[twofor]

My son (6) has been dx with ADHD. when he arrived last spring he was on 40mg of Metadate and Clondine at pm.
Does the word zombie mean anything to folks?
Our Ped. helped us to bring it down to 20mg and we didn't need the Clondine. He spent the summer off meds. ( I was home on family leave) he grew 2" and ate like a horse.
Now that school is back in session...we have returned to meds.
We have tried Metadate, Ritalin LA, & Concerta Er 18mg on a referral from a psychiatrist. The pyschologist we use for weekly therapy pointed out that all the drugs so far are psycho stimulants of the same strain.Yet we have seen extreme differences in behavior. Ritalin LA made symptoms worse. Concerta ER has had the effect of making my son more sensitive/whiney.
After non-successful dealings with the Psychiatrsit, long story... I am going back to the Peds. who we are very impressed with. I just am not sure which drug to try next.

School has been in session almost 2 months and we finally got an IEP for my son. I can't help but look at the calendar and see his 1st grade marching on without him.
Thanks

[lucyjoy]

If the meds aren't working, the diagnosis is probably wrong. My sons had the same reaction to ritlin. Could he be hypervigilent rather than hyperactive? I would seek a reevaluation by a therapists trained in foster care/adoptions/ and attachment to be sure the diagnosis is correct. I also noticed red dye, caffiene, and whatever's in canned ravioli made my kids behavior worse.
Running before and after school help release energy and improve concentration(and my son thought it was fun). If you want to try another med, you might look at adderal.

[twofor]

Thanks!
Yes we saw a similiar thing the red dye in foods. Sprees, gummie bear etc.
He get ZERO caffeine. His sister doesn't get any either, we just don't do soda, candy in our house.
He plays sports, and is outside as much as possible. TV is very limited.

I was puzzled by the lack of science for reaching the ADHD Dx. No one can really spell that out for me. I do agree that my son does react differently at school. He is an inquisitive, alert, happy and high spirirted little boy at home. He crosses into school and begins to talk baby talk, becomes more physically active, and off meds eats pencils, walks around aimlessly in the room and bothers other kids with his chatter.

I also think the shool setting is not really ideal for kids. There is more value placed on sitting still, no talking, walking in a line, and saying yes mam, no mam than anything else. (here in the south)
Believing that kids learn by doing, it is hard to wonder how much is the inappropriate enviornment and how much is ADHD?
The therapist says I can't change the system...

Thanks for the info, it was helpful

[lucyjoy]

My oldest ADHD son cannot handle any TV. Even small amounts tend to create a lack of focus and lack of body movement control.

[SB8]

My daughter sounds just like your son. I read the "yeast connection" by Dr. William S. Crook. I started her on an antibiotice nystatin. Over the course of about 3 weeks she was able to get rid of her adderall.

the changes we saw was that the periods of somewhat 'spaciness' disappeared. She gained focus in her schoolwork. She stopped sucking her thumb, chewing on things, etc.

I was at first very sceptical about the whole thing but results are what convinced me. Also, I was never really kean on the adderall drug therapy.

Doing something more natural is worth a try!

Sue

[Stormy]

Twofor,

I have trouble replying to posts that ask for advice regarding meds honestly. I just don't want anyone to take my advice or opinion without a huge grain of salt. Afterall, we really don't know enough about your child to begin to have any idea what would be helpful or not. But we can be very supportive in the struggle. And even offer insight in the form of "been there done that".

Our experience with ADHD was in that category of wrong diagnosis. not to say that it isn't the right diagnosis for your child. But of course, there is that chance with any diagnosis. Our son was diagnosed with ADHD and was suggested to go on meds. We disagreed and felt the psychiatrist didn't do a complete assesment to come to that conclusion. turns out we were right and our son was diagnosed with mild autism (PDD-NOS). I am in no way suggesting this may be a possible diagnosis for your child, not even a professional could make a diagnosis without meeting with your child and getting a complete history. But in our case we got the correct diagnosis with further investigation and were able to treat the autism. Now our son is doing so much better and the ADHD is really just hyperactivity that is a result of sensory overload, related to his autism and sensory issues. Thank god we didn't take the meds, if we hadn't gotten the proper therapies for our son he may have never gotten better. But I do believe with any diagnosis you have to at least consider the possiblity that it is wrong, even if you dismiss that possibility. It is important to consider the possibility of getting a second opinion or including professionals from other disciplines. There needs to be a big picture considered in every circumstance. I hope that my experience has given you some things to consider and maybe the encouragement to consider another opinion or other professionals to help your child. There is nothing wrong with your asking questions and getting as much information and help as you can in helping your child.

And then my other passion/obsession. The school system. You said that school is set up all wrong for children. I couldn't agree more. But for our children with special needs it can almost set them up for failure. If I could model the perfect school for my child it would be much different than the traditional standard. But I wanted to give you some information I have gathered over the past many months about accomidations that can be made for your child in the school system. Specifically to help a child with issues such as ADHD there are provisions such as a 504 plan (if you don't know what it is you aren't alone, but look it up it will be invaluable to your child). the 504 plan can provide things such as a fidget toy, oportunities for your child to get up and walk around when he is unable to sit for long periods of time. Maybe a better way of approaching him. But it is there to make that school enviroment appropriate to your child regardless of what is "done". be fore warned though, you have to really know your rights and advocate for your child because many school systems don't provide children with what they need willingly. You can ask for a functional behavior assement that will look into why your child has certain behaviors and what can be done to make them better. It provides an "action plan" of sorts, from what i understand. also if you are concerned that there are educational needs you can request an IEP and assesments of your childs areas of need. This can also provide your child with a more appropriate and more understanding environment.

Good luck and know you are not alone. There are many parents trying to figure out how to get what their children need. I belive we just have to link arms and do it together.

[twofor]

Thanks to all of you who took the time to reply.

I was looking for and rec'd much support in knowing that I wasn't alone.

We have determined that we DO have the correct diagnosis of ADHD. Our therapist and Peds are wonderful. The Peds is managing his meds now, not the Psy.

We started Strattera last month (25mg) Over a 3 week period we saw great improvements. Improvements in his ability to focus on his school work and improvements in his appetite. On a follow up visit to the Ped. he actually gained some weight!!

So now we have all the pieces in place: IEP, meds, and structured routines. He is a much happier little guy.

Thanks & good luck.