Babysitting drug

When I was 6 I was getting in trouble for laughing and speaking out of turn, the normal stuff a 6 year got in trouble for.  Now my son is 6, he gets in trouble for the same things and the teacher asks us to take him to the doctor.  We did without thinking of it and the doctor gave him meds for ADHD.  When my son was 4 he was treated for ulcers and we got that under control, until now.  Yes he is doing better in school but at the cost of his individuality and his stomach.  I guess what I'm getting at is why teachers today can't handle the children like they used to.  Is it really necessary to medicate 75% of children in school?  My son acts know different than than I did in school, and I was never on meds, and was never asked to be put on meds.  So what is so different about today than was 20 years ago?

[specialmom]

For children that have true add/adhd, the availability of methods to help them cope better have been a wonderful advancement.  I'm speaking of all things involved.  That the exact same discipline methods don't work for these kids is helpful to know.  That there are methods and ways to draw out the best from them and help them fit in better (and many have that as a goal, don't fool yourself) is great.  That if other things have been tried and a parent is knowledgable and educated on the subject and the decision is made to medicate, it is a good thing to have options.  

I am all in favor of understanding a child better.  And research has now been done on kids with add/adhd to give more answers in how to help the child.

A number of 75% is a not accurate.  75% of children in the school system are not on medication.  What happened to those kids 20 years ago?  Well, many of them were supremely unhappy individuals who never felt like they fit into their own skin.  Many turned to other things to cope such as drugs or alcohol.  Many found that doing risky things made them feel better.  Many never lived up to their potential.  Many became bitter adults.  Some turned out just fine.  

I do think that diagnosis of add/adhd happens too frequently but that is not to say one should discount the diagnosis completely. I have two children and neither one has ever taken medication for any issues such as add/adhd.  

[Sandman2]

  Good answer by specialmom!  
    You asked what is so different today than 20 years ago?
Well, I started teaching in 1970.  A kinda of hyper child than would have been squashed.  Everybody had to fit the same mode, and the parents hardly ever objected.  Made teaching a lot easier.  Also, it wasn't till the mid 80's that school systems began to realize that something like ADHD existed, and not until the late 80's and early 90's that we began to deal with it.
   Fortunately, things changed.  A child with ADHD has a very difficult time in school and in later life.  There are plenty of ways to help kids with ADHD, and a lot of the solutions don't always involve medications. But you have to get the information to help your child. You need to get all the information you can to help your child.  A very good, highly recommended way to start is to get the book, "The ADD/ ADhD Answer book." , by Susan Ashley.  There is a ton of ways to help your child.  It may be that with your educated help he does not have to be on medications, or he still may need them - but at least you will understand why.
  Also, his stomach should not still be bothering him.  Do let your doctor know what is going on.  The standard treatment now for ulcers are antibiotics.  It is a very simple test to see if that is needed.  If it is not an ulcer than, than are very simple things like pepsid can that really help.  Good luck and if you have any other questions, please post.

[dadwith2sons]

My childs grades in school are fine, and like I said the only thing he gets in trouble for is laughing and speaking out of turn.  I did sound like I was blaming all teachers and I did alter the results of the kids meds, for that I am sorry.  I just believe their needs to be more testing done before a teach gives a note to the parents recommending he/she see a doctor.  I am a very young parent who loves his kids and would do anything for them.  When a teacher recommends the doctor I listened, no testing was done for the adhd, they just gave him meds.  The ulcers on the other hand, lots of testing was done, and it was concluded that the adhd meds and a combo of his favorite food that flared them up again, so they kept him on his pepcid.  What I'm getting at here is they tested him for 4 days in the hospital for his ulcers, but they give out adhd meds like they are candy.  Some of my closest friends in high school that were on those meds are some of the one's you were talking about having the drug problem.  Kids are kids, if they want to try something they will, so lets not make it so easily available like the speed they're giving kids in school.  Yes I was one of those kids.  My first experience came from a kid who was tired of taking his meds, so he sold them instead.  I am a lucky one who got and stayed clean, but their are many people that I would love to talk to but can't, cause they're still on speed, that they first tried in school from some kid tired of taking his meds.  Am I saying they are bad for everyone, no, just saying that their needs to be more testing done before they hand out the meds, and maybe their is in some places, but not where my kid goes to school.  

[Sandman2]

  Hey, I hear you.  And you are right there are kids selling their "speed".  The weird thing (but scientifically correct) is that people with ADHD don't react to their "speed" the way normal people do - ie. they don't get the rush.  I don't know if thats why they then sell the stuff thinking it doesn't work or they just want the money, or trying to help other kids.  But it can be terribly addicting.
  I can't believe your doctor just handed out the meds.  That is not the way it is supposed to be done.  Makes me think he probably is a pediatrician, not a child psychiatrist.  By the way the following is some pretty good info on ADHD.  When you read it you kinda wonder what criteria your doctor was using.

  The American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) considers it necessary that the following be present before attaching the label of ADHD to a child:

    * The behaviors must appear before age 7.
    * They must continue for at least six months.
    * The symptoms must also create a real handicap in at least two of the following areas of the child’s life:
          o in the classroom,
          o on the playground,
          o at home,
          o in the community, or
          o in social settings.[30]

If a child seems too active on the playground but not elsewhere, the problem might not be ADHD. It might also not be ADHD if the behaviors occur in the classroom but nowhere else. A child who shows some symptoms would not be diagnosed with ADHD if his or her schoolwork or friendships are not impaired by the behaviors.[30]

Even if a child’s behavior seems like ADHD, it might not actually be ADHD; careful attention to the process of differential diagnosis is mandatory. Many other conditions and situations can trigger behavior that resembles ADHD. For example, a child might show ADHD symptoms when experiencing:

    * A death or divorce in the family, a parent’s job loss, or other sudden change
    * Undetected seizures
    * An ear infection that causes temporary hearing problems
    * Problems with schoolwork caused by a learning disability
    * Anxiety or depression[30]
    * Insufficient or poor quality sleep
    * Child abuse

[Momofsuperkid]

I don't think a child who laughs or speaks out of turn should be given the meds. I do wish, however, there was a sensitivity for those of us who have decided to try them to help our children. The parent of the children who flip out of there chair in class, or can't complete their work. There are some of us who are good parents and want to help our children succeed.