Help??!! Medication not helping, yet

[gthom]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the group, glad to find other people who are going through similar trails as our family!! Wondering if I can get some feed back on people who have tried out the non-stimulants? My son is 7 and we've tried 3 different stimulants which have been very negative... 1st kind no effect, 2nd left him racing, not sleeping, ect. 3rd filled him with complete rage, to the point that he was threating to kill us in our sleep. Doctor says its not a side effect but when I discontinued it the rage was gone.He was on a low dose anti-psychotic which was amazing but the the 4th pediatrician discontinued it.... the 3rd pediatrician retired and she was the only one that seems to have heard us. He does need something but its so hard for me to put him through the yo yo of different medications. He has the inattentive ADHD along with a diagnosis of anxiety. He's failing grade 1, which I've never heard of and the behaviour is so hard to deal with. Time outs don't work because he destroys the place. He's mean to his sister and the older teenager hates to be around him because he's so difficult to be around. Other parents don't get what it's like. Hes a sweet kid but it gets missed. Husband and I have a great relationship ship but its gets between is because we have a hard time agreeing on how to manage him... any help for this frustrated mom??!!

[SharMor]

I had similar issues with my granddaughter and she still has rough days. The specialist we work with added Wellbutrin to her medication when the Ritalin seemed to lose effectiveness. It has addressed the anxiety pretty well and she functions pretty well most days.

[AlwaysRyan]

Hi! Hold on tight, your ride is just beginning! ( i mean that kindly). It seems that so far, you are handling things very well. Just make sure you and your husband maintain healthy communication throughout this process; its essential.

First, does he have an I.E.P? If so, have they conducted an FBA (functional Behavior Assessment)? Does he have an I.E.P. or a 504 Plan? Part of what he is experiencing is a lack of control of his Executive Functioning skills and it could be more going on with your son then ADHD. Did the school conduct a full multidisciplinary evaluation or a full psycho-educational evaluation? Maybe observe him at home and see what sets him off, and then work from there. He could be overly stimulated and may need a quiet place (of his choice) to decompress. Remove any negativity from him decompressing. Have you tried ear plugs or a weighted vest or cover?

Maybe focus on behavioral and social-emotion interventions and how its implemented because sometimes medication does not fix it all.

I hope this helps-Good luck and I wish you guys hours of patience, communication and understanding!

(understood.org/en/learning-...

chadd.org/Understanding-ADH...

[LuckyMonkey]

It's a really tough area, because reactions to medications is very personal. What works for one person can be disastrous for another. My 8 year old son tried a few varieties of medication that resulted in either being a complete zombie when on clonidine, the same terrifying rage (he too threatened to kill us and himself) while on adderall. We immediately pulled him off and have been giving him Vayarin (a food supplement rich in Omega 3 which helps with lipid imbalances) and wellbuterin which he only receives 1/2 tablet daily. The Vayarin takes 90-120 days before you see any effects, but it's a dietary supplement, not a drug, so there are no negative side effects, however you have to wait quite a while to see if it helps.

After 2-3 really tough years where our family felt like it was a constant war zone, being ripped apart at the slightest thing, filled with tantrums, punching, screaming, threatening and cursing, we've finally come to a fairly good place which has allowed some of the therapy and behavior management strategies to be practiced. My son has shown real growth in his self esteem, but it's not perfect.

I suggest doing as much research as you can, reach out to groups like these and don't give up, it's a long, hard road but you're doing a good job and it does get easier.