Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 23:03     Subject: Re:Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Op: yes-yes to evaluation.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 23:00     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:No regrets medicating—life would be nearly impossible without. But it's not an easy road, either. It took a long time to find something that worked with a level of side effects we could live with. It's very much an individual choice, based on individual's profile.

You didn't say how old your DC is, but focus and attention can be indicative of issues besides ADHD, particularly in younger grades—maybe a learning difference like dyslexia or a bad fit in the classroom. I would pursue some kind of evaluation to make sure you're not missing something.


OP here. Right. I earlier thought (naive me then) dc - my 8yo - was bored in the classroom b/c it’s too easy for him, so he goofs off, so teacher sends a note... And adhd-ignorance made me think, when i am running late like one op described, dc is just disorganized now but it will get better one day etc.

I am facing a hard road (b/c of full time job and not too many leave days) ahead of many doctor visits on two fronts : food neophobia (which I’m 99% confident he has) and possibly some milder version of Adhd. It’s okay . Will get through.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 13:34     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I didn't say teachers handle ADHD well, I said they see a lot of it. My kids are still young, have spent many hours in the principal's office, been suspended twice.

In family members who have an ADHD diagnosis or would have had one, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce and inability to have long term relationships. In NT family members, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce, inability to keep long term relationships. There's a sentiment that AND is a life destroying calamity. And from what I've seen, it's not.


You really don't know what you're talking about.


Maybe, maybe not. I don't second guess people here who say that ADHD meds were a godsend for their kid - Nobody denies that there are some kids with severe ADHD who are helped by meds. But I also believe it's pretty conclusively shown that ADHD is overdiagnosed, and that medications may be over-prescribed prior to behavioral methods being tried (or just accepting something less than perfection). So it's hard to tell. The one thing that does freak me out on this board is the people who post about severe side-effects of ADHD meds and resulting polypharmacy. That's where you're really getting into unknown territory, especially for younger kids. If your kid is going to be on Ritalin, then need an SSRI for the aggression that Ritalin creates, then need melatonin because of the insomnia ... well, you do have to start to be sure that the underlying ADHD was severe enough.


As someone who medicates DS for ADHD, I agree with this—DS definitely needs medication, but there is a creep in terms of tweaking the cocktail and I question if I am doing the right thing sometimes. We got diagnosed via a neuropsych, so I was confident in the diagnosis going in, but the form required by our pediatrician to assess ADHD and get meds was pretty minimal. Considering the hoops we have to jump through to get stimulant medication each month, I expected a higher bar with diagnosis.

I agree that for many people meds are a godsend and the benefits far outweigh the negatives—it's a choice each family has to make and there's no single answer.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 13:25     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
No regrets medicating—life would be nearly impossible without. But it's not an easy road, either. It took a long time to find something that worked with a level of side effects we could live with. It's very much an individual choice, based on individual's profile.

You didn't say how old your DC is, but focus and attention can be indicative of issues besides ADHD, particularly in younger grades—maybe a learning difference like dyslexia or a bad fit in the classroom. I would pursue some kind of evaluation to make sure you're not missing something.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 13:20     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
I didn't say teachers handle ADHD well, I said they see a lot of it. My kids are still young, have spent many hours in the principal's office, been suspended twice.

In family members who have an ADHD diagnosis or would have had one, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce and inability to have long term relationships. In NT family members, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce, inability to keep long term relationships. There's a sentiment that AND is a life destroying calamity. And from what I've seen, it's not.


You really don't know what you're talking about.


Maybe, maybe not. I don't second guess people here who say that ADHD meds were a godsend for their kid - Nobody denies that there are some kids with severe ADHD who are helped by meds. But I also believe it's pretty conclusively shown that ADHD is overdiagnosed, and that medications may be over-prescribed prior to behavioral methods being tried (or just accepting something less than perfection). So it's hard to tell. The one thing that does freak me out on this board is the people who post about severe side-effects of ADHD meds and resulting polypharmacy. That's where you're really getting into unknown territory, especially for younger kids. If your kid is going to be on Ritalin, then need an SSRI for the aggression that Ritalin creates, then need melatonin because of the insomnia ... well, you do have to start to be sure that the underlying ADHD was severe enough.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 13:12     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
I didn't say teachers handle ADHD well, I said they see a lot of it. My kids are still young, have spent many hours in the principal's office, been suspended twice.

In family members who have an ADHD diagnosis or would have had one, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce and inability to have long term relationships. In NT family members, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce, inability to keep long term relationships. There's a sentiment that AND is a life destroying calamity. And from what I've seen, it's not.


You really don't know what you're talking about.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 10:43     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These meds have major side effects.


Clearly you don't have a child with ADHD causing havoc for the whole family. DH is about to lose his job because DC cannot get out the door in the morning on time no matter how early we start because the medications have not yet kicked in. That's the major side effect we're dealing with from her condition.


We physically go in, dress DC, and follow around to avoid this problem. When there is a will, there is a way.

This exactly. You have to be self-disciplined to immediately follow through with every request. Make it non-optional.

Of course this is much easier when your child is two, but better late than never.


And when’s your child is in a classroom with 25 other kids and one teacher?


Between 5-20% of boys are diagnosed with ADHD. The teacher is used to these kids.


Tell me about your experience with this. Because I have two kids (boy and girl) with ADHD and this was not our experience AT ALL. And tell me if you have experience with teens with ADHD because that is really when the s**t hits the fan.


I didn't say teachers handle ADHD well, I said they see a lot of it. My kids are still young, have spent many hours in the principal's office, been suspended twice.

In family members who have an ADHD diagnosis or would have had one, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce and inability to have long term relationships. In NT family members, I've seen lots of job hopping, car accidents, divorce, inability to keep long term relationships. There's a sentiment that AND is a life destroying calamity. And from what I've seen, it's not.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 10:13     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These meds have major side effects.


Clearly you don't have a child with ADHD causing havoc for the whole family. DH is about to lose his job because DC cannot get out the door in the morning on time no matter how early we start because the medications have not yet kicked in. That's the major side effect we're dealing with from her condition.


We physically go in, dress DC, and follow around to avoid this problem. When there is a will, there is a way.

This exactly. You have to be self-disciplined to immediately follow through with every request. Make it non-optional.

Of course this is much easier when your child is two, but better late than never.


And when’s your child is in a classroom with 25 other kids and one teacher?


Between 5-20% of boys are diagnosed with ADHD. The teacher is used to these kids.


Tell me about your experience with this. Because I have two kids (boy and girl) with ADHD and this was not our experience AT ALL. And tell me if you have experience with teens with ADHD because that is really when the s**t hits the fan.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 10:04     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These meds have major side effects.


Clearly you don't have a child with ADHD causing havoc for the whole family. DH is about to lose his job because DC cannot get out the door in the morning on time no matter how early we start because the medications have not yet kicked in. That's the major side effect we're dealing with from her condition.


We physically go in, dress DC, and follow around to avoid this problem. When there is a will, there is a way.

This exactly. You have to be self-disciplined to immediately follow through with every request. Make it non-optional.

Of course this is much easier when your child is two, but better late than never.


And when’s your child is in a classroom with 25 other kids and one teacher?


That's where medication can be helpful for some kids. But the advice above was posted because a pp said her husband was in danger of losing his job because they couldn't get out the door on time. I also pretty much stand there while my kid gets dressed and brushes his teeth and he has to have breakfast in the car if he's moving too slowly to eat before leaving. We have to do this to get out the door. As far as school goes, he finally started getting As in whatever they call the behavior category (social skills?) after he started taking meds.
Anonymous
Post 06/19/2019 09:58     Subject: Do you regret that your DC has been prescribed and taking ADHD meds?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These meds have major side effects.


Clearly you don't have a child with ADHD causing havoc for the whole family. DH is about to lose his job because DC cannot get out the door in the morning on time no matter how early we start because the medications have not yet kicked in. That's the major side effect we're dealing with from her condition.


We physically go in, dress DC, and follow around to avoid this problem. When there is a will, there is a way.

This exactly. You have to be self-disciplined to immediately follow through with every request. Make it non-optional.

Of course this is much easier when your child is two, but better late than never.


And when’s your child is in a classroom with 25 other kids and one teacher?


Between 5-20% of boys are diagnosed with ADHD. The teacher is used to these kids.