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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