To medicate or not?

[CoriR]

I have a 12 yr old daughter (and husband) who hasn't been diagnosed yet with ADD, but I know they have it. My husband is VERY hesitant to medicate her due to the negative things he has heard about the effects from them. Which is also one of the reasons we never got her tested (because she wasn't going to be medicated). My husband and I are thinking about possibly testing her and maybe medicating her. I am wondering in all of your experience what has been the meds to stay away from and which have been the ones that have worked and that didn't have any side effects. I realize it's different for every person.

Also, would you recommend a child to get on meds or would you try to steer them to try other avenues?

[22789]

I strongly recommend enlisting a psychiatrist for medication titration rather than a pediatrician or general practitioner. Medication tolerance/effectiveness varies by person. My 10 year old son has been on Concerta for 2 1/2 years; recently dropped the dose from 36 to 18mg. I have a family member who has used several different meds over several years because each one has only been effective for about a year. Medication, in my opinion which mirrors that of ADHD experts, is that medication is just once component of a comprehensive treatment plan. For my son, medication makes life far less complex and manageable. I believe the chances of him self-medicating with alcohol or street drugs as he ages is significantly reduced. Stimulants can increase anxiety, aggressiveness, sleep issues, etc which can vary by person. Good luck.

[Lacy_Mcc]

such a tough situation that most of us have probably been in! We did 2 years of counseling and alternative treatments (supplements, diets, behavior charts, etc) before our child psychologist recommended meds. it was a life changer, he was a different kid almost immediately. happier, more confident, doing better with school, it was great. the only side effects we've had are insomnia for the first few weeks, overly emotional (dose was too high) and loss of appetite (which were still dealing with). Our psychologist has been treating kids with ADHD for 30 years and she said most of the unmedicated kids struggle though life self medicating with drugs and risky behavior. my own husband has unmedicated adhd and struggled with addictions and didn't graduate high school despite being very intelligent. we didn't want that for our son so we chose meds although it's not for everyone.

[CoriR in reply to Lacy_Mcc]

Thanks to the both of you. If we want to go ahead with meds, what do we do? Do we see a child psychologist or a psychiatrist? both?

[Lacy_Mcc]

I may be wrong so double check but I think a psychiatrist can prescribe meds, and a psychologist or therapist can provide a referral for them to your pediatrician then they actually prescribe them. We go to our pediatrician for med checks every few months to check weight, adjust dosage, if needed, etc. then see the psychologist intermittently for integrated behavior therapy. hope that helps.

[Hidden in reply to Lacy_Mcc]

When you come to medication my son was seen by a neurologist that his pediatrician recommended

[Boymom3]

We tried everything else. Diet, supplements, oils, fidget seats and toys, listening to music while at school, reward systems consequences, nothing made a difference. Every teacher has reported the same issues. He started failing math from simply not finishing the work. Getting distracted and then times up. He has been on Ritalin for a month now and his math grade is going up quickly. Teacher said he is still talkative, active, playful just more productive. He's eating and sleeping fine. He is 8. We started super low dose and increased weekly.