Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real question is, why do so many professionals default to recommending medication before trying other approaches?

Because ADHD is a real condition - and it's not a matter of the child just trying harder.

A PP wrote about over-prescription of statins -- which is also, IMO, just sanctimonious. I take statins, I eat well, get at least some exercise and, without statins, still have high cholestoral. I think that we, as a society, have gone off the deep end because we don't remember that people used to die from lack of vaccines and medications. So now we have measles and whooping cough outbreaks because free-range parents don't want to vaccinate their precious snowflakes and people think of ADHD medication as poison.

Our DS has been on ADHD medication for years. Periodically, he skips/forgets a dose and it gives us a good reminder of why he takes ADHD medication. It's not perfect and we're not one of those families whose child has gone from failing grades to Honor Roll thanks to meds, but he wouldn't be able to function well in school without it.

As for side effects, very few in DS's case. There are times he has had appetite and sleep issues but in general, they've been few and they've been manageable. He's continued to grow normally and he sleeps OK.

I agree, ADHD is a real condition. But it's not clear what causes ADHD. I posted above that I think it's a toxic chemical stew we live in, which BTW, may include the chemicals in vaccines injected into babies.

There's no definitive research into the cause of ADHD, any more than there is definitive research about the cause of autism.

I tend to follow the money, and look at who is benefiting from the huge increase in ADHD diagnoses: Pharmaceutical companies! The drug makers earn billions from pushing meds on our children!

However, there is research about the dangers of statins, PP!

Here's what the ultra-conservative (and very much influenced by the drug companies) FDA says about statins: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm293330.htm

You can make dietary changes, lose weight, reduce stress and exercise more to at least reduce your need for statins. They should be a temporary fix until you make the changes in your lifestyle necessary to lower your cholesterol permanently.

Anonymous wrote:<< Sometimes it IS just an issue of maturing, but we don't have a system that can accomodate differences anymore. >>

But the system is what the system is. If child is suffering and struggling in the system, why can't meds be used for a period?

Because medications have side effects, and there may be other ways to learn to cope or change the environment.

I tested at an early age at a 175 IQ, but was never able to hold down a job for more than a year or so. I was almost 40 when I was finally diagnosed, and to say that medication it has been life-changing would barely begin to describe it. But I grieve for all of those wasted years when I could have been doing all of the things I wanted to do, but couldn't seem to actually accomplish. I still have plenty of life left to do things, but it's not like I'm going to go back to school for years and then pay my dues through research labs to finally get to do my own neurological research when I'm 60.

<< Sometimes it IS just an issue of maturing, but we don't have a system that can accomodate differences anymore. >>

But the system is what the system is. If child is suffering and struggling in the system, why can't meds be used for a period?

I've researched this a lot, OP, and I'm torn about meds.

In the short-term, they can be very helpful if you've got a kid who can't function, is depressed because of failure in school, is acting out, etc.

My concern is that no one has studied and no one knows what the long-term effect of these very powerful drugs is on a child's developing brain.

The meds treat the symptoms, but do not deal with the underlying problems that cause the attention problems.

I believe the culprit is the huge toxic stew of chemicals in our food, our air, our homes, our cars, our schools, our clothing, you name it. The radiation from our phones, from our smart meters, our computers, our wi-fi -- it's a huge toxic mess, and for more and more people, kids in particular, it creates all sorts of issues, allergies, learning problems, autism, etc.

So, when you medicate a child, you're adding to the toxic stew, instead of cleaning it up.

If it's an emergency, then medication works more quickly. But a long-term solution involves cleaning up diet, environment, lifestyle habits, that are difficult to break and take a long time to clean up.

If you're in a hurry, start with meds, and clean up your child's diet, home, at the same time. If you have more time, then start with diet, supplements, cleaning your home of toxins (you can't clean up the world or your kids' school, so start with your home) and see if it makes a difference. I'm sure it will, starting with removing all chemicals from the food you feed your child.

I'll look for a link I found to the doctor who pushed and pushed ADHD meds on children. The article exposed his many ties to the pharmaceutical industry and how much money he was paid for promoting these meds, which at the time had not been tested on children at all.

Here's a story on The Business of ADHD:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/experts/business.html

It's not a pretty picture.

I prefer not to take antibiotics, OP, but if I have a serious infection, antibiotics can save my life, so I take them.

It's a matter of choosing your poison and using meds judiciously if you must use them.

Best of luck to you, OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am "against" them for my own kids because I believe they are the equivalent of steroids for school. People give them to their children so their children will pay better attention and get good grades in school. To me it is exactly the same as steroids for sports: we give them this drug, and it enhances their athletic performance. I'm not going to drug my children for grades. In all of human history somehow children managed to grow up without taking speed. I don't think this is the first generation of children who need it to get through the day. Blame your school environment instead for trying to stick a round peg in a square hole.

No, before IDEA and the availability of better medications, kids who couldn't pay attention and follow the rules just didn't get an education. I graduated from high school in 1990 and knew plenty of kids (mostly boys) who were held back at least once, spent half the time in detention or suspended from school, and dropped out the second they turned 16. The generation before, kids who "couldn't learn" dropped out after 8th grade. ADHD treatment (meds and other interventions) is the difference between failure and passing for lots of kids--not the difference between passing and excelling. But apparently, from your privileged bubble, you don't want to admit that.

I know at least two boys who were unmedicated ADHD in elementary school and grew up to excel academically and personally. Sometimes it IS just an issue of maturing, but we don't have a system that can accomodate differences anymore.

I'd like to see studies that show the advent of ADHD drugs has improved educational outcomes for at-risk kids? Maybe it exists, not sure, but I'm guessing that you're just quoting truisms without a basis in reality.

Sure, for severe, actual ADHD, meds probably should be on the table as long as environmental/behavioral elements are also considered.

The problem is that there is a demonstrable over-diagnosis of ADHD, along with a huge push by the pharmaceutical industry to create a market for their drugs, along with increasing childhood stress and poverty that exacerbates everything.

Another aspect is that for every parent that is wrongfully withholding medication, there is another parent who is blaming ADHD for their kids problematic behavior, without considering that it might be environmental/bad parenting. How do I know this? Because I grew up in an f-upped household where the children's natural acting out was medicalized into diagnosis so the parents could focus on the child's supposed "brain dysfunction" rather than their own problems and contribution. Thankfully this was before the time when meds were REALLY pushed, otherwise I am sure I would have ended up with a diagnosis of ODD and heavily medicated ...

<<Blame your school environment instead for trying to stick a round peg in a square hole.>>

How does that help the child if the child is in and part of this school environment? Why force them to suffer the negative emotions that come with failing when there is help available?

As the parent of a child with epilepsy who has taken steroids for years, and a kid with ADHD who is not on meds -- I don't think your comparison that ADHD meds are steroids for school is accurate.

Anonymous wrote:I am "against" them for my own kids because I believe they are the equivalent of steroids for school. People give them to their children so their children will pay better attention and get good grades in school. To me it is exactly the same as steroids for sports: we give them this drug, and it enhances their athletic performance. I'm not going to drug my children for grades. In all of human history somehow children managed to grow up without taking speed. I don't think this is the first generation of children who need it to get through the day. Blame your school environment instead for trying to stick a round peg in a square hole.

No, before IDEA and the availability of better medications, kids who couldn't pay attention and follow the rules just didn't get an education. I graduated from high school in 1990 and knew plenty of kids (mostly boys) who were held back at least once, spent half the time in detention or suspended from school, and dropped out the second they turned 16. The generation before, kids who "couldn't learn" dropped out after 8th grade. ADHD treatment (meds and other interventions) is the difference between failure and passing for lots of kids--not the difference between passing and excelling. But apparently, from your privileged bubble, you don't want to admit that.

Meds made a 1000% difference for my DS at school. Before meds he couldn't sit still, was completely unfocused, was unable to complete any task, and basically had been ostracized by the other kids for being so "annoying". Now he's a good student and actually has friends. Honestly, I think his self-esteem took a hit from his early years in elementary school (pre-school, K and part of 1st) and in some ways I don't think his self-esteem has fully recovered and he's in high school now. Waiting and trying all of kinds of non-med strategies only prolongs the inevitable for most kids. There are some kids who don't respond well to ADHD meds so that's a completely different situation than a parent resisting it because of their own personal bias towards meds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I think it's because taking the meds amounts to admitting their child has actual issues and just isn't brilliant and bored and if they teacher just realized their kid's brilliance, blah, blah, blah.

I think parents who rely on meds as their first option are lazy and aren't up to parenting a creative, smart kid with behavior challenges.

I am an adult with ADD whose mother had a sanctimonious smug attitude just like yours. Unfortunately for me and your kid, ADD is a neurological condition, not an excess of creativity or intelligence, and no amount of super sanctimommy "parenting" will rewire the brain. Would you try to "parent" the diabetes out of your kid?

Medications have completely changed my life and I will never forgive my mom for prioritizing her sanctimony over my need to function. But hey, she was able to tell the other mommies exactly what you've said above... Hope it was worth it for her.

+1000. When I imagine what could have been if I had received the help I needed as a kid, I get so angry.

.... because all the best parenting in the world may not be enough to change the chemical imbalance of the child's brain

We are new to ADHD meds, but the emotional impact of NOT being the kid known for bad behavior at school is a big deal. We want our child to feel like a success... we already know he's smart. But we want him to feel like he's not always the one the teacher is chastising... same goes at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am "against" them for my own kids because I believe they are the equivalent of steroids for school. People give them to their children so their children will pay better attention and get good grades in school. To me it is exactly the same as steroids for sports: we give them this drug, and it enhances their athletic performance. I'm not going to drug my children for grades. In all of human history somehow children managed to grow up without taking speed. I don't think this is the first generation of children who need it to get through the day. Blame your school environment instead for trying to stick a round peg in a square hole.

You must not have a kid with ADHD, because medication or not, it's a difficult decision either way when your child is suffering. And no one I know whose child actually has ADHD medicates them for grades. Everyone I have spoken with does it for the emotional side effects of being the kid who has no idea what's going on ever.

+1. The impact of ADHD goes so far beyond grades (and school generally), that I cannot imagine anyone making this argument who has any real understanding of ADHD.

Anonymous wrote:I am "against" them for my own kids because I believe they are the equivalent of steroids for school. People give them to their children so their children will pay better attention and get good grades in school. To me it is exactly the same as steroids for sports: we give them this drug, and it enhances their athletic performance. I'm not going to drug my children for grades. In all of human history somehow children managed to grow up without taking speed. I don't think this is the first generation of children who need it to get through the day. Blame your school environment instead for trying to stick a round peg in a square hole.

You must not have a kid with ADHD, because medication or not, it's a difficult decision either way when your child is suffering. And no one I know whose child actually has ADHD medicates them for grades. Everyone I have spoken with does it for the emotional side effects of being the kid who has no idea what's going on ever.