My son is turning 6 in a few weeks. I think I need to have him tested but no one is giving me any direction on who to go through. On my own I've started him in some essential oils (we call it super boy oil), fish oil (though it's challenging because he is a very picky eater) and I'm slowly trying him on a gluten free diet (which is basically his main food group). We just started but I'm hoping to get somewhere.

My son just turned 7, never had meds yet. I'm fortunate to live close to Nationwide Children's Hospital and I made the decision to have him seen by a child psychiatrist. She has proved herself to be more knowledgeable and resourceful than his pediatrician. For me there's comfort in knowing she will only recommend meds if she truly believes he will benefit from them. I can't say all child psychiatrist are like her but I do believe they are worth the visit. I never wanted to medicate my son, however, I was diagnosed just two years ago and the meds made such a vast difference in my life that it changed my viewpoint. If recommended, I will medicate him under close watch of his psychiatrist.

My 7.5 year old son was diagnosed Dec 2016. We tried everything too. Diet change, homeopathics , and we even changed our parenting style. We knew that medication would be a last ditch effort. But we ran out of options and decided to go for it. It has seriously been the best decision of our lives. He can also tell a huge difference and says he likes life better with help of medication. His teachers saw a HUGE difference in him as well. I was also resently tested and diagnosed with ADHD. Working with my therapist on life-strategies and medication has been an absolute game changer. I was always missed diaognosed and have struggled for years. I didn't want my son to experience those same struggles. Thank God we got the help we both needed. Good luck to you!!

My son started meds in 2nd grade. For us, meds are a Godsend. Nothing else really works and he was really struggling in school.

My 6 year old was diagnosed with ADHD combined in April. After consultation with several mental health professionals and her pediatrician, we started 10mg of Ritalin in May. The message we got from all doctors was that therapy alone (without medication) would not produce significant behavioral changes as ADHD is a biological/chemical imbalance. She was really struggling in Kinder with reading, writing, flexibility and general focus. At home we were struggling with almost daily major meltdowns. Meds were the BEST decision! We saw immediate changes in behavior and general disposition. She was writing full paragraphs at school when she struggled with a few words before. We are working now to figure out the right dosage/formula to get her through a full school day for first grade (Kinder was only half day). We've had some bumps in the road but know that meds were the right decision for her.

ksdarcy my daughter was diagnosed at 6 also. She now 13 and starting her freshman year. At first we medicated her with a low dose of Adderal which she did well on. We had to have monthly appointments with her pediatrician to evaluate how she was doing on her medication and how she was doing with weight. Her doctor was always criticizing me about how little she was and it didn't matter that she was only 6lbs at birth and all of the women in my family are very petite. I got so sick of the criticism and not be heard that we finally decided after they changed her medication to Ritalin and she chased her brother through the house with a knife that we were done medicating. She did really well until 6th grade she began to notice she was having problems concentrating in class. We let her decide at that time if she wanted to start taking medication again. We put her back on Adderal and she has done amazing. My advice is to do what you think is right for your son and when he is older and understands more about what ADHD is and how it effects his daily routine let him help decide if medication is something he wants. Hope my rambling helps.

My 5 year old son is on medication for his ADHD. It has helped him with his focus and he is calmer. There is ups and downs. He has lost weight due to the medication that is the only side effect my little guy has had.

My son is 6 also and got diagnosed in may of this year. I did not want to put my son on medication but after thinking it through long and hard i decided it would be best for him mainly for school. He started off on Quillivant which is the liquid version of concerta then we found that he lost 2lbs in a month so we stopped that. Then we tried Strattera. The first dose didnt help him so now we are on the second dose which isnt helping him either. He still cant seem to focus at school in the classroom. Im thinking of asking his dr about adderral xr. Ive heard good things but i cant have him on something thats going to make him lose weight. He's a little guy to begin with.