My 9 yr old son was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I asked his pediatrician how I can get him on meds if it gets to the point where he needs them. She said she doesn't treat this. Do I have to look for a specialist to treat my son for this now? She is the one who recommended the Dr. who diagnosed him but she could not refer me to another doctor with in my health group get help with treatment. I don't understand this. I called my insurance and they wanted to send me to a city very far away to get my son treated. This will definitely not work for us. Do Pediatricians treat this or is it a specialist? Sorry, I am so confused.. :o(
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ecobian912
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That sounds so frustrating I don't know how much of a help I'll be but for now my son was diagnosed by his pediatrician, and she is currently prescribing his medication. But from what I've read there are others that are being helped by a psychiatrist. I was told there is only one in my area that specializes in children so we are unfortunately still waiting to see her. I'm not unhappy with my sons pediatrician, just figured if there is a specialist we would check that out too.
You need either a pediatrician who has the comfort level to treat ADHD or a Child Psychiatrist, preferably one who specializes in ADHD. I am not sure but some specialized child neurologist might treat ADHD as well.
Child Psychiatrist, preferably one who specializes in ADHD...i am taking treatment for our 8 yrs old daughter in India...BTW, our Dr had been into US with 10 yrs experience with MD in Psychiatrist, however, it is very expensive in terms of consultation and counseling here.
It is confusing. Some pediatrician s will prescribe medicine for ADHD if the child was diagnosed by a psychologist or specialist but other pediatricians will not. Our neighbor is having trouble getting medicine for her daughter because the doctor wants to rule out Autism as a possibility first. My pediatrician specializes in ADHD so he put my daughter on Vyvanse. Her therapist was also willing to make an appointment with the psychiatrist who would then prescribe medicine. I didn't go that route because it would have taken months to get in to see him. Good luck!
Any pediatrician should be able to treat him, I think. Really it's just a matter of finding the right medicine and regular visits to talk about your sons overall well-being and how he's doing. Have you tried calling around to different pediatricians and asking their office staff? Good luck.
We have worked with a psychiatrist. If possible, it's best if they specialize in children. If you do need to travel, the good news is once the meds are regulated and in place, at least in our case, we only go in every few months.
Our pediatrician is treating our son while we are placed on a waitlist with a psychiatrist. It's really hard to find a psychiatrist--especially one actually in our insurance networks. I think you probably can find a pediatrician who specializes in ADHD, but a child psychiatrist is the norm. They just have more experience with medications for things like anxiety, ADHD, and autism.
Ecobian912- it sounds like you don't have a lot of confidence in your son's doctor. I strongly suggest all parents who have a child on medication to "work" with a child psychiatrist. They are specialist who are knowledgeable in how to work with different medications and knowing what is best to fit children, this is not the role of a general doctor. To be honest it is not always that 1 medication fits the child. My son was on medication for 3 years that they were not appropriate for him. He was under dosed, and it was only treating the hyperactivity, not the focusing issue.
My son was diagnosed with ADHD by his pediatrician, who is able to prescribe medication for it. We later got a referral for a children’s neurologist for the Tourette diagnosis.
If your per can’t help you ornrefer you, what about the doctor who did the diagnosis? If not, I echo what others say to maybe shop around for another pediatrician who does treat ADHD, if one is available in your area.
Though they probably can’t diagnose or navigate your insurance, but I did find our school counselor to be a wealth of helpful information shortly after we received the diagnosis.
Ugh! Yes, I’ve been there. I’m fortunate to live in a large metropolitan area but still it seems like there are only about five child psychiatrists in the whole world, huh? Get your kid on as many wait lists as possible for psychiatry, developmental health, therapy, and whatever else he needs. I am on a two-year wait list at a great children’s hospital and in the meantime I found a local advanced nurse practitioner at a counseling center who did the prescribing.
Maybe in your situation you can go to the place your insurance recommended once to get the ball rolling and then visit somewhere else for medication management. There are counseling agencies out there who operate on grants and may be able to do medication management on a sliding scale fee or something. It’s a seemingly endless process of turning over rocks while kiddo is trashing the house or whatever, but I promise that once you get this first part over with, get your son on whatever therapies you want to try first, things will shift for you and you won’t feel so lost.
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I don't know how much of a help I'll be but for now my son was diagnosed by his pediatrician, and she is currently prescribing his medication. But from what I've read there are others that are being helped by a psychiatrist. I was told there is only one in my area that specializes in children so we are unfortunately still waiting to see her. I'm not unhappy with my sons pediatrician, just figured if there is a specialist we would check that out too. 
Is my son a little \"off\"?
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