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angelkisses101 said: YOU CAN ORDER THE DVD AS WELL PLEASE SEE IT AND PASS IT DOWN Quote:

mommy2kai said: Thanks to both of you for your info! I haven't read Dr. Brown's book, I will definately have to look for it and check out his website.

I think what has made both my husband and me so hesitant to medicate was a bad experience we had with our former pediatrician. We took our son to her for a check up and to see if she thought he warranted a referral to a psychologist. Instead of giving us a referral, she gave us the brochures for all the ADD medications her office prescribed and said, 'look through these and see which one sounds good to you'. We asked about psychological testing and she basically dismissed it, saying that from what we had told her, it sounded like our son had ADD. We refused to simply pick a medication and she said there was nothing she could do for us then and left the room.

At this point, my husband is not completely against the idea of medication, but only wants to go that route if counseling and behavior techniques don't work. I felt that way at first, but now feel that if our son needs the meds to help him focus and do well in school, then that's what he needs.

Thanks again for the info!

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angelkisses101 said:

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angelkisses101 said: YOU CAN ORDER THE DVD AS WELL PLEASE SEE IT AND PASS IT DOWN Quote:

mommy2kai said: Thanks to both of you for your info! I haven't read Dr. Brown's book, I will definately have to look for it and check out his website.

I think what has made both my husband and me so hesitant to medicate was a bad experience we had with our former pediatrician. We took our son to her for a check up and to see if she thought he warranted a referral to a psychologist. Instead of giving us a referral, she gave us the brochures for all the ADD medications her office prescribed and said, 'look through these and see which one sounds good to you'. We asked about psychological testing and she basically dismissed it, saying that from what we had told her, it sounded like our son had ADD. We refused to simply pick a medication and she said there was nothing she could do for us then and left the room.

At this point, my husband is not completely against the idea of medication, but only wants to go that route if counseling and behavior techniques don't work. I felt that way at first, but now feel that if our son needs the meds to help him focus and do well in school, then that's what he needs.

Thanks again for the info!

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Wow! Ok, I finally found my way back to the boards. When they switched, I thought this thread had been lost. I'm glad to see that it hasn't been. I'm even more glad to see that there are so many other parents who are in the same boat. Well, not glad, but it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one going through this.

So, for an update. My son Kai has been seeing a child psychologist weekly since November. I think the counseling has been good for him in that he's opening up more to both my husband and me about the problems that he's having at school. This school year has been rough for him. He had a bathroom accident towards the beginning of the school year which set off a never ending circle of anxiety for him. He had an accident and the kids teased him. Then he would get so afraid of having another accident at school, that he would try to hold it all day and then guess what? Have an accident! Which would cause the kids to tease him and bully him, which would cause more accidents. The counseling has helped him tremendously with his anxiety, and fingers crossed, the bathroom accidents are over. But, they still happen at home, I think because he is hyperfocusing on TV or a video game, so we've set time limits on both, and have to constantly remind him to go to the bathroom. The doctor has checked him out and his tummy is ok, so it's nothing medical.

My husband is finally coming around on the idea of medication. Kai really hasn't made much improvement in school, and at home he has started to misbehave- talking back, name calling, etc. I know that some of this is simply a 7-year old boy trying to push his limits (and mine!), but up until now, he's never been like this. The psychologist recommended either Concerta or Adderall, so I'm going to research the two and see what I think might work best for him and see what the doctor recommends.

As far as homeopathic treatment, I have some doubts. I do know that we are trying to get Kai to be more physically active and he wants to take either fencing or karate lessons. I think either one would help him with focusing and concentration. And I'm trying to get more veggies in him, just because it's healthy.

So, I will keep you all updated on Kai's progress. And I'm so happy to read about so many who are doing well with Adderall!

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My son, Nick, has tried all of the meds with the exception of Vyvanse which is newer and Strattera which tends to cause emotional outbursts and since we already have that we didn't want to take that chance. We have done Concerta (up to 72mg), Adderall, Ritalin LA, etc. But we finally started him on the Daytrana patch - 30 mg's and it's been working great for over a year now. You can put it on the child before they ever wake up (maybe 30 minutes to an hour before) and take it off around 5PM and there isn't the extreme crash that we normally saw with the pills we took before. As an added bonus, it really seems to help him get out of bed in the morning provided I it on him at least 30 minutes before he gets up! The medication is also about half the price of the other ADD meds we have tried! Because the med comes in a patch form you don't have to take the higher dosage because the stomach acids don't eat away half the strength as they do when swallowing a pill and it is also a time released med like many of the pills. It's been working great. Be aware, we had to ask for this medication (my niece takes 60 mg's a day and my sister told us about it - she's a nurse) as many pharmacists and doctors aren't even aware of it. If you are seeing a psychologist for med management like we do they know all about it and seem to like the medication. Just a thought!

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Janna, I was just thinking about asking our psych. about Daytrana. Kai, like most kids, has kind of a hard time swallowing pills, so a patch might be just the thing. I'll ask her and see what she says. Is the patch pretty sturdy? Does it stay on all day without too much trouble? Have you seen any skin irritations at the patch site? I ask because my husband uses a duralgesic patch for pain management, and he often gets a rash from either the patch or the adhesive.

Oh, and interestingly enough, I found out that one of the other sites that I visited when I was first trying to figure this whole ADD thing out, is run by the Church of Scientology. That would sure explain why they were so radically anti-medication.

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I too resisted the diagnosis and recomendation for my son. He was hard to handle from age two. I have five children and I thought he was just really active and I was getting old. I had him repeat kindergarten because I thought maybe maturity would help him. His birthday is late in September. I had him tested when he was 7 and in the first grade. He was tested by a respected educational psychologist and given the diagnosis of adhd,anxiety,and dyslexia. We resisted medication for 6 months and the day my little boy said he wanted to kill himself I knew I had to do something -- we put him on the smallest dose of ritalin. He was able to attend to what was going on in the classroom. He stopped talking about killing himself. The down side was his lack of eating and ocasional head aches. He is 12 now and every year manageing him is a full time job. He is an intelligent,kind, funny,sensitive child. Our latest hurdal has been the anxiety problem. The psychiatrist wanted us to medicate him but we are not willing to do that at this time. One of our family members has to be with him at all times (excluding school) and that is how we are handling things now. We are hoping he will grow out of this stage. My point in all this; is that every child is a unique situation and you have to choose the best path for him or her depending on what is going on with them at the time. I pray for my son and that I make the best decision for him. Tucker

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WOw, how I can relate to your feelings surrounding the ADD diagnosis and whether to medicate your child. I have a now 12 year old son who I have recently finally decided to try on medication to help the symptoms of ADHD. I struggled with the decision for many years because I have known he has ADHD since he was about 5 years old. I am a guidance counselor as well as a nurse so one may think my professional knowledge of medication and disorders would be a bonus to knowing to what to do in this case, but it is still a VERY difficult decision when it comes to YOUR own child. I can tell you that since trying the medication for my son, he has shown some very important improvements in homework completion, time on task, focusing and he has even said he feels he can finally understand what the teachers are saying to him!! That was a huge eye opener for me because before I started him on medication, he was very against it. He didn't think there was anything wrong with him or that he had a problem with inattention. For my son it took going on medication to find out that he wasn't performing his best and that with the medication, he can be a more successful student! Please realize that every child's response to medication is different and there are many medications available for the symptoms of ADHD. It is also important to realize that medication is only one "TOOL" in helping the symptoms of ADHD and it should be used along with a good behavioral reinforcement program both at school and at home. I hope these comments have helped and I wish everyone out there with children that struggle in school, the absolute best in there quest for success!! Quote:

mommy2kai said: My 7-year old son was recently tested and diagnosed as having ADD-inattentive. His psychologist also feels that he has some mild anxiety issues, which she feels can be helped with counseling. She has recommended medication to help with the ADD.

I have done so much research, read so many books, and still I feel confused. I've heard so many people say that ADD is NOT a disease, is not a chemical imbalance and that if a parent puts their child on medication, they are basically giving their child a death sentence. It seems there are radicals on both sides of the issue, and I'm feeling frustrated that I can't make a decision for my son.

My husband is not helping because he only wants to medicate our son as a last resort, because he doesn't want to 'lose' our son.

Has anyone else felt this way? What helped you to decide the method of treatment you chose?

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Add is not with the hipper disorde. sorry about the spelling, as you can see I also have ADD, mine has a lot to do with spelling and understanding formats. I have come a long way but with a lot of pratices. it can be done. Now ADHD is with moveing around and you can not sit down in one spot. Is your son ADD or ADHD. With ADD you can get stronger by doing a lot of reading out loud. Something that will chalange your brain. just keeping the brain stimulated will help your son. He will get better. I can't spell but I am working on it I keep a dictionary with me. I just don't have one now sorry. He will get better I Promise. I graduated high school and college. It is possible for your son to. wenonahollis@yahoo.com and it is a inbalance in the brain.

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At first I was confused and overwhelmed. That is typical with new diagnosis because we are looking for something to fix it. A pill alone won't do it, though you often realize that the only way to "take the edge off" is by medication. Medication does not mean that you have to drug the child until he is not himself. Medication, handled properly, actually allows the real child to come through. As an anecdote, my grandson one day confessed to me with a sad face "I can't concentrate". It bothered him. That was before medication. Since, his concentration has improved, though no amount of medication will cure it completely. I have found that a multi-modal approach is the best...a combination of behavior modification and therapy, careful routine, educational help and medication generally seems to work best. You have to attack it from various angles. And remember, this problem is a killer to a child's self-esteem, so don't forget to boost that from time to time. As a volunteer with CHADD, I must remind you that I do not endorse any specific medication or treatment. As a grandparent of seven children, four of which are ADD/ADHD diagnosed (and live with me), I only know what has worked (somewhat) with me. We still struggle daily. Part of it is learning how to manage yourself as a parent - where to find the patience to go on. That is the real challenge. Good luck to you!

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