Parents of ADD kids, Please Read

[kzun]

Hi everyone,
     If you are a gaurdian that is considering or gives medication to someone, please listen. I have been in the military for 8 years and being very succesful at it. I am also the manager at my job 50+ hrs a week, going to school full time, father, and the wife says im not to bad as a hubby sometimes. I returned home from a deployment in iraq in 05 and was having a hard time managing my busy life and staying motivated throughout the day. My friend gave me an Adderall (a class 2 drug, like cocain) because he thought it would help. Wow! let me just say that when I was 18-20 I experimented with a lot of drugs, I mean a lot! This little thing kicked my butt, and it lasted all day. It is almost identical to extasy. Although I was doped up I manged to get sooo much done that day. I did some research and found that the symptoms of adult ADD matched my everyday life.(look them up and tell me YOU dont have some of them!) I thought I could use this to help me get my life back on track and went to my dr.

      It has been over 3 years now and I am still trying to get off of adderall. I have never been dependant or addicted to anything in my whole life. I am slowly cutting my dosage but I am a grow man and it is really hard for me. Think about what it is doing to children that do not have any control.

     What I am saying is, before YOU force it onto anyone try just 1 pill and an hour into your buzz ask yourself; Do I want my child feeling like this? I am telling you it is not a joke. What happend to the days of a little discipline instead of felony drugs?

[allmymarbles]

The problem is that ADD is over-diagnosed. It is often used as a quick fix by doctors who are not specialized in the syndrome. And the child is often taken to the doctor in the dirst place because the parents are pressured to do so by the school. True ADD is not that common. If it were, the human race would be in big trouble.

[stina63]

ok, that didn't work.  I am at aol same as nickname.

[stina63]

Can you email me at ***@****?  Thanks.

[wj74]

Thanks. :) Sure you can.

[stina63]

TO: WJ74.  I read your post and liked what you had to say.  I have an 8 year old son who was recently diagnosed and I am wiggin a little.  I could use some support/identification and was wondering if I could contact you.  Thanks so much.

Christina

[wj74]

You know what, I do have a child on medication (not stimulant tho). And I stand by my choice. I really hate posts like this that belittle parents for choosing to treat their kid's ADHD or other mental disorder. My son has an aide at school his ADHD is so disruptive. And he's a good kid. No lack of discipline there. But his teachers for the last 5 years and I have all had trouble keeping him on task and in check. I'm not saying the kid can't sit still. He has serious issues. Ones that weren't being managed by an IEP alone. It's so easy to sit and throw stones, when you really don't have the first clue about raising a special needs kid.

[specialmom]

I think YOU and your friend turned it into a street drug when your friend just gave you one out of his own stash.  You two need to go to the addiction forum and provide this information.  (by the way, what he did was illegal . . .)  

Do you not consider anything to be a brain chemistry problem?  If not, what is depression?  What is anxiety?  I think that you don't understand much about the brain sir.  If you were high from the medication it is a clear indicator that you are not ADD/ADHD and any doctor that continued to provide you medication was being irresponsible or did you enjoy it too much to properly report it?  Or did your buddy continue to provide it for you for three years?  I think some personal responsibility here is in order.  I mean, how could a medication you describe as making you high as a kite and speeded up make someone a zombie.  Let's make sense with our rants.

I do not have a child on medication.  Remember that you and your friend made it a street drug used to get high.  It wasn't used properly.  Good luck.

[kzun]

How could anyone know if a child has a "chemical imbalance" for being a kid? Why are the drugs a felony if they arent given to you by a dr? If you are old engouh to determine if YOU need it, that is fine. I just dont understand how somebody can give them to a child. I promice all of you parents that if you took one you would not ever give them to your child again. Im sure the older generation can agree that when they grew up times were different. Kids had discipline and that is just how it was. Ask your parents/grandparents how they had been raised for tips, or call super nanny.

And the last time I checked, a hyper child was a healthy child...but the teacher says he or she doesnt pay attention and is hyper. If you havent been to college just think back to school. How students act depend on the teacher. It just seems like a crutch now days to put children in zombie mode to make everyday life easier for the people responcable for them.

[wj74]

Well, they aren't felony drugs when taken properly. If you feel buzzed it might be too high a dosage or the wrong med. Or maybe a misdiagnosis... I was put on Wellbutrin for ADHD/depression and turned out I am mild bipolar. It's not always that simple.