunch. So we are thinking of trying it out. I have noticed she can't even handle focusing for more than a few minutes before getting distracted...so maybe a mild dose just for a few years might help so she can function in school.

[PrincessFiona]

Why not do a trial of medication to see if it helps? You can also work on some behavioral interventions when she's a little more easy to manage.

Kris


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hanginginthere]

I would give the meds a try. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking meds for ADHD. Could you imagine if someone said that you can't take meds for migraines? Told you to just control the pain, act better, other people manage just fine without meds, try harder and you'll feel better? Why trap your child if a med would help her be more "her", ya know?

The worst thing may be that the meds don't work, but more likely you will find that they provide her with the relief she needs.

That was my thought- she seems like she just has no impulse control. As a toddler she always had to be carried or in a stroller for her own sa

[hanginginthere]

Oops- safety

[hanginginthere]

Why not do a trial of medication to see if it helps? You can also work on some behavioral interventions when she's a little more easy to manage.

Kris


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That sounds like a good idea- she also is about to start therapy.

[hanginginthere]

My two older kids started ADHD meds in 2nd grade. One is in 5th and the other one is in 7th. There is a marked difference when they are on the meds vs. off of them. My 11 year acts exactly like you described your daughter. A lot of her meltdowns are due to anxiety and having a brain overload. She did well on Focalin and now she is on Concerta

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Does the concerta help as much as focalin? What dosages seemed to work? Does it effect sleep? Sorry for picking your brain

[hanginginthere]

We started my son on Concerta a few months ago and then switched to Vyvanse. So far I guess it helps. My mom sees a huge difference. I sometimes think he's out of it/totally subdued. His teacher did not notice improvement witness Concerta but then left to have a baby and the new teacher doesn't have any comparison. He says he still has trouble being still. He's out of meds and I had no idea how difficult it was to get the prescription filled (ALL of my local pharmacies are out and no one else will tell me over the phone if they have it or not and I'm sick of driving to be told they don't have it). So I guess we will see a comparison today and tomorrow. I don't give it to him on the weekends.

There are a few threads already about adhd that should pop up in a search.

Thank you I will try a search!

[Phoebe]

Does the concerta help as much as focalin? What dosages seemed to work? Does it effect sleep? Sorry for picking your brain

The medications affect people differently.. they can also stop being effective when the child grows or overtime just quit working such like antidepressants. my oldest daughter tried Concerta for a long time and it kicked up her anxiety. She actually became OCD and we had to discontinue the medication. Focalin works very well for her right now. My second oldest daughter did well on Focalin but she had a few growth spurt so we had to up the dose. Normally you are monitored by a nurse practitioner or a psychiatrist. There are tons of different medications and they each affect a person differently. My daughter tried five Vance and cried the entire day. Not she's taking Concerta because the Focalin wasn't very effective after while.
The meds can wear off at the end of the school day. So that is something to consider. Some of the medicine lines have an extended release option which makes the pill stay in your system a little longer possibly through dinner time.

A side effect of all stimulants his appetite suppression. Some meds affect kids differently. My oldest daughter has no appetite suppression on Focalin but she did when she was on Concerta. My middle daughter is affected with appetite on all meds. Luckily, her dose isn't super high where we have to be concerned about it. She eats when she's hungry.
Concert affected my oldest daughter was sleep. She needed to take it as soon as she got up. Focalin doesn't .

Focalin and Concerta both help my 11-year-old with impulsive behavior getting irritated easily and having outbursts when she gets overwhelmed. she does better at school work when she's on the meds and gets better grades.

your provider will suggest minutes which would be appropriate for your daughter. You may have to try a couple different ones and tweak them before you find one that works the best.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ladybug]

Just prepare yourself for a journey to find the right med and dose for her unique body which is always growing and changing. I would expect everything to be worked out by the start of next school year. I would maintain it over the summer to identify the correct med/dose/effect. I find communicating with teachers to be a mixed bag. I'd be inclined to not share at this point and wait to see how she does, and to get their blind feedback. Some teachers are great though so you have to assess that based on your relationship with her/him.

She could lose her appetite so keep an eye on her food intake.

[peggyfromwastate]

I'm going to pm you some of the info I've found out about this stuff on island. ADHD is one of those things.... Anyway, good luck and it's great that you are being proactive about this. Whether or not to medicate is generally a decision made (IMHO) with the idea of helping the child achieve his or her best outcomes, and to help them through life without the constant struggles and irritations caused by these neurological processes that aren't fully understood at all, but they are a real hindrance to the kids. Many parts of this island still feels like it's all sort of a made-up idea, and that ADHD is really just a lack of control or a lack of effort by the child. It's a tough place to be in.

But as a mom who chose to medicate my son, and haven't looked back, I'll say that it makes a huge difference, and that the meds help him be in control of himself so that he can learn better, perform tasks better, have a more calm and positive outlook... It hasn't been a miraculous recovery, and the ADHD symptoms are still there, but he's doing pretty well and we've come a long way...

Anyway I'll pm you some names here on the island...