Anyone have kids with ADHD or ODD?

caraiselite

if changing your childs diet doesn't work (but really, try this first! no more junk food is hard, but it helps) ...talk to his teacher.
if he or she says your child can't sit still in school, cant focus on work, can't stop touching kids (my son has barrier issues) then try the pills out.
doctors start them on a really low dose. i've tried them myself. they do help me concentrate!
ask your son how he feels on them. if he doesn't like them, try something else.

my sons school was the one that suggested he get tested. when he doesn't take his pills he does not sit still in class. he's quite fidgety and touches everything. he also has a nervous tic of licking his face around his mouth.. and it turns into an open sore, pretty gross. but anyway the pills really help.

cindalinka

I myself have ADD and wish as a child would have been had the chance to be medicated. My oldest son (15yr) has ADD and has been on Strattera since grade 1. It has been a life saver for him. He sleeps better, improved mood and is passing his grades. I agree with the statement if your child had diabetes you would not with hold insulin. I was worried about medicating my son at first but after seeing him on it I would not have it any other way. I had to learn to live with ADD and now use it to my advantage. It was a hard lesson. If you choose not to medicate teach him to work with it. That maybe harder with the ODD. Best of luck!!

stephmo86

I'd suggest getting all the info about the prescriptions your doctor wants to give- short term effects, long term effects (if they've been proven yet), what happens to the child if there's a missed dosed as far as the effectiveness of the meds, what happens if you take some time off the meds, and how long is it going to take to find the right ones.

I'd trust medical journals, and maybe some news sources. Pharmaceutical companies have to have almost all of this information (if I'm not mistaken), but it might be in small print.

For the ODD, possibly a child therapist focused on behavioral therapy? Make sure they specialize in children though, because that's a tough age for someone to work with if they're focused on it. (I'm an MSW student)

Just ask a lot of questions til you find the answers that suit your situation.

photokenzie

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and my doctor put me on a low dose of Vyvanse, and it has worked out wonderfully so far. The crash period where the medication wears off isn't nearly as bad as it is on Adderall. Another option to look into would be non-stimulant meds, like Strattera, which has fewer side-effects overall. If you're looking for more personal testimonies about ADHD meds/issues, you might want to poke around the forums at http://www.addforums.com I found a lot of good stuff there when I was researching my different options.

RumOne

My son is ADHD. Meds were a blessing for him. He started meds as soon as he was old enough. He has gone through several increases and med changes over the years including Concerta (which worked very well when he was little). His doctor and I have always been on the page (which is very important) and have kept him on the lowest dose that gets the results we are looking for. If you trust this doctor's opinion, I would follow his advice and see how it goes.

The only problem we have had is getting him to gain weight at the rate the doctor is comfortable with but I think that has something to do with my husbands genes (he was 133lbs at 17yo). But with adding good fats and protein for breakfast and protein shakes before bedtime, he is a healthy growing 13yo.

Good Luck to you and your son

newmanmb463

My 8 y.o. son had ADD and has been on Concerta for a little over a year. We resisted putting him on meds for a while because we were scared of potential side effects. When his teachers kept telling us about issues at school, we decided to get him evaluated, and then put him on meds. Looking back, it was a great decision. He is now a pleasure at school, can concentrate at after school sports, and is fun to be around (while the medecine is in his system).

I consider it to be a miracle drug, and couldn't be happier. Other than some suppression of his appetite during the day, we have seen no side effects.

tequillarose04

My daughter is 2 and they're talking adhd and ocd? I never knew they could tell that early, but I REFUSE to put her on medication at this age. There is no way.

Not sure if its the same where you are, but where I live they wont diagnois a child until theyre 7(kids are kids, how can they tell at 2? theyre barely little people) My daughter is definately ADHD but hasnt been diagnoised because shes only 5...I know it has not been proven(but they are still studying it) RED 40 & high fructose corn syrup can play a large role to a child with ADHD...I do not want to medicate my daughter when she is diagnoised so I researched alternatives....I have cut these 2 things almost completely from her diet & OMG shes like a different girl...she has her days(shes a kids, shes gonna be overly active sometimes & moody once in the while, we all have our days) but i cant believe how big of a difference it has made...I try to give her as much 'clean' food as I can, but do allow her treats like goldfish(only the ones with natural colors) once in a while....
Im sure this doesnt work for all children but have found it to work for her...it was a little bit of a challenge @ first because she was used to having the 'bad stuff' but once she got used to the things she could have, its been great...
Hope this helps & again this is just my opinion from my own research...everyones free to do what they need to.....

mortyfit

My son was just diagnosed with ADHD and ODD and they are wanting me to put him on Ritalin and Concerta. I am nervous and have my reservation about putting my son on drugs such as those. Anyone here have similar childrens issues?

My 13-year old has been on Concerta for several years. Made a big difference for him without altering his personality at all. No issues, except when he forgets to take it he gets tired very easily.

dkweathington

My brother and I both have ADD!!! My brother took Concerta and it worked for him.

skmolove

ADD / ADHD is pretty well know & talked about but i didn't see anyone address ODD. i think its been confused with OCD.

if your son has ODD you really must have your hands full. when a young child has ODD, its an awefully hard disability to live with. (((hugs)))

my nephew is 9 and has ADHD & ODD. just last month my nephew broke his mother's eye socket in one of his fits of defiance. He has a mobile therapist that comes to the house once a week and a TS (social worker) that also spends 10 hours a week with him. in addition to these services he too takes BOTH these meds you mentioned. without them we'd be helpless & he'd be in a children's hospital of some sort. he needs them. i have faith that you will find the best medication fit for your son too.

What do other MFP members have to offer about ODD- Oppositional Defiant Disorder

You are your child's best advocate. Ask tons of questions. Don't be afraid to research. Changes can be made. Continue the good fight. Good Luck! :flowerforyou:

zaithyr

My daughter is 5 and I'm pretty sure she has it but they won't diagnose her for another year or two (I can't wait until we can finally get something to help her!). She also has autism so it's a perfect storm lol

KellyMirth

I cannot tell you what to do with your child, I can only relate what we've done with ours...

My now 11 year old son was diagnosed at 6 with ADHD. His school at the time was pushing for us to get him tested & pushing us to put him on medication. I argued that he didn't need medication, he needed to be challenged in class and that they needed to quit handing out candy for every little thing. I also suggested they test him for gifted services, they refused. They told us that not only wasn't he gifted, but that he needed to be in the special needs classroom.

After the school tested him (and said he was "the worst case of ADHD" they'd ever seen) we took him to a different psychologist to be tested. She agreed that he had it, and that it was pretty bad, but she assured me that there were other things we could do if we didn't want to medicate him. She told us he most likely also had ODD, but she didn't see any point in putting that on his chart since it wouldn't be of any help to him in the long run. She tested him and told us that he was highly intelligent and absolutely did not belong in the special needs classroom. After we showed the school her results, they finally agreed to test him for gifted services. I got a letter, with no scores on it, within two days time saying that he didn't qualify. One more thing, he was in trouble (in the principal's office) every single day, and most days several times, from the first week of 1st grade until we moved midway through 2nd grade.

I told the new school (in a different state) about the diagnosis and they told me that they could handle it. The very first week he was there, they tested him for gifted services (without us asking) and he tested way above his grade level. His reading comprehension was at a 6th grade level, his other scores were 95% or higher in the other categories. They started giving him more challenging work and allowing him to read when he finished his work in class because that's something he can easily focus on and not distract the other kids. We've been in this state/school system for four years now and I can count on one hand the number of times he's been in the principal's office.

He still has ADHD, no question about that. But we've found things that can help alleviate the symptoms of it. We try really hard to avoid giving him processed food and make sure he eats protein with every meal. I send his lunch every day so I know what he consumes. He doesn't drink sodas or eat most hard candies although chocolate is fine, especially dark chocolate. When doing homework I've found he does best if we have him do 15 minutes of homework, then send him to play for 15 minutes and keep alternating until he's done with it all. We've kept his schedule fairly consistent and all rules are simple, in writing and consistently enforced. His screen time (tv, videos, movies) are directly related to his behavior and he only has screen time on weekends. He has a chart with his chores for the week that he checks off as he does them so that he has something concrete in front of him to work from (otherwise he forgets to finish the second he sees something more interesting.)

I will tell you that my husband did not agree with me about not medicating our son, he really wanted to put him on something. His mother really tried to push us to do it as well, but I knew my son and I knew he didn't need to be medicated.

My son's story is not every child's story. Some kids do benefit from the medicine. If it helps them to focus so they can get a good education and stay out of trouble, either at school or at home, it's something to be seriously looked at. I just didn't want my son on any drug if there was anything else I could do instead. It has not been easy, it's a lot of work sometimes. He's had to learn things that work to make his life easier such as recognizing when he's hungry, or making sure he has protein regularly. He learned some basic mediation to help "center himself" when he's feeling chaotic. And, I try really hard not to react when he gets exceedingly emotional about something because reacting just makes him spiral higher.

Sorry this is so long, you are more than welcome to pm me directly with any questions you have.

Birdie

We tried the feingold diet. Wasted a year and tons of money on it. Recent studies show only 5% of kids respond to changes in their diet. We are now in the process of getting re-evaluated and hopefully medication. I used to be one of those moms that said I would never drug my child. But after meeting and talking to many other parents who went through the same thing I am satified that it is the right thing to do.

foxyforce

Any and every parent would be hesitant about medicating their child. I even second guess Tylenol. It's only natural. We want our children to be happy and healthy. We want the best for them. And medication comes with the stigma that something is "wrong."

However, we can see from the few posts here how helpful the right medication can be.

Ask your doctor lots of questions, even if you're embarrassed because you "read it on the internet." It's okay! Investigate and do what is best for your child. Quality of life is so important! We want our kids to be successful in school and positively sociable

this. nature and nurture both play a role, make sure your kids are inspired and have freedom to challenge anything and everything. this gives them a more challenging environment and will encourage their growth instead of hindering it.

b00b0084

The Dr has told me that if I do not like how he is on his medication that we can always try something different, which was good. He also sees a social worker every week to talk and everything. I really appreciate everything everyone is saying. It is helping my thought process a bit more than it was 2 hours ago.

My son also see's a therapist every month for cognitive behavioural therapy...it's been working great!

Yeah they are wanting my son to start OT therapy and speech therapy. The Speech therapy because his mouth works faster than his brain and if he is passionate about what he is talking about then he has a hard time getting it out. the harder it is for him to get it out there the more frustrated he gets and he starts to hit himself in the face or jump up and down.

b00b0084

he also has a nervous tic of licking his face around his mouth.. and it turns into an open sore, pretty gross. but anyway the pills really help.

My brother used to do that and it would give him this nasty red rash around his mouth. My son picks his finger nails. I never knew he did that until a few months back when i mentioned to his pedi that I have not had to cut his finger or toe nails in over a year and they always grew crazy fast. I thought something was wrong with his diet keeping them from growing. She looked at his nails and said that he picks them all the way down to the quick. Never thought to bring that up to the lady that suggested meds.

Krakenzmama

I live in a family of ADD and ADHD people - my step daughter was diagnosed at about the age of 7 and we started her with Concerta for her school days and Ritalin in the evening at martial arts class or during special events when she needs to have the extra control and the Concerta has worn off.

In the beginning we had to convince both dad (ADD/ADHD) and daughter (ADHD) that medication would help her , but we also worked on helping her behavior with counseling, speical education and setting up an individual education plan and having her find ways to stay organized and on task. Be sure to include her in the treatment (medication is not like waving a magic wand and making them all better, it just helps calm them enough to take in info and process it without the high interference and racing thoughts!) She still struggles but she no longer takes medication now that she is in high school but she knows it's there if she needs it.

b00b0084

ADD / ADHD is pretty well know & talked about but i didn't see anyone address ODD. i think its been confused with OCD.

if your son has ODD you really must have your hands full. when a young child has ODD, its an awefully hard disability to live with. (((hugs)))

my nephew is 9 and has ADHD & ODD. just last month my nephew broke his mother's eye socket in one of his fits of defiance. He has a mobile therapist that comes to the house once a week and a TS (social worker) that also spends 10 hours a week with him. in addition to these services he too takes BOTH these meds you mentioned. without them we'd be helpless & he'd be in a children's hospital of some sort. he needs them. i have faith that you will find the best medication fit for your son too.

What do other MFP members have to offer about ODD- Oppositional Defiant Disorder

You are your child's best advocate. Ask tons of questions. Don't be afraid to research. Changes can be made. Continue the good fight. Good Luck! :flowerforyou:

My son has thrown a radio at my head, tried to beat me with belts, thrown a lawn chair at me, he punches, kicks, bites, scratches, headbutts, pinches, screams at the top of his lungs, and other things. The look in his eyes when he is like this scared me to bad. My son is not in there when he has a fit and his pupils are so dilated his eyes are almost pure black. I had to call the cops on him last time (per his social workers orders) and that scared me. Then when he calms down he feels so much remorse he practically begs me to hurt him the way he hurt me. It kills me to see him like that and he hates it too. I is always saying he wishes he can stop but his body won't let him.

b00b0084

When doing homework I've found he does best if we have him do 15 minutes of homework, then send him to play for 15 minutes and keep alternating until he's done with it all.

I do this with my own son. There are times where he can sit there and get all his homework done in one sitting, but some days if I didn't give him the breaks nothing would ever get done.

gingersnapx00

YES! I have been there! Still going through it. My child is 9 now, but had him put on ritalin and then concerta. Not only is he ADHD he has some sensory issues as well. We have had issues with him since a very young age. We finally decided that medication was the right route. We were anti-drug too seeing as my husband is a pharmacist and knows all the side effects of all medications. We got to a breaking point with our child that we had to try something new and hes currently on concerta and works wonders. Hes been on medication since he was 6 yrs old. We still have our ups and downs, but it helps him slow down and stay focused....he's brilliant with a photographic memory. It was hard to see him struggle with remembering rules and controlling his anger. The meds help him reach his potential and even further I say if u experience things like this...do it with pysch therapy as well.

amberpickens

my son who is now 8 has adhd. he has been on concerta for a while now and i love it. he takes 1 pill in the morning and thats it. he has went from a failing student to one of the highest in his class. it does effect his eating a lil so i make him eat breakfast before he takes it and the meds start to wear off around 7pm so i make a big dinner for him and it hasn't effected his weight or anything. he isn't in trouble at school either and he was all the time before he was put on the meds. it may help you out and make things easier for you. good luck and i hope everything works out for you

dmpizza

clean eating helps a lot. here's an article that was linked to me

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20048725-10391704.html

No No No No ! There might be some kids that can't pay attention because they are too full of pop tarts, but for most of them this is just nonsense and it is EXTREMELY INSULTING to the parents of these kids(like me!).

My son is in the autism spectrum and has had mood problems
If your child can truly not function, then use the medications, but you have to pay attention and weigh the side effects against the benefits. We took him off of several drugs a few years ago and now he is only on two and we don't see those stopping soon.

Best of luck to you. It is hard and it really doesn't get better.

tpittsley77

My daughter is 4 and my doctor told me to not be surprised when she gets diagnosed with adhd. With that being daid, Iam doing a lot of research now and once school starts, I plan on eliminating all preservatives and processed foods out of her diet, clean eating. I may go gluten free after that if necessary. I will see if that helps.

If medication is necessary, I will medicate. Here's why... my friend has adhd. He is 38 and was one of the worst cases on record when we were kids. He was actually one of the first ritalin trial kids. His parents would stop medicating during breaks and such. As an adult, he once told me that was the worst thing his parents could have done to him. He actually equates his parents stopping his meds as child abuse. He said when he was medicated he was in control of his body and mind. But when he was off the drugs, he knew what it felt like to be in control, and wasn't able to control his mind or body. He said being off the drugs wad torture because he had no control. Just something for parents to consider, the detrement you are causing your child by limiting when drugs are given. His words will always stick with me.

oregonzoo

I'm quite concerned at the rate in which children are being diagnosed with this.

cookn_mama

My son, 15, was diagnosed with ADHD between 4-5 grade. The teachers couldnt believe the turnaround he made. Totally different kid. His father wont medicate him. "he just needs to change his attitude." Well they don't always see eye to eye. I can get my son to help me, do his homework etc without complaining. I do need to keep him busy. He is in football, baseball, wrestling, dirtbike racing. If he can hold his grades up and behave in school then he gets to play sports. I am tough on him, but they need a schedule. God forbid you throw a monkey wrench in their routine. He takes Adderall 2x a day. He is rarely hungry but I make him eat. This summer he was not medicated and gained 21 pounds.
Wish we would have medicated him earlier. Life in school would have been much easier!!!

Beleg

My son is ADHD not medicated. Though school is a struggle for him he still makes great grades. We have altered his diet and that has worked. He also plays alot of sports we keep him very active so he has lots of time to work off the endless amounts of energy he seems to have. He is 11 and is a very happy child. Now on the other hand. His best friend who is also 11 has ADHD as well. They tried diet and all the same things that has worked for my son but didn't work for him. He takes meds. Every child is different just like every adult is different. I would explore all your options and try everything that you feel worth trying with your child.

Mom2EvPa

My son has ADHD, but not ODD. They started trying to get me to medicate him in pre-school. He is now in 7th grade, and he has never been medicated. At first I fought the idea because he was so young. In 3rd grade, I agreed to let the school put him on a 504 plan. This helped because it forced teachers to allow him little breaks and weighted activities such as carrying books or the teacher pressing on his shoulders to help center him. He has had no other accommodations, and he went from a kid who hated school to one who loves it. He is always on honor rolls. They tell me if I medicated him he'd be high honors, because what holds him back are the organization and distraction (missing directions), but this isn't high school, and he's doing well. He and I discussed that if he hits high school and he feels overwhelmed, we can rediscuss it then, but we've both read books and understand what we're up against, and he sees his ADHD as part of his personality. If he ever is medicated, it would be to aid focus in school. At home, he can be who he is.

Of course, every case is different. ODD can be a lot more difficult to deal with. My son is not defiant, and that helps. He's just completely unfocused! :-)

Whatever you do, just be your son's best advocate. If you do medicate him, just monitor it quickly. Give it time because at first he may seem like a different person, but that's what adjustments are for. At home, watch his diet and get him into a routine. Never give him a bunch of steps at once because that sets him up for failure. Or, write things down.

Each case is different, and only you know what your son needs.

Best wishes.

sarahrbraun

ADD / ADHD is pretty well know & talked about but i didn't see anyone address ODD. i think its been confused with OCD.

if your son has ODD you really must have your hands full. when a young child has ODD, its an awefully hard disability to live with. (((hugs)))

my nephew is 9 and has ADHD & ODD. just last month my nephew broke his mother's eye socket in one of his fits of defiance. He has a mobile therapist that comes to the house once a week and a TS (social worker) that also spends 10 hours a week with him. in addition to these services he too takes BOTH these meds you mentioned. without them we'd be helpless & he'd be in a children's hospital of some sort. he needs them. i have faith that you will find the best medication fit for your son too.

What do other MFP members have to offer about ODD- Oppositional Defiant Disorder

You are your child's best advocate. Ask tons of questions. Don't be afraid to research. Changes can be made. Continue the good fight. Good Luck! :flowerforyou:

My son has thrown a radio at my head, tried to beat me with belts, thrown a lawn chair at me, he punches, kicks, bites, scratches, headbutts, pinches, screams at the top of his lungs, and other things. The look in his eyes when he is like this scared me to bad. My son is not in there when he has a fit and his pupils are so dilated his eyes are almost pure black. I had to call the cops on him last time (per his social workers orders) and that scared me. Then when he calms down he feels so much remorse he practically begs me to hurt him the way he hurt me. It kills me to see him like that and he hates it too. I is always saying he wishes he can stop but his body won't let him.

Sounds so much like my 16yo son! He has a ASD dx and a mood disorder-NOS dx. He had his first *melt down* at around age 2. For the last 10 years or so we have had to do *take downs* when he snaps. I have mastered literally throwing him to the floor, rolling him on his belly and shoving his face in the rug. If his face is not in the rug, he WILL bite you. The last time he melted down, he bit me on the side of my belly before I could flip him. We have called the sheriff many times, and the last time they gave him the scared straight treatment--threw cuffs on him, put him in the back of the car and got up in his face--but he truly cannot control himself without chemical assistance. He has been on anti-psychotics for the last 6 years, and finally we feel like he is as close to normal as he can be--he is on prozac, abilify and tenex.

MrsSexton2013

I have an 8 year old with ADHD, OCD and anxiety disorder. His grades are better, his self esteem is better and he has better social skills when he is medicated. He takes Vyvanse and Lexapro and is a happy, NOT drugged up child. Very low appetite, but I have turned into the mom that I never said I'd be and let him have some junk so he will get some calories in him - he's underweight. Other than that, him being happy and adjusted in school is worth it to him to not feel "different" than the other kids.

Glasgow_Vegan

My son was just diagnosed with ADHD and ODD and they are wanting me to put him on Ritalin and Concerta. I am nervous and have my reservation about putting my son on drugs such as those. Anyone here have similar childrens issues?

What is ODD? Do you mean OCD? I'm not trying to be cheeky by asking. I think medication for OCD is a good idea. I've been taking it for two years and no longer have any symptoms.