I like my DS better when he's not medicated

I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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01/02/2014 18:08

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

DS is 10 with ADHD and LDs (expressive language, language processing). When we forget to give him his meds (usually happens on weekends), we can see a marked difference in his personality. His true self comes out, and we really, really like it. He's VERY funny, witty, sharp, talkative, can initiate conversations easily and his appetite is normal... but he's also "too chatty" and "all hands".

Does anyone else feel this way? I WISH I could pull him off his meds and just let him be. DH won't have any of it, and I don't know how not being on meds would impact him in the classroom or how his LDs would look either.

I wonder if this means he's not on the right meds? or maybe his DX is wrong and he doesn't have ADHD? His meds are not a miracle for him by any stretch.

He had a full neuro-psych eval when he was 5, which I regret as they weren't able to get a true read on his IQ or strengths/weaknesses. According to the tester, he was one step above "Duhhh" Had I to do it over again, I would have waited and chosen a different psych to do the testing

not sure if I'm just venting or asking for advise.

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01/02/2014 18:12

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

Meds are indeed risky business. They change brain development and personality.

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01/02/2014 18:13

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

Do the current meds help him in the classroom?

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01/02/2014 18:17

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:Do the current meds help him in the classroom?

Compared to what?

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01/02/2014 18:23

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

Maybe he could handle a lower dose.

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01/02/2014 18:24

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:Do the current meds help him in the classroom?

OP here - I truly cant say if they do or don't because he's been on them for 4 yrs. No idea what he would be like at school without them.

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01/02/2014 18:31

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

OP, your DS needs to demonstrate a different set of behaviors at home than at school. He might not need meds when he's at home because there he just needs to be himself. But when he has tasks he has to fulfill that require his attention or at least some type of physical self-control, that's when the meds really are needed.

If you truly want to experiment with this, wait until this summer. Talk to his doctor about how to wean him off the meds. Put him in an environment that's similar to the classroom. See how he does. The doctor may have reasons for not doing this, though; messing with meds really isn't the best idea since those take a good while to kick in, so if you stop them, it's hard to get him back stable again.

Letting him go off his meds now, with his chattiness and touching habits, might well just create so many problems in the classroom that will be hard to undo.

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01/02/2014 18:32

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

Talk to the doc about taking him off for a month and seeing if he can handle it. 4 years is a long time to not reassess their need and effectiveness. Kids mature, so his needs now are probably very different than when he was 6. If he needs the meds, you will know QUICKLY and can start him up again. If the month trial goes well, then you will know that he no longer needs them.

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01/02/2014 18:47

Subject: Re:I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

I would recommend doing another neuropsych. So much can change for a kid between age 5 and 10.this seems especially important if you're doubting the (old) diagnosis.

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01/02/2014 20:27

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:Meds are indeed risky business. They change brain development and personality.

Utterly false. They most definitely don't change a child's personality -- this is just anti-medication propaganda.

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01/02/2014 20:32

Subject: Re:I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

OP, our DS has ADHD and learning disabilities -- the latter only recently diagnosed through a school student study. He has had 3 evaluations -- 2 through school and one through Kennedy-Krieger. On the K-K one and the latest school one, it was impossible to score a valid full IQ for him. Sadly, this does not seem to be unusual in kids with this combo of conditions.

I would recommend another evaluation but also some serious medication evaluation. There are a lot of ADHD meds out there. Some work in some kids, some do not. Also, it is entirely possible that the learning disabilities trigger a lot of ADHD-type behaviors - which may be why you see different behaviors at home. Good luck!

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01/02/2014 20:35

Subject: Re:I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:I would recommend doing another neuropsych. So much can change for a kid between age 5 and 10.this seems especially important if you're doubting the (old) diagnosis.

Yep.

Get a second opinion. If you are wrong, it is just status quo. If your gut is right, then you owe it to your kid to find out if he is either A) misdiagnosed or B) correctly diagnosed but can do it without meds.

Trust your mother's intuition OP.

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01/02/2014 22:45

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meds are indeed risky business. They change brain development and personality.

Utterly false. They most definitely don't change a child's personality -- this is just anti-medication propaganda.

What do they do, quack?

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01/02/2014 22:46

Subject: Re:I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would recommend doing another neuropsych. So much can change for a kid between age 5 and 10.this seems especially important if you're doubting the (old) diagnosis.

Yep.

Get a second opinion. If you are wrong, it is just status quo. If your gut is right, then you owe it to your kid to find out if he is either A) misdiagnosed or B) correctly diagnosed but can do it without meds.

Trust your mother's intuition OP.

Good advice.

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01/03/2014 00:22

Subject: I like my DS better when he's not medicated - what does that mean?

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Anonymous

We spent all summer dialling in DD's meds. We went through some straight forward and some exotics, and it was an enlightening experience. DD was on swim team, and a leader in her age group. Some of the meds she was on had a profound effect on her overall behavior, and also on her performance. During the Diviisonals, when she really wanted to swi fast and qualify for the all stars, she was a full second behind all others off the start. She was literally swimming in slo-mo. She could no longer engage in math -- she would stare at it and would not make any sense. The dr. insisted that the meds were minimal, and she *should* not have this effect, but that is not what we saw.

We insisted, and she is not on a low dose of long acting ritalin. It seems to work, and her spirit is as bright as we knew it before. Definitely, talk about alternatives with your doctor. So-called "impulse control" meds -- ours was Kapvay) can really have a dampening efect (and are really expensive). A long-acting stimulant taken in low dose is what did the trick for us.