Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional We are going to use Meds

Hi all,
I fought tooth and nail to not have to go this route, but my DS8, who has ADHD, is having such a huge frustrating time in 3rd grade that I am going to do a med consult. I would really appreciates any reassurances others have, because I am scared of so many things. I have heard horror stories about the trial and error kids are put through to find the right meds, side effects, and changes in personality. My son is a vibrant, gifted child who deserves to feel good about himself...and right now he's constantly on edge, ready to explode. I have to do this for him.:/

I am a physician, and have seen a lot of kids truly benefit in enormous ways from medical therapy for ADHD. One adult colleague of mine who needs medications to focus describes it as "the difference between seeing the world through an old, staticky TV antenna signal and through HDTV cable." It is true that medications aren't always easy to titrate, nor do they always work, and sometimes the side effects are unacceptable. However, there are lots of kids for whom just a low dose of a single medication makes a huge difference.

Best of luck, and I hope all goes smoothly and well.

I have an adult friend with ADD, and loves her meds and wishes she'd had them at school.

I resisted meds until my son was 12 (he is now 14). While he has had some issues with side effects, the overall experience has been positive. The change in his ability to focus on schoolwork was like night and day. He takes a single low dose of Adderall in the morning and it is enough. I wish I had considered medication sooner.

DD8 has been on meds for 2.5 yrs now. We started at a low dose and slowly titrated up until she had the desired response. We only had one 'bad'period where we tried to up her dose after a growth spurt (adjusted for her new weight) and it caused her to be moody and unhappy. Since we went back to the old dose, it has been smooth sailing. She wants to take her med every day. She said that helps to keep her brain from feeling 'itchy.'

I wish you good luck!!

I have seen meds make hugh differences for many children. Why would we want to deny a child to achieve at there best or should they continue to be handicapped by a chemical imbalance. I tried meds with my son but that is what brought tourettes tics out so I have also had the really bad experiance and still believe that meds can be effective. The key is finding the right med at the right dose, one size does not fit all in this case.

I resisted meds (and even the idea of ADHD) for two years. How could my very calm, well behaved son have ADHD? But, his teachers insisted that he was always distracted, had difficulty staying on task and on subject, and was not able to focus on instruction and execute daily routines. Finally, after ruling out everything and watching my son suffer in school, we tried Concerta at the end of his 2nd grade year.

We started the medication on Monday without telling the school. On Wednesday I heard from both his classroom teacher and special ed teacher that he was having a fabulous week. He was able to execute routines, stay on task and take initiative in ways he hadn't before.

Luckily, we found the right medication and dosage the first time through. This does not always happen, and as others have mentioned it is important to be patient. We've had dosage adjustments 3 times since then (ds is now 13), including 2 weeks ago.

Medication does not cure his dyslexia, but it allows him to focus to take advantage of his tutoring. He feels more in control with medication. He is better able to participate socially and academically.

Initially, he had difficulty falling asleep while on medication. But this cleared up in about 2 weeks. The meds suppress his appetite, but we have strategies in place to insure he eats enough. And, now that he has hit puberty, this is less of an issue.

ADHD is a medical issue. It is not a moral or behavioral issue. As others have said, we would not deny our kids medical intervention for other diagnosis.

I hope it goes well for you and your son and that you find the right medication with the right dose quickly.

Both my husband and I resisted medication for a long time. We took him to a child psychologist for about 4 months before we finally broke down and decided to try them. He's been on the meds for almost 2 months now and we've only had to change dosage once. He started on Vyvanse 20mg and is now on Vyvanse 30mg. It's a HUGE difference. The child psychologist said that unless there's another big/bad change, he doesn't see any need for us to come back for a while.

I observed him in class this week, and holy cow, what a huge difference. He used to pay attention to only me and not focus on his work when I was in the classroom. This week he was completely focused on his school work.

It's been literally like night and day.

So far we haven't (knock on wood) have had any side effects. Once in a while he says he isn't hungry, but that's it.

Best of luck!

Thank you all for these wonderful stories. I feel so much better about the decision.:)

Artana, I agree with what's been said here. Especially Susan and Mich.

We had to try several different things before finding what would work with DS8; it was totally worth it. He feels much better about himself and his capabilities now, and can access his therapies better. He is doing tremendously.

DeeDee

Hi Artana! I also agree with what is being said...After trying every possible avenue, we finally broke down and tried a low dose. WOW!!! Now I wish I would've done it earlier... But it's so scary when you research all the negatives of all these meds and I was so scared that his wonderful creative thinking would be dulled. That's why we were so hesitant for such a long time. I am telling you that it has made a HUGE diffrence for DS10 in school and at home. It's been a few weeks now and so far (cross fingers)no side effects. We did not tell and will not tell the school...I have already received e-mails complimenting DS on how well he is doing. His attention to detail and overall focusing is MUCH better. I see that he isn't bringing home so many careless errors on tests anymore. He still forgets books and papers once in awhile, but the remembering is much, much improved. The first week he was on the meds, his teacher wrote me telling me that that was the best week DS has ever had. Funny, all of his teachers are probably wondering what the heck is going on haha The best part is that DS tells us how good he feels now ...AND his creativity is STILL there

I will chime in as well with a "Why did we wait so long?" comment. DS9 began meds this summer for ADHD and it is literally like flipping a switch. A few adjustments,minimal side effects and voila! And yes he is still his same "self" just a calmer more focused version. :-)