Wow - you could be describing our situation exactly. Just diagnosed 6 months ago. Same path you shared, except my son can't take Adderall or the other faster acting stimulant ADD meds, bc he has a history of muscle tics and they won't prescribe bc it makes the tics worse. So we didn't see any relief yet on the grades, attention/impulsivity, or self esteem issues that have pushed him to the wrong (older) crowd & some bad habits in 9th grade.

Very scary & sad times. I'm trying to find options for help before it gets worse. Most substance abuse programs are voluntary -- his consent and he doesn't think its a problem 'lots of people do it & lots of their parents are OK with it (which I'm shocked to say I'm finding to be true). ADD is tough enough...I don't want him hooked on top of everything else.

We have to keep searching & and keep the faith. Its hard to share because of the criminal aspect of this but as a new ADD mom, I've learned its a very common path for our children. Especially when school isn't accommodating of ADD needs which ours hasn't been at all -- need help too!!!

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Hi Kathy:

Thanks for posting your question. I know a lot of parents face the challenge of tweaking of ADHD medication so that it does the most good with the fewest side effects, so you are definitely not alone. ADDitude actually has a lot of stories about ADHD medication for children that you might find helpful...

Index of articles: http://www.additudemag.com/topic/adhd-treatment/treating-adhd-children.html

About Adderall: http://www.additudemag.com/topic/adhd-treatment/treating-adhd-children.html

About fine-tuning medications: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/741.html

Top 10 Questions about ADHD Medications... Answered!: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1592.html

I hope these help!

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Im not sure if Im doing this right , Im new at this. Thanks for replying to my post Yes our situations seem to be very similar. It was great to hear someone who actually understands what Im going through and not just thinking "What a little punk" which I know a lot of people think. Im looking into a phd who works with teenage adhd kids and Im going to a support group next Monday. Im thinking about asking the doctor to put him on the Adderall xr over the summer because Im dreading the long summer ahead . Ive tried getting him a job but he is so small for his age they take one look at him and tell him they will call him.. Anyway thank you for your reply and I will pray for you as well as for me. At the moment hes grounded (Yet again) and Im praying And I agree there is some stuff I cant even talk about here

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My 18 yr old son has been on meds most of life. It would be my worst nightmare if someday in the future, I find out something really bad was going to come out of this! But, I'd tried lots of other things, and ultimately it didn't seem like there was another way to keep him in school, with a reasonable self-esteem, other than on meds. He is graduating this year and I experienced some of the same things you reported, and worried if he'd make it this far! But, the good news is that it got better, but always with the help of compassionate teachers, therapy from time to time (for him and me!), and always staying informed about this condition and alert to his activities. I learned early on that my son couldn't take a medication vacation. He's too impulsive and has no fear! He also couldn't maintain friendships being so hyper and distractable. My son didn't just experience the ADHD symptoms at school. It's a condition that he deals with 24/7. Sometimes he forgets his meds on a week-day, and I tell him he can't drive my car! Sometimes he makes a decision to not take his meds for a day of a week-end or periodically thru the vacation, but he knows to evaluate the plans for the day and if it's needful. He's also experienced how he feels when he hasn't taken them for several days, and he's uncomfortable with how difficult it is to make good choices and follow directions. So, I hope this helps you and he with this decision. Good luck!

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I too have a 16 yr old that has started experimenting with pot and started smoking. He does very well for awhile then he struggles. He is involved with sports so I really try to convince him that if coaches find out he will be off the team and he says he don't care but I know that he really does. He also only takes Adderallxr during school year as I learned that it only causes more damage when them smoke pot while taking it. It caused my older son to have anxiety attack when he used both. Holding out on the drivers license worked for a while but once he got to our set agreement and he earned it . he started slacking off on school work again and now I have taken away priviledge to drive he goes 3 months with clean ua for thc and nicotine. bet you didn't know you can test for that in a ua. He is starter on football team so also putting responsibility on him to get his own rides to pracice if he wants to play football.

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