Survey on medication for ADHD

Neither of my kids have been successful on ADHD meds.

My son, who is dx’d ADD-Inattentive type, had severe negative reactions to the medication but it DID help with his output. Since he gave up trying different ADHD meds he has found that supplements are more helpful for him. He also had to develop ways to help him focus on his work.

My dd wasn’t successful on them because she has bipolar and the ADHD meds aggrivated it. She has been successful with her bp meds and finding ways that help her concentrate such as music, quiet spaces, etc.

My sister does well on her ADHD meds but she also used an eudcational counselor to help her learn to organize her life in ways that helped her ADHD.

The choice to medicate is very individual. Recent studies are showing that ADHD meds alone are not helpful long term. Counseling is a very important component for long-term health.

Its also important to make sure it is ADD and not some other problem. There are other LDs that have similar symptoms which can make things confusing.

Good luck!

Rather than refusing to medicate, why not intelligently try medications and find out if any of them help your son? My son, a bright, funny, well-liked child, cannot function without medication. If you find an effective medication, your son will get more benefit from counseling, education aids, and other interventions. He might be able to function normally.

I have 2 sons with ADHD and if it weren’t for the meds they could’nt function at all. The older one is 18 and will be graduating this year. For years he struggled along in school and we couldn’t seem to find anything that helped until they finally put him on adderall xr. You wouldn’t believe the difference it made in his grades. He will be going on to college in the fall. Without the meds, I don’t think he would’ve even graduated at all. As for the younger son he’s 10 and we’re working with his doctors and councellors to help him as much as we can.

Teresa

[Modified by: Teresa on February 20, 2008 10:30 AM]

My 5 year old son hasn’t been very successful on ADHD medication. The only thing I can say is that he’s better on them than off them, however it has slowed his learning down and now he is more aggressive. The doctors have now gotten to the point that they are not going to adjust his meds anymore. He has to go to a child psychiatrist before they will give him anymore meds. My advice would be, if you can control you child(ren) without the medication, don’t put them on it. Once you do it’s a constant uphill battle to find the right one and the right doseage.