ADHD and tantrums

[Anonymous]

DS has ADHD. He often tantrums (mostly when his routine is disturbed and/or he is tired, and we work VERY hard on helping him with transitions and changes to his routine). He seems to get into a continuous loop and not be able to get out of it. Once out of it though, he is not able to tell me why he threw a tantrum and will often make something up (like tonight when he threw a tantrum b/c DH could not give him a snack before bed--he did not want me, just DH). After he was done he told me he had no idea why he threw a tantrum and made up some story about wanting a specific toy to play with. Is that normal for an ADHD child?

[Anonymous]

How old?

[Anonymous]

Op here. DS is 6 1/2.

[Anonymous]

It's very typical of my 8 yo ADHD DS. He seems to get into a loop that he finds very difficult to break. My DH also has difficulty interrupting negative thoughts. It usually leads him to the absolute worst conclusion - I'm also seeing it in my DS.

[Anonymous]

OP here. yup, that is what we experience with DS--the continuous loop. Is your DS medicated? Mine is not and I'm wondering if uncontrollable tantrums warrant meds (and I so far have said no to any medication for DS).

[Anonymous]

When you say "tantrum," what do you mean exactly? What happens, and how long does this last?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. yup, that is what we experience with DS--the continuous loop. Is your DS medicated? Mine is not and I'm wondering if uncontrollable tantrums warrant meds (and I so far have said no to any medication for DS).

18:39 here. My DS was on a stimulant medication for a while (no positive results) and has been on Intuniv for about 9 months. The inability to interrupt the loop (or as we say, interrupt his brain), is tied to his ability to self-regulate which is a very common issue in ADHD and it's not just the angry emotions, it's all the emotions. We don't have as many angry outbursts but we now have more problems with him worrying and not being able to calm himself or tamp it down. It's always there at some level but is worse when he is not on medication. I don't have any studies to back me up and this is just my opinion but I can see why this might lead many people with ADHD to have depression/anxiety issues later. I can see where years of these negative loops can really mess them up. My DH has depression and when it and the ADHD are not controlled he also has anxiety. Now THAT is a nasty reinforcing feedback loop.

Last summer, my DS was fine not taking medication. We primarily used medication to help him attend and learn at school. But, the weeks leading up to school last year were a nightmare. He was very worried about the school (despite all the reminders of how it had been a positive experience for him the year before) he acted out a lot - a lot! It was near unbearable, even for me and I've got lots of patience. He's not on medication now and so we've taken the opportunity to sign up for an NIH study on anxiety. If he qualifies, we'll have the option for him to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy. I'm hoping that will help him better learn to regulate his emotions, particularly the negative ones. So, in short - yes, medication helps my DS (and DH) regulate their emotions but you'll have to decide if it warrants medication. If DS acts the way he did last year before the start of school, we're not going to withhold the medication. It was a nightmare for everyone. HTH.