i desperately could use some insight from those who have traveled the road on meds for my son and his adhd…we are having a dickens of a time finding one that works for him with little side effects.
i am just looking for advice/hints/tricks from those that have traveled this road and maybe have some stories to share
Becky, as you know most ADHD drugs are powerful stimulants and you have to weigh the risks vs benefits with your kids on these meds. Strattera is the exception, but some of my patients’ parents say it’s not as effective as the stimulants. Sometimes adjusting the timing on dosing and doing the weekend/vacation drug holidays can help. Have a heart-to-heart with his doc and don’t be afraid to voice your concerns. Keep the faith…I have a lot of admiration for non-trads trying to do this while raising families!
My daughter is 16 and has ADHD. She is currently taking Vyvanse (and has been on it for a year)and it has helped her tremendously. We tried Strattera and it did not work for her, we also tried concerta and that worked for years but as she grew it seemed to be less effective; however, the vyvanse works great and her grades have improved dramatically. It is a newer drug so it is expensive. I never give it to her on the weekends or during summer vacation. Good luck!
I had two boys with ADHD - the second was on meds up till about 3 years ago when he finished his B.S. in programming (in year 7 of college). We did not do meds in high school because he was able to do the work - it just took him twice as long. Once he hit college, there was too much work to accomplish in too little time, and he ended up using Ritalin. He got 2 prescriptions- one which was dosed to last for 8 hours, and one for 4 hours. That way, if he had lots of work to do in the evening and needed to be able to focus, he could add 4 more hours of productive study time. Took that one just as needed. That variation in dosing let him have it out of his system many evenings so the depressant effect it had on his appetite wore off and also he could sleep.
I actually took both of them to an MD who was also a PhD in Homeopathy when they were in elementary school, to get a professional opinion on how they might be best treated, and they were each treated with a different homeopathic. Did NOT tell the teachers and they contacted ME to ask what was different because the kids were so much better in school. I had them tested with a computerized program at the big academic med school too, more than once - so had a pretty firm diagnosis. Interestingly, my older son improved enough that by mid high school, he no longer tested as ADHD. The younger one just wasn’t ENOUGH better to cope with college level work.
I remember a book called the ADHD workbook that had lots of good strategies for parents as being helpful when they were younger.
Don’t know if my anecdotes will be helpful at all but hope you will keep your humor and creativity intact - those are what you may rely on the most!
Kate
On the bus a man discovered a pickpocket’s hand thrust into his pocket.
“sorry,” he said to the pickpocket, “you are too late. My wife did it before you.”
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