Aa
Is this bipolar?
My husband and I adopted three children about a year ago. We have noticed that our 3 year old son is very moody. He will be just great one minute and then he will just go nuts. He will get a wild animal look in his eyes and then run up and just start hitting me or my husband or the wall just whatever is close. He doesn't mind very well and a lot of the time it seems as though he just completely tunes us out when we talk to him. He doesn't sleep well at all. He might cry for hours after being put to bed and then he often wakes up at night just crying. He eats so much and he eats a lot of bread and drinks a lot of water or anything he can have. He has been diagnosed as ADHD and we have refused to medicate him yet. However it is very difficult for him to sit still. He has moments that he plays very well but he is always so loud. He also loves to pretend that everything is a gun and he will run around saying "kill, kill". We don't have guns and we don't allow him to watch violent things on tv so I have no idea where he gets it. On days that we feel we do nothing but get on to him we will ask him why he is acting the way he does and he will sometimes say I just want to be bad. At three should he be saying that? Please help I am at my wits end and have no idea what to do with him. He is a very sweet boy. He loves to be held and cuddled. He also loves to give kisses and to be loved on but then a switch flips in him and he is a totally different kid. What should I do?
Huh? Who is talking about taking the same medicine as your child?
Yes lack of meds can cause suicidal thoughts.
Yes lack of meds can cause suicidal thoughts.
Despite my assumption that most people wouldn't even consider taking the medication of someone else, even those of their children, I felt the need to clarify for those who might take your comment as saying that trying your child's medication is okay.
Never is it okay to take the medication of someone else. No two people have the same chemical makeup, related or not, and thus have the potential to react very differently to medication. How you might react to a medication is in no way an indication of how your child would react to the same medication.
I know the medication that I take to make my brain function normally would knock most people out and make a person with a normally functioning brain wonky at the least. I however, find my medication makes me feel "normal" and is very necessary for me.
Also, a LACK of medication can lead to a person committing suicide as well.
And that was the short response.
Never is it okay to take the medication of someone else. No two people have the same chemical makeup, related or not, and thus have the potential to react very differently to medication. How you might react to a medication is in no way an indication of how your child would react to the same medication.
I know the medication that I take to make my brain function normally would knock most people out and make a person with a normally functioning brain wonky at the least. I however, find my medication makes me feel "normal" and is very necessary for me.
Also, a LACK of medication can lead to a person committing suicide as well.
And that was the short response.
Do you have a child with ADHD or Bipolar?
Have you ever taken any of the meds prescribed to them?
Medication can cause one to commit suicide.
I think your comments are absolutely ludicrious.
Until you have a loved one with these problems or take medication yourself then you are not considered a valid source to give opinions on medication side effects!
More children and adults can be cured from just changing their diet. Google Feingold diet.
Have you ever taken any of the meds prescribed to them?
Medication can cause one to commit suicide.
I think your comments are absolutely ludicrious.
Until you have a loved one with these problems or take medication yourself then you are not considered a valid source to give opinions on medication side effects!
More children and adults can be cured from just changing their diet. Google Feingold diet.
This comment is old but after reading it I feel compelled to reply---this notion that doctors rush to judgement and are falling over themselves to prescribe is a typical anti-med myth that is perpetuated by statements such as yours. I read a book that was written by a woman who started out to write about how America's children are over-prescribed by zealous doctors and parents who want them prescribed because they just can't deal with typical rambunctious children.. After two yeas of research and missing deadlines for her book, and speaking to countless parents of children with various mental issues, ranging from mild ADHD to full-blown mania, she did a reverse and ended up writing a book about how, if anything, millions of children are under-prescribed. If a child is diabetic, wouldn't you want meds to make him/her better? The same thing goes with mental illness--why is it that children could not possibly have some sort of neurological issue? Why is it that years ago, no one knew that ADHD even existed. The answer is that the research did not apply to children until very recently, and that when we were younger, children with Asperger's or who were Bipolar were simply "stupid," or "bad," and ended either being institutionalized or dropping out of school and failing in life. Children in the 21st Century have a shot due to careful research, and millions of children have been helped to succeed with the assistance of meds that address their issues. ADHD drugs simply re-direct brain waves, are harmless and helpful to 99% of kids who take them. This notion that they are fatal or cause suicide are again, over-inflated stories perpetuated by a hungry media that thrives on negativity and wants to believe such stats are accurate. I assure you--they're not. Most parents are cautious and looking for relief for the kids they love that are suffering. Kids who died or committed suicide had either pre-existing physiological conditions or misdiagnosed comorbid issues and occur in less than .1% of the kids who take meds for their neurological or psychological problems.
IN regards to your comment of "Ritalin will improve anyones focus" this is not true. Ritalin will only improve someone's focus and ability to concentrate better if they truly need it. I am an RN and I am taking Ritalin not for ADD or ADHD but for "Daytime Somnelence". I would sleep an 8 hr night, then while driving to work would just fall asleep in a split second. After several events of that and a couple of near head on collisions with my children with me, I had a sleep study done and a all day nap series done, and I now take Ritalin 3 times daily to keep me awake. It in now way makes me more focused or better able to concentrate as if I am reading, or taking a test I still can not stand for someone to make any noise as I am very easily distracted/ irritated by it. Must have quiet, same as when in nursing school 10 yrs ago. Just FYI that if a med is not working for your child- then it is probably not the correct diagnosis. I have 2 kids that are true ADHD and the meds work/ worked for them. Ages 25 and 7. Best of luck.
My daughter at the age of 3 was the same way she has now been on meds for 6 years. I tell you these meds take your life over!! Please find another way hang in there, they WILL MAKE HIM WORSE! It may seem like in the beginning they are helping but years from now he will be worse and then you have a child who never got to experience who he really is without being medicated! If you want to know what im saying take a med they give him and see how bad it makes you feel or crazy! Good luck & please hang in there dont let these horriable meds take your baby away from you!
There are several cases of bipolar in children younger than 8. I am too tired to dig them up right now, but it does happen but not often.
Secondly, I too refused to give my daughter ADHD meds. I freaked out over giving her speed and only gave it to her a few times. Frankly, I was afraid she might get addicted at age 4 or 5. So, here she is at 6 and we are re-trying the meds. These meds DO NOT make her stimulated at all....they make her SLEEPY. So, when I asked the doc about this, he said kids or people with TRUE ADHD (biochemical brain imbalance) will become relaxed and sleepy on dexadrine or other stimulants. These meds make her feel so much better that she does not get so angry all of the time out of the blue. Really, they are a godsend!
She is also being treated with abilify for a "mood disorder" and between the two, she is doing pretty well.
Those who say kids are adhd from sugar, dyes, bad parenting, etc...have never had an adhd kid and have no idea how difficult every single daily life thing can be.
My girl stopped napping at 2. She could not even lay down to rest at age 2. She still cannot sleep at all, ever without melatonin.
So, not everybody is the same and listen to your gut.
Angi
Secondly, I too refused to give my daughter ADHD meds. I freaked out over giving her speed and only gave it to her a few times. Frankly, I was afraid she might get addicted at age 4 or 5. So, here she is at 6 and we are re-trying the meds. These meds DO NOT make her stimulated at all....they make her SLEEPY. So, when I asked the doc about this, he said kids or people with TRUE ADHD (biochemical brain imbalance) will become relaxed and sleepy on dexadrine or other stimulants. These meds make her feel so much better that she does not get so angry all of the time out of the blue. Really, they are a godsend!
She is also being treated with abilify for a "mood disorder" and between the two, she is doing pretty well.
Those who say kids are adhd from sugar, dyes, bad parenting, etc...have never had an adhd kid and have no idea how difficult every single daily life thing can be.
My girl stopped napping at 2. She could not even lay down to rest at age 2. She still cannot sleep at all, ever without melatonin.
So, not everybody is the same and listen to your gut.
Angi
I am curious about the history of your son. Does he come from a stable environment or unstable? Was his parents neglectful and abusive or addicts? Sometimes children have a hard time adjusting to a new environment when they are taken from a place they know as home. IF he is indeed ADHD then the medications prescribed will help him. If he is bipolar then ADHD meds will not improve his situation. This is how most children are diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They are medicated as ADHD and have no reponse and do very well on bipolar medications. Just had to add my 2 cents worth. I agree with monkeyc though. He answered very similar to what I wanted to type to you. Hope we all have helped you in some way! Good luck.
Ritalin will improve anyones focus - it is at base pretty much an amphetamine type of drug - in fact the wrong dosage will send a child sky high. I know because I was one of the first Ritalin kids in Australia when I was young and my parents can still tell you about the effects of the incorrect dosages.
Ritalin is the one of the most over prescribed drug in Australia right now, its become a drug of abuse and is being sold on the street the same way oxycodone is - its become the favorite of workaholics as its seen as safe - its not but the perception and reality rarely mix.
Now I am not saying that your child is not ADHD i am saying I seriously have a problem with medicating 3 and 4 year old children with drugs of the class of ritalin - yes it calms them down but it does the same thing to non ADHD children as well.
Now I am not in other peoples shoes and I am not a doctor but I truly think the prescribing of drugs to children this young is wrong or misguided - Ritalin is addictive and has side effects including psychosis, mood swings and sleep disturbances and has been linked to heart attacks . Long term usage is unproven as well.
Just reading the wikipedia page on it can give people some idea of the 'safeness' of this drug : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate
Ritalin is the one of the most over prescribed drug in Australia right now, its become a drug of abuse and is being sold on the street the same way oxycodone is - its become the favorite of workaholics as its seen as safe - its not but the perception and reality rarely mix.
Now I am not saying that your child is not ADHD i am saying I seriously have a problem with medicating 3 and 4 year old children with drugs of the class of ritalin - yes it calms them down but it does the same thing to non ADHD children as well.
Now I am not in other peoples shoes and I am not a doctor but I truly think the prescribing of drugs to children this young is wrong or misguided - Ritalin is addictive and has side effects including psychosis, mood swings and sleep disturbances and has been linked to heart attacks . Long term usage is unproven as well.
Just reading the wikipedia page on it can give people some idea of the 'safeness' of this drug : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate
I will try and not make this a book. I have 2 out of my 3 kids that are ADHD the oldest and youngest. When the oldest started having problems in school his father and I refused to allow them to put him on meds after he was diagonised. In our eyes they just wanted our kid a zombie. Finaly after 1 in half yrs of battling the school we let them put him on Ritalin. What a deference it made he missed out basicaly on the first couple of yrs of school by not being able to focas etc.
Now mind you we really saw no problems at home so we thought.
Now my youngest he was like your little one. At the age of 3 and 4 he was in pre k sorta school they saw the S&S of ADHD and we reconized alot of the same. Both children could be so loving then be different in a hurry. (Also I may ad that in there eyes they often need to be the center of attention. It does not matter good or bad attention they just want it and crave it. I was a stay at home mom when my boys were younger so they all had alot of attention.) So anyways we had him tested and brain mapping done. He was put on meds and it was like night and day. You will have to understand unless someone has had a ADD or ADHD child they dont know what is like and form there own opinion on the meds and doctor who give the diagnois. CHAD is a good site to get info on ADD and ADHD. Back when I was growing up there was really no such thing as this and now adults are finding out they had or have it. So many have blinders on and dont really understand what it is all about and form the idea it is just a crutch!!!
Please google ADHD and you will get a ton of info on it.
By the way ADD and ADHD are a chemical imbalance in the brain the meds help with that chemical.
I am sorry for all the misspellings trying to get my thoughts out! lol
Sorry for the book. Just my 2 cents.
Now mind you we really saw no problems at home so we thought.
Now my youngest he was like your little one. At the age of 3 and 4 he was in pre k sorta school they saw the S&S of ADHD and we reconized alot of the same. Both children could be so loving then be different in a hurry. (Also I may ad that in there eyes they often need to be the center of attention. It does not matter good or bad attention they just want it and crave it. I was a stay at home mom when my boys were younger so they all had alot of attention.) So anyways we had him tested and brain mapping done. He was put on meds and it was like night and day. You will have to understand unless someone has had a ADD or ADHD child they dont know what is like and form there own opinion on the meds and doctor who give the diagnois. CHAD is a good site to get info on ADD and ADHD. Back when I was growing up there was really no such thing as this and now adults are finding out they had or have it. So many have blinders on and dont really understand what it is all about and form the idea it is just a crutch!!!
Please google ADHD and you will get a ton of info on it.
By the way ADD and ADHD are a chemical imbalance in the brain the meds help with that chemical.
I am sorry for all the misspellings trying to get my thoughts out! lol
Sorry for the book. Just my 2 cents.
I agree with monkey - 100 %
Kids go through 'phases' as well, he could just be testing you.
Have you heard of terrible two's which lasts 'till 4 and a half usually.
Maybe a gentler aproach is better.
Kids go through 'phases' as well, he could just be testing you.
Have you heard of terrible two's which lasts 'till 4 and a half usually.
Maybe a gentler aproach is better.
Bipolar and ADHD at 3 is very very very very rare and I would be very hesitant to accept a diagnosis at that age of either of those.
There is a massive tendency to diagnose any child who is hyperactive or moody as ADHD - the reality is most kids at 3 are those things. The symptoms you have just given are not neccesarrily illness based - you ssid you adopted him. What is his history? Is he the oldest or youngest or middle? If he is suffering anxiety issues and seperation (and he is not able to articulate at this age) that could easily account for the moods and the sleep problems.
This is the problem with modern doctors - they see every thing as a symptom in their rush to fall over the line with a diagnosis so they can prescribe something. These behaviours are not abnormal in a child this age no matter what your doctor says. You should not be medicating your child, I agree completely and in fact suggest that Anyjo101 is right - go and see a Child Pysch of Paediatrician.
All boys play guns, its a simple fact of life and not something to be alarmed about, just as all girls tend to go through a doll phase.
And as for bipolar I have not seen one verified case of Bipolar in a child that young, the youngest I have seen is 8 in the literature I have read and as the diagnostic criteria are subjective and behaviours based mis diagnosis is not hard to get - I have seen people who say their 5 year old is BP and there''s always a doctor who will back them up but in a world where doctors prescribing habits are so often based on who just bought them dinner or gave them a new clock we should always be mindful of it.
Children can and do develop mental illnesses but in a world where Ritalin is so over prescribed its now become a street drug the diagnosis of ADHD has become a knee jerk reaction to any child who is not perfect - I know of one case in Australia where a GP diagnosed ADHD in a teenager and in his rush to prescribe completely missed his paranoid schizoprhenia which was only picked up when he stabbed a class mate because the voices told him to do it.
Never just accept a diagnosis that puts your child on a lifetime of drugs without a second qualified opinion - and IMHO in any case of a mental illness requires a pdoc to confirm it.
Sadly however bipolar, at least in australia, is becoming the new ADHD thanks to several high profile sufferers - its being diagnosed and treated by GP's here (family doc's) who are putting patients on cocktails of drugs without any pdoc intervention - thats dangerous behaviour but it happens all the time.
There is a massive tendency to diagnose any child who is hyperactive or moody as ADHD - the reality is most kids at 3 are those things. The symptoms you have just given are not neccesarrily illness based - you ssid you adopted him. What is his history? Is he the oldest or youngest or middle? If he is suffering anxiety issues and seperation (and he is not able to articulate at this age) that could easily account for the moods and the sleep problems.
This is the problem with modern doctors - they see every thing as a symptom in their rush to fall over the line with a diagnosis so they can prescribe something. These behaviours are not abnormal in a child this age no matter what your doctor says. You should not be medicating your child, I agree completely and in fact suggest that Anyjo101 is right - go and see a Child Pysch of Paediatrician.
All boys play guns, its a simple fact of life and not something to be alarmed about, just as all girls tend to go through a doll phase.
And as for bipolar I have not seen one verified case of Bipolar in a child that young, the youngest I have seen is 8 in the literature I have read and as the diagnostic criteria are subjective and behaviours based mis diagnosis is not hard to get - I have seen people who say their 5 year old is BP and there''s always a doctor who will back them up but in a world where doctors prescribing habits are so often based on who just bought them dinner or gave them a new clock we should always be mindful of it.
Children can and do develop mental illnesses but in a world where Ritalin is so over prescribed its now become a street drug the diagnosis of ADHD has become a knee jerk reaction to any child who is not perfect - I know of one case in Australia where a GP diagnosed ADHD in a teenager and in his rush to prescribe completely missed his paranoid schizoprhenia which was only picked up when he stabbed a class mate because the voices told him to do it.
Never just accept a diagnosis that puts your child on a lifetime of drugs without a second qualified opinion - and IMHO in any case of a mental illness requires a pdoc to confirm it.
Sadly however bipolar, at least in australia, is becoming the new ADHD thanks to several high profile sufferers - its being diagnosed and treated by GP's here (family doc's) who are putting patients on cocktails of drugs without any pdoc intervention - thats dangerous behaviour but it happens all the time.
Does he go to day care? Who diagnosed him ADHD?
I would suggest finding a Children's Rehabilitation Clinic or even a Child Neurologist or a Child Psychologist/Psychiatrist in your area. It may sound strange but they have better resources than your typical pediatrician. They are use to working with children who have "difficulties". Not labeling your son anything but at 3 it could be any number of things. Anger and attachment issues, Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, it could be ADHD but honestly that is a blanket diagnosis for children with behavior issues. It would be best to get in with someone who has alot of experience with Child Hood Psych if you are really concerned. ADHD mimics alot of the Bipolar issues in children but truly diagnosing a 3 year even with ADHD is not fair to the child.
My daughter who is 15 had sleep disturbances as early as 9 or 10 months old but did not show signs of actual bipolar til she was 8ish. Wasn't actively cycling until she was 12 or 13. She never acted ADHD, she has bad attention issues now that she didn't have before but she still doesn't act ADD or ADHD.
Don't know if that helps any.
Amy
I would suggest finding a Children's Rehabilitation Clinic or even a Child Neurologist or a Child Psychologist/Psychiatrist in your area. It may sound strange but they have better resources than your typical pediatrician. They are use to working with children who have "difficulties". Not labeling your son anything but at 3 it could be any number of things. Anger and attachment issues, Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, it could be ADHD but honestly that is a blanket diagnosis for children with behavior issues. It would be best to get in with someone who has alot of experience with Child Hood Psych if you are really concerned. ADHD mimics alot of the Bipolar issues in children but truly diagnosing a 3 year even with ADHD is not fair to the child.
My daughter who is 15 had sleep disturbances as early as 9 or 10 months old but did not show signs of actual bipolar til she was 8ish. Wasn't actively cycling until she was 12 or 13. She never acted ADHD, she has bad attention issues now that she didn't have before but she still doesn't act ADD or ADHD.
Don't know if that helps any.
Amy
Iam not suggesting he witnessed it in your home, but before, is it possible he witnessed violence?
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