I did not medicate. I taught my child self-control. He was diagnosed 10 years ago, at age 6. I worked hard with him to teach him to channel his energies and to control them. ADHD is only a curse if you do not harness it. Think Ghosr Rider and his curse. What you perceive to be your curse could also be your greatest power. Six years after his diagnosis, the same psychologist who diagnosed him dropped ADHD from his IEP and told me that she would not have believed it was possible to teach a kid to control it, had she not seen him before and after. Parents medicate to make their lives easier, not their children's lives. I worked hard with my child so that he could be a success. He'll be 17 next month, he'll be completely finished with school before winter, he is working, managing all his own finances and his own personal business. I am currently only the driver, but he'll be moving to his dad's in a month, so he can fix up one of his dad's motorcycles and get his motorcycle license. Raising independent adults is the goal. The only thing I used to calm him when he started getting wild was coffee. It's the only ADHD med I approve of. Use honey to sweeten. Stay away from soft drinks, too much sugar. Give your kid lots and lots of work and play, keep them busy, they need to learn focus and self-control, or they will be handicapped for life. Don't create victims. Create warriors. Good luck. It can be done, I did it. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

Stimulant medication caused some insomnia and loss of appetite for my son. We also noticed a rebound effect in the evening (irritability).

FWIW, I think the rebound was dose related. At DS's request (he's fifteen), we lowered his dose and over time, saw less irritability.

For some people, medication is life changing- in our case, it's a trade off. Life is better with medication, but it comes with its own problems.

The downsides posted by the last two posters are only for a certain class of medications. Not all have these side effects.

It depends on the medication, among other things. Common side effects of common meds are loss of appetite and weight loss, and headaches. They can also mess with sleep.

One downside, by the way, is that the child may lose appetite and tend towards being underweight. But the benefits of ADHD medicine FAR outweigh any downsides.

Anonymous wrote:These meds need to be used as a last resort. What are the pediatrician and teachers saying?

Dumb comment. Who makes their kid suffer on and on trying cockamamie exercises when medication could help them immediately and make them feel better about themselves? Would you withhold medication if they had a heart problem?

My child’s ADHD was very severe. Diagnosed at 4, we started medication halfway through K and it has been life changing for our family. We had been to many therapists for years before, but nothing was helping enough and he was really struggling at school, making himself and everyone else miserable.

It took 3 tries for us to get the medication right, about 5 days on each. We started meds over winter break so we could be there to see how it was going, and I checked in with the teachers often when school started again. You should talk to your child’s doctor about risks for each specific medication. For us, the main thing was decreased appetite, but my son was (and still is) on the very high end of the growth charts anyway, so the doctor wasn’t as worried. There’s also a risk of low blood pressure - he is on a stimulant, not sure if that’s a risk for non stimulants too. We have med check appointments every 6 months and it’s always been fine.

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a kid but my parents refused to let me take medication. It was still a new diagnosis and the drugs hadn’t been studied for very long. But school was so tough for me, so we’re friendships, and I really wish they would have let me start sooner.

We started early because I read about how kids with unmedicated ADHD can start down a spiral of thinking they are bad, because they have trouble with impulse control and make bad decisions, so then they have low self esteem and a higher rate of suicide. My son was very wild and out of control, but a super sweet kid. He is much much happier on his medication - still silly and loud, but able to have a conversation with peers and be successful at school.

Have you tried private school yet? It can do wonders.

We did kid therapy for a year (age 9-10) before we tried meds. If you have a decent therapist they also share some discipline/incentive parenting techniques (especially involving de-escalating) that work better with impulsive and/or hyperactive kids. They should even have suggestions to help with executive functioning. We still ended up with medication a year later but now only during the school year. And 3 years later into teenage hood, we still use the techniques we learned. Hang in there. You can get to a place where the good days outnumber the bad ones.

Anonymous wrote:8. Just starting the conversation. We're struggling though as a family, she's struggling day to day. Like I said, I don't even know the questions to ask, or what my concerns should be.

There are different types of medications. What are you asking? We want to be supportive but you have a vague vent that is hard to decipher

8. Just starting the conversation. We're struggling though as a family, she's struggling day to day. Like I said, I don't even know the questions to ask, or what my concerns should be.

She didn’t even say child’s age.

It depends on the medication. This is way too vague of a question

These meds need to be used as a last resort. What are the pediatrician and teachers saying?

What's the downside to ADHD meds? If the kid isn't functioning well, isn't happy, struggling though activities. What are the side effects, how long does it take to work, how long does it take to get the right med/dosage...I don't even know the questions to ask.