New ADHD diagnosis - Acceptance, understanding, and Medication?

[daemaitehn]

Hello Community,

My six year old was just diagnosed with ADHD. After a very rough year of kindergarten we had her tested per recommendation after meeting with a psychologist.

Still trying to take in/understand/accept the diagnosis. I have a few questions/concerns I was looking for advice on. So far, this year seems to be going much better then last. We have cut out sugar and dyes as much as possible. Is anyone aware of any good reads/helpful sites of further understanding of ADHD?

Also with thoughts of medication, I can honestly say that my core reaction is against it. However, I am starting to have the understanding that if done correctly, it can have great positive outcomes. At what point have people started to medicate their child? What was the tipping point for those which where against it to start, what changed your mind? I am concerned with social issues much more then educational since her grades have not suffered yet.

Thanks to anyone which responds. I think I am just looking to get my thoughts out there, and start a dialog for the future.

[ScatteredMom]

The right time to medicate is when your child is suffering.

If your child seems to be doing his best, over and over again, and becoming frustrated because he's still not measuring up, it may be time to medicate. If your child just can't seem to make friends, it can help to medicate and then get social skills help WHILE on the medication, right after a dose if possible.

I was diagnosed at 19. I was on medication just for a few months, but in those few months, I learned skills I had never been able to master, like writing and using a planner. (Yep, I was 19 and could barely put a paragraph together.) I retained those skills after stopping the medication.

If you do try, see a psychiatrist with appropriate expertise, and make sure your child is started on a low dose, maybe half the typical dose for a child that size. Time enough to raise it if the small dose doesn't work. There are a lot of medicines, stimulants, nonstimulants, time-release, etc. It might take some trial and error to select the right medicine.

[daemaitehn in reply to ScatteredMom]

Hello ScatteredMom,

This post has actually been incredible helpful and raises more questions. You where diagnosed at 19. You said how much the medication helped you. What prompted the medication? How where you socially/education wise pre medication? Where you glad that you where on some medication for a short time? Why did you stop with the medication?

Are you able to explain the difference you felt before the medication and after such as how you where able to control/concentrate?

Thanks in advance, I look forward to the response.

[ScatteredMom in reply to daemaitehn]

The medication was prompted by finally getting diagnosed, after a THIRD round of doctors and tests finally diagnosed me, after I failed out of college.

I was an adult, (barely), so taking the medicine was my choice. I stopped because I didn't like the side effects and was able to function without it, although I still have some issues.

When the medication works, it just seems like I'm having a really productive day. When I'm listening to the teacher talk without meds, I hear what the teacher is saying for a little while, then a stray thought crosses my mind and drags me away, and I hear nothing more for quite some time. With meds, a thought crosses my mind, and then my attention snaps back to the teacher, where I want it to be.

I'm considering trying medication again, as I have never tried a nonstimulant treatment.

[LuckyMonkey]

We felt the same resistance to wanting to medicate our 7 yr old son, however after years of trying alternative methods and seeing him struggling more and more (as well as our family being put through the wringer due to his inflexibility, tantrums and poor behavior), we realized it was necessary.

Medication can be the bridge between the desire to behave, focus, make friends and thrive and the ability to control their bodies & mind in order to do so. It's not a perfect science, what works for one person can be unsuccessful for another. Make sure you are getting the support and help you need, from a therapist, pediatrician and psychiatrist you trust.

No one wants their child to need to be medicated, but if your child needed glasses you wouldn't simply expect their eyesight to improve on it's own, nor would you expect them to live without being able to see the world around them. If they were diabetic and required insulin for their body to function, you wouldn't give it a second thought. That was what we came to understand. ADHD is a real disease and it affects not only how the brain processes information, but can leave those suffering from it feeling remorseful, upset and lost.

I have found the "HowToADHD" youtube channel very helpful; they are short videos created by a young woman with ADHD and she explains things simply and clearly from a first person angle: youtube.com/results?search_...

I found them helpful in better understanding the inner workings of an ADHD mind, which in turn allowed me to approach the struggle from a place of understanding and patience. It's also nice to reach out to this group, as many of us have been down similar roads.

[daemaitehn in reply to LuckyMonkey]

Thanks LuckyMonkey. I am really starting to accept and understand further that IF/WHEN medication is needed, I must accept medication. I also must ensure that it is best for my child and work towards whatever will be needed for her to be successful. I think I am really starting to accept things. Thanks for the feedback.

[Boymom3]

I resisted medication for my son for 2 years. I tried all the alternative stuff with zero difference made. When he started 3rd grade his grades plummeted. After a month on Ritalin his math grade has gone from an F to a C. His teachers say he is still himself, but more productive. He’s completing timed quizzes and school work. It has been amazing to witness bc we were so against the medication. YouTube videos by Russell Barkley were helpful for me. That was a recommendation by his psychologist. Barkley has written some great books as well.

[CobraKid04]

I would recommend Dr Russell Barkley’s YouTube videos as well. There is one on the 30 essential things you need to know about ADHD in which he breaks things down into small manageable sections. The following link is for his video that explains how to treat ADHD based on science. youtu.be/_tpB-B8BXk0(Not working as expected?). After 5 years dealing with this issue with my son I saw this video and was like “never thought of it that way!” As a nurse I avoid the psych issues because it deals with gray areas rather than the black and white stuff. But knowing it there is a genetic link and meds work made it easier for me as a mom.

[wiroots]

Hi Daemaitehn, I realize your post is 6 years old, but thought I'd reach out to see if you were willing to share an update. My son, 14, was just recently diagnosed and my gut reaction is also no medication. Struggling with how to approach the whole thing... Trying natural alternatives first but so far no luck.