ADHD/Inattentive+Anxiety disorder

My son has attention issues related to LDs and memory but does not fit the criteria for ADD. On the evaluations, he scored in the average range, so the pediatrician says not ADD.

THEN THERE’S THE WHOLE ANXIETY THING!!!! This takes on a life of its own.

This coupled with the attention/memory issues is a deadly mix. The attention issues might benefit from the stimulant, but taking the stimulant could send him over the edge with the anxiety. I’ve been told that medicating an anxious child with stimulants is not the first treatment of choice.

Right now we are seeing a clinical pyschologist. I see a slight difference in coping abilities since therapy started last November. The pediatrician wants us to go for a psychiatric evaluation now, though. He seems to feel that all of this could hit a boiling point this year and we may need to weigh the options of medication; although I am not a big fan of meds.

My son is not a behavior problem in school, but shuts down when he becomes overwhelmed and anxious, which usually is misunderstood as oppositional behavior by his teachers. He just withdraws and becomes tearful. At home, in a more comfortable environment, he is more prone to anger outburst when he is frustrated or overly anxious about something; usually homework and video games send him for a “loop.” My son is not hyperactive either.

I wish I had some useful advice to share with you, but I can empathize with your situation. We are hoping to figure all of this out soon ourselves so things become a bit more peaceful during the school year. Right now, though, all is right with the world since we still have 2 weeks of summer vacation. But Sept. 9th will be here before we know it, YIKES !!!!!!

I would be interested in any advice you might have for this “wonderful” combination of dx’s. Will your son be taking meds? I’m curious if what they say about the stimulants and anxiety is true.

We’ve been told the same thing… stimulant meds and a child with an anxiety disorder are not a good thing. And unlike your son, my son’s anxiety is NOT just school related. (though that makes things escalate, of course) He’s been pretty bad over the summer as well.

Oops. Posted before I finished what I was saying. We have an appointment to talk to a child psychiatrist about med possibilities in Sept. Like you, I’m not a big fan of meds, and we’ve managed to deal with my older son’s problems without them. But this is different. This kid’s problems are NOT just in the school environment, they are having a huge negative impact on his entire life.

Karen

I have a 12-year-old son with Attention Deficit mainly Innatentive and who is also being treated for Anxiety. He takes Metadate for his ADD and Prozac for his anxiety. He was diagnosed ADD when he was around 7. Ritalin din’t work much, neither did Adderal. He’s been on Metadate for the last year. He began showing signs of anxiety about a year ago. He began pulling off his hair. He had huge bald spots on his head. This usually took place when he was going to have a tennis tournament or a test at school. He was prescribed Paxil, which made it worse. He still pulled off his hair and acquired a “no care” type attitude towards school and everything around him. He began getting in trouble at school but he didn’t mind. He just laughed and didn’t care. Then he got switched to Prozac. This worked wonderful that even the teachers at school made positive comments about his behavior, which is unusual. He still has learning problems at school, but at least he’s being able to concentrate better and has a more happy and positive attitude. He takes interest on his activities now. I wasn’t much for medication, but after this; my views have certainly changed. Oh! and now he has a beautiful mane with no bare spots!

Since he was taking the ADD meds for five years and the anxiety only showed up in the past year, do they think that the stimulants are causing the anxiety or was it always there?

My son doesn’t get in any trouble at school, he just falls apart when he gets frustrated, and either goes and hides in the boys room, or ends up in the nurse’s office with either a migraine or a stomach ache. (I think he spent part of almost every day last year in the nurse’s office!)

He also hasn’t had any major problems academically. (at least so far) He was slow to start reading, and they put him in an intensive remedial reading program for 1 1/2 years. By the beginning of 3rd grade, he was reading on grade level. The neuropsychologist says that they did a great job remediating his decoding issues, and that he scores very well on decoding words in isolation. The problem he still has is one of fluency, which she says still needs work. He also hates written assignments, but since he’s only just going into 4th grade, the demands for written work haven’t been beyond his ability to produce. His IQ is quite high, which helps him compensate academically, but the anxiety and ADD seem to be holding him back, and feeding off each other.

Karen