Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional ADHD medication success stories

Hi there

after lots of agonising and periods of denial, I think it is time we seriously considered medication for my son. I am so emotionally drained that I dont have the energy to tell our story. But I am convinced he is 2E - gifted with ADHD. We have tried behavioural intervention, sensory intervention, diet, naturopathy, fish oil, more stimulation, etc. Now that his behaviour is impacting on his self-esteem and his reputation, we do not think we can avoid it any longer.

I am keen to hear some positive stories from families who have decided to to go down the medication route.

This is a really tough decision for us, so if you are anti-medication, please refrain from posting comments.

Keen for any advice (how you started, dosage and medication type, strategies to address side effects). Any advice would be appreciated.

I am really hoping for some 'glad we did it - will never look back' stories

Thanks in advance

We started medicating DS after a complete fail in kindergarten. The teacher had been in daily contact with me about his inability to sit still, impulsiveness, continual interrupting, etc. She loved him and wanted to work with him at least until he turned 6 to see if he would make a maturity jump. At our spring conference she told me how smart DS is but how unable to learn or to show what he knows most of the time because of his behavior. I had to ask her outright about ADHD because she was hinting all around but would not say it.

She immediately agreed when I suggested ADHD and I set a neuropsych testing appointment. Of course I had to wait into the summer, 4 months, but the neuropsych diagnosed ADHD. DS' behavior was classic and his test results fit the ADHD profile-much lower WMI and PSI.

We went to our ped to talk about the diagnosis and he also went through the behavior checklists. He then discussed the pros and cons of different meds and we settled on Focalin. It's more expensive than generic Ritalin but our doc said he had seen fewer side effects with it and our son has come-and-go tics that could be exacerbated.

DS' K teacher had told me "When the medicine works, it WORKS. You will know immediately." Was she right! I gave DShis first dose on a church day that summer which used to be a day of suffering for me. DS was not just restless but very disruptive and required continual redirection in church. After every service I felt drained.

That first service when DS took his Focalin was like magic. When the meds work they WORK. He was able to sort of sit still and sort of behave!

DS is in 6th now. He is medicated at all times when attention and impulse control are necessary for a long period of time. The meds don't "drug" him or change his personality but enable him to tone it down to a bearable level. DS can put the brakes on his race car mind when he is taking the meds and he just couldn't without them.

Yes, the meds have side effects and they don't "cure" ADHD. Your DS will still need to learn to modify his behavior and he will still probably struggle socially. This is just part of ADHD, alas. The medication has improved my DS' quality of life tremendously though.

I have been VERY anti-medication for my child from the first minute that a teacher asked for it up to a month ago when I was. like you, just too tired to fight. We had done everything you mentioned and also found that she had focal seizures which are now seeming to have disappeared as per her last 24 hour eeg! At the bginning of this school year (DD is 11 now) the teacher just badgered her about behavior and pretty much told us that though she didn't know DD well enough to assess her academically, she certainly could make recommendations to the Neurologist that dd needed ADHD meds.... I just could see this year turning into another lost cause trying to get the teacher to understand that dyslexia and dysgrahia are big issues for dd and that some of the "day dream behavior" was that she was lost and unable to keep up. She was NOT going to back down. So, I called the Neurologist and she was started on meds (non stimulant). The teacher does not know about the addition of medication and is still saying that dd is "just sitting a lot". I will say that the teacher refuses to use the ipad or any accomodations that are in her IEP...so our fight is going to continue regardless of the addition of meds.

Truly I feel your pain and I wish you luck. I hope that you find exactly what you need for your child. It is a very tough decision, but know in your heart that you have done everything possible to this point.

I wish I could be the "glad we did it and never look back" but right now the jury is still out for us.

Two of my children have started medication recently. One has the classic "magic switch" response. There are a whole raft of things I would now never dream of attempting to do with her off her medication (homework, OT, a real conversation...) and getting her dressed and her breakfast down is the hardest part of our day, she plays for 20 mins while the medication kicks in, then miraculously self manages and does her piano practice and all her homework for the day with ease.... She was aware of the difference in herself from the first day and was very clear she felt better, liked it, wanted to keep taking medicine and wanted it to work all day every day. She did not have overt behaviour problems, particularly at school, but was simply off with the fairies to a fairly profound degree.

My other child it's much less clear if the medication works and she's not inclined to take it so we've pretty much stopped. It is possible that the things she claimed it helped with at first were genuine medication results, equally they could have been complete placebo effect. This child almost certainly has Aspergers and her ADHD symptoms may not be classic ADHD at all. I still considered her medication trial a success. We tried, nothing bad happened, we learned something... She learned to swallow tablets without having a fit. And now we've stopped.

Stimulant medications are very short acting, they work or they don't. Just don't keep at it if it doesn't work.

Both my children were still very much themselves on medication. The one for whom it clearly makes a huge difference is MORE herself on medication. She's more engaged, more creative, more productive. She's crafting, writing, producing "stuff" like never before. Her reading is dramatically improved, her handwriting, her writing, her drawing. She's easier to put to bed at night and has no trouble going to sleep. She doesn't eat much until late afternoon though. So we do make sure to give her eggs and toast in the morning and a big dinner.

We also used Focalin with success in elementary school. Dd is now no longer on stimulants. The four years she used them gave us time to work with her on coping skills and organizational techniques so that, when she did have to come off (long story, not germane) she wasn't back to square one.

I will say that if one med doesn't work, don't assume that none will. Strattera was a waste of time for us and Vyvanse was a three-day horrorshow. Generic methylphenidate (brand name Concerta) was adequate, just. Some kids, particularly if they've comorbids, are simply medication-sensitive.

There is a supplement on the market called Attend (Vaxa Attend)... I am not sure if it really is any good and not sure how you feel about homeopathic supplements but it seems a lot of people like it (at least according to reviews on the internet)... I don't know - may be worth a try before the 'real' meds if you're still uncomfortable with them.

To Marytheres's point about supplements: My personal take is that prescription medications are regulated and their formulation supervised by the FDA. OTC supplements are far less regulated; you really don't know what's in them. I would *much* rather give my child an FDA-approved medication, that's been tested and shown to work, prescribed by an expert practitioner, than an OTC supplement that makes untested claims.

And yes, I know about all the controversies about big pharma cooking the books on studies and so forth. But I still think meds are a better bet than supplements for safety.

My DS10 has shown tremendous improvement in impulse control and focus on ADHD meds. If there is a question about a child being on the autism spectrum, not "just" ADHD, I would recommend trialing non-stimulant meds first (because stimulants increase anxiety). And I do not let our regular pediatrician prescribe for him-- we see a doctor for whom kids like my DS are her primary business, and who has a great track record.

DeeDee

I have no opinion on ADHD meds as its not something on my radar right now. The thread was asking for ADHD success stories and I have happened to have read some success stories about attend on my Internet travels so I just thought Id mention that's all since he was looking for some... Just thought I'd mention if he happened to want to look into or whatever. I have no experience with it or any adhd meds and don't judge whether someone tries meds or supplements or whatever...

I don't have a child on ADHD meds, but ax a counselor, I've seen hundreds of kids who have at least tried a stimulant course at one time. In short : there are kids whose lives can completely change with the ability to sit still, attend to detail, tolerate frustration more easily, and experience delayed impulsivity. Unfortunately, not all kids experience a great change or any change at all. The side effects of stimulants are usually well-tolerated in comparison to non-stimulant psychotropic meds and even general meds. The most common side effects I see are: decreased appetite, difficulty falling asleep, and becoming "quick to tears" (often as meds are wearing off). Stimulants have been used for 40 years with kids with a good safety track record. Most meds can't boast that.

As much as this is an emotionally -charged subject, I don't see it all too differently from our experience with our ds this spring: he had miserable allergies...life-threatening? Not likely. But he can't function st school, play outside with friends, or tolerste his discomfort. He was placed on a LARGE regimen of meds: zyrtec, flonase, zyrtec eye drops, albuterol inhaler, AND singulair. His symptoms disappeared rapidly. However, he started bouncing off the walls and crying at the drop of a hat. We worked closely with the doc to eliminate meds as quickly as possible. It was clear that singulair was the worst offender for the emotionality. However, it was also the one providing him the most symptom relief. We chose to keep ds on the singulair throughout the spring because the benefits outweighed the costs.

I think most parents have the same decisions with any long term med. Good luck with your decision.
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We have not put our DD on anything (yet), but my boss's son was diagnosed with ADHD last year (in 8th grade) and after doing some research (her husband is an M.D.), they put him on Concerta and all are very happy with it--she says he even asks about his pills if they are about to run out. She says he used to have trouble sitting and reading a book but on the Concerta he can focus enough to do that. Some of the benefits of Concerta she said IIRC were that it's supposed to have fewer side effects than some other medications and I think also a shorter half-life so if you go off it it's out of your system quicker. But she highly recommends it and says her son is having far fewer problems in school since going on it. Good luck, whatever you decide.