Reply to ADHD - what are the odds she won't need meds?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]TBH, medication is a huge help if you can find one that works.

Don’t be afraid to try. Discuss with psychoatrist - there are many options. The main class of meds used for ADHD are stimulants, and they can be tried for a day and discontinued immediately if they have any negative side effects.  The half life of stimulants is very short, which means that they don’t have effects that last days and once you stop them they are pretty much completely out of your system. If the stimulant is too high or an extended release your DD might be too stimulated to sleep. OTOH, by addressing her ADHD, she might be able to better stick to routines that help with sleep or be able to do homework more consistently and remember to turn it in and not worry about those things before sleep.

Also, there are other classes of medication that are NOT stimulants. Atomoxetine, for example, is not in the stimulant class.  It is an SNRI shown to be effective with ADHD.  It is thought to tamp down the DMN network of the brain which allows the brain network focused on task completion to operate more effectively.  Tamping down the DMN can help diminish rumination, which may be a reason why your DD can’t fall asleep.

Also, there are many other aspects of sleep which should be investigated - sleep apnea?  anxiety?  And there may be other things that can help with sleep - exercise, early morning light, melatonin, magnesium, etc.

Your kid should be fully evaluated by a psychiatrist who can help you discuss options and do med trials.

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the research shows that there may be short-term benefits of meds, but not long-term. I don’t say this to challenge/criticize anyone who found meds helpful for themselves or their child. but rather to reassure OP that she has a reasonable basis to choose not to medicate. [/quote]

I'm not sure this is true. I've seen at least two researchers (can't find the links now) that cited studies that showed kids who took meds in childhood actually saw a reduction of symptoms as adults. Definitely something you might want to look up or ask your health care providers about. But overall, a lot is going to depend on your child as to how well she can manage on her own and how the meds hit her.

FWIW, we have tried several meds during elementary, but still haven't found the "one," as my kiddo is so sensitive to the side effects, that we can't get to a dosage high enough to see any benefit. After a lengthy break where we focused on behavior management and therapy only, we're trying again now with the methylphenidate patch, which he's been able to tolerate better, but it makes him sleepy, so not sure if we're just substituting one focus issue for another.[/quote]

the longest-running trial shows no difference in long-term outcomes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3063150/

My point is not to say that medication doesn’t help at all - just that OP should understand that her child doesn’t “have to” take stimulants especially in light of her serious concerns for side effects. [/quote]

This study shows that medicating for ADHD in childhood for the short-term doesn’t have an impact. It doesn’t show that medicating for ADHD doesn’t have an impact.

Before medicating my child I looked at the research studies (I am a PhD trained in biomedical sciences including clinical work). My take-away was that long-term medication (started when needed and continued throughout the teen years) does have an impact on outcomes.

Please stop posting one study and suggesting it represents the whole field of ADHD research. Even meta-analyses of RCTs are not considered as single points of data, but within the context of all the research conducted.[/quote]

Reasonable minds can differ. OP has very legitimate concerns about side effects. [/quote]

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