adhd and ocd help

[jdsmom]

i have a son who just turned 5.  he has been diagnosed with adhd (which I also have) and OCD.  He constantly peels the skin off his thumbs and fingers.  he was on adderal but was taken off due to it not working anymore.  he was placed on it in march at age 4 1/2.  the dr now wants to treat the ocd with zoloft 25 mg once a day.  has any had this situation and is this the right way to go?  we have tried for so many months to get him the help he needs.  he is incredibly bright and loving.  we do not want to change his personality, we only want him to stop hurting his fingers and not "blurt" all morning in class.  please help.

[merrilinda]

What's the timeline with regard to the diagnosis of ADD, OCD, and taking Adderall?

I have developed compulsions after taking Adderall, I obsessively pluck out my leg hair for hours on end and this only started after taking Adderall.  It is a little known side effect of stimulant medications (much like people hooked on meth constantly pick at their skin until they make sores).  

There's lots of info on the internet about it, but you have to know where to look.  Google things like "stimulants", "tics", "Adderall", "compulsions", etc.  

It may be possible that he does not have OCD (and therefore does NOT need the new prescription) and it could be a side effect of the Adderall.

[aphidew]

I also forgot to mention the OCD problem.. which is much more severe. My best friend has OCD and i forget the term, but he rips out the hair from anywhere on his body. His parents love him but were absolutely not ready or guided towards good help. OCD takes a lot of cognitive therapy. When he was younger my friend could not walk through doorways and his therapist made him practice getting closer and closer each time. My advice for your son with regards to his OCD is find an excelent therapist. They can work wonders.. as long as your child is always informed as to what is going on. We may think they are too young to understand, but when left in the dark these expirences can be very tramatic. Sorry if I have overstepped my ground. Good Luck, you are in my thoughts..

[aphidew]

I completely agree with jdsmom. I have met many adolescents who's parents put them on adderal when they were very young and I honestly beleive that a personality alteration is inevidble. It seems their emotion bones have been slightly numbed. I also do not want to offend anyone by saying that, though i beleive ADHD is a real thing, doctors are completely over medicating our society. There are so many more options for parents out there but the busy 'always on the go' american lifestyle does not open up much free time. Look into some eastern philosophy and the supplement advice is wonderful as well. My little cousin is very hyperactive and so far just simply running around and doing certain games in the yard has been very helpful.

  If there is any useful advice i can give you, it's keep your child away from the Television, and really video games. That is what is spreading ADD/ADHD across our nation.

[margypops]

I know you want the best for your boy like all good caring Parents ,why not try the supplement way that a lot are  doing and see if it can work for him. 'Food suppplement treatment of children especially those with concentration and learning difficulties, benefit from a multiple Vitamin-mineral with antioxidants ,BComplex and Vit C also Fish oil.This was a recent study and it also stated that there is an epidemic of attention problems, and that Parents and Teachers today seem to believe that any boy who wriggles in his seat and wifully defies his teachers rules has ADHD, this was published by Elizabeth J Roberts a medical Doctor and a child psychiatrist.