Hello,
Glad to be of some help. My DS was not necessarily willing to accept help. He was really resistant to meds (as I was, it's a very difficult choice to make). Interestingly, now that he is on meds and is doing well, he is more accepting of help such as allowing DH and I to help him prep for tests, quizzing him, helping him edit papers, and sitting down with us to help him plan out his weeks as far as work, tests, etc. He really sees the benefits in lists and plans for tackling large projects. He has remarked that he no longer feels overwhelmed with work.
I would say yes that we saw results immediately because he had an online class to get through last summer before starting high school. His first few attempts at the extremely easy work prior to meds was like pulling teeth. He would hardly write anything and had little depth of analysis. After getting started on meds and getting used to being on them, he flew the rest of the course with no problem and with more efficient use of his time.
Side effects. Yes. I did not fully understand how parents and health care professionals must weigh the benefits vs. the side effects until this experience. He is very tall and skinny (6ft 1 and 117 lbs) and these stimulant meds kill his appetite so I have to try cram food in him at breakfast and in the evening when he wants to eat again.
The most recent side effect is tics. From all I've read, stimulant meds do not cause tics but if you had a predisposition to them before, it may bring them out again. He had a short episode of tics a couple of years ago during a high stress time at school. Earlier this year during a stressful time, he started going through a sequence of head rolling, then went to nose twitching, then mouth moving. We saw the neuro who said well, you could go to non-stimulant meds but they simply do not work as well for focus as stimulant meds. He could take a separate med for the tics but, while thinking about this, in the meantime, they kind of calmed down or maybe we all got used to it. I don't know. He claimed not to be bothered by them really. Our plan is, once school is over for the year, to give him a med break and see if they go away and, if they don't, see if we can get some efficacy from a non-stimulant medication. He likes being on the meds because he feels like he is achieving what he is capable of in school.
I think, as a parent, one weighs that against the side effects. He feels confident in his future and while, he would like his tics to go away, he does seem willing to put up with them. (Me Shrugging).
Sorry for the book. So meds are not panacea nor would I want him to be on them forever but that's really out of my hands. If your MD/Psych recommends them after a full work up, think hard. Ask him/her all kinds of questions. DS is making some strides socially but he is still immature, which is not good in HS. He's very young for his grade (his date for winter formal was a whole year older than him and she looked it!) so his PFC deficiencies are exacerbated. But his prior problems with personal space or focus in social conversations have gone so there is hope in that regard.
Again, I'm sorry for the probable overabundance of information. Happy to answer any further questions.
Best regards.
