5yr old w/ ADHD, OCD, ODD and Anxiety

[Sue438]

My five year old son was diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, ODD and Anxiety last year after he was BAKER ACTED for saying he wanted to kill himself. They started and currently have him taking Zoloft 25mg and Metadate 10mg, they are not working. When he takes the two together whether at the same time or at separate hours he is worse off then when we started. It seems like they counter act each other. If I give him just the Zoloft, then he is fine, his anxiety is down and less violent, but climbs the walls and has to be given a benadryl to calm him down. If he is only given the Metadate then he is not as hyper, but very dangerous to be around when he "snaps". He was suppose to start Kindergarten this year, but because I don't feel he is safe to be around or even ready I have chosen to home school him instead. The psychiatric that he sees won't give him anything other than Zoloft and Metadate...though he did mention Ritalin (which from I read could make him more violent). I need to know of what other meds are out there that might help him so i can at least suggest them to the doctor at our next appointment.

[remar]

i am so happy to finally see someone who is treating their child naturally. there have been alot of studies done on children with adhd. and nutrition has so much to do with it. some kids have food allergies and also can not handle surgar. i really agree with indian, completely change his diet, have him tested for food allergies and compliment him on the good things he does. take care. remar

[Beewoman]

He is still so young so it's not surprising he cannot control his anger.  When he is out of control then I imagine there is little you can do until he calms down.  Have you tried talking him to him when he is calm to see what triggered his anger?  Just to see if a pattern develops.  Someone once told me that "an angry child is a frustrated child", keeping this in mind has helped me with dealing with my son (he is the middle child), but it is hard on the other children in the family.  
There is one thing I tried that worked for a while, I would try complimenting him on all the good things he did, that way I found myself only concentrating on the postive, I would even keep a diary and look back on it.  I found that the more good things I could see in him, the more often they happened and the "bad" moments did not seem so bad.
Let me know if the Valerian drops work for his anger, if you decide to use them.
Good luck!

[Sue438]

Thanks, for the info. At this point I am game to try anything. He was in a pre-K class with kids like him or similar, but that didn't even seem to work. He was suspended the last week of school. He is very bright and loves to learn, but I am so scared he might hurt another kid. When we go out people see a "typical normal" kid, so when he "snaps" they don't understand what is going on. We have to plan every outing around him, which I don't  mind, but I do have two other kids that at times feel left on the sidelines. But I by no means want my child doped up, just something the will take the edge off his anger. And believe me, the Hells Angels have nothing on this boy when he explodes. Again thanks :)

[Beewoman]

Sue,
My son of 9 years old has ADHD and CAPD, he goes to a special school for children that "learn differently", as often these children have learning difficulties too and need a special type of schooling that is multi-sensory in its approach.  If you are home-schooling for the moment you may want to look into this type of approach as it would help him learn without frustration.  My son snaps too and it is hard to predict, we have decided not to medicate though and instead have radically changed his diet, nothing with additives or espcially colorings, he eats healthily and we have cut down on sugar intake.  I went to a health shop and he is on a supplement of calcium and magnesium and Valerian drops to calm his nerves and I must say this combination is working, it does not happen overnight but takes time.  You could continue with the Zoloft if that one seems to work best for him and add the Valerian, as it is herbal, to help take the edge off his nerves.
It is very hard for a 5 year old to express his frustration other than "blow-up", as he gets older and is able to express what makes him so mad it will help you all.  When my son seems to loose control, I just remind myself that it's not his fault, he's riding a bike without brakes!
Try and find a doctor who is open to "other" forms of medicine, such as natural remedies, and also try and find other parents in your area with children who have similar differences, it just helps for your son to see other children who are the same as him and for you to speak with parents who deal with the same things every day.
Remember, you are not alone, listen to your son, as he grows he will express what he needs.
Good luck!