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

blue_monkey_2

:rotfl: I know. It's all those Daily Mail/Express readers poking their noses in to things they have all read about. They now think they are experts on the subject but actually, they know nothing about ADHD and the lives we have to live with our children that have this condition.

The funniest thing is that my son was ADHD from birth so I should have realised! He was crawling at 3 months, up and around the furniture at 5 months and was walking alone at 7 months. I should have realised as he took his first steps on his own on 31st October. For some reason I'll never forget that date!! We bought him one of those mat things with a mobile above it at 5 weeks and he was not interested in it in the slightest, I'd put him under it walk off and come back and he'd not be on the mat. He'd shuffle away on his bottom.

allIcouldwishfor

I bet all your peers were jealous back then!

How's DD btw? Don't mean to spook you, I just remember you talking about her in a previous thread. Hope she's doing ok now.

allIcouldwishfor

So what is your experience in this instance Posted?

blue_monkey_2

Yes, we are OK thanks, we just have stratagies to get through life to be honest. We have a specialist at our support group next week who deals with sensory issues so I cannot miss that as this is a huge issue on our house. I've started giving 1p rewards for dressing nicely, 1p for getting socks on nicely, 1p for getting shoes on properly. We still have tantrums but we deal with it. I was hoping that the paed might deal with it but it seems not so I am making an appointment to get her assessed too. Getting the garden done has been a huge investment as even if the weather is bad they can now go outside and it is such a huge garden they are not under each others feet.

My paed asked me this week how I was able to cope with the half hour tantrums in the mornings and was I ever late. The school were also there and they said no, I was never late, so the paed said 'how can you never be late' and I said 'because we are ready for school before school starts'. LOL, her face was a picture but I realised then that that is OUR stratagy. DS was up at 5,30 this am and had breakfast by 6am. Come leaving for school he was hungry so he had some fruit to last until break time. I guess you just learn to deal with things, if DD/DS has a tantrum I know I have an hour to play with before I have to leave.

Yes, we get through though, thank you for asking. The thing I hate more than anything else is the walking on eggshells so as not to upset them and send them off into a meltdown. It is silly things like clothes, cutting a sandwich the wrong way, putting food on the plates that is touching, giving the wrong colour plates - you know how it is, but my life is just making sure that I do things right to keep everyone as happy as possible.

I am dreading the Easter Holiday, the change in routine for a few days makes things horrendous. More than anything I want to be able to look back and be able to say that my children's childhood was great fun, but when you cannot even play games with your kids and when they would rather be on their own doing their own thing it is really hard and makes me feel a bit sad. But we deal with it. Thank you for remembering.

blue_monkey_2

posted wrote: »

You ask for opinions and experience, and then dish out lame insults, when those answers don't meet your preconceived ideas. Drug him, and be done with it, you don't want to hear the downsides/alternatives, google if you do.

Posted. Please do go back and read post 1 and not just the title of this thread. It clearly says I am not interested in the blah blah blah but that I want experiences from parents who have medicated or parents who have chosen not to as I want to hear from real people and their experiences. Both good and bad. Then, if you have an experience to share then please come back and give me YOUR experiences. This is what I have asked for, this is why I posted this thread. Where on earth have I said I am not listening to the downsides - I am, this is why i asked oetherwise I'd just 'drug him' and be done with it.

Alternatives? Food we already do and it has not made a difference to certain aspects of his behaviour - and this is what we have to change. Yes, HAVE to change. I have already taken him for cranial osteopathy so if you read other posts from me you will see that I am certainly open to other ideas. However, I wanted opinions from parents on this specific subject, and this was medication.

I really am not interested in being called all sorts for 'drugging my son' because I am a bit past that to be honest.

As I said before, I KNOW what life will be like without drugs and I have been told that they will offer medication, I want an opinion on whether or not it works from people who have given it to their kids. If you haven't then why are you posting??

blue_monkey_2

allIcouldwishfor wrote: »

I bet all your peers were jealous back then!

LOL, scared more like!! :eek: Mind you I did beat all of the 'my kids this befre your kid' stories. It is really hard to get used to other peoples babies though, they all seem a bit backward - IFSWIM. You mean he is not standing yet? But he is 7 months..... and then I have to stop and think that not all babies are walking at such a stupid age!

It took us 2 weeks to decide on a name and when we told people they said 'that name is trouble'..... and we laughed. Oh how we laughed. Not any more!!

allIcouldwishfor

I'm glad the penny jar is working for you again. It sounds like you've put a positive slant on it too which must have please your HV! I take my hat off to you, I really do. I was so smug when DS was a model baby, then DD arrived and turned my world upside down. I love her to bits but it's hard work sometimes when there's no respite.

allIcouldwishfor

blue_monkey wrote: »

LOL, scared more like!! :eek: Mind you I did beat all of the 'my kids this befre your kid' stories. It is really hard to get used to other peoples babies though, they all seem a bit backward - IFSWIM. You mean he is not standing yet? But he is 7 months..... and then I have to stop and think that not all babies are walking at such a stupid age!

It took us 2 weeks to decide on a name and when we told people they said 'that name is trouble'..... and we laughed. Oh how we laughed. Not any more!!

Haha, it's that d-name isn't it?!

celine2009

My first post after lurking for ages so be gentle with me :rotfl: .

Blue_monkey you have to do what is best for your little boy and family.

I am a mum to two boys, oldest is 17 has type 1 diabetes since he was 15, younger son is 12 and has autism, learning disability and ADHD and attends a special school.
We were a few years before deciding to medicate our youngest son. Mainly trying behaviour therapy. About 18 months ago we decided to medicate him. It was a huge decision but one that we don't regret.
When our son isn't medicated he can not cope with school, all that happens is I stay home with him and he is really hyper and unhappy. He has no understanding that his medication changes him, he is on Methylphenidate in a liquid solution (which is actually ritalin in a sugar free liquid solution) which we mix into a drink of juice. He has this at breakfast and also mid-day. This is a short acting medication which is why he has a second dose.
We told very few people about medicating him as we knew we would be judged by some people. Funny though, those same people are the ones that have commented on how much better behaved he is, and if they see him unmedicated they ask what is wrong and why is he acting the way he is .
Often the medications state they aren't suitable for under 6 years of age, so you might find the doctor will suggest waiting until your son is 6.

Anything you want to know about our experience of medicating just ask :hello:

blue_monkey_2

Thank you celine and welcome to MSE :hello:

The age he is at does worry me. The last doc we saw said it would be age 7 for medication but we got a new doctor and when they diagnosed him this time I was a bit shellshocked as I was not expecting it. IYSWIM. The school were with me for the appointment (teacher and senco) and I went back to school and asked them if I had heard right - and yes, I had. The doc said there was medication for age 5. I think, that if there was certain bits of his condition I could pick out to medicate then that would be easier but it is just one medication and that scares me. If that makes sense.

He has to have an assement for his ASD and sometimes I wonder what falls into what catagory. It is not like I have to decide tomorrow but I do want to go into this with my eyes open - even if I say yes but then do not give it to him. I have to say that right at this minute I do not think he needs it - but if times goes on and his behaviour does not improve then yes, I do think that I will medicate because the bigger he grows the harder he hits and he has no understanding of consequences. He could be playing happy and then something go wrong and he will just turn and hit the nearest person to him or he injures himself - he just does not feel the pain and this he does not realise that others feel the pain either.