To Medicate or Not Medicate??

[aokjen]

My son is on ADHD medication. We are experimenting with different kinds. However, he says the current one Adderal xr 20mg makes him very angry. Is this normal? He has had some personal conflicts at the school. The other medications he has tried are Daytrana, Concerna.

We have had problems with fighting on the concerna. Daytrana has been used the most. The problem with the Patch, does not stay on. Plus I am dealing with a 11y/o who may or maynot want to leave his patch on. So any suggestions??

[jmk1138]

For the most part, the drugs are an easy excuse to either the lazy or ignorant.  Laziness is a flaw, but ignorance can be easily excused and remedied.  In addition to the resources on his website, please visit www.caer.com.

[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, 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 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.

[rockinrobin32]

My favorite of all is Daytrana..try blow drying the area first (even shave it if you need to!)
Make sure you change hips daily.  My daughter never had issues w/ hers coming off.  
I love the fact that you can really use this one when you need it..and doesn't have to be in your system all the time.  There were some days that my daughter would be fine..and others where she would need all the help she could get.  She wore hers to school during the week..and weekends I let her do w/out it..unless we had school functions or something where I knew she'd need some help.
I probably would talk to your son and let him know how important it is to do his best and let him know that sometimes ppl need a little help to stay focused and that is what the patch it for and he shoud by all means leave it on.  Praise him for leaving it on..and let him know what a difference you see when he leaves it on.