DONT PUT YOUR CHILD ON THE ADHD MEDS

I WANT MY STORY KNOWN.  I HAVE A 7 YR OLD THAT WAS TREATED FOR ADHD 2 YRS AGO, NEVER COULD FIND THE RIGHT MEDS, SO OF COURSE THEY KEPT SWITCHING THEM.  IN 2YRS THEY STILL CANT FIND THE RIGHT MEDS. SINCE THE BEGINNING SHE IS NOW BEING TREATED FOR ADHD, ANXIETY, AND ODD.  SHE HAS BEEN ON FOCLAIN,ADDERAL,STRATERRA, RISPERDALE,ZOLOFT,VYVANCE, AND MORE.  IN THE BEGINNING MY DAUGHTER WAS A VERY SWEET LITTLE GIRL SHE WOULD GO THREW HELL OR HIGHWATER TO HELP SOMEONE, SHE WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE LITTLE GIRLS THAT EVERYONE LOVED. THEN WE GET TO THE PAST 2MTHS OF OUR LIVES.  SHE WAS STARTING TO GET VERY MOODY SHE COULDNT PLAY WITH OTHER KIDS CAUSE SHE WAS HATEFUL AND HAD TO BE IN CONTROLL.  THEN OUR LAST VISIT TO THE WONDERFUL DR HE PUTS HER ON 150MG OF ZOLOFT 10 MG RISPERDALE 50MG OF VYVANCE, THEN HELL BEGAN, SHE STARTED HAVING EPISODES OF NONSTOP GIGGLING,THEN THAT LEAD INTO UNCONTROLLABLE CRYING, THEN THE VIOLENT RAGES, SHE LOST CONTROLL  OF HERSELF, SHE BEGGED ME TO GET A GUN AND SHOOT HER CAUSE SHE FELT CRAZY.  WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING HER OFF THE MEDS, AND IT IS HELL.  MY LITTLE GIRL IS HAVING WITHDRAWLS, SHES HAVING REALLY BAD SWEATS.  IM TELLING YOU PLEASE READ THIS AND KEEP IN MIND THESE DRS DONT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR KIDS THEY JUST WANT TO DRUG THEM, PLEASE ANYONE OUT THERE CAN DEAL WITH A HYPER CHILD BUT HAVING A CHILD THAT CANT CONTROLL THERE SELF AND PUTS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IN DANGER IS MUCH HARDER THAN A HYPER CHILD.  IF THE SCHOOLS TELL YOU THAT YOUR CHILD IS ADHD TELL THEM TO STICK IT THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF YOU CHILD BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THEY R DOING.  I WANT TO CRY WHEN I HEAR OF KIDS BEING ON MEDS THERE JUST AS BAD AS STREET DRUGS MAYBE WORSE.  OUR LIVES R NOW ON HOLD WE CANT DO ANYTHING UNTILL WE GET HER RECOVERED.  YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH ME BUT PLEASE TRUST ME NO ONE DESERVES TO GO THREW THIS . I THANK GOD EVERYDAY THAT I HAVE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO SUPPORT US.  IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT HAS ANY OF THE SAME ISSUES.  PLEASE TALK TO ME.

[margypops]

I have seen so much recently of exactly this there are many posts here where Parents cannot deal with the Problems of child Behavior  and go to have a label put on their child and give them Powerful mind altering Drugs,Thank you for putting this up there it took courage, wean your child slowly from this stuff with a lot of care and attention she will be fine ,at least you have realised what has been happening so it can only get better.A lot of the "problems' parents encounter are from their own lacking  Parenting skills, a lot of the Behaviors can be changed and Managed,it is unfortunate that the schools are allowing Teachers to diagnose ADD and AHD and actually tell the Parents their children should be on Drugs with dreadful side effects .Let us know how she is doing you arre caring enough to see this there are sites out there that will shock you as to the Enormity of this problem going on.

[riczgrl]

It is highly unlikely that any teacher has "diagnosed" a child with ADD, ADHD, or any other disease with an acronym, because that is unethical and illegal. To suggest that a parent address the child's issues with the family doctor or pediatrician, is not illegal.

[margypops]

You have dragged up an old thread....the date is August 15th 2008 we are now March 2009...

[margypops]

Okay change the word Diagnose to reccomend..... pity thats the only help you gave this parent was to drag up an old thread and  attack me .

[mostlyaway]

I didn't read what TUDA81 said given that it was in all caps, but the post margypops made is very true; teachers are trained to "spot" children with learning disabilities  so the doctors can medicate them.  That's what happened to me in kindergarden.  I'm not saying it's a good or a bad thing really, but I can't operate with out stimulants and find myself inclined to believe that stims are important for me to continue using.  

I disagree that Unethical = Unlikely.  Pointing this out to riczgrl would be easier than feeling attacked or retaliating.  

[gel852]

The best meth for a child with add and adhd is giving that child lots of Love and giving him lots of fruits and Vegitables feeding him white meats instead of junk food. Giving him his own luch for school. If you have the time then you should just home school he/she for a week to see what is wrong with him and then try to see what is the best way that he could learn or she. I feel that in this life time every dr is just trying to put any kid on meds, and if that was the case then way didn't they do that back in the old times. A child has lots of love to give and with patietion you and your child could over come it. These type of children just need more ateintion then then the average child. It is a working  process. children with add and adhd are very smart.

[Sandman2]

    "I feel that in this life time every dr is just trying to put any kid on meds, and if that was the case then way didn't they do that back in the old times."
      Well, I was teaching back in the 70's and I can tell you that the Doctors then had no clue what ADHD was or how to effectively treat it.  Due to a lot of medical trials and scientific evidence - Doctors today have a much better idea of treatment (just as they do for cancers, etc).  
      I also think that if you go to a Doctor, then you are expecting him to use meds.  They aren't going to give you psychological counseling.  Some will and that costs a ton more money.  And yes, there are Doctors who will take the easy way out by prescribing meds and never see you again.  But then the parents are also taking the easy way out if they allow that to happen.
    I definitely agree with your last statement  that, "These type of children just need more ateintion then then the average child. It is a working  process. children with add and adhd are very smart."  However, I would add that it is a lot more complicated than that.  Not all ADHD kids are the same.  Some need a lot more help and that could include medical attention.

[VOTMOM]

I have a son with ADHD. My problems with him started a few years ago. He was sexually abused by his step grandfather. Who by the way is free and clear.  He used to be a sweet loving child and all of the sudden he turned into this little hellion. I dont even know how to describe him.  Everybody loved him. He was ok at school and awful at home. A year or so went by and he started being bad at school too. He got suspended from school in the 1st grade.  He even got paddlings in the 2nd grade. We finally got him to the dr and they diagnosed him with ADHD put him on meds and he is a completly different child. I dont like giving my kids meds. HOWEVER with him it is necessary.
Yes I agree they are too quick to say yep your kid is ADHD but some of us (i am sure I'm not the only one) have dealt with trying to do it with just couseling and loving them and all of that without meds for a long time. I'm not trying to be hateful or anything just informing others of the situation

[Melissa0116]

I just read your comments on ADHD meds.  My son was put on Zoloft when he was 6 and I had to take him off of it after 6 months.  He had the same issues and I decided to wean him off of this drug on my own.  He is doing good now.  He is 11 and takes only Vyvanse 30 mg.  I am planning on taking him off of the Vyvanse in the summer and trying L-Theasine which is a natural vitamin.  The doctors and teachers did not listen to what we want for our child, so I had to take matters into my own hands.  Meds have caused more problems than actually helping him.  He used to be such an outgoing little boy and now is fearful, shy, backward, and always worried about what people think of him.  Since he has been on the Vyvanse, his personality has definitely been coming back to the outgoing child that I use to know.  

I do not think that doing nothing about ADHD is a good thing but just putting them on meds is wrong.  Meds do not solve the problem.  

[Sandman2]

   It's hard to believe they would put a 6 year old on Zoloft  (well, ya I can believe it).  Pretty bad misdiagnosis.  Vyvanse is a nice slow acting stimulate which lasts for a long time.  Zoloft is a whole different ball game.  Hopefully, the L-Theasine will work for you.  If it does please write back and let us know.
   Please realize that  your sons behavior of being "fearful, shy, backward, and always worried about what people think of him,"  is one of the problems with ADHD.  Kids in school are judged all the time.  When they have some problems controlling themselves due to the ADHD, and teachers, classmated, etc.  are on them all the time - then the above behaviors can happen.  

[Spooty68]

I have ADD and so do my 2 daughters who are now 17 & 19 years old, my daughters were not medicated as children, diet palys a huge part in behaviour as well as parenting, my husband and I had to learn different parenting methods and it does work. children with ADD need to be disiplined in a different way.  Children with ADD respond much better to praise, I praised all the good things they did and  it is amazing how a child will respond to praise and recognition.children with ADD can often be very sensitive to criticism and anger.  My daughters were only medicated when they reached college being both 16 years old when they started meds (year 11 and 12 here) this was only because they were having problems at school, on medication my younger daughter wnet from failing to being an A student is advanced maths etc, my oldest used to fall asleep in class and was frustrated because she had so much trouble, on medication she has now started a nursing degree and is doing well because she has also learnt how to work with her ADD with study.  the meds will help you concentrate and focus when you find something boring.  

I believe that there is a place for medication if and only if it is required, I also believe that there are kids out there that do not actually have ADD but are treated for it and to many people medicate for the wrong reasons. ADD meds should not stimulate a person with ADD, I also take my meds to help me sleep.  if you truly have ADD the medication does help, the diference in my life since I started meds has been amazing.  I am amazed at the drugs your daughter is on, it is really a vicius cycle.  I wish you luck when I found out my girls had this I did as much research as I could and made my decisions, do not be afraid to question your Dr, just because they have a white coat does not make them infalible, do your homework and talk to people there are many differing opions out there.

Good Luck

[angelinamarina]

I am not even going to waste my time reading the responses when i see things like "Feed your kid vegetables and white chicken meat" to treat biological brain medical conditions.  For the love of gawed.  Yeah, so if you have diabetes, don't take insulin, just hope for the best and it will be ok@??!??!?!

Anyway, similar things happened to my daughter.  YOUR GIRL SOUNDS LIKE SHE HAS CHILDHOOD BIPOLAR and the doctor has apparently missed this.  FIND A DOCTOR WHO WILL CONSIDER GIVING HER A MOOD STABILIZER SUCH AS DEPAKOTE SPRINKLES ----  very well tolerated and well studied in children for seizures.  It has helped our daughter VERY MUCH and she was also given an antidepressant that made her manic and talk of suicidal stuff at age 5, with giggling and screaming and horror stories galore...and getting off of it was awful but after a month or so on depakote and off of the antidepressant we have a DIFFERENT KID.  
If you need to talk...email me.  I UNDERSTAND.

[HoneyNut]

This is a good example about how people generalize.  Yes, there are some doctors that will prescribe just about anything under the sun, because they want money, but more often than not that isn't the case.  I was diagnosed with Bipolar and ADHD when I was 9.  That diagnose has stuck, and I'm 22 years old, and have seen plenty of different Psychiatrists for evals.  I trust that they know what they're talking about, and I have done my own research on both of these disorders to feel that I was correctly diagnosed, even back then.

While, I am sorry that this has happened to your child Tuda81, please try and consider other parents out there... and the fear you might have just instilled in them.  Them being afraid to take their child to see a Psychiatrist, when it could make a world's difference for them.  Because I don't know what I would have done if I WASN'T on ADHD medication as a child.  I've gone without them before, and the change is night and day.  It wasn't a simple, quick and easy fix though.  I had to go through a ton of meds, and still, every once in a while my prescription needs to be tweaked or changed.

The only advice I can give to parents who might read this... Don't be afraid to get a second opinion, or ask questions if you don't understand.

[M_Shell]

I don’t want to go out on a limb here but I think all cases are diverse. I have tried behavioral therapy, special dieting, family therapy, smaller classrooms, regimented scheduling etc. for two years before putting my child on medication. In the beginning it was scary and I felt helpless.

I tried everything possible to help her to thrive in social and educational settings. My daughter spent her entire kindergarten years coming up missing, roaming the halls and on the move. She spent her entire first grade year at a desk in the corner of the room. I worked with her teachers and the support staff at her school. Nothing worked!!! -Until she was put on medication. Fortunately for me I realized off the bat that the first medication she was on wasn’t working and tried a second (even though at this point I was still somewhat against it). It changed my daughter’s life!!!! She is an A student, enjoys school, has friends, and actually has empathy of others.

I didn’t want to believe that I couldn’t do that for her in someway but unfortunately she needs the medication. It has been just about three years and I wonder if she should be taken off it to see if her self control is more developed and she could do without. I’m sure after talking with her ped. I may someday try that but for right now I just am thankful for all the people who helped and guided me through it.

I understand that some parents have had a nightmare with this diagnose and the medications involved but also on the other note some have had the other side.

[ekiser675]

I will be short to the point she sounds exactly like my 8 yr . Your daughter is on too many med,  that doctor is crazy. After 3 years of try ing different doctors we finally found one at Childrens specalized  hospital and i think they have them all over she was put on tenex and she is like a new child calm, relaxed and she also has adhd and odd.I would ask your doctor about it, but you really have to get rid of him. She has been on concerta for 3 years and had so many tics and i could not take it any more so i found that new doctor and she was  wonderful. She now does not have any tics and she seems so happy. I f the doctor had any brains they would of taken her off stimulants. I hope I helped you alittle bit. If you would to talk more about please feel free to right bak. GOOD LUCK IT  CHANGED MY DAUGHTER AND A GOOD DOCTOR WILL DO THE SAME FOR YOUR SWEET GIRL.

[jljohnson740]

TEACHERS????? I won't even go in to my story of my grandaughter. Beautiful,,,,chanllenging because she's 3 or 4 times smarter than her parents....just won a district spelling bee bef school was out and not on drugs at the time.

Nurse mom and out of work stupid father whom it took 7 years to grad college with a so-called degree in Special Ed....he got fired from all his teaching jobs..

took this child to a doctor they KNEW and walked out with drugs.

HOWEVER..the person I'd like to choke is the low down TEACHER who just went along with this child's stupid parents. Trust me..I raised one of these idiots...she wasn't anything like she is now..having been married to a pathological liar amongst  other things.

THEY can't handle the child....so DRUGS! Thanks to this TEACHER..who didn't evaluate her except on a written test her parents wanted..then she just AGREED with them!!!  They wanted the test..no teacher has ever said this child needed something for concentration or anything else. I'm looking in to taking the teacher down but doctor put her on drugs so as a grandparent ...I have no say.

I've taken care of her since the day she was born....this isn't about her parents..I am serious..this child does not need drugs. What is going on in this world???? As a grandparent..who has always been her care taker..I was asked nothing.THAT"S because her parents knew I would tell the truth about their jobs..them..and how worthless the 2 of them are. I've got stories...and I'm not proud. My daughter was loved...taught better..and a host of other things...it shames me that she would sell this child out because she's too lazy to work with her. The child tested at Sophmore level comprehension....she is a wonderful..curious..loving child. Last year she had one mean teacher and that woman never even  considered testing her and if anyone would have..she would have.

It's a disgrace what schools get away with...what some parents are getting away with. It's a joke and don't let anyone tell you it isn't. Few and far between are the good ones.My son has a Masters in Social Work...councels troubled kids..can't believe they have put this child on these meds. Nothing I can do.I'm ready though to fight the fight for  a say in what happens..I'll do anything to save this child. They will just increase these drugs..I'm through with my daughter. I was close enough but what she has done to this child..I'll never forgive her for. I have to be around her so I can see the child and the other 2 kids they have...BTW..the youngest is spoiled and throws fits..no one mentions his getting on drugs....he's 4 and a half and STILL has a PACIFIER??? Anyone wanna argue that these are disgraceful parents????

Get the kid off and try alternatives. I begged for them to do that for my grandaughter to no avail....too much work I'm sure. Try it, doesn't work always..but try..then get to a GOOD doctor if you can find one. Our grandaughter was never even looked at by a psychologist or anyone. God save these poor kids.

[dollyn]

I see this is an old post,and just read this.

I have to agree that the teacher really push for the children to be seen by there doctors.And I have even had the teacher and school nurse want to talk to doctor about my son.

And yes after teacher calling and sending home notes about my son,I did cave in and his doctor did put him on medicine for add and adhd.first we tried adderall (adderrall) and teacher was always calling or writing notes to us that it was not working,and that we should talk to doctor and have medicine changed.So  then my son was put on Concerta.And school saw he was doing new things.Like sleepy ,staring ,and thou he now had seizures.
After tell his doctor about what the school teachers and nurse had said for a few months.He fainaly sent my son for an EEG and thou it would come back fine.

Well it didn't.My son was put on seizure medicine since 2006,and when I asked one of the doctor while he was in the hospital if he Concerta could have cause his seizures she said yes.H e was taken off of it right away.And when I re looked up Concerta and Adderall (adderrall) ,they both have the side effect of seizures.

The doctors have told me that once you have the side effects of some medicines ,all you can do is treat the new problem.In witch my son case the seizures wont just go away because you stop the concerta or adderall (adderrall).But he will not ever go back on them again.And now still having seizures every  day and night.even with trying seizure medicine and now has a VNS in him as of June 24th this year and hoping this will make a  difference for him.And be able to take him off all the other drugs he is on for his seizures witch have bad side effects,but he has to be on them.

And the doctor now are thinking he has  lennox gastro syndrome  .witch there is no cure for.

so please help your children by not putting them on these drugs.
and have the doctors do there jobs and make sure they look at everything.Like there blood levels ,there brain.

I hope and pray people are still reading about what can happen and know that there are bad things that can come from drugs that they are giving there children,and learn from some of us you have had really bad things come from these drugs.

[margypops]

I echo what the above posts have said. Try a multiple  Vitamin with anti oxidents Vit B Complex, and Vit C also fish oil has helped many .experts have shown this to be as beneficial as Ritalin

[8r33z13]

i always felt controled on my meds and oneday i got out of bed and refused to take them my doctor wasnt too keen on it but i told her that if she doesnt agree then she can get lost and i would go to another doctor but she agreed and now i have been meds free for 6 yrs and will never look back

[allmymarbles]

ADD is a fad diagnosis. Doctors are handing out Ritalin and Adderoll like party favors. Beware, and look to the welfare of your children.

[Sandman2]

ya, I think the key is "Parents under duress".  They turn to doctors for help, and the help they get is many times a short term fix, or none at all.  Other times it turns everybody's life around for the better.    The Nurtured Heart Approach is certainly worth trying.
  Frankly, I like to think that the teachers are tying to help the child.  Since they cannot prescribe or diagnose (at least in anyway that would be reflected in your statistics), I would tend to disagree with your first statement.

[specialmom]

While I think ADD is highly over diagnosed, I think part of the increase in diagnosis is awareness.  

[allmymarbles]

Right on! I hope everyone reads your comment.

[angelinamarina]

um, if you had a child with ADD ADHD and ODD you would not be posting about reading a book about parenting!  Ha!  We have an entire bookshelf of books about parenting and NONE OF IT works for an ADHD or ADD kid.  

Please, if you have not had the experience of raising one of these spirited kids, do not comment.

IF a parent chooses to go the drug route, it was probably a really tough decision for them!

Angi

[katiebyres]

maybe the increase in children with adhd is awareness off it! It annoys me how people just presume that you are a bad parent when a child has this, if you had a child with theses behavioural problems then maybe you would understand why these mothers have accepted the drugs, they want there child to have a normal life, not to make there life easier!

[specialmom]

I agree there should not be a judgement towards a parent doing the best that they can.  Many many children are helped by medication.  Many kids finally feel like they can cope with what is going on with them and are grateful that their parents acted.  Most do not end up with horror stories.  You hear them here because people are upset about their particular situation.  But there are the good endings out there as well.  No good parent relishes the thought of medicating their child and I think it should be a last resort.  But a good parent does not let their child flounder and struggle and be unhappy--- in my opinion.

My son does not have add/adhd.  He has sensory integration disorder which can often look like add/adhd.  Medication does not work for sensory but I've still felt the judgement from folks who think my son is just acting "bad".  

So, keep being a good parent and you shouldn't feel like you can't come here and discuss add/adhd because some do not like meds.  Add/adhd is real and children deserve to have it taken seriously.  good luck to you.

[crystalhanzelka]

My son was just doagnosed with ADHD/PDD/OCD and we are trying all natural methods.  I will let everyone know if they work.  

[vampirewolf]

Yeah i know. I believe that the Medicine isn't always the best way to go when you or your child have ADHD. i mean if the situation is to much for you to handle and the medicine is the best way for you handle yourself or the child then fine that is an exception. but i personally think that the medicine is the worst thing that you can you. i think you must learn how to cope with the disorder. Or at least work with it to learn how to handle it . Either or the medicine to me makes it worse. it doesn['t treat you to make you better but to make you worse. but that is under my own personal opinion. if you think other wise then thats your opinion but i am staying in my own personal facts ...

[katiebyres]

Im all for natural methods, its all they used to have...but its so unfair to make someone feel its thier fault for not trying hard enough, theses drugs are there to help, no one would be critising if it was a person with cronic (chronic) back pain or something like artritis! but as i said before natural methods are worth a go and have been proven to at least help!

But saying that, what about mothers who have been brused off by the system and have had to deal on thier own and nothing has worked, what are they meant to do.

[specialmom]

Boy, would I love to see a science based study looking at children that were given natural remedies vs. nothing vs. medication for adhd/add.  My child is not on medicine but I know of many many success stories of children that found themselves achieving what THEY have always wanted to achieve in school.  When it is a success, it is a wonderful thing.  When it is a disaster it is a terrible thing.  That is why one can only share their own experience with their family or people they know well vs. telling everyone else what will happen with their child.  There are no absolutes and what you hear in this forum are anecdotal stories.  Those that are satisfied are less likely to post on such a forum as they do not have an axe to grind.  I'm not judging those that post in such a way.  They've had a bad experience and they want to warn others.  But it is unfair to say that their situation will be that of every child when it simply is not.  

And to further add that the reason I responded is because there is judgement that goes on that is unfair.  Most parents are doing the best you can.  You run into a few that want use medication to parent their child or are trying to work the system for a disability claim----------  but most just want to help their kid.  

That is why I'm all in favor of fair balance and pros and cons.  Everyone should know the risks and what the positives could be when deciding what to do for their child and I just hate that they are judged along the way.

[dollyn]

I think  most people who come in here have children or had Children who have ADD,ADHD.

And we come in to tell what has happen to our Child and what you might try to do to help your Child.

I know how hard it is ,and still know how hard it is for everyone .But I will never put any of my Children on these drugs after what has happen to my youngest son after being on these drugs.The only thing I will give him is Vitamin B6 and Children Multivitamin and Omega 3-6-9 and that has helped his a lot more that those drugs every did and don't have the very bad side effects that we are dealing with after him taken the,

[Starlight33]

I am so fed up with people putting adhd down to a lack of parenting skills or a diet of additives and sugar, or child abuse or lack of love or neglect.  Why is everyone so quick to judge the parents? As a parent I am going out of my way to help my child in any way I can.  If adhd was only diet related or sugar related I'd be Elated because that is something I could control.  From all the reading I have been doing about the cause, the cure and the management of adhd, I'm more confused than ever and the reason that parents probably put their children on drugs is because they can't get any consistent information about the best treatment for their child.  There is so much controversy to wade through....It's a mass of confusion for us parents so  please, ease off the judgements and get your facts straight before you start judging parents for whatever treatments they try.  What we have in common is that every one of us wants our child to be healthy and happy.

[benjimom]

Could not agree more with Starlight!! It is a mess of confusion to wade through and it's not so easy as it looks to outsiders.  We all just want our children to be happy/healthy/thriving.  When you have a kiddo not doing well in school, life can sure be miserable for all involved.  I personally haven't felt that supported by school personnel.

[lovelymummy]

OMG you poor Parent. I just read your story and my heart goes out to you and your family. I am just in the process of taking action with my five year old daughter as I think I have known that she may be bordering on some hyperative disorder for a very long time, and reading your story has opened my eyes and will make me very cautious about giving my daughter any drugs. We all love our children so much, and trust our doctor's with their lives. These doctor's should not be allowed to practice. I'm sure your daughter will come through this as she obviously has a very caring and loving family, but no parent should have to go through what you're going through at the moment. I wish you and your daughter all the very best.

[allmymarbles]

I don't think any child should be on ADD meds, whether or not they have ADD. In the first place, most diagnoses are in error, and for those miniscule few that are not, meds are not the way to go.

[lindahand]

The one thing that struck me was how many meds this child was on. Zoloft and Risperadol are pretty big guns. They put adults on risperadol with caution because it is a pretty heavy hitter that can alter female hormones. They are not treatments recommended by any reports I have seen. If every treatment failed perhaps she didn't have ADHD to begin with. What you fail to tell us is the reason you put her on meds. If she was this sweet loving little girl you wouldn't have reason to seek medical treatment. Something was wrong with the situation. You made a choice to medicate, you must not blame the doctors alone, you choose to medicate. You choose to put your sweet little girl on a variety of very harsh experimental medications. And if you soley relied on your doctor you are not being responsible. If you suspected something was wrong you could have seen another doctor.

Chances are ADHD is over diagnosed. The stats show a rise in the US that is more than any other developed country. For mild cases medication may not be indicated as employing parenting techniques may help. But for certain kids it would be criminal to allow them to struggle and suffer and deny them medical help just because sometimes some kids don't get the right diagnosis.

[allmymarbles]

This child was "diagnosed" at age five. That was too early in any case. As to treatment, there are sophisticated methods available that do not involve dangerous drugs.

[Uncertain328]

I'm so sorry to hear about your son's struggles and the difficulty your family has had with this drug. My boyfriend's daughter, who is 11 years old, is also on Concentra, and her mother keeps persuading the doctor to up her prescription (because she would prefer to have her sedated than to have to actually be a parent to her).

Well, after the doctor continued to do this, his daughter showed up at our house one week looking like a zombie! Her pupils were the size of dinner plates and her eyes were bulging out of her head, yet she seemed completely lethargic, unalert, and even depressed. She barely responded to us, and showed no emotions whatsoever, even when we tried to make her laugh. No lie, she literally looked like one of those crackheads you see on Intervention. She was even chomping her jaw, like you would see someone on cocaine doing! Worst of all, when he put her to bed that night, she didn't go to sleep. Instead, she paced around her bedroom like the little girl in the Ring. At four o'clock in the morning, he discovered that she still hadn't fallen asleep. I was so scared I wondered if we should take her to the ER, but my boyfriend insisted there was nothing they could do.

Then, for weekends after that when he put her to bed, she would have traumatic hallucinations about spiders and bugs, and said they were buzzing around her and trying to get into her head!

It was so sad and aggravating to think that a professional doctor, who had taken a hippocratic oath to do no harm to any person, and a mother could have conspired to do this to her own child! I think it would be much more helpful for children to receive treatment through a counselor and use behavioral techniques than to be drugged up, and I think those who do opt for drugs as an easy way out and abuse them (either by prescribing them or distrbuting them) should be prosecuted for child abuse.

I suspect that the years they've spent drugging her has also stunted her growth. She is literally at least a whole foot (or more) shorter than all the other children her age, and I think it's due to the fact that when she's on her medication, she refuses to eat--at all! Her father will try to force her to eat something, but she'll usually only eat once a day when she's on her meds. When I was her age, I was eating everything in sight and grew 6 inches in one year! It breaks my heart to see this drug destroying this little girl and her development and I hope it doesn't cause more problems for her in the future. If I had a choice and were her parent, I would remove her from these medications altogether.

[Uncertain328]

You all make excellent points about coping with ADD and ADHD, and how we can't make generalizations or judge individual situations, but does no one find it strange at all that these "disorders" just suddenly came about in the past 20 years or so? So, there were no hyperactive or ill-behaved children prior to that? What a wonderful world that must have been! The only difference was that prior to the 1970's parents didn't spoil their children, they weren't raised on junkfood, and they most often used spanking as a disciplinary mechanism.

Now, I'm not advocating spanking, or saying that the general public are bad parents, or even that diet plays a role in behavior. I'm just wondering when everyone decided to jump on the labeling bandwagon instead of devoting time and discipline to behavioral problems? Is it because most parents are too busy with their own lives and jobs and would rather send their kids off to school on their meds to allow the teachers to deal with them instead? Is it just because you read it that it must be true? Is it because doctors were being bombarded with a plethora of paranoid parents, who were having difficulty raising their perfect ideals in an age where the expectations to succeed were much higher than ever before, so they came to a consensus that this must be a pandemic that wasn't previously noticed?

I'm not saying I don't believe the diagnoses for ADD and ADHD aren't valid, but I just think it's funny how widespread it is, especially compared to other countries. I personally have known two separate people (one in her 50's and the other in his early 20's) who would have had ADHD as children, but were never diagnosed with it at the time and they learned to live with it and adjusted with out being singled out and labeled. Both became successful and went to college,etc. The lady I know said she was diagnosed with ADD at age 40, after graduating from college, getting married, and raising 3 boys. She said her whole life, she was just considered a bad seed, who had to work just a little bit harder to concentrate and to not get slapped on the wrist in school.

Everyone has their weaknesses, that doesn't mean they need a label telling them that it's ok to be mediocre or to not try, just because they have a disability. I was never good at science or math. As a matter of fact I would flunk those "special" classes year after year, while I was excelling in honors english and history. I put in my best efforts into those subjects, and despite being a good student, those just weren't my strengths. A friend of mine had dyslexia, and had to learn to read and study and succeed in school despite that challenge. There was no medication or special treatment for him. Part of life is learning to overcome obstacles and doing well despite your weaknesses. I'm not saying medication shouldn't be an option for those who need it, but it seems like too many are too quick to jump to that conclusion, when it should be a last resort.

[Sandman2]

  first, its just not the last 20 or so years.  I had a kid in my 6th. grade class in 1972.  He could not sit still.  He would be rolling on a table when you tried to talk to him.  I would put him outside and he would be on top of a bush rocking back and forth.  This would have been 38 years ago.  Fortunately, he was a sweet kid.  Great parents.  I liked him.  He got into drama in 7th or 8th grade and excelled in that field.  Point being, I've hardly ever had a kid as hyper as Roger was.  So I think it has been around for quite awhile.  The problem was that when I had Roger in 1972, nobody gave me any help as to how to work with him.  I did not even hear the words ADHD in a school setting till probably 74 or 75.  I honestly don't think that the science was there at that point in time.
    You mention all these kids suddenly coming down with ADHD.  I recently saw a study done on pesticide levels in kids.  Those children with the higher levels exhibited behaviors like ADHD.  It well may be that what we have been doing to the environment, is also effecting our kids
  Point being that it is a very complicated subject and they are still trying to figure it out.  And yes, there is certainly a lot of parenting going on that contributes to behavior that looks like ADHD.

[specialmom]

Uncertain, those disorders were around but didn't have a name.  Those kids were just the weird ones that no one paid attention to, or the ones who got kicked out of school for acting out, or the ones that were in special ed classes because they couldn't be with the other kids.  They were there for certain but there wasn't the awareness we have now.  We can really help our kids with the right tools.  Whether you are for or against medication, there are many different strategies that help children that struggle.  I think the awareness is fantastic.  Sometimes it goes overbourd and people look to the diagnosis of add/adhd and sensory and autism/aspergers to explain things with a child when in reality it is home enviroment and other issues that are involved.  But when a child really has a disorder and can be properly diagnosed--------- I think it is great.  My own son had many challenges and is doing really great now by addressing the underlying problem.  
I saw the people you spoke of that had add/adhd or one of these other disorders but were never diagnosed with anything.  Many abused alcohol or drugs, most were depressed.  All felt like they were not comfortable in their own skin.  All suffered low self esteem.  All had suffered.  As a psychologist, I felt like they would have benefited from some form of treatment and at the very least, an explanation as to why they felt the way they did and struggled.  All just my thoughts on it.  

[specialmom]

anyway, I'm always supportive of parents who genuinely want to help their kids.  Isn't that what it is all about?  People may have different methods and opinions about it, but all just want what is best for their child.

[lovemykids465]

Now I am a bit freaked out from reading all of this. i have a 14 year old who has always been a ball of energy. But the past year he has been struggling in school and his temper. He went for a physical and had to take a survey, doc came back and said It seems you have ADHD. We would always joke about it with him but were shocked when they said he did. They gave him 15 days worth of concerta and man what a difference! He said he feels so much better. He can focus and is not so agitated . But I have a 9 year old who has many behavior problems, he was diagnosed with social anxiety and ocd. he was put on zoloft  50mg. It has helped and we have changed the way we parent him. He is totally different then the rest of the children, but I am concerned with the zoloft. Believe me he still has his moments. Not as many but still quite a few.

[specialmom]

Honestly, from what I know----------  zoloft is more benign than add/adhd meds.  It is not a scheduled substance and the side effect profile is a little cleaner.  I think it is great that you have found a way to help both of your kids!  That is what we ALL want most.  To help our kids.  good luck to you.

[SPD_MOM]

my son took prosac then resipridal to curve his mood swings from his inablitly to get a good nights rest, in the one month he took it, he gained 35lbs he was 5.  He got in trouble every day at school, he would become so violent we could not keep our other child around him.  He hit me and said things that were so hurtful to everyone.  Then he would fall asleep around 5 in the evening and sleep until I drug him out of bed at 6:30 the next morning.  Each day grew worse and worse. I had to ween him off of it so that is why her was on it for a month.  After that I started reasearching everything from autism to sleep apnia (apnea), to ADD and what I found out was (after testing him) He had Sensory Processing Disorder He got OT for it we have to do things a little differently at school, but he takes no meds and the first night he slept with his weighted blanket he slep all night long and never moved from the spot he fell asleep in.  The next morning it was like a whole different child.  I was amazed at the change in him.  He has to exercise a lot that is part of his theropy and he loves it!  it also helps with the 35 extra pounds he put on.  He can now play a team sport and interact with other children and he speaks up when he is getting overstimulated.  He is 6 and has his own voice he is becoming his own advicate at school and learning how to use his disorder to work for him and not against him.  We have a long way but there is hope.  I hated putting him on different meds but through all that we found the answer.

[KMc70]

Has anyone considered that the enormous amount of vaccines given to our children these days might have an effect on their developing brains? While vaccines are meant to do no harm, for some children, like mine, they do tremendous damage to their neurological systems. Our vaccines are not only packed with viruses, which we give to our tiny little infants when they are only weeks old in excess of 6,7, and even 8 viruses at a time. But they are also preserved with thimerosal, a mercury based preservative. Mercury is the second most neuro toxic chemical known to man, other than plutonium. Yes, I know they say they have removed it, but it's just not that simple. It's still in most children's flu shots, and is still used in the manufacturing process of all vaccines. They filter it out, but it remains at around 0.1%. Multiply that times 35 vaccines all given before a child is 2 years old, and that's a lot of mercury. They are also filled with ethylene glycol (antifreeze), aborted fetal tissue (look it up), monkey kidney cells, and formaldahyde, just to name a few. Surely it can't be that hard to believe that damage can be done by injecting our children with all of this at such a young age while their brains are still developing and the mylein sheath (which protects the brain from toxic substances) is still not fully developed. Look at the rise in autism over the last 20 years. 1 in 10,000 in 1983 when children only received 10 vaccines before going to kindergarten. Now in 2010 they receive over 35 before going to kindergarten, and the rates are 1 in 70. Autism and ADHD have a lot of similar traits. I should know. My son suffers from it. He is 3 years behind in language and social skills, has a horrible time sitting still, and focusing and controling his impulses, despite wanting to "be a good boy". However he has been able to read since he was 3. I believe some children are only affected to the point of ADHD, others are less fortunate and develop full blown autism on top of that. So, no, it's not bad parenting. My husband and I are very consistent. We are firm, yet respectful. We follow through with rules and consequences. We always have from the very beginning. We are not lenient with our children. We interact with and play with them. We have 2. Both of them have been raised in the exact same manner. One suffered horrible side effects and seizures at his 18 month doctor visit and spiraled into autism. He lost ALL language, eye contact, socialization skills, play skills, imitation skills, and began to have inconsolable temper tantrums. He developed severe OCD and anxiety attacks. All of this within 2 days and it has continued for over 3 years. It's sheer hell for us and for him. Our youngest has yet to be vaccinated. We will begin later with him, after his brain is more developed and will go much slower, possibly using the schedule from the 80's. He is continuing to develop right on track. He is calm, obedient, considerate, smart, conversational, polite, and happy. My point is that before you go blaming bad parenting, please consider that that's just not the case with all children. I agree, there are some parents out there who could afford to grow a backbone and discipline their children, but the epidemic of ADHD is very real. I personally am terrified to try medications. We are using natural supplements and behavioral therapy. He has good and bad days, but overall truly wants to be good, but has such a difficult time more often than not. Please don't blame all parents of ADHD children. Most are doing everything they can to try and help their child grow up to be good citizens.

[allmymarbles]

According to my daughter, who has done extensive research on vaccinations, in the first year of life the infant is immunized against 64 separate illnesses. This is not apparent to the parents because the vaccinations are multiples. Consider that an infant, with am immature immune system has to fight off 64 ailments. I don't know what the damage is - but there has to be damage and I am not waiting for studies, etc. Common sense is enough for me. No, our dozen grandchildren have not gone the guinea pig route. And they are very healthy, thank you. No ADD, autism, or whatever.

[allmymarbles]

I learned tonight that my niece has Acute Disseminated Cephalomyelitis. It is an autoimmune disease, similar to, but much worse than MS. In looking up the illness I found that it was suffered largely by children, most often attributable to vaccinations. A common culprit, by the way, is the vaccination for swine flu. Yikes!

Whatever I said in my previous posting, please double it.

[Karen_and_Jim]

I know several parents and doctors who have had positive experiences dealing with ADHD children.  No prescription drugs.  If you would like to know what I've found, please contact me thru ***.***************.com/contact.cpo

[kmsjewels]

My son has something wrong...He is now 6 and I  noticed signs at age 3.  He has been diagnosed with ADHD by a doctor who sat with him for 30 min and then wanted to assign him medication.  I believe my son does have ADHD, coupled with other things, but I struggled as a mom to put my son on medicine at age 5.  We all can't deny the side effects of ADHD/ADD treating medicines and it is fact they accurately work for only a few years before having to switch to new ones.  My son is five and then would have to take them for the remainder of his school years.  I struggled, A-L-O-T.  We tried the all natural diet, who has been deemed very effective by those who stick to the diet.  I, however; was not disciplined enough.  He is now 6, stealing obsessively, already had after school in K in the first half of the year.  The school is wonderful and has been working with me.  I have researched every facet of ADHD and I am still do not have a peace about medicine.  I will next try the vitamin supplements as I have just read a wonderful book outlining the pros of using such.  It is a difficult decision either way, but meds will be my last resort.  I am trying and that is what matters.

[KimmieKim79]

We knew from a very early age that my son had ADHD. We used to joke that he skipped walking and crawling and starting running at 8 months old. It took about a year after that to realize our son was different. That normal discipline would not work for him. From the early talks of diagnosing him with ADHD we swore we would never EVER put him on ADHD meds. Even after being kicked out of 3 daycares for his hyper-activeness (1 only took 4 days to kick him out) we still swore we would never put him on meds no matter how bad it got.
We tried everything, literally everything. Including but not limited to the following:
We tried food allergy testing to see if that was the cause of his behavior. We had him on a 100% completely organic diet (I even made his own ketchup!). Although he isn’t on a 100% organic diet anymore (it didn't help) he still doesn't eat junk food & no sugar at all (Just special occasions like his b-day or holidays) We've tried about 30 different discipline/reward systems which took reading over 20 ADHD books to help. We even tried pops but read they don’t help with ADHD and we saw that for ourselves. We’ve done herbal remedies & vitamins. We are very active in our church, the positive Christian influence never helped. He has seen a psychologist for a year.  We have seen a psychologist to see if there is anything we were doing wrong. After the last time he was kicked out of daycare (@ 4) we even had him officially diagnosed with ADHD in order to get him enrolled in the pre-k Special Education Program with his school district on a learning disability (because at all of the daycares he was kicked out of they would always say "he isn’t only hurting the education of himself but the education of the other students") We needed to get him help to get accustomed to a class room setting since no daycare would take the time or effort to help him and we didn't want to throw him into kindergarten like throwing him to the wolves without any skills to help him succeed. We have even tried methods of occupational therapy. Through all of this we have showered him with love and affection.  ALL to no avail.
He is now 6 and 3 days ago we finally had to put him on medicine.
And let me tell you, I get quite upset reading comments like TudaA81’s that “A lot of the ‘problems' parents encounter are from their own lacking Parenting skills”
Anyone who has seen what we have gone through and the lengths we have gone to get help our son would never say we lack parenting skills.
This was the single hardest decision of my life. I’ll briefly explain the events that lead to our decision.
All his life he’s  been a very affectionate, sweet, helpful child- he just couldn’t listen, remain still and mainly control his impulses. The special ed program had started to help. He had a tolerable 1st semester in kindergarten and was actually moved to main stream classes. He was still getting in trouble but nothing like before.  Every day we would discuss his daily report and everything he was doing wrong. He would be punished for his bad behavior. Nothing out of the ordinary. A month ago something happened to him. He changed almost overnight. He became angry, defiant, violent, and uncontrollable at home, at church, at his before and after school daycare, at school. We were being called out of service at church to take him home (they have been with him since he was 2 months old and have always been very supportive; they have never asked us to take him home before) He was threatening us and talking back and you could just see the venom and anger is his eyes. The daycare was threatening to remove him (again!)He was losing friends for lashing out in anger. The teacher was emailing me and asking what was wrong with him. He was being sent to in school suspension, sitting out at recess and having silent lunches. He even threatened a kid that he would bring a knife to school because a kid wouldn’t be his friend anymore.  MY SWEET 6 YEAR OLD BOY SAYING HE WOULD BRING A KNIFE TO SCHOOL?!?!  WHAT WAS WRONG?!?!
We set up an earlier emergency session with his psychologist (which he goes to weekly) and we would meet with the psychologist the next day to hear the results.  After meeting with our son she said that his self esteem had hit rock bottom. He literally hates himself. He has been in trouble so much for so long (at least once every day since he was about a year old) that he felt the label of “the bad kid” had been placed on him and he was living up to that label. He realized he could not control his behavior so he had given up trying completely.
Throughout all of this no one, not the school, daycare, teacher, special ed educator, school diagnostician, psychologist, pediatrician, NO ONE, told us to put him on medicine. We were the ones to finally ask if we needed to consider it.
We realized our son’s quality of life was bad because he was always in trouble and felt like everyone hated him. He even realized he couldn’t control himself.  He told me one day last week that he wished he was sick again (he had just gotten over a sinus infection) because he said that the sickness MADE him slow down and therefore he could make better choices. How sad is that. My 6 year old realized that he could not physically make good choices, despite all the help he has been given, unless something MADE him slow down. We had never even told him about medicine that might help, yet he realized the need for “something.”
I will forever hate that I had to resort to medicine. Not because I feel like a failure as a parent because God knows I have tried, but because of the health reasons which I am fully aware of.
I feel that my job as a Christian parent is to raise my child right, give him the tools and guidance, that will stay with him throughout his life, in order to make good Christian choices and in doing so prepare him for an eternity with Christ. I came to the conclusion that my son was not physically able to use the tools and guidance we have given him to make good choices. He needed help. It was to a point that we were doing our son a disservice by knowing there was something to help him and not trying it.  If my 6 year old was as angry as he was at 6, I could only imagine how lost he would be by the time he becomes a teenager. We were fast approaching a point of no return for him. We couldn’t allow that.
A brief description about the effect of the medicine so far:
My son is on 30mg of Vyvanse. The difference has been day & night. This past weekend was the 1st weekend I can EVER remember that our family was not angry w/ each other. There was so much love & affection it felt amazing!  He was explaining “the rules” to my daughter all day, when in the past he was the one breaking the rules. It was as if he retained everything we taught him, but was unable to follow those rules.  
Now the 1st day he was a little emotional, talked non-stop and didn’t feel like eating.  He didn’t sleep well that night either. We have watched him like a hawk & allowed him to sleep with me and my husband to monitor him.  The 2nd he didn’t talk non-stop, was not emotional and slept well. Today, the only issue we have is still the lack of appetite. We got a call from the daycare today just to say how well he is doing!!!  I usually get a daily call from the daycare but it has always been a bad report. Wow…a call just to say how amazing MY child has been? It feels great, but I am not without concern. I still worry about him and always will.  
I took all this to say, parents, never give up on your children. You are their biggest advocate. I would definitely prefer not to have him on medicine, but I have weighed every single other option imaginable before I made this choice. Don’t let doctors, teachers, and people on blogs who have no clue what we are going through dictate your decisions about your child. I pray for everyone raising children w/ this VERY REAL disorder. God bless & I hope I have helped some of you.

[Sandman2]

  Wow! An amazing report.  The time, effort, and love behind it is very evident.
I think you did it right.  There was no easy way out for you. You tried it all.  My only advice to you would be to make sure that as your son ages, he is fully aware of what he is up against.  With your love, and support he will have a rewarding life.
  And if you don't mind - I will bookmark your response so months from now I can use it if other parents have questions.  Best Wishes!

[joliecrzy]

you probably dont even read comments anymore it has been so long ago. but it just found this thread. my 12 year old son was the same way, sweetes, tenderhearted, but he had trouble concentrating at school, and was making poor grades, thing was his father was like that when he as in shcool, took no meds and ended up fine. there is a reason i put that. so now he has been on meds two months. he is aggressiive, if he hears the word no he goes insane, I know how panic attacks are because i have them and the other night i thought he was having one, never had one before,, he was begging for me to make it stop, make it stop, i couldnt help him at all... so from now on there will not be ONE MORE PILL TAKEN BY HIM IN THIS HOUSE.....NOT ONE MORE.. thanks for your story and i truly hope everything has turned out for the best.
amber

[dollyn]

so many people don't relize that Seizures  can look like add and adhd. Befor putting your child on these very strong drugs . you should get an eeg done to make sure everything in there brain is working right.

people who have seizures have a hard time learn and can act out and don't have any control over it.  there are 30 different kinds of seizures .some people who have seizures look like they are being lazy or day dreaming but they are not .they are having an absent seizure .

[CBL1984]

You are doing the right thing keeping your child off of meds. My parents put me on ADHD meds at 6 years old. I was on them for years and it ruined my life. You can read my story here on my website: ritalinawareness.com. Prescription stimulants lead to permanent depression, anxiety, OCD, and other mental health problems. They give ADD kids more problems than just ADD. There are many alternatives / supplements, etc, that you can use to combat ADD symptoms. Best of luck to you. Your child will thank you in the years to come for the decision you have made on her behalf. Please spread the word about these horrible drugs. If you read my story please tell others about my story and my website. We have to work as a community to keep kids safe from these toxins.

[CBL1984]

My parents put me on Ritalin when I was 6, and it ruined my life. I am now 26 and I cannot work because of the disabling treatment-resistant depression and fatigue that I have as a result of being on the drug for years. ADD drugs are not a solution, they are a quick fix. They do work which is why people use them, but when they stop working your child will be left with not only ADD but depression, too. That is what happened to me, and I am not alone. I am finding more and more people to whom this has happened. This is because Ritalin and other stimulant ADD drugs (Concerta, Adderall (adderrall), Vyvanse, Dexadrine, etc) work on the dopamine system which is not only responsible for attention but pleasure, too. The drug has the same mechanism of action as cocaine and the result of long-term use is the same. The drug works for a while and then the person develops a tolerance to the drug and more is needed to achieve the same result. Then the person cannot even feel pleasure without the drug. And finally even the drug doesn't do much to alleviate the person's depression because the dopamine system has been too disrupted. And that is where I am now. I cannot feel pleasure. I resent the fact that I am even still alive, but I have chosen to keep living so that I can warn parents like you about these medications. I would rather be a school drop-out than live the way that I live now. At least as a school drop-out I would be able to enjoy being alive. Maybe I wouldn't have a great job, but I would at least be able to work and feel pleasure in life. Many ADD kids can become successful adults without medication. They just have to find their niche. I know many people who did not take meds who are thriving in the life paths that they have chosen. Please visit my website www.ritalinawareness.com  and read my story and the research that I have presented on how long-term prescription stimulant use can lead to depression. You can also read about alternatives to medication on my site. There are so many supplements and other brain-training activities that can work for ADD. It's not too late to save your child from a life time of mental illness because of these drugs.

[diamondgirl14]

My daughter was diagnosed adhd years ago. They put her on meds.they changed them several times within a year and a half the meds made her aggresive (aggressive) and assultive. I took her off the meds. She is now diagnosed with bi polar disorder which they now say was what was truly. Wrong with her the whole time. Just miss diagnosed. They say it is a common mistake. She is now on meds for her new. Diagnosis and she is becomeing normal. All these meds can be dangerous though. We had a servear allergic reaction from her geodon. She thought she was going to die and her whole body spasmed up and she became stiff like a dead body. This tramatized her and she was scared to go to sleep, but her new meds are way better.

[teresaleague]

I have a 5yr daughter who has adhd ,add
& altistic and her dr wants to put her
Om meds for it but I won't allow it & the dr said I'm neglectin my child
But I have been on adderall (adderrall) 20 mg 3x a day for 13 yrs of my life and I will b
Damned if I would ever put my 5 year
Old baby threw something like this !!
Now plz don't get me wrong she is a
DEVIL child lol..I have dun alotta
Resurch on add & adhd & austisum for
My daughter because she's only 5 & I know there has got to b another soloution beside drugs so I went to
Barnes & knoble and I have found the
Most life saing book !! Its by jenny
Mccartney "the cure to adhd &
Austism !! It is the best book it tells
You how to fix the promblem wid out meds iits a 32 chapter book it took me 1 day
To read it frount to back I culdnt
Take my eyes outa it !! I have learned so much & belive it or not it helps soo
Much I'm so thankful I did reasearch
Before I took the meds frm the doctor she is finally stating to act like my bababy again wid out any meds !! I hope yu could get this book & lean a lot from
It !! I wish yu the best of luck

[monsterNbugsMommy]

I took my daughter off of her meds about 6 weeks ago because of the same issues. I recently had school conferences with her teacher and we were discussing that her grades have been effected some and that she was more talkative and having more drama at school and I informed the teacher that we as a family had decided to take her off the meds for her sake because of the mood swings the crying and her drowsiness. This morning I had child protective services at my house saying I was neglecting my child by taking her off the meds is this true? Is that legal? I as a parent know my child she is not hyper and off the meds is a great kid who is very happy any questions or comments on this matter please help me????

[Sandman2]

    Wow, that's a first.  Never heard of that before.  Of course, your comment to protective services should be, exactly the opposite.  You are protecting her from what sounds like an over dose of meds.   I wonder if the school principal knows about the visit.  I think that legally if the school is trying to say that she should be on meds then they would have to supply a competent doctor and the meds (which no school in their right mind would do).  I think you could make them back down very quickly.
    I do wonder if you had mentioned the mood swings and drowsiness to your doctor?  The meds really should not have been doing that.  How old is your daughter by the way and how long was she on the meds?
   By the way, an excellent book that I recommend on this forum alot is, "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley.   I think you will find it useful because it gives you lots of ways to help your child (non med wise).  Also it sounds like you will want to get her on a 504 plan to protect her in school.  The book gives lots of good info on that.  Please post if you have any more questions.

[margypops]

Gosh I am so sorry you are being put through this I have just reread this thread from 3 years ago and I still have the same opinion, children should not be placed on these mind altering drugs with horrendous side effects .I cannot believe that control is being taken away from parents like this , you have to stand up to them do not comply ask your Doctor to become involved .This over emphasis on children taking these drugs should be stopped its appaling ..

[margypops]

Could you let us know what happened with the CPS ?  

[bklyn320]

I agree with you the doctors are quick to drug our children up. Or diagnose them with something. My daughter is having issues so I took her to see a therapist. I told him from the door I do not want to put my daughter on any meds because the outcome is far more worst than before the drug... They end up with other symptoms leading the doctors to want to perscribe something else. Then when you try and get them off of the meds they have new izsues that wont go away. A drs job is to keep you coming back. Im just going to change my baby's diet! Sorry to hear what they are doing to your baby!!!

[Sandman2]

    Hopefully, the diet will work for you.  However if it doesn't - there is a lot that still can be done to help your child (depending on what is wrong).  Information is what you need and I can suggest a lot of sources that can be helpful.  Please feel free to post if things don't get better.
   by the way, while diet changes usually don't work out too well.  Night time sleep changes can make a big difference.

[Joni82]

Diagnosing ADD/ADHD is not just a simple task. If you have a good doc they will explore other avenues first. Not all behavioral/ attention probelms are add/adhd. Several doctor visits then a behavioral specialist is called in. It takes several visits that is over an hour long each time to discuss everything. Then, a teacher along with a parent/s have to fill out a sheet that is veral pages long. They look at the overall so a parent just cant say hey I want my kid on drugs. Do i want my child on drugs? well of course not but in the long run that was what helped him pay attention in class & calm down plus it acually helped. However we decided to try the patch first. Daytrana 10 mg & it was amazing how well he did on it. From August to Febuary he was on a daily patch but he nearly stopped eating altogether. He got sick, he lost so much weight & not only that the patch leaves these HORRIBLE red blotches on him where it looked almost like he had a severe sun burn look. So we decided to stop the patch all together. He is back to the old Noah we all know before except not eating right for that long has caused issues in his eating habbits that we still are working with. Not all docs are bad & with that said Not all kids that take the meds end up like this womans child. Now as a parent i am not ready to just jump to another medication as of yet. He is a month free of any meds except his daily albuterol treatments for his asthma. Medicine is tricky. Some work/ some dont. Is a medication worth risking my sons overall health.. nope but I still believe there is hope & maybe some patience on my part.. ty have a nice day

[Joni82]

Oh yes & btw doctor never explained to us that depending on the childs temp of body is how much meds are going into his body. Thus when he played outside & his body got hot & sweaty it delivered too much medication into his system. Its not a wonderful thing to see when a child basiclly ODed just simply bc he was playing on the monkey bars with his friends. Those symtoms (symptoms) are easy to see. Ticking of the neck, lots of blinking of they eye & constant tounge thrusts. Looks just like a tweeker high on drugs. So yes there is good with the drugs & bad. My childs bad reactions out weighed his good. also another thing is its not good to just change to another medication so quick. Its not a pain drug, its behavioral & i believe just in my own opinion that she switched too many meds without her child having any drug free days in between. that can mess a child up.

[angeleyes15154]

ok i just turned 15 years old i was diagnosed woth adhd wen i was about 5 they put me on some meds that made me a complete zombie i mean i didnt want to do any thing i have been on my pills in years and im doin just fine my grades teeter toter but thats normale in high school kids

[Sandman2]

   thats pretty typical for someone who has been over dosed.  Unfortunately, your parents (or teachers) didn't clue in your doctor (or they did and he was an idot).  Anyway, that should not have happened.  Glad to hear that you are hanging in there.  Do you have a 504 to help you in school?

[mmlucky]

My daughter is on vyvanse and she lost all of her hair.  I feel like I am helpless.  I do not know what to do.  I do not want to drug her then on the other hand she says she can focus when she takes the drug.  She is bold now what should I do. Get good grades in what cause???

[specialmom]

How did she lose her hair?  is she pulling it out??  Some anxiety can cause such a situation and I'd talk to your prescribing physician about it.  

[Sandman2]

    Interesting, I did not know there would be a connection.  Did some research and apparently about 1.6% of V users have reported a hair loss.  Thats a pretty small percent, but does mean that it is possible.  
    However, I agree with specialmom in looking at anxiety or is she on any other kind of medication.

[PassinThru]

To drug or not to drug? Are we looking at things from the wrong direction? It seems to me that our concern is more with teachers, schools, parental burden, etc., rather than the child itself. Leaving aside those children who are physically or mentally damaged in some way, perfectly normal children can be very difficult to bring up. They take up more than their fair share of time and can be very mischievous, or stubborn, or poor students, or contrary, or over emotional, or demanding. But grow up they do. And sometimes these difficult children turn out to be the most interesting kids in the family. To label them and mess with their chemistry in their early formative years can distort their natures and cause permanent physical and emotional damage.

[specialmom]

Some kids function much better and are happier when they take medication to correct an issue.  That is important to consider when choosing medication for your child.  good luck to all that make this decision to do what is best for your child.  

Labeling my child was the smartest thing I've ever done for him as it allowed him to get help he needs in order to feel better about himself, do the things he himself wants to do, to be more content.  

Very happy we took the route of intervention.  good luck to parents that struggle with these issues.  

[Sandman2]

       "Labeling"  has such a bad taste to it.  I believe that to help a child you have to understand what the problem is - other wise you are trying to change a behavior by using the wrong methods.  And I think that the kids that wind up being messed up are because no one understood what their problem was and consequently really messed them up by taking the wrong kind of actions.
       And by the way, studies have shown the children who were not medicated were much more likely to "self medicate" (do drugs, etc) when they got older.  Of course, this is usually because those kids got no help or the wrong kind of help growing up.  So I think we might all agree that how you work with the child is the most important thing.  And because all kids and their environments are different - its not good to generalize on what may or may not work.

[PassinThru]

Wisdom is not automatically conferred on a psychologist. It is a gift randomly  bestowed. Yes, there are wise psychologists, but there are also wise mothers. A wise mother who understands her children may feel no need to seek professional help for something she can best handle herself.

[Sandman2]

I agree with you.  But where it gets tough is when the wise mother is no longer the person in control of her child's daily life - ie. the child enters the school system.

[PassinThru]

I don't understand. Are you suggesting that the school system is primary in the upbringing of a child?

[Sandman2]

    Not at all!   But its been my experience that some/many parents let the school system take over their function.  
   Also, in thinking about my last post to you.  I should have added that the "wise" parent seldom posts on this web site.  The wise parent has done their homework and usually does not need the help we offer.  Hence the typical poster is posting because they lack the information to make good decisions.

[PassinThru]

I agree with you. However, I do not think the school should be allowed to involve itself in a speciality it is not trained for. An uninformed parent might well look up to the school as having a competence it does not possess.

That is not to say that there are not wise and caring teachers who offer excellent advice to a parent on a one-to-one basis. It is that involvement that has always been valuable and more than welcome. The difficulty lies in the  school now acting as a conduit to medical treatment, and this is becoming institutionalized. It can be damaging and I suspect accounts in part for over-diagnosis.

[Sandman2]

    Not sure if you are aware that in October 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of ADHD.  It can be found here  http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/suppl/2011/10/11/peds.2011-2654.DC1/zpe611117822p.pdf
     And a recap in more easy to understand terms is here -http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/759086?src=nl_topic
      The point is that nowhere do schools get to diagnosis kids.  Yes, they can (and usually are) involved in the assessment by the psyc.  And many times (or most of the time) they are the ones that recommend the parents seek more help.  But diagnosis and medication can only be done by a doctor.  And even then, parents always have the ultimate decision to make.  
    But yes, you are correct in that schools are a conduct (if that term is used correctly?) to medical treatment.  But since a child must have the symptoms in two or more places to be diagnosed by the doctor, they kind of have to be involved by default.

[PassinThru]

The fact is that the school can make its own preliminary evaluation and can pressure the parent to have the child evaluated by a professional. The less educated (but far from stupid) parents are in fear of this interference and don't know how to protect themselves. They know their rights but are afraid that exercising them will result in serious problems. Rational or not, they fear charges of neglect. I know this for a fact because some have come to me for help.

I never meant to suggest that the school can authorize medication or therapy. But once directed to professionals the child may be subjected to over-doctoring and over-medicating. We are back to the subject of wisdom. Not all professionals are wise. And some are greedy.

[specialmom]

I think schools and teachers are in such an excellent position to help families understand when their child's behavior isn't within normal limits.  It was a teacher that directed us to my own son's delays that I wasn't fully aware of as he was my first child and it is hard to be objective about your own children.  I'm forever grateful to that teacher!!  We've written her a thank you letter for it was she who started us on the journey of helping our son with the things HE wanted to do.  (One, was to simply fit in with his peers).  

Teachers are in a unique position to look at groups of children and see where there is a consistent pattern of struggle.  So wonderful to start intervention for these kids so that they can be successful.  Tweaks here and there can make a HUGE difference.  

I feel for parents that face the choice of medication or not.  I personally know so many kids that thrive and are genuinely happier once their families started medication for their medical diagnosis of add/adhd---  that I think it is a great thing to do when the situation warrents it.  Never would I enter into that lightly and would have all the facts first.  But I also wouldn't ever let fear or shame stop me from doing what is in the best interest of my child.  

Parents who read this, please know that intervention and accepting the issus my child had helped us help him.  luck to all

[daryle]

angelinmarina, you should note that diet is often found to have a lot to do with these matters. To dismiss this based on your own experiences and biases is not a contribution to this discussion. People here seem interested in ideas beyond what doctors are often too quick to diagnose as a mental disease requiring drugs while their young brains are still developing. Sure, it would be hard to feed your family differently, but some people would try that first before accepting a ADD (or bipolar) diagnosis. At a minimum, doesn't it seem reasonable to try diet and other potential environmental changes before resorting to drugs as the first course of action? Of course it is.