I have read a lot of info about medication holidays on the ADDitude website, and I would start there. Also, make it very clear to your psychiatrist that her ADD is affecting her at home as well as at school and is negatively affecting her self esteem.

What I have read is that it is important to continue medication during the summer to help with impulsivity and functioning throughout life, as ADD does not just affect school life. Unfortunately, from what I've heard about meds like Zoloft, it can take up to three months to get the full effect and know what the side effects will end up being, so that may be a waiting game. Is your psychiatrist a child psychiatrist? My child is 12 and is medicated for her ADHD. I take her to a pediatric neurologist and he leaves it up to me whether I medicate her when she is not in school. I usually do, as she does better in all aspects of life and I can truly see all of her wonderful gifts when she can think clearly.

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I think my tendency is to continue with the meds during the summer; it just seems to help my child to focus and be less hyper. Even though he doesn't have to concentrate as much as when he is in school, when he is very hyperactive he can be annoying to others, so it affects his social relationships. If you continue with meds this summer, you'll have a baseline to look at and compare to when your child starts school.

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My nine year old is on Focolin, and we took some of the summer off because I had to get some weight on her. But in general, I think that it is a bit unfair to the child to take them off. Lower the dosage, yes--but off, no. She was really confused when she first went off her meds. She had gotten some great coping strategies down and didn't understand why all the sudden they stopped working. She was also frustrated because things were much harder for her and her friends commented on how she made funny noises and acted crazy all of the sudden. My daughter summed it up when she said, I'm tired of messing up every summer. I want to be as good as I am during school. She has put on four lbs. and we have put her back on a lower dose for the rest of the summer. When I saw it through her eyes, I had to rethink our choice.

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Thanks to those who posted.

I am having a hard time figuring out what is Zoloft side effects, ADD, and regular seven year old girl push back. She is very impulsive and very angry at me. Not sure if it's normal/meds/ADD. This is so frustrating. Any experiences shared would be appreciated.

We have not medicated her ADD until after vacation b/c we are away for 4 weeks and the Dr. wants us in town before we start trying new things.

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Mother of 4,

I have never heard of Selegeline before. I've read two dozen books on ADD and ADHD and I've never seen that medication mentioned before in the treatment of ADD. Do you know why she is on that and what type of medication it is?

You can have ADD without hyperactivity and still have impulsiveness. You do see the impulsiveness more frequently with the ADHD however. My husband is ADHD and impulsive. My son and daughter are both ADD and are not impulsive but my son has a friend who is ADD and impulsive.

Anger can be part of ADD, especially because they get frustrated so easily. It can also be part of depression and other mood disorders. And it can just be ordinary kid stuff.

My husband takes his medication all the time, but my son doesn't take it all the time during the summer. He does take it for baseball. It depends on the individual child and their symptoms. It doesn't affect my son socially but my husband definitely needs it all the time.

Elaine

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I just looked up Selegeline online. It said it is used to treat Parkinson's disease and depression. It is also used off label to treat Narcolepsy and that a transdermal patch is being tested for its effectiveness in treating ADHD.

Does this medication work for her? I wondered because Provigil which also treats Narcolepsy was going to be marketed to treat ADHD and then it was found not to be very effective, although I do know that some doctors use it off label.

Usually the stimulants such as Ritalin and Concerta are tried first because they are found to be the most effective and if those in the methylphenidate class don't work, they usually switch to Adderall.

Elaine

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I completely understand your feelings about the meds and the behavioral issues you are dealing with. Sometimes I have felt as though we are using medicines to treat the medicines. As far as behavior is concerned-I seem to have a lot of conflict with my child too and I have a therapist who helps me to come up with strategies-it helps.

I find that I do forget to genuinely praise my child for the many things he does well and I tend to get in a rut over some things he does-sitting on my coffee table for instance and swinging the lacrosse stick in the house. Every now and then he'll be very articulate and tell me that he really doesn't know why he continues to do certain things over and over again, even though the ultimate consequence is negative for both of us. At times like that, I remember that for him the hyperactivity really makes it tough for him to control his behavior. I am working on controlling my own so that the parenting is consistent and so that he always knows that I love him. Oh-I tell him that ALL the time too! Hang in there and make sure you get lots of support.

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This is for keeping the dopamine in the brain from breaking down. My guess is that the doc is trying to keep the level of dopamine up in the brain since. Brain levels are usually lower in patients with ADD/ADHD. Although this is the first time that I have ever heard of it being used for ADD/ADHD. It is usually used for Parkinson's type disorders.

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Many therapists and physicians suggest stopping ADD medication during the summer months. This only makes sense to me if ADD is viewed as a learning disorder only. I believe that ADD is more of a social skills disorder and self-esteem disorder and that the school problems are the least important part of the disorder. I believe it is never OK to be without your prefrontal cortex so I would suggest treating the disorder throughout the year. If the worry is medication and growth then I would suggest an all natural supplement such as ADD-care.

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