Treating ADHD without meds
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Anonymous
| Delaying meds in our case was such a massive mistake. Wish we could take it back. |
Anonymous
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Depends on the kid. I have ADHD passed down to both kids.
One kid cannot function with meds. I can't have a conversation with him. He can't complete simple tasks. He's a tween and before medicine kicks in, I have to help him every morning make his bed and stand next to him while he brushes his teeth. There is no chance he would learn anything at school. That said, he's very bright and even not on meds, he could sit and study online chess strategies for 10 hours straight. I'm managing my younger child fine without meds so far. Healthy, low-sugar diet. Does his sport before school, of it it's canceled, we jump rope before school In a school with a small class size, and is way ahead in reading in math because we work together at home. This kid is also capable of following directions. ADHD only shows itself in things like big classes or team sports, and through hyper activity and being the class goofball. |
Anonymous
I’m a pediatrician and this is not what I recommend at all. In fact, I often see families wait until middle school to medicate but then they are dealing with bigger problems - poor grades, lack of organization, impulse control issues including substance use. Social issues. Medicating earlier when the brain is more plastic can have a lot of positive benefits. |
Anonymous
Did you post a message along these lines recently on a different thread? I have not heard about a window of effectiveness before. Has this been studied? |
Anonymous
PP. You are gold! All this BS about waiting and seeing or trying all alternatives is a result of stigma against ADHD and psychiatric meds. No parent is reluctant to medicate what they see as "real problems" but, sadly, many parents view developmental disorders and mental illnesses as not real or a product of poor parenting or due to moral or character weakness. |
Anonymous
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Is your child in a classroom full of redshirted students who are 9 and 10? Of course in comparison he would seem more "active".
I remember teachers in K-3 telling me how one of our kids (late summer birthday) wasn't quite as "mature" in behavior as the other students. Couldn't sit quite as still, etc. When I asked if those other "more mature" students might be a year or two older thanks to active redshirting, the teacher changed the subject real fast... This kid got a little older and is now at a very competitive university doing well. No ADHD. Could you try to instill rewards from home for good classroom behavior? If the teacher tells me you had a good week in terms of X, Y, and Z, then you get that thing (movie, ice cream, restaurant, toy). Worked for me! |
Anonymous
PP. What exactly sounds "scary" about it? Can you elaborate? If you can elaborate, then people can tell you how they coped with particular fears or concerns. Also, consider how you have framed the purpose of medication - it is for "impulsivity". By stating it so, you sort of trivialize the reason that you are considering meds. For example, what if you made a more accurate medical statement about the reason for medication -- medication is to address biochemical issues related atypically low dopamine caused by ADHD Inatttentive/Hyperactive or Mixed Type which causes difficulties with attention, impulsivity, and executive function that affect the child's ability to function across a wide domain -- academically and socially -- making it harder for them to learn, make lasting friendships, and receive positive feedback, all of which will eventually negatively affect core self-esteem and functioning over a lifetime course. |
Anonymous
Adding on to this, but untreated ADHD can cause more mental health issues, especially when it has executive functioning and social ramifications. I went undiagnosed until I was 16, and didn't have a good combination of therapy and medication until my mid 20s. Once my ADHD treatment "clicked" and I found ADHD meds that worked for me, I was able to get off the antidepressants and anti anxiety medication I'd been on for years (which had wayyyy worse side effects than the stimulants). When I wasn't feeling bad about myself because of the untreated ADHD, and my executive functioning improved (so it was suddenly manageable to keep my apartment clean, keep up with work, and maintain healthy relationships, have a normal sleep schedule, etc) my depression and social anxiety pretty much disappeared. Go figure. |
Anonymous
It's an old idea that isn't discussed much anymore (and this board is especially pro-meds so doesn't tend to dig into other viewpoints). But there are recent studies that support it. For example: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-018-1106-3 For the idea that the academic benefit is effective for only a couple years, I've seen some research indicating that but cannot find it right now. I'll keep looking. Slightly older: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/study-adderall-doesnt-help-kids-get-better-grades/283841/ |
Anonymous
Listen I don't know if meds are right for your kid or not, but you're very misinformed about what ADHD means/looks like in real life. People with ADHD can absolutely focus (or even hyperfocus) on their interests. It's not a *complete* lack of focus, it's variable focus to the point that people can only focus on stuff they're interested in and not anything else. |
Anonymous
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Are you noticing the issue at home or in activities he participates in? Is it just this teacher or every teacher has commented?
My son has ADHD and in elementary school was short. Neither parent is tall (DH is 5'10" and I am 5"3") so I was really concerned about the suppression of height both temporarily and permanently AND the delay of puberty. So we decided not to medicate him in elementary or middle school until he had a growth spurt and was into puberty. Even if he ended up the same height having a delay in puberty or growth spurt can really affect a boy going into high school. You can look into the research yourself by using google scholar and researching delayed height, delayed puberty, and ADHD meds. Instead in 4th grade we moved him to a. religious school with a lot of structure even though we aren't religious at all. The structured school helped immensely. There were textbook and workbooks and the teachers were required to actually publish a calendar by subject by Friday evening listing everything that was due the following week. Ex. it would say math - Monday TB 88-91, WB pg 32-33, homework make all problems in workbook completed; English - Chapter 5, WB pages due by Friday 72-78. Spelling test Friday. Everything done in class or for homework was recorded and if you hadn't completed something by the following day you had to fill out a slip and stay in at recess or after school. All the rules were posted and there were consequences and rewards. All this structure helped immensely. Every teacher K-3 complained repeatedly about my son in public school alluding or outright saying how ADHD he was. I had no idea what he was supposed to be doing in class, what work he was missing, what his homework was because he would forget to bring it home, etc. It wasn't always easy going but it worked for us. Grades don't matter for the most part in elementary school and middle school. We had always planned that he was going to public high school so we didn't have to worry about applying to a private high school and at his high school students and parents can choose if they want to enroll in all honors classes regardless of past grades. He started short acting ADHD meds in 8th grade after a big growth spurt in the spring of 7th grade. He took one pill in the morning and luckily all his more difficult classes were in the morning. He is in high school now and is on a long acting ADHD medication and doing great. Anecdotally, several of the boys who we know were medicated since elementary school really did seem to have a delay in puberty and entered high school quite short and thin even the ones ones who eventually reached 6 feet by senior year of high school. Obviously there are some boys that were on meds it appeared to have no effect but we didn't want to take that risk. |
Anonymous
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OP I only read the first page. Medication might be the answer for your son, but I wanted to throw out that I have ADHD. I learned coping mechanisms and went to therapy.
I have always had friends, did well in school, graduated from law school and am happily married. I just don't want you to think from all the posters that your child will be doomed to a miserable existence if you don't medicate. |
Anonymous
Maybe go back and read OP’s post again. Her kid, unlike you, IS struggling with relationships. |
Anonymous
DP. Is OP's DC in his 30s-40s? I missed that. What I mean is, kids struggle with relationships, some more than others. It's quite possible that OP's DC will find other friends who will enjoy his ebullience and joie de vivre instead of get annoyed at his impulsivity. Or maybe he really needs meds; since we haven't met him, how can we say? And maturity (a few years) makes a tremendous difference for a kid with ADHD, even more than the miraculous stimulant meds. |
Anonymous
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OP here, thanks to all of you for your insights.
Each teacher since K has said my son has had difficulty following directions. This year, his teacher says he’s the one she has to redirect the most and is most disruptive to other children. He has difficulty with peers, although he does have friends and a good number of birthday party invites, play dates, etc. Academics are average or above average. Writing is a challenge although I have seen proper handwriting. Sometimes I wonder if this is just little kid immaturity. |