Anyone have kids with ADHD or ODD?
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From a psychologist (not psychiatrist) stand point, I don't believe in medicating kids unless it's the last resort. I work with kids on a daily basis and I worked with a child last night, almost 5, with OCD and ADHD and yes, he has a hard time, but I also think his parents don't give him the attention he needs as his sister is barely 1 so she gets most of it. I'm not saying that medication is bad, I think it's fine if the child absolutely needs it, and they're of a certain age. I wouldn't give a kid any sort of ADHD medication until they're at least 10, and I say that because the body is still doing sooooooo much development during those years, even really at 10 I wouldn't recommend it, but it's better than 3,4, and 5.
/Shrug:indifferent:
That's my 2 cents.0 -
I have a son with ADHD who has it bad and we have tried both those drugs but never at the same time. Both worked very well although personally we went with the concerta first as it was less invasive as the Ritalin. We did have to use the Ritalin later as the concerta stopped working as well. I does help them when they go to school and makes their life alot better. I was against using any meds but did so my son could have a better chance at school. My son was so much happier after he started using the medication and to put our minds at ease we went to a neurologist who specializes in these cases.0
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I have ADHD. You'll have it for life. I was diagnosed around 6 or 7 and I'm turning 22 in december0
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My son had ADHD when he was in young.. We started Ritalin to help him.. We found out while he was in school and taking it that if you cut all artificial colorings, artificial flavoring and Sugar..We also gave him Black coffee in the mornings and it helped as well.. After awhile we took him completely off the Ritialin and just keep with the diet and Coffee.. The Caffine acts and does the same as Ritialin did for him.. Hope this helps you.. Don't be afraid of the Ritalin it did help but finding the diet and Coffee was better ..I don't know anything about the Concerta ,, I never heard of it..What is ODD??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?0 -
M 16 year old son was finally diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum....I wonder how many ADHD kids are actually undiagnosed Aspie's or spectrum kids....
He only has an ADHD diagnosis until last year...but his other behaviors were actually more of a problem. He has ZERO social filter.0 -
I have a child with autism and ADHD. Honestly, for us.. it was as simple as this...
If your child cannot function in school and home without being happy.. if the child is disruptive, if its something that bothered you enough to go to the doctor about it...
and you DONT put them on the medications.. then you arent giving your child the best life they can have.
Would you refuse a diabetic insulin? Its a disease, treat it.
Just my opinion, but my daughter was diagnosed when she was 5.. shes 15 now and there is NO way she could even consider college or hold a job without her medication.
THIS! Perfectly said.0 -
I am trying to figure this one out as well, my son is 11 and in grade 3 had a teacher that on the first day called me and said this kid needs to be on something. And that began the long process of figure things out.
We've been on a waiting list for over 1 year to get him in to see a therapist who can determin if he really needs it or not but in the mean time....found out this teacher was unfortunatly one of those teachers that wanted all the kids on ritalin, took him to his pediatrician and found out he has tons of allergies to food and seasonal things which my pediatrician said could be a lot of the reasons for how he can be sometimes. There are food sensitivites that can show the exact same reactions as a child with adhd. He told me to basically make a diary and keep track of which foods he reacts to and how he does react. And in all honesty, it's really helped.
Since then we've also been talking to the school counsilor who's gotten to know him very well and she thinks if anything it could be a non-verbal learning disorder, which unfortunatly, can't be diagnosed until we know if it's adhd because they are so similar. The non-verbal though, can be treated unmedicated.
So here's my thoughts, you're the mom, you know your kid better than anyone else, if you think something's not right, listen to that. If you think medication will help, by all means, do that. I am in no way against medication if it's needed. I wish you and your child the best of luck and feel free to add me if you would like.0 -
Yes, my daughter was diagnosed at around 3 years old. I don't believe medicine solves everything, so I changed her diet and put her into a sports program and then into a travel sports league with boys instead of girls, she worked hard and it kept her very busy. She has always been a handful, and she gets that honest, but she is now 19 and has learned to control herself without medicine and she excelled and made us very proud with her sports accomplishments. She has no tolerance with people though.0
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I have personally experienced first hand what medicines can do to a person. I don't trust pharmacuticals at all. Most of the ADHD meds cause appetite suppression and most patients have an extremely high metabolism to begin with so it's NOT a good combo. My son is ADHD and he's 9 years old, barely 60 lbs, very skinny in spite of his huge appetite. His neurologist took my concern about meds to heart and she suggested counseling first. This seemed to work for him for awhile. I've been having problems with him again for the last few months but nothing a little patience can't resolve. You have to understand what they're going through and try your best to deal with it. There's a great book called "All Dogs Have ADHD" that will help people around you understand. I am now homeschooling my son because he is very smart but has trouble sitting still and concentrating in a classroom setting.0
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I am trying to figure this one out as well, my son is 11 and in grade 3 had a teacher that on the first day called me and said this kid needs to be on something. And that began the long process of figure things out.
We've been on a waiting list for over 1 year to get him in to see a therapist who can determin if he really needs it or not but in the mean time....found out this teacher was unfortunatly one of those teachers that wanted all the kids on ritalin, took him to his pediatrician and found out he has tons of allergies to food and seasonal things which my pediatrician said could be a lot of the reasons for how he can be sometimes. There are food sensitivites that can show the exact same reactions as a child with adhd. He told me to basically make a diary and keep track of which foods he reacts to and how he does react. And in all honesty, it's really helped.
Since then we've also been talking to the school counsilor who's gotten to know him very well and she thinks if anything it could be a non-verbal learning disorder, which unfortunatly, can't be diagnosed until we know if it's adhd because they are so similar. The non-verbal though, can be treated unmedicated.
So here's my thoughts, you're the mom, you know your kid better than anyone else, if you think something's not right, listen to that. If you think medication will help, by all means, do that. I am in no way against medication if it's needed. I wish you and your child the best of luck and feel free to add me if you would like.
It is against the law for a teacher to tell a parent that a child "needs" to be on medication. They are not doctors, they are teachers. They need to refer them up for services and let the city test them.
When I taught K5 full time, I did my best to accommodate my students with ADHD. I never mentioned it to the parents. If they did say something to me and I truly felt there was a real issue there, I would ask them to make an appointment with their child's Pediatrician and bring up the things they are noticing.0 -
My daughter is 9, she has ADHD and Tourette's Syndrome. She is actively taking Intuniv to help with her "tics" and the focus problem. She has only been on it 3 months - I haven't seen a difference. Actually, I think it has made her mood swings worse. We go Tuesday to the doctor, possibly to switch meds. You will have to go through several attempts to find what is best for him. Personally, I have heard ritalin bad.. makes them very zombie like. But I read a comment on here I am not quoting but they said "it's a disease, treat it" and that makes the most sense to me.
good luck!0 -
thanks for sharing, My 12 yr old daughter has been in trouble at school since 3 rd grade. I had her tested for ADD and yes she has it but decided at the time to try to deal with it without meds. When she was diagnosed it was close to the end of the school year and I thought we would wait and see if it got better or if she would outgrow it. Well it seems every year it gets worse. She has only been in school for 3 weeks and she already has got several citations and has 2 friday schools. So here I am trying to decide if it is time to put her on meds. I am thinking the time has come to try it and see if it helps her.0
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thanks for sharing, My 12 yr old daughter has been in trouble at school since 3 rd grade. I had her tested for ADD and yes she has it but decided at the time to try to deal with it without meds. When she was diagnosed it was close to the end of the school year and I thought we would wait and see if it got better or if she would outgrow it. Well it seems every year it gets worse. She has only been in school for 3 weeks and she already has got several citations and has 2 friday schools. So here I am trying to decide if it is time to put her on meds. I am thinking the time has come to try it and see if it helps her.
If you are in the US, I would suggest getting her on an IEP. My son has been on an IEP since his ASD and ADHD were diagnosed in 5th grade. One of the rules spelled out in an IEP is that the child cannot be punished for "acting out his/her disability". That meant that my son could be sent home for the rest of the day, but could not be suspended, and I didn't have to do a "re-entry meeting" after every time he got in trouble. I have allowed him to be punished in a handful of extreme situations, but it is within my rights as a parent to refuse to allow it.0 -
My son was diagnosis-ed in 2nd grade. He is now in grade 9. He has been medicated with Strattera since his diagnosis. He is doing well in school. We tried him off his meds but it was awful for all of us. Prior to being medicated he never slept and the meds helped with that too. I agree with the school of thought "you wouldn't deny a diabetic insulin so why not treat ADD?"
At the beginning I had a hard time deciding if we should medicate him or not but it got so bad that we had nothing to lose.
Like I said he is doing well in school, has a 10 year plan and is a well behaved teen. What more could I ask for?
Best of luck!!0 -
You can get a second opinion. Therapy works wonders and is as effective as medication. My son has showed a dramatic improvement. I think medication should be a last resort, ecspecially with children since we do not know the long term side effects.0
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I really do suggest those parents & those with ADHD at least try Guarana tablets. They really do help quite a lot. I have ADHD, always have & it was not diagnosed till my son was 12 years ago & both of us were on ritalin for a bit, then when we fell out with the Dr (long story) we could not get a script for them anymore. Some research later & it turns out that Guarana has the same effect as Ritalin. Works a dream for the both of us. I'm able to study & focus (never done that before) and son is going so great now (apart from the depression that comes with the ODD)
Please at least try it. You never know.... something so natural could be exactly what we all need.0 -
OP, Yes I have had ADHD since I was 2 or 3. It really comes down to exercise. If you facilitate the kid they will be fine. Drugs are never the answer. That is a very old school midwestern aproach.
I used to live in illinois ever 3rd kid was on riddlin type drugs. But many studies have showed that MASS prescriptions have been given out for "adhd" because medical companies make money and the parents wont spend 30 mintues playing with there kids.
Dont take the easy possible solution take the long term solution that will good for your whole family. Get the kid to play little leage or football or what ever sport interests him. Make a negative a positive. tell him hey you just get to play more than other kids more fun for you.
My little cousin has many learning diabilites even though you would never know it from talking with him. he is 11 and is being home school for similiar reasons. to provide a better learning environment.0 -
Great post. Yea stimulants have a negative effect on ADHD. So gurana or ginseng are both very heath natural supplments0
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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.
No I mean ODD> Oppositional Defiance Disorder0 -
I didn't know people were still commenting on this or I would have kept checking back since I am the OP. I did end up putting my son on the Concerta and Ritalin. In 2 months he lost 14lbs so we got rid of the Concerta and he only gets Ritalin. As soon as he started on the medication the ODD was suppressed. Now that he has been off Concerta for a while he gained back his weight. Now we are starting to see the ODD again. Normally only when he is tired, but now that it is summer and I am not letting him on the computer as much it shows up more. He won't attack me anymore but he hits himself as hard as he can. Its heartbreaking when he does it.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:
ANYONE with a child diagnosed with ODD should investigate whether the child has ADHD or Bipolar Disorder. This is a very very common misdiagnosis. I took my son from Idaho to Chicago to see a pediatric psychopharmacologist to make certain of the diagnosis, since there were NO qualified doctors in Idaho. Bipolar disorder in children is not as common as ADHD so doctors tend to think of ADHD first and never explore the other possibility. Remember, they are taught to think horses, not zebras, but if your child is a zebra they could be wrong!0 -
I completely get where you are coming from. I feel the same way. I was medicated for bi-polar as a teenager when i didn't even have it. I was just a seriously pissed off teen. My son, however, has done a complete 180 in school since being on his medication. Without his ADHD medication he cannot sit still, keep quiet while in school, stay out of trouble, or even function. He loves that he can get good grades in school now and gets upset when he has a bad day, like if I forget his meds one day.i think the pharmaceuticals are in control of the doctors in us.. instead of looking for an alternative they go the easy way and prescribe drugs... oh you feel sad? anti depressant. you have this symptom? medication. instead of looking at other remedies, cognitive therapy, counseling, herbal medicine. change of environment or life style etc.
its part of a nature for children to be young free happy overly excited. (obviously if its within normal range, if it gets to the point where no one can do anything then medication is the option, or locked up in the basement hehe <sarcasm>)
i know when i was out of line my mom send me to a corner or slapped me in the butt and i learned not to do it again. and im not saying i was a angel either. obviously i have no room to talk about raising children since i have none. but i think the worst that can be done is to spoil the child, let him have anything he wants and then when he demands for more give into it... then you see the problems coming along.
i know this because i can now compare myself to my cousin who was spoiled while i was not.
just a rant/ opinion.
i just think medications are overprescribed 100%. and the worst part is doctors and pharma companies are prescribing these medications without knowing the full side effects/affects, especially when it comes to mental health.
i give the most respect to parents who have to deal with insubordinate children or ones who do have actual ADD/ADHD, you are angels walking this earth
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Exactly! My son wasn't standing up for what he believed in, he was out for blood because the ODD makes it harder for his brain to switch gears. A normal kid- get ready for bed means its done within 5 minutes or so. ODD kid- get ready for bed means total melt down because its too much to process and some react violently, as my son did before I decided to give him the medication.
There is a difference in standing up for what you believe in and beating the s**t out of me because I said something as simple as get ready for bed.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.
ODD - Oppositional defiant disorder
OCD - Obsessive compulsive disorder.
ODD is a little more controversial - some mental health practitioners believe it's just a label to put on someone who stands up for what they believe in.
I have a kid that stands up for what he believes in. I would never medicate him for it - I would rather focus on him learning acceptable social rules but always standing up for what he believes is right. The trick is to make sure that he's good at heart and believes in the right things.0 -
My little brother was diagnosed with both ADHD and ODD as a young child. The Drs only wanted to push drugs on him, Ritalin in particular. It was one of the worst things my parents ever did with him when they agreed to put him on it, they've said as much several times. It turned him into a zombie, he didn't eat, he barely talked, and as at least a partial result he stopped learning in school. When he was older the Drs realized he was not ADHD, which I'm quite certain anyone who lived with him could have told them, and that the problem was just ODD. They had taken him off the medicine some time earlier and he gained almost 50 pounds. Now, at 21 years old, he is still trying to get rid of that weight.
What my brother needed was not medication, it was counseling. He has sought that out on his own since he was about 17. He needed stability, patience, and a united front. None of these things were my parents able to supply. They would rather disagree with each other than give him one answer. As a result he never had any clear cut rules and as I'm certain you already know, ODD kids have a hard come coming to grips with the thought that rules apply to them. Having grown up with the mess he was, and seeing him still trying to sort it out as an adult, I am vehemently against medicating an ODD child, except as a last resort. My younger sister is studying for her Masters in Counseling right now and explained that counseling and medication need to go hand in hand. Getting mental health drugs from a primary care physician is like getting a resistance training plan from a marathon runner; while they may be great at exercise that just isn't their specialty so be certain the person offering the prescription is someone best qualified. I really believe in trying everything else first, behavior modification, therapy, what have you, but first and foremost you need to be willing and able to be that child's rock. They need something that will be stable and dependable while still caring. Clear cut rules were very very important, as were very predictable consequences for breaking those rules.
The Drs didn't know much about ODD when my brother was diagnosed, I am hopeful they know more now but I cannot say for certain. If you haven't yet, try counseling. Find an actual counselor, not a psychologist or a psychiatrist as they are less drug happy and more likely to work on a real solution rather than the easy answer of drugging our children. I would give a whole lot to change the way I watched my brother grow up and he would give even more to change the consequences of his mistakes since then, I wish he'd been given a fair shot but drugs were all the Drs wanted to give him.0 -
I just saw some of your last posts (sorry, I've skimmed a bit since I should really be in bed right now and my brother was violent as a child too. He didn't hurt himself, he hit myself and my little sister. His teachers pretty much just wrote him off as a jerk and we just dealt with it as best we could. Not the easiest thing to do as he was not a small child post-ritalin. At 21 he is 6'4" and 200 something pounds, he's a big guy. As he got older and learned more about what he was doing, that it was hurting people, he began (on his own) to be able to restrain himself better. He didn't want to hurt us, so he tried not to. He was still very angry and easy to set off. Counseling as an adolescent helped immensely with this. He is still angry when faced with stressful situations and things he doesn't want to deal with but he can control it now. This was HUGE for him!
It took me a long time to actually believe that there was something wrong with him, that it was more than him just being a jerk. He disrespected my parents, any and all authority figures, his siblings, you name it. But he said he didn't want to be that way, and for a while I didn't believe him. I figured he would just change if he didn't want to be like that until one day my Dad made him mad. I watched his face as he went back and forth with himself. He didn't say a word, but you could see the battle he was fighting inside his head to be the man he wanted to be and not the man that came naturally. It took that for me to believe him, to believe IN him. He goes through something that I can't even understand at every stimulus. I learned to support him and love him, even though he still is a jerk sometimes. I still tell him when he's being a jerk, and won't stand around and listen to it, but I remind him often that I know he's capable of much better than that. I've seen it. He is loyal and loving and very thoughtful, that is the person my brother is and the person he wants to be and the person he fights every day to be.0 -
It's amazing that your brother has come this far! Good on him! I could see the internal battle with my son before he started getting help. He would never physically attack me when another male was around but there was one day at the store with my dad (about 9 months ago or so) and my son got mad about something and he looked like he was about to snap then my dad caught his attention and it was like my son had an internal tug-o-war going on in his head. His instincts were telling him to start swinging at me, but the fear of what my dad might do was telling him something else. It was a weird and scary thing to watch.I just saw some of your last posts (sorry, I've skimmed a bit since I should really be in bed right now and my brother was violent as a child too. He didn't hurt himself, he hit myself and my little sister. His teachers pretty much just wrote him off as a jerk and we just dealt with it as best we could. Not the easiest thing to do as he was not a small child post-ritalin. At 21 he is 6'4" and 200 something pounds, he's a big guy. As he got older and learned more about what he was doing, that it was hurting people, he began (on his own) to be able to restrain himself better. He didn't want to hurt us, so he tried not to. He was still very angry and easy to set off. Counseling as an adolescent helped immensely with this. He is still angry when faced with stressful situations and things he doesn't want to deal with but he can control it now. This was HUGE for him!
It took me a long time to actually believe that there was something wrong with him, that it was more than him just being a jerk. He disrespected my parents, any and all authority figures, his siblings, you name it. But he said he didn't want to be that way, and for a while I didn't believe him. I figured he would just change if he didn't want to be like that until one day my Dad made him mad. I watched his face as he went back and forth with himself. He didn't say a word, but you could see the battle he was fighting inside his head to be the man he wanted to be and not the man that came naturally. It took that for me to believe him, to believe IN him. He goes through something that I can't even understand at every stimulus. I learned to support him and love him, even though he still is a jerk sometimes. I still tell him when he's being a jerk, and won't stand around and listen to it, but I remind him often that I know he's capable of much better than that. I've seen it. He is loyal and loving and very thoughtful, that is the person my brother is and the person he wants to be and the person he fights every day to be.0 -
my child was told he has adhd. He is very hyper and has a very big appetitie always hungry is that a sytmon of adhd. if any one has kids with adhd please add me or message me so we can chat0
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My son has autism and ADHD and he is on concerta. Concerta has by far been the best medication for him. He only takes it on days he has to be in school or somewhere he needs to pay attention. He takes the summers and most weekends off. It has been a real help to him educationally. We tried ritilin and concerta is much better.0
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My son was diagnosed when he was 7.... he's now almost 20. He's ADHD & ODD... just like me :grumble: I'm 38 and unfortunately that's how he got it. All my fault :sad:
I take Guarana tablets to help my symptoms.... works with son as well. Ritalin, Dex.... you name it... never had any effect on him. I was diagnosed the same time he was .... I missed all my schooling because of that, teachers just thought I was lazy & didn't want to try. Was more that I could not process anything.0 -
My 18 year old twins both have ADHD and both were on low doses of Concerta with great results. As someone else stated, their appetite during the day is barely there but they ate before school and always eat a great dinner.
I am 38 and have it as well, but I don't medicate anymore as I cut refined sugars and simple carbs (most processed food) and drink only minor amounts of caffine during the day. THis has helped me so much that when my boys were around 13 I started it with them. They no longer take medication as, between this and yoga, they have learned better ways of coping with situations and focusing.0 -
My eldest son now 18 has and has had since diagnosed at 5yrs old ADHD, ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) which is now on the spectrum. He has been on every medication there is (almost ), Riterlin was a complete disaster for him (it made him much worse!), everyone we have have talked to including manly specialist at Boston Children's hospital and Worcester UMAS said that he would have to constantly change meds, as he builds up resistance to each Med. He's currently on Bupropion Xl although this has a tendency to make him even more hyper active so we use it with caution.
He is unmotivated and we have tried diet changes and various form of exercise with no effect. Caffeine has held better than some meds they have prescribed if he is in a bad mood (be it coffee or soda).
Things eventually (slowly) gets better but there are still many problems some very difficult to deal with (special schools, if they don't have special ed students or a state mandate that they must send them to a specialist school) and the problems get very different over the years.
Also watch out for explosive outbursts, especially at school where he has trashed several rooms during the age 11-14.
Good Luck,0
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