Parents with ADHD Children - I am after some opinions on medicating please

getcarter

Hi, my 10 yr old is on Ritalin. He as ASD and ADHD. I too thought long and hard about medicating, the guilt is overwhelming - how could I not cope with my son!

I eventually went down the lines of - he can cope better in school with Ritalin, the teachers find him more controllable. not perfect and not a zombie, but able to sit down and listen without too much trouble (still a lot of fidgeting going on!).

We did try the Eye Q capsules but he hated them so it was easier to give in!

webitha

we use the liquid EYEQ not caps, as the liquid is absorbed quicker

PolishBigSpender

Choosing to medicate a child based on a 'diagnosis' at a time when children's behaviour can vary rapidly is nothing short of lunacy and is frankly irresponsible on the parents and doctors part.

Of course, ADHD diagnosis is often the best way to deal with the fact that the child is, in many cases, badly brought up.

Incidentally, I thought medical discussions were banned?

peachyprice

I have a friend who is successfully treating her ADHD son with a controlled diet and homeopathy, it's go to be worth a try before going down the mediating route.

He's a different child now to the one he used to be, he's settled at school and is much more manageable for her too.

tinkerbell84

blue_monkey wrote: »

I am confused, if it was another condition, Diabetes for example - another imbalance - then everyone would be saying yes, you have to medicate, but with ADHD people think that medicating is doping your kids to the eyballs. So I am confused about what is the right or wrong thing to do..

Actually, a lot of people try to control diabetes using diet rather than drugs (there are some on this forum, even ). They often have to go against 'medical recommendation' to do it though. For the majority that try it (basically reducing carbs to the bare minimum rather than having them 6 times a day as medics suggest) they succeed.

I've heard of lots of people who have had success in controlling ADHD through food, and particularly though scratch cooking and absolutely no additives.

I agree with others that it may be worth trying this before going down the medication route. Good luck!

blue_monkey_2

Thanks for your messages, yes we already do a lot with his diet - we have always had to - and we look at labels and restrict what he is allowed to have but it has not stopped many forms of his ADHD and as he gets bigger he is getting harder to control. He runs off and I am unable to keep up with him for example. We have not tried EyeQ to be honest, it is not his concentration he needs help with yet, he is not really interested in doing things that need a lot of concentration at home and the doctor said he is not going to be prescribed it for school (yet he is only in R and the school are considering making Y1 more play based and not so formal). The senco explained that it would probably be a medication that we give him when he gets in from school and then it would wear off by the time he goes to school.

He is being prescribed it for home as after school he is bouncing off the walls and doing all the usual ADHD things. Going out is a no-no alone with him I need someone with me to ensure he has a carer, and so yes, our life does suffer considerably, however because they do not know the extend of his Autism I am still not sure what is Autistic and what is ADHD. I accept that not everyone has the same degree of ADHD - it seems my son is at the top end having scored high in the tests. I have been wondering more recently if there are any parents who have considered brain scans for their children to see if this is able to determine anything further.

There are still lots of people who think that medication is the root of all evils and I do see it that yes, if my son was deaf he would have an aid and yes, if he had a diabetes he would have insulin, if he had cancer he would have chemo - he does have a abnormality of a part of his brain and it is this we have to 'fix'. I have thought and tought today and I find myself wondering why there is a difference? Why people are totally against medication to fix a problem with the brain but they are accepting of children taking other drugs. I know someone with CF who has to have a cocktail of drugs to get through the day to fix what is wrong with her body but no-one thinks they should stop taking them. Why is this? When I spoke to my son's senco and this I said that there was this huge stigma with kids with ADHD and she said 'it is not you with the problem though is it, it is their ignorance of the condition' and I guess she is right.

I posted to get the rights and wrongs and to find out what others feel they get out of medication or what problems they have found. Yes, I wil be doing what is right for us but I want real people to tell me the real problems or the real good things that medication has done for them. Thank you for being honest about this with me. I am going to give the Meds a miss for the time being as I am coping - yes I have bad days - but I cope. I do miss being able to go out places with the pair of them on my own and I feel sad that my daughter misses out on so much, but when he does become too big and is physically hurting us or if he is unable to get through school then I shall give it more consideration. I am tied because why should everyone else's life be miserable because I am told that meds are evil and I should not consider giving them.

blue_monkey_2

Paparika wrote: »

Stop right there, it's not your fault and it's not down to bad parenting skills.
Ok I know nothing about having a child with ADHD etc, but it's not your fault.

Thank you for your comment and for posting. The reason I put this was a few weeks ago someone else was posting as they had just been told their son was ADHD and I posted on that thread. Apparently it IS all down to bad parenting, we feed our kids crap and let them watch too much TV and that we are just doping our kids up to keep them quiet, etc... and that our children were 'thick' so by 'labelling' them ADHD they had an excuse for being thick - and I see that poster has come onto this thread to share their wealth of knowledge of ADHD and medication (shame, I have them on ignore). These so called experts don't even get that our kids cannot even sit through 10 minutes of a TV show let alone stick them in front of it all day. And, quite frankly, I am not really interested in opinions from so called know it all/know nothings and am not going to argue over it as I don't have the energy to waste on ignorance, I want experiences from people who understand and who have been through the experience and I thank you all for sharing those with me, this is what I wanted. The good and the bad.

This is why I felt I had to write that sentence as I don't care anymore what people think of me, I need to do what is right for my CHILDREN and my family. It would be fine to deal with everything as it is and leave him untreated/unmeadicated, but while that condition remains untreated my other child has little or no life. She cannot have friends over to play, we cannot go for a day out or go to the cinema, we cannot do anything in the school holidays but stay home unless huby takes the day off, no-one will look after them because of him, etc... we cannot go swimming - all the little things that 'normal' families take for granted. Now I have been given the option to make both children's lives better, my son's through medication and directly, my daughters because he is on the medication - if I choose to do so. But then people start screaming 'bad parent giving your child medication' etc... So ultimately, the descision - and flack I'll get for it - rests on mine and my husbands shoulders, to do what is right for all of us.

Thank you for understanding, sorry this reply was long winded I just felt that I had to explain it all really.

blue_monkey_2

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

I know nothing about the specific question in the original post.

I have read other posts, however, by you blue monkey and I think you are a remarkable person, a great mum and your son is lucky to have you.

Good luck.

Thank you sybil, someone told me the other day that special children are given to special parents and I try to think about that when the times get tough. I just see that I am doing the best I can but without asking others having been through the same situations you never know just what is the right thing to do.

I am not sure what the name of the medication would be but I would not just take it and give it to him, I would investigate the meds before they are given and ensure it would be making his life better first.

I would certainly not give him something that turned him into a shadow of himself but there are some parts of the ADHD that are not very nice and I could happily live without those if I am entirely honest.

allIcouldwishfor

BM - please don't feel you have to justify yourself to ignorant trolls and flamers who have no useful advice to offer but just come on here to wind people up. You have to do what's right for you and your family - it's all very well for people to criticise when they haven't been the ones living through it. Do what you have to do to make life easier for everyone in your household and forget about what anyone else thinks. You sound like a wonderful mum, sending you some hugs......:grouphug:

Damzel_In_Distress

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Choosing to medicate a child based on a 'diagnosis' at a time when children's behaviour can vary rapidly is nothing short of lunacy and is frankly irresponsible on the parents and doctors part.

Of course, ADHD diagnosis is often the best way to deal with the fact that the child is, in many cases, badly brought up.

Incidentally, I thought medical discussions were banned?

Incidentally i thought you didnt have any children-so what are you even doing here? :rolleyes:

Oooooh thats right-That thing your always denying doing trolling!

Pish off.