Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy HELP Ds 9 now thinking suicide

My 9 year old son just started taking medication for adhd. Tonight he said hes the biggest screwup and wants to commit suicide. He started taking the medication a week ago would we be seeing these side effects this quickly? Im obviously taking him off of it but i dont know what else to do.

Talk to your doctor before you take him off. Even though he's only been on it for a little while, he may need to taper off. And the doctor may not agree that he needs to come off of it. My daughter was an anxious mess for her first two days on Concerta, but we kept giving it to her, and by the end of the first week she was thriving.

Don't just take him off it but do get him to the doctor ASAP if not sooner.

hugs cola

Call the after-hours line at your doctor's office, if they have one.

What medication is he taking?

And if you've been seeing a pediatrician for ADHD prescriptions, I'd find a pediatric psychiatrist with ADHD experience. They can have long wait lists but you might try to get an emergency appointment.

I think I'd go to the ER, frankly.

What tigerle said - I think any threat needs to be acted upon immediatly and the hospital can ensure he is adequately supervised while his medication is sorted and gives you a bit of breathing space

I was very surprised to learn that this is not extremely uncommon in children when my DD made this type of threat, also at age 9. That said, I would call someone ASAP. Also, use your judgement as to how serious the threat is. DD was vague and did not seem serious, but it was still terrifying to hear.

Well he got upset that we took his xbox away because he hadnt finished his homework. He said he was stupid and hated his life and just wanted to commit suicide. After talking to him and explaining how much that bothers us and scares us he broke down. He gets angry rather quickly but now we dont know if it was that or the pills.

Some ADHD meds can cause anger or irritability in the wear-off phase. Different drugs work better or worse for different people in this regard. Talk to your prescriber ASAP and see what they recommend.