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A Parent Asks For Information To Help Make A Decision Regarding Medication For Her Daughter.
My name is Liz. I'm
having trouble with my 8 year old daughter, she has ADD. Both my self and her
father have it. Growing up we never got any help but i would like to help
her. I'm not sure what to do. The Dr. wants to put her on meds, but I'm not sure
if that's a good idea. Wouldn't that make her drugged all day? I've heard
about different kinds (other than ritalin) that wouldn't but not sure what road
to go down. If you could help in any way it would be greatly appreciated
THANK YOU
Replies:
My daughters first grade school teacher was the one whom detected her as ADD. The first parent/teacher conference had several staff members attending our meeting. They asked me several questions (family history, her various growth stages, etc...) Then they mentioned ADD. I never heard of it.
For the next 2 years I got her tutoring, changed her diet (no food dyes, msg, etc.) enrolled her in sports, behavior mods that worked for me as a kid. I had stopped working and was focusing on her during this time. When her stress related migraines became so bad, and she was so unhappy, I finally started her on the meds. WOW! She wakes up HAPPY. Goes to bed HAPPY. And that's everything to me!!
My knowledge of ADD is constantly growing. As she is growing, I am growing.
Next fall she starts high school. Soon to be 14yrs. old and still ongoing meds.
That's our early experience. IF meds help your child live a happier life....do it!
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My daughter is also 8... I have seen symptoms of ad/hd in her since she was about 6 months to a year old... I had to fight for any help to get her diagnosed before the age of 5. It never happened... but I knew she had it, her father also had it, and it eventually split us apart because he would never get any help with it.
My Julie is a very intelligent child, a creative kid with a mind that is almost Einsteinian. But when it comes to paying attention or trying to put her ideas into words...she is lost. She has violent temper tantrums and in her pschycologists words..."Is one of the worst cases he has ever seen of ad/hd." She fights with me all the time about everything from homework to cleaning her room and everything in between. She used to run off on me in stores, and where ever I would take her to..such as the mall or the park... you name it, she would take off on me. In the past couple of years, she has out grown a lot of the impulsivity with the exclusion of the arguing and fighting, and not cleaning or doing the homework.
I put her on Ritalin after she turned 5, right before she started kindergarten. At first I was very apprehensive about it, but I am glad I did now. She plateaus out at certain intervals, after being on a certain medication for about 6 months or so, and then we switch to another dosage or to Adderal or Ritalin SR, which she is on now, but for the most part..it has calmed her down tremendously and given her an edge on focusing somewhat... she still has a long way to go... but I am sure with the help of medication and creative re-direction of her abilities from her teachers and myself... she will someday outgrow the need for the medication.
When the child is to the point of self destruction...whether it be by hurting themselves physically or by not being able to concentrate or learn ...because of inattention, then medication becomes necessary. Just think of this when deciding on whether to medicate or not...if your child had a pancreas that was unable to produce enough insulin for that child to survive, would you hesitate to put him/her on insulin injections?? It is a hard decision to make...but talk it out with your pediatrician, psychologist, etc....make sure it is the right path to follow and just follow your gut instincts from there.
I hope I have been of help to you. Good luck!
-Lorri
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I have a son who is ADHD/ODD. He was diagnosed at age 7. My son at that time simply couldn't sit still for anything. The ADHD needed to be controlled for him to succeed in school. He spoke of himself as being dumb, stupid and he knew even then that he was not up to what the other kids were capable of. His ADHD at home was almost as bad. He could not get dressed for school in less than an hour and a half and it took all of my attention every morning just to get this child to school.
We tried all of the techniques at that time and meds were the only answer. I did not want to use medication at first either but I can tell you that it was a life saver and a relationship saver at the time. The meds. (ritalin at the time) made all the difference in the world. Being careful with what you use and how much is the only way to know exactly what dosage to use. We always started out small and tried it for a week when he was home. I knew what he was normally like since I worked at home and I could see what worked and what didn't. I was careful to keep a diary of how he behaved and his energy level and such.
After meds my sons life was much better for him and our family. There was a sense of peace once again. Bonnie
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ADHD or ADD or for that matter any of the information processing problems are not restricted to children. A person does not "out grow" the condition. Most ultimately learn to compensate for the various deficits but they still have the problem. Diet plays an important part because sugar usually agitates the individual to a greater or lesser degree. There is a very successful treatment protocol which has been in existence for over 25 yrs. It is known as Neural Organization Technique -- web notint.com. Look it up.
Dr. Carl A. Ferreri
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Adderall wasn't as effective and had moody side effects for all three of us... we are currently on Metadate CD ( ritalin - time released capsule ). One time a day dose... steady release throughout the day.. and doesn't produce a "zombie" effect. I've seen no side effects with this form of Ritalin...no moodiness, no appetite change, no weight loss or gain, no social change. If anything.. it's helped us all with out social issues.
Dear Liz,
My son has A..D.H.D and he is 14. He is on Concerta, a time released form
of Ritalin and it has helped him maintain focus in the classroom.. As ADD can
run in families my niece, a nine year old without the hyperactive part so
prevalent in boys was put on Adderall and her teachers have noted a great
improvement on focus and in her grades. Medication works if the child is
properly diagnosed. Often kids who truly are not ADD but have other
problems or conditions are put on these types of meds. without success. I
hope you find a good Pediatric psychiatrist or Doctor first, who can test your
daughter properly. again, good luck to you and your family.. sincerely,
another mother with similar problems. Cindy
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I also have an 8 year old girl who has been diagnosed ADD. I have read 7 books on the subject and have done extensive research on drugs. Whether you are looking at Ritalin, Adderal or any of the other meds to treat ADD---they are all pretty much the same. The are very similar to cocaine.
They will not help your daughter in the long run. Although the drugs may help her be more focused in class (for a little while), the positive effects of the drugs are short lived. Here are some side affects you can look forward to:
Irritablility, moodiness, depression, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, growth problems (this includes growth of the brain!), rebound-worsening of ADD like symptoms which usually occurs when drug wears off--typically when you are ready to go to bed.
Don't listen to all the doctors who are drugging our kids. No one knows the long term affects of these drugs. Putting a child on drugs only masks the problem, it does not help them learn to deal with their difference. Many of the these kids are very bright--they just learn differently. I know several kids who have been on drugs and 100% of them are experiencing problems! Before you try drugs I would read these books: Talking back to Ritalin by Breggin and Treating ADD without drugs by Mary Ann Block.
Believe me, I am probably as frustrated by you by this whole "problem" but I don't think drugs are the answer. Good luck whatever you decide.
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She should be on medication, if you don't like the idea just try it for a few weeks and see hoe it goes. She will not be drugged you can hardly tell. That's the way I felt too when I had to be put on medication. She probable see a therapist, you should tell her teachers too.
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