Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional ADHD medication trial during the summer?

Hi Verona-- When you see the neuropsych, ask him for names of good people who can help you with various facets of treatment, including serving as the person to monitor meds.

Your ped is right that meds are probably over-prescribed-- and yet, to not recognize that depression and ADHD cause real suffering that should be treated seems inhumane to me. People can be unnecessarily dogmatic about the issue of medication; nobody is wildly enthusiastic about medicating a child in theory; but if it helps ease suffering, it may be worth a try IMHO.

FWIW-- Cognitive-behavior therapy also works well for anxiety, depression, and compliance issues; it's not fast, but its effects are lasting and profound.

HTH
DeeDee

Hi DeeDee,

I did ask the neuropsych. who he recommended for prescribing meds and he said our regular paediatrician was fine, and that he didn't think a developmental paediatrician or a paediatric psychiatrist was needed. Plus, my quick internet search showed that there seems to be shortage of these specialists in my area.

Although I didn't agree with everything she said, I think our paediatrician is very careful and experienced, so we'll probably stick with her for the meds. trial, at least to start out with. DH tells me I just need to develop a thicker skin when dealing with her.

I am also getting names for therapists from the neuropsych. - we are thinking that we'd get a better buy-in from DS with a family intervention. The neuropsych. (who I really like alot) describes himself as a "behaviorist" so I guess that's the kind of therapy he has in mind.

Thanks for your insight.

Verona, agreed-- we got the most bang for our buck out of behavior therapy when we changed our parenting in targeted ways as well as getting help for DS. If you can find someone who can do that whole job, that's tremendous!

It gets better once the right help is in place. Really.

Best wishes,
DeeDee

We discussed the risks/benefits of both stimulants and non-stimulants with the psych. There is no one right way to do it. He said most people start with the stimulants because most people have waited until they are in dire need of medication before they decide to start meds, then they want the meds to work right away. The reason we chose non-stimulants is that we have the summer to wait for it to start working and if it works, it will work 24 hours a day. Also, DS has a little bit of compulsive behavior that should be helped with the non-stimulants. The down side is that it only works in 50% of kids and sometimes it doesn't work as well as the stimulants even when it does work. Really, it is the potential of having 24 hour control of focus that motivated me to try the non-stimulant first. The child psych said that is what he did for his own child. HTH!

I get this response a lot and it is frustrating to me. A B+ average is great for an average kid, but when you are dealing with a gifted kid who knows he is smart and is frustrated by the fact that his grades don't reflect his intellect, then I think it is a problem. Also, my understanding of ADHD is that it actually gets worse in high school when the classes become more demanding. Your pediatrician needs to understand that a child with inattentive ADHD is not going to be much better at focusing on an "interesting" class than an uninteresting one. Now, if his inattentiveness is due to is giftedness and boredom in the classroom, she may have a point, but then he would not have ADHD, he would just be a gifted, unchallenged student.

Perplexed,

Thanks for the medication info. and the kind words!

I was pretty upset after the appointment with the paediatrician. Just trying to focus on the way forward now.

Best of luck with your DS's medication trial over the summer.