I am worried for my son

[Sherianne]

Hi my name is sherianne I have an 8 year old son named Gilberto who was diagnosed with adhd, high functioning pddnos autism, intermittent explosive disorder, and anxiety all at the age of 5.. He is doing poorly in school below grade level, doesn't get along with other kids starts off playing good then out of no where he starts fighting with them.. I don't know what to do he is medicated and it doesn't seem to be working. He is disrespectful towards me and abusive towards his sister and myself.. I myself am bipolar but never fully diagnosed or medicated..

[sylah]

Hi Sherianne, I can understand what you are going through (but of course, we are all a bit different). My husband is bipolar and I had been diagnosed with ADD last year.

Our son is 8 right now but has been showing signs of ADHD since he was little. He went through and to a certain extend is still going through all the situation you described.

Which medication is Gilberto currently on? It is possible that it is not the correct medication for him.

As far as behavior at home - we have found that approaching our son with different parenting methods is extremely helpful. We do a lot of positive discipline techniques. You can find it on youtube by Dr. Jane Nelson and she also have books.

Also, does he have any routine at home? How is he sleeping? How is he eating, etc?

At school - we learned that the setting will be the most important thing. Does the teacher and school staff communicate with you regularly? Does he have a 504 plan? All these will help to set Gilberto up for success.

I wish the best for you and your family, it is really stressful to have to go through all this.

[Sherianne in reply to sylah]

Hi Sylah my son is currently taking adderall, ability, buspar,and Zoloft plus a sleep aid because he does not sleep he would literally be awake till 6am. He is a very picky eater.

[sylah in reply to Sherianne]

How did the doctor decide that those are the meds he needs? Has there been trial and errors deciding medications? Every child’s brain activity is different so not one/all medication is suitable for one child (this is from Doctor Amen’s studies).

Someone else here said there is a genetic testing to see if the medications the child is currently taking is a suitable one. I don’t know how it works but I’m going to ask our doctor during our visit tomorrow.

My son used to take over an hour to fall asleep (not including bedtime routine). Now he takes a blend called NeuroRest which has magnesium, valarian and melatonin and has seen great improvement. Magnesium itself can be a great calming supplement (please check with your doctor and if taken too much it will cause loose poop).

There is so much more I want to share but I don’t want to be intrusive and overwhelming. If you would like to chat more please PM me!

[anirush]

We have been dealing with that for years, think things are stable and then they are not, lots of med changes. Used to have long tantrums years ago. Now he will just punch or throw things. Not fun.

[Sherianne in reply to anirush]

Yea my sons tantrums have been horrible especially when he is told No .. I don't think my sons meds combo is working for him so defently staying something to his psychiatrist next visit.. He wants nothing to do with his homework or classwork.. I can't take him to school my husband has to otherwise he will fight me to get out the car.. Sometimes I literally have to drag him out the car..

[anirush]

My grandsons are older but I give them magnesium melatonin and Valerian to help them sleep. That actually works really well and their doctor says it's safe.

Medicine is such trial and error even the psychiatrists are guessing what's going to work

[ashjav2001]

I would definitely recommend getting a genetic test ran, it will help determine which meds will best suit your child

[Sherianne in reply to ashjav2001]

He had a genetic test done