i completely agree and your write there is no long term benefit other than actually being able to concentrate in the now and being able to get through school etc. so that you can go where you want in life
While medication can be helpful, there is a great deal of research that suggests medication has no long term benefit.
Yes it can be helpful - but there is NOTHING wrong with exploring non-medicine alternatives.
Rory
i would recommend concerta as well in my opinion its the best medicince. also if the child needs the meds i beg you put your child on them. they are there to help the child and if they were harmful or did nothing trust me i would not be telling you to put your child on them after having taking them since i was six years old. also the child needs to be around other children and most of all needs their parents. the fact that you are so fearful about medication makes me wonder about your mental health. also the proper dose of medication takes a lot of tweeking it is not always the recommend dose how ever it is usually close. if you get the right dose its great but if you are too high or too low even if just by a little the sideaffects can be enormous.
I can't suggest anything for medications - but if you are looking for "non-medication" treatments - you might want to check out DORE USA. It is expensive - so I am not necessarily recommending their services - but there are some children who are diagnosed with ADHD who struggle more with sensory-integration problems (such as sensitivity to tags on shirts, weight baring issues). While I am not an expert on this particular area - I do know that some children benefit a great deal from morning exercises - not to mention a healthy breakfast with protein to start the day.
Rory
Tell your doctor you want to try Concerta. Its a gradual release form of Ritalin, I know it sound bad, but it is a good one. Its a 12 hour release form. Both my girls are on it. They each take 36 mg, 1 pill each morning. Its makes a huge difference and NO MOOD SWINGS. They got a little tired the first couple days they took it, but after that they have done wonderfully on it.
I want you guys to know that there is no such thing as ADD- there is only ADHD- but there is 3 different types, my son is not hyper either, but he has ADHD (the concentration type). If they are hyper or impulsive it is called ADHA Combined. My therapist ust told me that, so I figured I would share!
There is nothing wrong with medication , as our sons Specialist said " some people have a "chemical Imbalance" just like a "Diabetic" . and needs "supplimenting" . Just be very observent at the beginning .
(Our success story Above.)
Ozzie351
ADD or ADHD ? Our son (16) has ADD (not Hyperactive) . We frantically tried to get something done while he was in Primary School , but got nowhere . At High School the Councilor picked it up "straight away" , He was too quiet and was "left behind".
If they gave him a test , he would be lucky to write his name on the page or answer 2 questions . We took him to the Specialist who put him on "Attenda" tablets , the change was immediate within a week , from 5-10/100 to 75+/100 in some subjects .
In year 7 he couldn't wait to leave school , now he finished Year 10 last year and has just started Year 11 . He's no "rocket scientest" but his Maths , Metalwork/Woodwork & Mechanical subjects are going well.
At home I've taught him Welding , Angle Grinding , chainsaw use , Measurement in old Imperial (inches/feet) as well as Metric , but ONLY when he's had his Attenda , even he knows the difference . Now he "Modifies" his Pushbikes (all 5 of them) mounting them with suspension or making "choppers" .
Different medications suit different people , or a different approach , like Shelly . Don't give up ! , the end result is really worth it . Now my son & I can sit down and work on projects "together" .
One Happy Dad .
My son is now 14. I have had a rough time with him, almost from birth. We tried many things and over time I have figured out how to deal with him. I won't go into meds because for my son, they were not the right thing. You child may be different. What I will address is YOUR mental health, and I think that we parents are the ones that get lost in these situations.
Our special children do not come with a special book on what's in store for us as parents. Up until very recently I could not stand my child. Eventually I realized that there is nothing wrong with him, and I was the one that had the problem. I had to learn how to deal with him, take care of him what worked for him, how to love him, how to do everything for him.
After I realized quite literally one day in a flash of clarity that I NEEDED TO CHANGE BECAUSE I WAS MAKING MY SON MISERABLE BY EXPECTING HIM TO BE NORMAL...The things started to happen for us. I could go on all day talking about your child or mine, but that's been done before.
One day, my son was really pissed off - he was 9 or there abouts. It dawned on me to let him do it - just let him go. Have the fit and see what he would do instead of trying to get him to do what I wanted which was shut the hell up and act like Bobby the Robot across the street.
Anyway, he had a fit. Couldn't get a lego piece together or something. I sat with him and listened to him. Muttering to himself, looking for that "just right piece" and really watching him. I started to offer suggestions - the yellow one Joey? no. How about this one? This went on for a while, and I saw something I had never seen before. He was BRILLIANT. A regular Einstein. He made, out of square and four cornered legos, on a lego table...A circle. A tower. With square pieces. I was so happy I cried.
I know this seems like something totally insignifigant thing but it was wonderful. I watched him draw - Just sat with him and talked to him through his frustration. He finally says to me something like, "Wow Mom, you're really getting better. That was fun. I am proud of you". And I knew then that there was nothing wrong with my son. It was me that had the problem. I guess what I am trying to say is, find out who your kid is. Don't let him run over you, but get into his world. Stop yelling at him and looking down. You sit on the floor and look up at him, and let him show you what it is he is trying so desperately to say to you and the world. If he needs meds, then get them. But give him a chance. If you do, and when you do, you will get your life back.
Shelly
MY son is 10 He has non hyper ADD the school system was telling me to put him on medicine. I chose to homeschool .. for two years.. then now I let him live with my sister and go to a small like country school they are doing like a small class where he can get one on one. He isn't on medicine. but his attention span is like very short ,you have to kinda make him focuss. or he won't. I am just against the medicine .. and for awhile this school wasn't saying anything about ADD but now it's come up with them .. the last 3 years the teachers were like I think your son needs some medicine, He won't focuss. I am just so afraid to medicate my son... I hate the thought of it" what should I do?
they tried my boys on the patch last month, did nothing for them. they put them on adderall, they been on it 2 days, they seen to be doing ok, but im trying to find more info with first hand on it
My 10 year old recently (a few months now) has been diagnosed and put on Adderall and I too am frustrated with his mood swings, sensitivity, crying all the time and not going o sleep. I was thinking of asking hte doctor if their is a better option myself.