Anyone have kids with ADHD or ODD?

innocenceportrayed

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.

melbohning

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.

donyellemoniquex3

I have ADHD. You'll have it for life. I was diagnosed around 6 or 7 and I'm turning 22 in december

Dragonldy69

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 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??

steph124ny

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.

ajh1014

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.

JuniperT

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.

Chipmunk222

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.

KimberlyDCZ

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.

OnionMomma

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.

caslyn3

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!

themommie

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.

sarahrbraun

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.

cindalinka

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!!

KaraAlste

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.

pinkraynedropjacki

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.

hourrecord2020

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.

hourrecord2020

Great post. Yea stimulants have a negative effect on ADHD. So gurana or ginseng are both very heath natural supplments

b00b0084

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 Disorder

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:

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!

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.