Success w/out Meds?

Well it depends…If you call the slide into depression my son has had off meds…I don’t think it was successful. It takes a while to find the right meds and dosage for these kids. Perhaps your son would do better on concerta or Staterra. It is an individual thing..you can try an ADD coach, lots of structure…Behavior modification…Meds aren’t a smart pill…they are there to help the brain fire properly. and one still needs behavior modification to help them be successful….

Our son did fairly well on 10 mg…of Dexedrine Spansules for 3 years and when Strattera came out we wanted to try it to get him off stimulants…I should have never rocked the boat…..Strattera was a disaster…he got very depressed and his grades, homework just plummeted. So he decided to go off meds… he is 17 we went 3 weeks without meds and it was a disaster…

We have plenty of ADD coaching, and tutoring but he wasn’t doing homework
he wasn’t focusing in class…he was forgetting assignments at home and asking me to bring them in…..his procrastination was rampant and he knew he had to do something to get back in control The Dr. suggested trying Concerta so we tried Concerta at 36 mg..which is exactly what his sister has been on for 3 years and doing wonderfully…he had a really hard time. the dosage was too high….after that fiasco..he decided no meds…again…Monday was ok as the concerta was still in his system but he has made a steady decline and became more depressed and apathetic as the week wore on….because he didnt’ have any meds he is overwhelmed with everything he has to do…today he wanted to try Concerta again so we tried a much lower dosage… 18 mg

I am keeping my fingers crossed…because this past month without meds has been really hard on my son emotionally and us as parents to see him struggle…without meds…he doubts himself and what he can do…he has plummeted into the basement in regards to his self-esteem and grades…With meds he was a 3.5+ student, happy, outgoing and able to handle stress for 3 years..

Hello Trudy. I visit this board every other week or so to help keep myself educated about my sons adhd. I am not sure if this is truely appropriate, if not I do apologize, but I also visit (daily) another board that I have gotten a lot of help from. It’s ADDed Support @ msn.com. There is a homeopathic board where quite a few parents have chosen to treat their children naturally. Maybe they could help you out some…just post your question there, or on the general board, and you should get a large amount of information. Personally we have chosen to medicate and do use behavior modification with much success. Sorry if I was out of line.~Shellbie

why not just go back to dexadrine..I mean why knock something that works even if it is a stimulant!? Why more trial and error and suffering!?

I agree w/ you on Strat - we tried it - disaster after 2 wks. She’s off it now…waiting for April 2nd appt to decide what to try next.

Loves,
S

I don’t think you’re out of line at all and can’t figure out why you would think so!? You’re offering the support that she’s looking for - the “a la natural” support and told her where to find it! GOOD JOB :) :) :)

Loves :)
S

There’s also a “Natural Treatment” bulletin board on conductdisorders.com that you might check out.

Just from my observation deck, though, what I see is most people start with Natural Treatments but ultimately turn to medications. The Natural interventions help, but the medications bring it home.

Course, finding the right meds is an art. When a child gets violent on stimulants that could mean you’re looking at bi-polar. Well, that’s what moms of bi-polar kids say. Or it could mean it’s the wrong dose. Or it could mean it’s the wrong medicine. Or it could mean the child is still adjusting to it.

The very first day my son was on stims he cried and cried and cried. It’s not happened since even when trying a couple of other new stims. I’m glad I didn’t give up after that one day. He’s just not teachable off meds. He only takes it school days.

Good luck to you!

We did interactive metronome this summer and saw major improvements in attention. He had been diagnosed as ADD-inattentive by a neurologist.
Thus far we have not medicated, although we may still try. There are still some remaining attention issues. Still, his teachers told me he was like a new child.

We also have added a multivitamin and protein to his breakfast.

Beth

Interactive metronome made significant changes in my son’s ability to pay attention.

We are also doing vision therapy because it is difficult to pay attention when your eyes don’t function well.

Although he had alot of the symptoms, fidgety in class, could not sit through a baseball game, jumping all over the place especially as a toddler, bouts of homework that he just could not do even though it was well within his skill level because for whatever reason he just could not control his attention. I am not 100% convinced he is adhd although one screening test that was based on symptoms showed him to be. I won’t really know how much of this is truely attention deficit until his vision is corrected.

He still has times when he can’t control his attention mostly when he is tired but it is worlds better.

Pattim, just a thought but if your child tends towards depression how about Wellbutrin which is for depression but also has had success with ADHD in research?

Rover,
I have been thinking a lot about the depression angle…as It runs on both sides of our familes…He keeps saying he doesn’t want to be on meds…He thinks it is a crutch…but he is also overbooked and overwhelmed…AP Physics, honors Calculus, Track, english, American History, and Spanish… taking an expensive ACT prep class 6 to 9 hours a week and he is dealing with scoliosis..and the War upsets him to….I will talk to the pediatrician about Wellbutrin too..
Thanks!!

patti,
I often wonder if the resistance to take medicine is a guy thing. My husband is adhd, he turned down the offer of meds, he just wanted a better idea of what was going on and a better handle on dealing with it while he was working on his masters (he was formally diagnosed at 38 yrs). On the other hand, he has to practically be dying of something before he will take tylenol or advil for pain. I have to force him to see the doc, make the appts for him and all when something is actually wrong. Even my 13 yr old is getting to be a bit like that, he does like dad and takes a bath when he has a headache.
So much fun. Best wishes.
Amy

Amy,

It could be a guy thing but I have seen other adults many who are female who think if they take meds it is admitting they have something “wrong” with them and they want to be “perfect”….In my minds eye is is kind of a prideful thing…. I have seen grown adults who are mired into a financial mess so deep that they can’t get out of and is a result of impulsivity and inattentive choices due to their ADD… and it makes me sad when they were told about meds and they chose to avoid them because of this prideful feeling.

Things could be so much better for adults who find their ADD-impulsivity and inattentiveness impairing their life financially, socially, emotionally, and in their profession..if they would only swallow their pride and get some help before things got to the point where they are overwhelmed with bills they can’t pay and a history of broken relationships, disorganization… not finishing things they start, being big talkers with big dreams and but for the life of them they haven’t a clue how to fulfill them..

The biggest disappointment they face is the anger they have toward themselves wondering how in the world they got into this mess…it was easy..one step at a time…but they couldn’t stop…I have seen some who get so depressed they want to die, while others drown themselves in alcohol and illegal drugs…they and want someone else to take care of the mess they made…and that seems like such a waste to me when it could have been headed off at the pass….

Life is meant to have joy and happiness, we are supposed to learn from our mistakes, it is what builds character, empathy but when I have seen ADD adults in a viscoius circle of “pride” it just breaks my heart…. I have seen it more times than I want to admit….

In your husbands case perhaps his profession gives him the structure he needs without meds….but whatever the case it sounds like what he is doing is working for him and that is wonderful…

Hi, I have just found this site and it is great, very easy to follow (visual) thanks. I am at the stage of thinking about medication, I would rather not but I’m worn out. I was wondering what interactive metronome is it sounds very interesting?

Regards Janette

It works on motor timing.

Doesn’t work for everyone but what does?

One recent study showed it to be a moderately successful treatment for boys with ADHD who were also taking stimulants. More studies are in the works, but this is a promising result for IM.

Andrea

There are also several studies done off meds that show that it works for attention, sequencing and motor timing. The theoretical basis of this treatment also seems to suggest that it would work best with kids who have a concommitant motor disability.

I would suggest that if you hadn’t started meds yet, and you were considering this intervention to try it before the meds because some have found meds unneccesary after this intervention.

All the research can be found at the site.

Was Adderall the first medication he tried?

FYI - Adderall works great for many kids. For some it makes them moody and weepy, so is not a great choice for them.

When did the violence occur - before, during or after the medication? What type of violence? Was this new, never before seen behavior? NO child/adult gets violent because of medication. You should be calling the doctor immediately, if you haven’t already. Depending on the nature of the violence, the doctor may want to investigate other causes and explanations.

Actually I don’t know if it is available here in Australia I guess it would be very expensive too for us. Thanks for the advice I looked at the website I will look again to find out more perhaps you can buy it on a computer, does it only involve the timing thing with the headphones to a beat or are there other aspects of it?
Janette