DD is younger (10) and has pretty obvious ADHD diagnosed at age 6 and has been on meds. She is on both a stimulant (vyvannse) and a non-stimulant (Intuniv). Everyone is different but we had a hard time with side effects on other meds, like ritalin/concerta. The Vyvannse in particular helps a lot and in terms of focus, processing speed, and impulsivity and it is obvious when she is medicated vs. not medicated. I'm not saying you should medicate, just telling you our experience. My youngest has probably a mild form of ADHD and when we did a trial of meds I didn't see any obvious improvements (although the dose may have been too low). When DD is not medicated she is difficult to manage and very, very scattered, forgetting basic routines. She isn't depressed, but she is very emotional with some anxiety and the emotional symptoms are worse when she is not medicated. Research executive functioning deficits/dysfunction and see where your DS lies with that as well. Pediatrician is also recommending cognitive behavioral therapy for her emotional issues which he says are related to the ADHD.
