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WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT TO MEDICATE THEIR KIDS WITH RITALIN ETC
having a child with adhd / autism and a brother with the same. i am concerned that people want to medicate their children with ritalin etc. can anyone tell me why they need to do this - as i have never felt the need to.....
Totally agree with you read the above post , you can also google about the problem,I have quoted there some information that has been written, that Parents and Teachers are quick to put a label on children if they seem hyperactive ,I can only suggest sometimes its the easy option and Doctors are very willing to medicate with the strong Drugs out there, it is harder for a Parent to realise th at their Parenting skills are lacking and instead of evaluating the child, they work on themselves and get better Parent /Child interaction going.There are other reason s they do it and also why children are over medicated ,if you go into your search engine you will learn a lot....Breggin.com is a site that tells it as it is,.Peter Breggin is not a quack he is a qualified NY psychiatrist and Medical Doctor.
I believe instead of tyring to label parents as skill lacking, you should look at cases individually. My son is 6 and is adhd. I am also a teacher. I am not saying that I am the best parent in the world, however, I feel I am doing a fairly good job. With that being said, my son does take medication. If he was not on medication, his grades would be F's. Because of the medication, he makes A's and B's. I have made sure he is on the lowest dose possible. His behavior is not perfect but he is able to focus in school to get the best possible education. As an educator, my question would be to you and those that disagree with medication, do you think it is fair to a class of 28 students to have a child be a constant disruption because of their condition? After all, if your child were diabetic, would you not give him insulin?
I am sorry but i disagree with you totally. if the government were to increase the amount of schools being built instead of just building houses schools would have less pupils in the classes - thus being able to provide a better education for more difficult children. I do think parenting comes in to it - or lack of it in some cases. i work full time in the national health service, have a child without ADHD and i am pretty sure than i do not need to resort to medication in able to get the best out of my son. Maybe you need to look your teaching skills if you feel children with ADHD are a constant disruption - i feel they are fun to be around - and you can learn alot from them. Ritalin is a form of amphetamine why on earth would you want to put drugs in to childs body? What will you do when your child is no longer able to take the medication - continue to push him for A grades.
Ritalin is indeed a form of amphetamine, that is true.
But it is also a way to stimulate the executive portion of the brain. It does sound awefully funny to give a hyperactive child a stimulant, but the medication does not make you more hyperactive. The only side affect of my Focaline (or concentrated Ritalin!) is a headache and it is not very noticable and doesn't happen much. It really just makes me more alert, calmer (yes), and it helps me to focus on things that I could not before. Until your body is used to it (took about a week for me) it can make you a little how do I say... Loopy? But after a couple of weeks I could not tell that I had taken it until late in the evening when the anxiety and channel surfing came back to me.
It does nothing for the foot tapping and constant movement. I did not take any medication until 2-3 months ago. I am really seeing the benefit now. Personally I have a lot of anxiety (which I heard from my doctor is common with ADHD) and it alleviates 90% of the butterflies in my stomach, or as someone's child described it "the monster in my chest."
Listen, I have a 1 year old myself. I would exhaust all other alternatives first, but I really think highschool and college would have gone much better had I seeked treatment.
But it is also a way to stimulate the executive portion of the brain. It does sound awefully funny to give a hyperactive child a stimulant, but the medication does not make you more hyperactive. The only side affect of my Focaline (or concentrated Ritalin!) is a headache and it is not very noticable and doesn't happen much. It really just makes me more alert, calmer (yes), and it helps me to focus on things that I could not before. Until your body is used to it (took about a week for me) it can make you a little how do I say... Loopy? But after a couple of weeks I could not tell that I had taken it until late in the evening when the anxiety and channel surfing came back to me.
It does nothing for the foot tapping and constant movement. I did not take any medication until 2-3 months ago. I am really seeing the benefit now. Personally I have a lot of anxiety (which I heard from my doctor is common with ADHD) and it alleviates 90% of the butterflies in my stomach, or as someone's child described it "the monster in my chest."
Listen, I have a 1 year old myself. I would exhaust all other alternatives first, but I really think highschool and college would have gone much better had I seeked treatment.
I never said I did not like ADHD students. I agree with you that if the government would put more into education, like building more schools, we could have lower class sizes. I don't push my child to make A's but if that is his capability I feel that he should be aspiring to that grade. As far as "pushing" drugs into my son's body, once again I ask you, if your child were diabetic or had a heart condition, would you not give him his medicine. Or better yet, if you had a child that was Schizophrenic, would you give him the medicine to keep him on track or do you feel as a parent you could control him as well?
Reagrding your comment, as far as i am aware diabetes, heart conditions are physical illness that tend to respond better to prescribed medication, so therefore this is the better for the patient. ADHD is a mental illness and i find CBT is the most effective form of treatment when working with this condition. It is obviously having a good effect on my child as he managed to get topmarks in german this week without the aid of medication. with regard to whether or not i would give a person with scizophrenia medication, i am unable to answer as i have limited experience of people with this type of mental illness. I dont feel i am controlling my son as you suggest and i think it would be unfair me to suggest you are doing the same. I can satisfy myself that i am giving my child love, understanding and a good supportive family. The question is can you - or is your satisfaction coming from a bottle?
Sir, I am not trying to insult you as I feel you are to me. I too feel I am giving my child love, understanding and a good supportive family. As I am also ADHD, I feel I know what is best for my child. I do not believe that medication alone is going to help anyone. But in order to start on CBT with my son, I had to get him to a point where he could focus long enough TO start. I do not feel that anyone needs medication forever. I took medicine as a child and by the time I was 16, I had learned enough skills to help me overcome my inattention and disorganization. I don't feel that I could have gotten to that point if I had not had medication to start me off. I am truly sorry that this has come down to some kind of argument. My original point was just that I don't feel anyone has the right to judge another for the way they medicate their child.
I think you can judge if the parent is drugging their children irresponsiblly. I can see both sides of the coin here. I can see stimulants helping if taken responsibly and with care. I can see CBT being very effective if one has the time to do it. I do lean towards thinking stimulants should be the last resort though. ADD is not a disease by the way, like diabetes..it's a disorder. ADD can not be proven via any clinical medical exam. The diagnosis is an educated guess based on a battery of tests..
teacher4life, it's not the same as a child with diabetes (I often hear that argument). The testing is subjective, not conclusive. You can't draw blood and determine conclusively that a child has ADD/ADHD and then draw more blood to conclude whether or not the medication is working properly. It would make this a lot simpler if you could, but you can't. That, coupled with not being able to predict, within reason, the effects of the medication on the developing brain, or the potential long-term effects, leads to even more uncertainty and concern.
I'm wondering how many people get second or third opinions where this diagnosis is concerned. Does anyone know if that is common?
All that said, everyone obviously needs to do what they feel is best for their children.
I'm wondering how many people get second or third opinions where this diagnosis is concerned. Does anyone know if that is common?
All that said, everyone obviously needs to do what they feel is best for their children.
I realize I am coming in here to a hostile conversation. I think the judging of parents is a big part of the problem. Some kids may not HAVE to be medicated, but every where you go people are judging your parenting skills based on the behavior of your child. If we could all be a bit more supportive of each other, I think it would impower more parents to push through and avoid meds.
I have 4 boys and my 3rd is ADHD. We held off on meds as long as we could, but he was a danger to himself and others. He had NO impulse control. No matter what the consequence, he would do exactly what was in his head. Whether that was running in the street or hitting someone. After losing him in a parking lot and having his brother get hit with a large stick and requiring stitches, we realized that he had a problem that would not be managed by behavior modification alone. We are now able to get through to him. Discipline actually works.
All that being said we HATE that he has to be on this. We have kept him on the lowest possible dose. I don't love my child any less that those who feel they have a grip on the situation with out meds. I am not any better or worse parent. I am simply doing what I feel is best for my son. He is an amazing kid with a great zest for life. I love him intensely with or with out meds. I don't give him meds to make my life easier and I am optimistic that most parents don't either. Like I said, his lack of impulse control was a serious situation.
I would love to hear what specific things people do to help their kids manage their behavior and impulses with out meds. That would benefit all who read this. Not coming to a place to find help and feeling judged yet again.
I have 4 boys and my 3rd is ADHD. We held off on meds as long as we could, but he was a danger to himself and others. He had NO impulse control. No matter what the consequence, he would do exactly what was in his head. Whether that was running in the street or hitting someone. After losing him in a parking lot and having his brother get hit with a large stick and requiring stitches, we realized that he had a problem that would not be managed by behavior modification alone. We are now able to get through to him. Discipline actually works.
All that being said we HATE that he has to be on this. We have kept him on the lowest possible dose. I don't love my child any less that those who feel they have a grip on the situation with out meds. I am not any better or worse parent. I am simply doing what I feel is best for my son. He is an amazing kid with a great zest for life. I love him intensely with or with out meds. I don't give him meds to make my life easier and I am optimistic that most parents don't either. Like I said, his lack of impulse control was a serious situation.
I would love to hear what specific things people do to help their kids manage their behavior and impulses with out meds. That would benefit all who read this. Not coming to a place to find help and feeling judged yet again.
having a child with adhd / autism and a brother with the same. i am concerned that people want to medicate their children with ritalin etc. can anyone tell me why they need to do this - as i have never felt the need to.....
At the age of 4 my son with ADHD was excluded from reception after the second week..he had a full time statement from when he was 3 in nursery same school.
His next school told me when he was 7 he would have to leave that school also even wtih full time support.
The LEA and school wanted me to put my son in residental care, I was told I would be able to see him once a fortnight.on a weekend.
I asked for the chance of ritalin..No other school would take him.
that is the reason I felt I need to drug him up...and I hate myself for it.
At the age of 4 my son with ADHD was excluded from reception after the second week..he had a full time statement from when he was 3 in nursery same school.
His next school told me when he was 7 he would have to leave that school also even wtih full time support.
The LEA and school wanted me to put my son in residental care, I was told I would be able to see him once a fortnight.on a weekend.
I asked for the chance of ritalin..No other school would take him.
that is the reason I felt I need to drug him up...and I hate myself for it.
Dialogue is help, feedback is help, simply agreeing is not help,and no one is judging simply telling it as they see it .
Not every disease has a definitive test but yet it is definitely a disease. There is no medical test for Multiple Sclerosis but it is defininitly a disease. There is no test for Fibromyalsia but it is definitely a disease. I often hear from others that because the testing is subjective, there are issues from it. I did get a 2nd opinion before deciding the best course of action. As far as the risks of medicine, unfortunately there are risks to any medicine. I know of a child who got a hepatitis A vaccine and ended up paralyzed for a short period of time. It will take upto 2 years to go through rehab and fully recover. And margypops, I am not sure anyone is telling it as they see it because no one knows of every case. Just as I should not judge anyone for not using every available avenue for their child neither should someone tell me I am doping up my child when that is not the case.
as a mother of 2 adhd boys, i feel that there will always be a great debate whether or not to medicate with ritalin, concerta etc...and that my experience has thought me is that if an adhd child was so busy they couldn't sit still with a small class of 9 students and couldn't focus well enough to learn to their full potential, wouldn't it do more harm if parents decided not to medicate, not to mention how they are at times tormented by classmates for being different, which only adds to their frustrations, it has been reported some kids become aggressive and disuptive out of frustration ,without meds some kids could end up alot worse mentally later in life, imagine how anyone would feel knowing they could of avoided this situation...to note, i have 18 yrs experience in dealing with adhd and related issues...my children both have had a psychologist, psychiatrist, pediatricians say the same thing: which is your doing more harm than good if you choose not to medicate a child that needs it, i am happy for those parents that feel their child has enough self control that meds are not needed, but for the kids that have severe concentration, impulsivity, hyperness,that is not an option and parents are all to frequently blamed for bad parenting skills. but with all the adhd kids in the world today, maybe it's time to look at the food's kids eat...additives and preservatives and msg's, if they are being blamed for other problems , it's not too far of a reach ...
teacher4life god forbid your child develops cardiac problems due to his chronic use of amphetamines. It can also cause permanent mental disorders as he grows up. Just google long term use of amphetamines and you will find tons of clinical studies proving that.
to marky
god forbid my child get any kind of illness from ANY medication he ever has to take for ANY illness he may have. ANY medication has a risk for side effects. And yes I have googled for effects. What you have not read in the fine print is that it is a low percentage of children that have long term effects from the medicine or cardiac problems. As a matter of fact, the children that have had cardiac problems or died had a preexisting condition that the medicine exasperated. My son had a full physical to make sure that he did not have any preexisting condition. We find on the TV and the internet all the time that this medicine or that medicine has been found to have side effects. If the side effects are significant enough the medicine is taken off the market by the FDA. I am not saying that any medicine for any condition or illness is the very best course of action, but as darlene38 said, if a child cannot control themselves and cannot make friends or learn, then what else should you do when CBT alone does not work.
god forbid my child get any kind of illness from ANY medication he ever has to take for ANY illness he may have. ANY medication has a risk for side effects. And yes I have googled for effects. What you have not read in the fine print is that it is a low percentage of children that have long term effects from the medicine or cardiac problems. As a matter of fact, the children that have had cardiac problems or died had a preexisting condition that the medicine exasperated. My son had a full physical to make sure that he did not have any preexisting condition. We find on the TV and the internet all the time that this medicine or that medicine has been found to have side effects. If the side effects are significant enough the medicine is taken off the market by the FDA. I am not saying that any medicine for any condition or illness is the very best course of action, but as darlene38 said, if a child cannot control themselves and cannot make friends or learn, then what else should you do when CBT alone does not work.
teacher4life has a point, in all of the studies i have read about, the ones that have had extreme side effects have had pre existing conditions not known at the time they started taking ritalin or the such..why would you want a child to suffer more when there is help out there, i have seen what ritalin can do, along with behaviour modification..there are side effects with all medications,my son's md said it well, you can choose not to medicate and do more harm than good..then when it's too late the damage is done, one might say gee i wish i had of done this differently....to note: my 18 yr old who is adhd/reading disorder has always done well on ritalin has obtained his preapprenticeship for both auto mechanics and carpentry but without meds to help him concentrate he would not of acheived this...
I think natural is the way to go… if natural works on its own that is. I only joined this site a few days ago and am a little disappointed at so many people that seem to put parents down for resorting to medicating their child. I really do wish that going the natural way worked for everyone but it doesn’t. It seems in some cases people only resort to medication if their child is failing at school. I have already been judged for doing this. they seem to think that a child failing in school is ok or blame it on not enough interaction with there child. Not only do I agree with teacher4life about it not being fair on a class of 28 being disrupted but its also not fair on my stepson not being able to concentrate in class and failing. To be honest the only time my Stepsons ADHD is a problem is where school is concerned otherwise I would never have resorted to medication. As I have said in other posts I cant be with my son every hour at school to make sure he is doing his work and learning and I cant expect a teacher to be constantly with him and not worry about the other students. I don’t expect my son to get all A’s or even B’s but I will not be responsible for him failing all together and no one should be judged or frowned upon for wanting there child to succeed in life.
As I said, natural is wonderful but is not always enough! I wish it was!
For anyone that is interested go to clinicalstudies.info.nih.gov
Either enter ADHD or 05-M-0105 in the diagnosis
You can also phone 1800-411-1222
The government is doing about 8 different studies on ADHD at the moment (amongst many on other diseases). Some are as simple as a blood test on the parents and two siblings 7 years and older (one must have ADHD). These scientists believe that ADHD is caused by two chromosomes. I personally think that if they can pinpoint the exact cause then they will be able to work on other medications that treat without undesired effects (not that my son is having any). I also feel that if ADHD can one day be diagnosed with a blood tests then there will be no misdiagnosed cases of ADHD.
As I said, natural is wonderful but is not always enough! I wish it was!
For anyone that is interested go to clinicalstudies.info.nih.gov
Either enter ADHD or 05-M-0105 in the diagnosis
You can also phone 1800-411-1222
The government is doing about 8 different studies on ADHD at the moment (amongst many on other diseases). Some are as simple as a blood test on the parents and two siblings 7 years and older (one must have ADHD). These scientists believe that ADHD is caused by two chromosomes. I personally think that if they can pinpoint the exact cause then they will be able to work on other medications that treat without undesired effects (not that my son is having any). I also feel that if ADHD can one day be diagnosed with a blood tests then there will be no misdiagnosed cases of ADHD.
I have been reading this thread as I find ADHD very interesting, from a mother's point of view.
Is Ritalin the only medication available?
No there are others , Adderall and Dexadrine are the amphetamine containing Drugs used for ADHD and the methylphenidates, such as Concerta and Ritalin. 2 years ago the FDA put a strong warning on the Lables of these Drugs , many experts say it is not strong enough. Concerns are aggressive and Hostile behavior and vision problems and seizures. and it is recommendedthat all children taking them should be monitored regularly ..
yes there are other meds as mergypops said. The major problem with these is damage to the liver. My son was on ritalin, but we removed because the side effects were worse than his adhd. He was then put on adderall and it was great. he improved in school. He no longer takes the meds and does quite well but he's an adullt (18) but at times he could be on the meds. One of the major things we did was to make sure he did not take his meds on the weekends or over the summer.
Nicoljane, do not hate yourself. It's better for your child in the long run than letting him end up in terrible trouble because lack of medication to keep him from it.
Nicoljane, do not hate yourself. It's better for your child in the long run than letting him end up in terrible trouble because lack of medication to keep him from it.
thanks for your kind words Stormsong, I'm not giving my son any med now, well since last week.
I never gave them to him weekends or school hols either..at the moment, all I want is my real son back again.
I never gave them to him weekends or school hols either..at the moment, all I want is my real son back again.
I am teacher's mother. 61 and ADHD. I benefit from medication but can't afford it now. She is also ADHD. There is a theory that this situation has a connection with L-dopa. My mother had Parkinson's, which is an L-dopa situation. I know others who had Parkinson's parents and ADHD children. More than a coincidence, I think. So, very much a biological situation. And genetic. NOT subjective at all.
I was told when teacher was young that ADHD kids sometimes exhibit "soft" neurological symptoms. She DID show positive on some. However, I've never heard this mentioned anywhere else. Anyone heard this?
Also, a friend had read 30 years ago of a chiropractor who claimed to be able to help. People have a dominant hand and the foot and eye are also the same side dominant. This chiropractor claimed that ADHD people have the dominant eye on the wrong side and claimed to be able to switch the eye dominance to the correct side and that would fix the ADHD. Well, I am right handed and footed, but left eyed. Teacher is the opposite, and this friend's kids were right handed and footed but left eyed. And I have spoken to several adults who were ADHD and when I brought up this dominance idea, they all had the same situation. So again----coincidence?--no, I think not. But I don't know anyone who used the chiropractor---he was too far from my friend to use, but she wanted to try it. Desperate is the word.
I have never spoken to anyone else, including Drs., who have heard of the dominant situation. Nor have I read about it, but it definitely exists. And along with the "soft" neurological symptoms, these are physical signs of ADHD. So, is the medical community ignoring these as far-fetched?
Schooling isn't the only consideration for medication, either. Social adjustment is important. Many kids and people don't want to be around hyper ones. This was why I wanted my daughter treated.
Medication IS warranted on many levels, this IS biological, not just a behavior problem for verbal therapy. I believe there is more psychological adjustment and learning damage done if you DON'T medicate ------- when needed.
liz
I was told when teacher was young that ADHD kids sometimes exhibit "soft" neurological symptoms. She DID show positive on some. However, I've never heard this mentioned anywhere else. Anyone heard this?
Also, a friend had read 30 years ago of a chiropractor who claimed to be able to help. People have a dominant hand and the foot and eye are also the same side dominant. This chiropractor claimed that ADHD people have the dominant eye on the wrong side and claimed to be able to switch the eye dominance to the correct side and that would fix the ADHD. Well, I am right handed and footed, but left eyed. Teacher is the opposite, and this friend's kids were right handed and footed but left eyed. And I have spoken to several adults who were ADHD and when I brought up this dominance idea, they all had the same situation. So again----coincidence?--no, I think not. But I don't know anyone who used the chiropractor---he was too far from my friend to use, but she wanted to try it. Desperate is the word.
I have never spoken to anyone else, including Drs., who have heard of the dominant situation. Nor have I read about it, but it definitely exists. And along with the "soft" neurological symptoms, these are physical signs of ADHD. So, is the medical community ignoring these as far-fetched?
Schooling isn't the only consideration for medication, either. Social adjustment is important. Many kids and people don't want to be around hyper ones. This was why I wanted my daughter treated.
Medication IS warranted on many levels, this IS biological, not just a behavior problem for verbal therapy. I believe there is more psychological adjustment and learning damage done if you DON'T medicate ------- when needed.
liz
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