My daughter has severe adhd and she is now 20 years old. My pediatrician did the same test. However, in addition she asked for two to three of her teachers to fill out a survey and had her go to a psychologists to confirm her suspicions before subscribing medication. I was lucky that my pediatrician did this, but speak up, say you would like a second opinion and if you don't know one I bet your pediatrician or school can recommend one. Throughout my daughter's elementary and middle school years, I had her re-evaluated two more times by different psychiatrists and one more time in high school. And the diagnosis was the same. My biggest advice to you, is to become very knowledgeable in this area. I have had to become a very strong advocate tnrough my daughter's life. We've tried homepathic methods (which for my daughter did not work, however has worked for others.) My daughters' special ed teacher has a son with ADHD and he was able to control it through vitamins and diet. I followed her directions and used the same supplements and she was with my daughter every day to coach me through this process and after three weeks, we both determined that it didn't work for her. Today she has graduated with a regular high school diploma and is attending a community college. We still have struggles and I know it is going to take her longer to obtain her degree, but I can look back and say that all the struggles were worth it and still is. Good luck.

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It can be very difficult to receive a diagnosis like this for the first time. My son struggled through elementary school for a variety of reasons, mostly anxiety and organization. He would do well in small groups but get lost in large groups. It wasn't until a 5th grade teacher mentioned the possibitlity of ADD. At first I was shocked, but then after research, it all made sense. We went to his pediatrician for a diagnosis, and she confirmed it. We also did behavioral surveys with all of his teachers to confirm that his ADD was affecting his ability to perform at his potential. I was glad for this diagnosis because I was able to finally understand what I needed to do to help him succeed, both in school and at home. It also made me aware that I have been living with ADD all my life! If you would be more confortable, a second opinion never hurts. But don't think of a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD as the worst thing. People with ADD or ADHD are some of the most intelligent and creative people out there!

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Well it's now been 2 months since my daughter was "diagnosed" with ADHD. She;s been on ritalin, byphenton (8hour ritalin) dexadrine 4 hour release, dexadrine 8 hour release and now adderall 12 hour release. The byphenton made her more hyper then ever before. With all the others it's been the same results=calm and focused at times and other times in a screaming rage. Very aggressive at times, hitting, kicking, slapping her baby brother..Right now the adderall is 10mg over a 12 hour period...We are waiting to hear when she can get an appointment with the children's mental health department. It's very frustrating because wouldn't these medications help control the tantrums? Sometimes I think they're making her worse. When we go to the grocery store she goes absolutely crazy. (we can't take her there anymore) Is there anything else we should have her tested for? We spoke with the school principal and he said kids don't go to see the school psychologist until they are 7 years old. Occupational therapists at her school say she is doing fine. Today we had a meeting with her teacher. She told us my daughter asks to go to the washroom every 5 minutes then they find her out wandering in the halls like she forgets what she is supposed to be doing. (very scary) I dont want to have to medicate her. She doesn't sleep well unless somebody is with her all night so she sleeps in my bed at night. If she sleeps alone and wakes up and nobody is there, she freaks out and cries. I really need help, My husband and I are at our wits end. We can't seem to get any help.

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Bluejay,

I just read your update and two things came to mind. Sometimes, a child who has anxiety will get more hyper on stimulant medication so the doctor needs to evaluate her for that possibility. However, it is some of the other issues that are raising red flags in my mind. The tantrums, rages, mood changes (you said she is calm and focused at times, tantrums and raging other times), separation anxiety (has to have someone sleep with her and "freaks out" if no one is there when she wakes up) can all be symptoms of child onset bipolar disorder. Not to mention the aggression, kicking and hitting. Not many doctors are very familiar with the symptoms (they have some similarities with adult bipolar yet there are significant differences in children) and a significant percentage of children with ADHD have it. My nephew was diagnosed at 8 (he's 18 now and doing fine) after being tried on meds for ADHD and not having much success. He had tantrums and rages, hit and kicked, and was labeled as ODD. It took a while before they found what was wrong. He had both ADHD and the child onset bipolar disorder. But the bipolar disorder needs to be the priority if both disorders are present. I am not a doctor but I know two other children with that diagnosis and I have been reading a book on the disorder which is considered the book to read on child onset bipolar disorder. I got it from our library. I highly suggest you check out the book and see if it sounds like a possibility. It may not be, but better to be safe than sorry. The book is called "The Bipolar Child" by Demetri and Janice Papolos. My edition came out in 2006. If it sounds like a possibility to you then you need to find someone knowledgeable on the disorder, usually a child psychiatrist, or if you lived in Florida, my doctor has diagnosed and treated the two children I know of here. Does anyone in you or your husband's family have the disorder, another mood disorder, OCD or alcoholism? If so, it increases the possibility of child onset bipolar disorder. I hope she does not have it and I am wrong but it needs to be looked at, and if nothing else, ruled out as a possibility. I'll be praying for you and your family.

Elaine

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Not discounting the professionals that responded. Find a new pediatrician!!

My son began w/ritalin of 10mgs at 5 yrs of age. We moved him up 5 mgs at a time. He was also put into a double blind test to see if that was the actual challenge in the first place.

Too many pediatricians prescribe incorrectly 1st the dosage and 2nd the incorrect medications. I learned what some of the side effects were, asked questions regarding, tried to arrange things to work with my child as well as his day and side effects. He has been on Strattera for the past 3 yrs (he is 15 almost 16 now) and doing okay. If you are not comfortable with the way your child is responding to the medications. Go with your gut feelings. Don't be afraid to ask the Dr. how much he may know about ADD/ADHD and available meds, symptoms, treatments, etc. Ask the school for a psychological evaluation. NCLB (No Child Left Behind) law requires that the school do this within something like 30 days (and keep requesting until this is done). Your school teachers, psychologist, principal can be advocates for you with your pediatrician as well. Talk to parents at events, if there are children that have the same challenges, ask who their pediatricians are, if they would recommend them, etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions. And READ, READ, READ anything/everything you can.

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BlueJay, The school CANNOT, by law, refuse a psychological request even in kindergarten (that's when many children are diagnosed). They are required by law to respond to testing and have your child tested via school psychologists, within 60 days of your request (keep copies of any and all correspondence with the school). And whenever you change schools, request again. When your child goes from elementary to middle to high school, each change, request a new psychological test to update records and psychologists, teachers, principals, etc.

Below is part of a letter from another forum member that I requested a copy of . These sections contain lots of information regarding what the school systems are required by law to follow in the NCLB law (that's No Child Left Behind — National law)

"...(in conformity with IDEA Regulations §300.307-311) based on several factors, including but not limited to his medical diagnosis of ADD/ADHD Complex and the predisposing fact that 75% of children with ADD/ADHD Complex have additional learning disabilities. We believe that these potential problems impair the academic functioning of [child's name], and should be addressed within the 60 days allowed."

Go to Ed.gov. There is a lot of information available that can help you in your request for the school to follow the law.

If the principal is not following the law, take it up to the superintendent's office next. The principal is uninformed. If they contacted you about your child, the school psychologist should also be involved. If they are telling you that they do not do evaluations until 7 years old, then take it to the principal and onward until you get an evaluation. Don't give up.

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I think you should take a second opinion. The medication truly affect the appetite. Your child may have and unhealthy look, I feel the same about mine. Make sure the doctor take a record of measure and weight of your child. Make sure your child is having the right dose (she may be a bit slow down). Help her with the right food ( here you can read about the protein food that can help), time scheduled, visual help, multivitamins, protein powders. Get a good terapist and the right help at school. I find it useful to pray. Ask for guidance and for the right profesional to show into picture. And talk, talk, talk about DDA. You're going to find references to the right professional in your local area.

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My daughter has now been on adderall for almost a month. Some days she is good, some days you can't even look at her the wrong way. She still has the tantrums. Screams when her brother looks at her toys, slaps him when she gets mad. She'll scream if she can't get her own way. When she gets mad she'll yell things like "don't beat me" or "you're hurting me" and there won't even be anyone near her. She had an appointment with the pediatrician today (same one) and I laid it all on the table. How her behaviour is up and down. She takes 10mg of adderall right now so the pediatrician gave me a prescription for 5mg of adderall and she wants me to give her a 1/4 of a capsule to go with the 10mg she takes. She said the only other option is strattera. She doesn't quite weigh enough for the lowest dosage of this. She weighs 41.5 pounds now. down 3.5 pounds since being on medicine. The pediatrician said with the strattera she would wake up in the morning one of 2 ways. She would be calm or she would be violent. I refuse to put her on this. She's been assigned to a worker at the mental health department . The pediatrician is suppose to call him today to discuss if her appointment should be rushed or not (otherwise she goes in april) The pediatrician told me she didn't know what else to do. There is definately something wrong with my child. Of all the medication she has been on, nothing has completely worked. Her teacher said she is "lost" most of the time. Like she has no idea what is going on or what she is supposed to be doing. She'll ask to go to the washroom 10 times a day then wander the halls. Last week she hid on the teachers and they couldn't find her for 30 minutes. Sent us all into a huge panic (she was hiding under the principles desk) but she doesn't know why when she was asked why she did it. What else could possibly be wrong with my little girl? I've read about APD-audio processing something or other. Could this also be a possibly for her listening/understanding? She is having a problem picking up on reading skills. She has a hard time recognizing words. What other conditions would cause the tantrums and meanness that she expresses (kicking slapping, etc)

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